When the pair finally dressed, showered, and entered the main dojo, the old man was waiting for them. "Ahh! Good. You're awake. You two may not be aware, but we actually have a pair of Gyms right here on the Isle. A Poison Type specialist, Leader Klara, and a Psychic Type specialist, Leader Avery. Each of you will take a Kubfu with you for your challenge of one or both Gyms, whatever you prefer. They only do single Battles, though, so you'll need to go one at a time. Befriend your Kubfu, claim victory in at least one Gym, and I will let it become your Pokémon." The male and female cubs seemed content with their Trainers and followed them outside the Master Dojo.
The moment they left the dojo, Isabella turned around to Sikandar. "I love training Fighting Types, and I have a plan." Before she could continue, Raphael came out of his ball and a malicious, envious aura surrounded him. Kandra popped out as well, sensing his anger. The pair of Kubfu shied a short distance from the stronger Pokémon. Even Papaya, her Togedemaru, seemed to try claiming more space on her shoulder out of jealousy.
"First of all, if someone, anyone starts to act out of place, and does anything which doesn't help us as a team, I will send you straight to the Professor, no questions asked." Immediately, both of her team members stopped their behavior, and even Raph stood a little straighter. The Kubfu stared at her as if she was a crazy person. "Sikandar, you told me you're trained in Martial Arts as well, right? I believe we could make use of both of our unique styles. I saw a nice spot in the mountains, where no one else usually trains at. This should be the perfect place to turn those Fighters into powerhouses, and also give the rest of our team some training. I'd like to train them personally before we let them at each other. If we camp out there for a week, it should probably suffice. What do you think?"
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"Much as I'd like to spend a week with you in isolation, we're probably two Badges behind by now. Three days, at most. Then we each beat both of the Gyms here, head back to the mainland, and rush to Wyndon. We should be strong enough after three days...if you can keep up with me." He finished, with a smirk.
He'd gotten the female of the adamant bear cubs, for some reason, but he took it in stride. They'd gone to the Trainer they'd wanted, and he called her Bhaloo, as they made for Isabella's secluded spot.
It was high noon by the time they arrived at the peak, and he hopped off his bike next to her, as they took in the frankly gorgeous view of the entire island from above. He smiled at her, then one hand moving to brush some red strands from her face and behind her ear as his eyes locked on hers. "Shall we begin?"
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Her face flushed slightly, but she stayed focused. "Hmmm, from how I understood Mustard, we only have to beat one Gym each. Let's do that, first. We can still debate if their challenge is worth our time, or whether or not we want to move on to the other Gyms."
She asked some of their Pokémon to erect their tents, and others to get some water and search for berries. Their fighting types, however, had to stay near them. Her shiny Poliwrath, Carlo, had started to draw a circle on the ground, and looked at his trainer to start.
Isabella eyed the two Kubfu, as well as Carlo, Raphael, and Sikandar, and started to address their Pokémon: "We're going to play a little game. One on one. You'll take turns fighting us, and each other. Everything goes. If you leave the circle, or fall and stay down for more than three seconds, you lose. That's it."
She stepped into the circle then, and looked at Sikandar, challenging him. "Both he and I are trained, and probably in different styles. Watch, and learn." Their Pokémon looked back and forth between Sikandar and her, waiting for what was going to happen next.
Sikandar was more of a special attacker than a physical one. He hadn't been very good at the martial arts used by his Master, and as he engaged Isabella, it became clear very quickly that he was outmatched by whatever Mukkery she'd learned. Most likely, some style from Varangia, known for its brutality.
Their limbs were a flurry of powerful strikes and block, and as Sikandar tried to add a kick in there, she grabbed his leg, spun him, and pinned him. Easily. He tried to break free of the hold, but no, she had him. He just smirked at her, clearly impressed.
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For Isabella, it was the other way around. Where Sikandar had all of the advantages regarding psychic power, as well as special attacks, she was all physical, and fast. She was sitting on top of him now, pinning his wrists next to his face. Her own face was just a few inches away from his, and it hit Isabella rather suddenly how suggestive their position was right now. Her face flushed as she remembered how his body had felt against hers the night before, but despite her straddling him, everything remained at rest.
"Ehem. Sorry. Are you alright?" She got off him, and helped him up, before addressing their Pokémon again. "In a perfect world, I'd love to teach you guys a proper style. But, we have three days to help you get stronger, and we have to be efficient. As you might have seen, Sikandar's posture was perfect and probably a result of years of training." She eyed him and paused, giving him the opportunity to correct her. "I can do a few proper styles as well, but what you just witnessed is called fighting dirty within the Martial Arts community. If every one of you knows a few moves from both worlds, you should be fine. I'll also make you run every morning at six with me, just to get that stamina in."
There were a few more details to her plan, which she proceeded to explain as well, before drawing a second circle on the ground. "Alright. Carlo, you know the drill." Her Poliwrath jumped excitedly, before rounding up the other fighters and starting to teach them various moves in between the sessions. In the meantime, the other Pokémon had set up their camp, and connected their tents. "I'd like to give them a bit of time among themselves to get used to this, so technically, we're free for the next two hours, until they can take a break." She stepped closer to him, brushing some dirt out of his face with her thumb.
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His arms went around her back, pulling her frame into his in a way she'd definitely remember. "Whatever shall we do with so much free time." He said, smirking at her.
Behind her, all of their Pokémon were staring, and the general mood from them seemed to say 'finally'. There were a few, Kandra and her pika clone for example, who frowned, but her threat of the Professor hung over them and kept them from interfering.
Carlo glanced as well, then turned back to demonstrating, and teaching, the newbies how to Brick Break, something the Kubfu were both far more interested in than the obvious couple doing couple things. They'd been around the dojo long enough to see what Mustard did to Honey, once he got 'serious', so the pair of bears was more than over watching humans go at each other like a pair of Raboot.
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"What indeed…" She answered, before brushing her lips slightly and briefly over his, in a similar fashion like she had done last night.
"Actually," She said, murmuring into his ear. "I was hoping to get you to teach me more about the psychic stuff… I want to understand more about what I can do with those powers, but I still fail to do the basic things. Especially when we are using this... uhm, other world, this mind space."
She had closed her eyes, trying to get used to his embrace. While she didn't make a move to pull him close in return, she tilted her head a little, touching his cheek with her own. Each of her movements was well planned, carefully executed, and meaningful. This small gesture may have seemed like nothing, but her older Pokémon knew that she was slowly falling for her partner, opening her heart and soul to him step by step.
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There was a familiar twinge against her loins as she teased his lips and rested her cheek on his. His hands had reflexively moved to her ass, and once more he was very glad the dojo's uniforms were so thin. He could feel every part of her, when they were this close. With his own mind distracted thoroughly by her top tier body, he made an effort to sense her surface thoughts, to see if her own horniness, if there was any, would be an impediment to psychic training. "Oh, I can teach you..." He murmured into her ear.
He pressed his lips into hers, briefly, before he moved them towards the conjoined tents, this time arranged so that there was no connecting tunnel, just more space for everyone, or in this case, both of them. One hand left her ass to summon a rock into his hand, before they disappeared into the tent.
Her mind was mostly calm, although being near him seemed to stir something up within her. She seemed genuinely interested to learn, but also curious about him, and them. The importance of progressing their relationship seemed to compete with her goal of winning the challenge. The thoughts focusing around him seemed to increase once she felt his body through their thin garments, and made her head spin even more when he pulled her into their tent.
Once they were alone inside, she brought some distance between them, not quite able to hide her flushed cheeks. She cleared her throat, before noticing the stone in his hand. "What's that for?"
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"Practice." He said, falling to his knees, before he propped her up on hers as well. His hands found her ass again, as he pulled her close to him, both because her body was lit, and because it would help with the lesson. "There are pools of energy in our bodies that psychics like us can tap into. In Eous, we call them Chakras. Yours are closed for the moment, but you can still draw from them. We'll open these Chakras as you advance in your training."
One hand moved to her hip then, while the other slid to the base of her spine, likely all but in between her ass, and relatively close to her back door. He wasn't after butt stuff though, instead tapping her tailbone, or close to it. "The first is here, and is tied to the earth, and one's...survival instincts." His hand moved up then, to roughly the last vertebrae on her spine. "The second is here, tied to water. It deals with pleasure..."
His other hand slid sensually up her navel, to her stomach. "The third is tied to fire. It deals with one's willpower, your mental fortitude." The other hand that'd been on her spine was now over her heart. "This fourth energy pool is tied to air. It's a source of love."
His lips came close to hers then, brushing over them, before moving to her neck. He kissed it several times, unable to resist her scent, but eventually he said, "Here lies the pool tied to sound, and truth." His head rose reluctantly from her neck then, as his forehead met hers. "The sixth is tied to Light, and insight." His forehead left hers then, and the hand on her heart, that had to resist the urge to gently cup her breast, came up to the crown of her head. "And the last. The most important. It deals with thoughts, and the cosmic energy of the universe. Once you open this, you'll be quite powerful."
It was more like if she could open it, for many could not pay the toll to reach enlightenment. He didn't mention that.
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She completely focused on his words, taking in every gesture he made. Isabella nodded at his explanation about the energy pools, curious what they were about. Her body tensed up once his hand slid down to the first pool, but still, she didn't stop him. Whenever his hand brushed over one of her pools, he'd feel an aspect of it resonating from her.
It got harder for her to concentrate at some parts, especially once he kissed her neck. The soft sigh leaving her lips betrayed her calm attitude, and yet, she forced herself to focus, focus, focus on his words. "It sounds… mysterious. Beautiful…" She murmured, once he seemed to have finished. "I presume we start with opening the first one…? How is it going to work?"
He chuckled. "Opening them can...take years, potentially. And once you start, you can't stop attempting to open them. If you do…your body could fall out of balance. Right now, all you need to do is draw from them, as much as you can. Depending on how...blocked up...they are, will determine how much power you can draw." Loathe as he was to move away from her, he fell back onto his ass, and sat cross-legged then.
"Try drawing what power you can from the spots I showed you and focus on lifting the rock." He didn't expect immediate success. This task had taken him a while to understand, and sometimes, just breaching that first gap between not having powers, and actually using them to, in many instances, levitate a pebble, could be difficult, or seemingly impossible. For some people. He didn't think her energy pools were blocked too much. Some were more congested than others, but that too was normal.
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She looked at him, at the stone, and then back at him. There were a thousand questions in her head, most of them revolving around the how. But she could still feel those spots he had touched, some more than others, and focused on them. With that feeling, she imagined picking up the stone. But nothing happened.
Her brows furrowed. She tried again, a little impatient. Sitting still for a longer period of time, without at least moving a pen or the page of a book, wasn't exactly her strong suit. This time, she focused on those energy pools she could feel a little clearer, trying to block out the memory of his hand upon her heart. She focused on the stone, again to no avail.
It frustrated her. The first pool had been all about earth, he had said, and being grounded, calm, was something people usually associated with her. This stupid stone in front of her should just fly, she thought. It angered her, and she just wished she could kick it away, as if this was one of her training sessions. This thought actually had an impact, as the stone suddenly crashed into the ground as if someone had increased the gravity, creating a small crater all around it.
She stared at the stone, blinking, before looking up at Sikandar, hoping for some kind of explanation.
He frowned, as he saw the tiny impact crater. "You're frustrated. You won't get anywhere if you overthink it. Try to feel the energy in your body. Understand that you direct where it goes and how it moves. Reach out gently, and try to lift the stone, as you would with your hand, but instead of your muscles, rely on your power."
He briefly wondered if he had gone too far with his sensual teasing. If that was the case, there were ways to achieve bodily calm again, mostly through massages he knew, but bodily release was also a method, and a rather effective one, in his experience.
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She nodded, thankful for his guidance. "I'll try." It sounded so easy when he explained it, and still, she couldn't quite wrap her head around it. Seeing him frown triggered a new determination within her; she didn't want to disappoint him. However, at this point her concentration got worse, with various memories and thoughts intruding. Various memories of her Nonna lecturing her whenever she was impatient during her lessons, their Pokémon team and its weaknesses, and, well, him. Isabella stared at the stone, desperate at this point, fighting against herself, with no progress whatsoever.
After several minutes, she lifted both of her hands, suddenly slapping them against her cheeks. Her hands stayed there for a few seconds, and one deep breath later, she focused on the stone. Only on the stone. Her hands slowly moved back into her lap, revealing two red spots, but her gaze remained fixed, as if she was trying to tear the stone apart with her eyes. Finally, the stone moved, ever so slightly, as if someone had poked it, before slowly getting raised into the air. It was shaking, but she kept raising it. Her lips were slightly parted, her fingers fisting into the thin pants of her garment, and she only stopped when the stone was in line of eye contact between her and Sikandar. The aura surrounding it was a deep crimson, like her hair, but less orange than Sikandar's aura.
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"Well done." He said, breaking the silence, and likely her concentration. He caught the stone as it fell, and set it down, looking her in the eye as he did. "It took me weeks just to do that..." He said, leaning in slightly towards her, drawn in by how beautiful she was. "You really are a natural..."
He'd been mostly watching which energy pools she'd had the most trouble drawing from and could guess which would be the most difficult to open. By this point, roughly an hour had passed, but they could still hear Carlo leading their teams through fighting move drills outside. "Now that you understand how to draw from your body's energy, you can practice whenever you have a minute." He glanced outside, checking Carlo's progress, and then glanced back at her, smirking. "Seems we still have an hour..."
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She blushed a little. "I'm just lucky with my teacher." His face was close to hers, even more so now that he had leaned in. "Sometimes… it just helps to have someone patient at your side…" She was tempted to look away from him, but his eyes had caught her like a Master Ball.
There were a few seconds where none of them spoke, until the noises of their Pokémon outside snapped her out of it. "Another hour…? Oh…" She was suddenly very aware of them being alone in this tent, on this mountain, with all of their Pokémon being occupied outside. There were no fans near them, no Rotom Phones, no reporters, and no social media. She was tempted to lean back, to create a little more space between their faces, but his eyes had enchanted her. She barely noticed how her hand lifted up, cupping his cheek, her thumb brushing over his bottom lip. "I'm glad to have you as my partner." She murmured, before closing the distance, kissing him properly.
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He blinked, as he felt her hand, and then her mouth drew a soft groan from him. He leaned into her in return, and from his perspective, it felt like they were resuming their passionate make out session from the night before.
His hands found her ass and pulled her against him. He enjoyed how warm she felt, separated by less than an inch of fabric, and how nice her body felt, pressed into him.
There could've been a crowd of people outside, and his entire focus would've still been entirely on her, and gently stimulating her fine body.
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For her, it was the other way around. No matter if she had a lover, or a close family member nearby, Isabella was a very private person, rarely showing any affection in public. Behind closed doors, with people she could trust, this changed completely. It wasn't that she particularly cared what others thought of her, she just didn't want her private life to be open for other people to be a part of, even if it was in discussion only. She'd picked the wrong profession for someone who valued privacy, and the fact that they'd needed to climb a mountain just to get it, highlighted that fact.
Sikandar's body, his warmth, became more familiar to her. Both of them were still kneeling on the ground, but up on their knees, torsos pressed flush against each other as they made out. Slowly, her hands got up, and rested on his chest while their mouths were still busy. She wouldn't move, wouldn't explore his muscles with the tips of her fingers.
Once they had to part for air, her cheeks were still flushed, a certain glitter in her eyes. At this point, she knew it was just a matter of days, until her body was his. She wondered how long it would take until she gave in to the temptation that was Sikandar. Tomorrow? Today? Of course, she still had doubts in her head, but with every time he showed his endless patience with her, stopping despite clearly wanting more, she got more confident.
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When he felt her pulling away again, his hands moved her subtly, pulling her towards him instead, as he sat cross-legged. She ended up in his lap, panting, flushed, like he was. They'd only made out for a handful of minutes, and while he'd kept his trouser Ekans from using Harden, at the rate they were going he knew he'd be blue down there before long. If he wasn't already.
He just stared at her, once again impressed, as they panted. "You...are very good at kissing." He managed, as he wondered what else she was good at. Naturally he wanted nothing more than to lay her down and make her experience the sixty-four methods those of Indius had long practiced when it came to making love. For his region, it was akin to an art form, but she wished to wait, and he was a man of his word. For a woman like her, he'd wait an eternity. None of his other lovers had ever had this much of an effect on him, and while he'd heard of love at first sight, actually experiencing it was an altogether different experience from Indius and their usual methods of courtship. He hadn't known it was love, at first, but he knew himself well enough to be certain, by now. He was completely, hopelessly, infatuated with the redhead sitting in his lap.
Of course, she enjoyed their kissing as much as he did, savoring every stroke of their tongues, the movements of his lips when they continuously brushed against hers. "Seems like it's a skill we have in common." Was all she replied to his compliment on her kissing.
He sat her up then, once they caught their breath, and with her back to him, he started massaging her shoulders. They had an hour after all, and he intended to use every minute to grow closer to her in all the ways that mattered, so she'd become more comfortable being near him.
"You know...we could go further, if you want...we have many...hidden moves for coitus in Indius. An entire record of them." His hot breath tickled against her ear, and his hands knew exactly how to work out the knots in her muscles. "I'm sure you'd enjoy them..."
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Since she was always moving, often over straining, overworking herself, he'd find many knots to massage away on her back. It wasn't something she was used to, being touched like this. Immediately, Isabella relaxed, a moan escaping her lips once he worked on a harder part under her shoulder blade. Her whole back was a mess. "Mh… This… actually feels wonderful…"
Despite sitting on his lap, she relaxed more and more, until her back was resting on his chest, making it impossible for him to continue. Her eyes were closed while she enjoyed his warmth and listened to his words. One of her hands was resting on his bare leg, her fingers digging treacherously into his skin when he offered her to continue. Her head was slightly tilted towards him, her lips brushing over his jaw when she answered. "Hidden… moves…?" She wondered what that would look like but wasn't sure if she'd like to continue.
If they would go farther, and somehow broke up with one another, the rest of their journey would be… awkward, to say the least. Then again, Sikandar didn't seem like a person to start drama. He seemed to be at peace with himself and communicated well with her. Stopped when she asked him to. Respected her boundaries. Their Pokémon were still busy outside, and all she needed to do to have some privacy was to ask her Gothitelle to raise some walls around their tent and soundproof everything.
"Sikandar… Do you really think we should proceed? Is this a… good idea?" There was no doubt in her voice, she asked this question matter-of-factly. But… if she listened to her emotions, and her body, she knew she wanted him.
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"Absolutely..." He said, as his hands, which had paused once she leaned back against him, now slid up and under her dojo top. His hands introduced her chest to the same treatment he'd given her back. "This is a great idea...once we become one, no one will stop us...not even Victor and Gloria."
He didn't push for more, seemingly content with sensually massaging her and making her feel good. Feeling her body caused his to react, despite his best efforts. Days of imagining exactly this scenario with her overpowered even his bodily control, and feeling the real thing was impossible to ignore.
"Ngh… b-but…" She sighed softly, interrupted in her speech as his hands began massaging her sensitive chest. She almost hated to admit how good it felt, but the way she relaxed, how her body reacted to his touch, gave her away anyway. Her own hands were pressing into his legs a little too hard.
"Tell me. How would doing this help us win a match? I'm sorry Sikandar, but it sounds like BS." Even as she challenged what he had said, she didn't move, not even as his body reacted to hers. Even with the awakening going on down below, he didn't push for more, and his movements were repetitive, thorough, and designed to purposefully feel good. She briefly wondered if he'd been trained to do this, at some point.
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Her resistance despite her own arousal was amusing, but she didn't stop him, so he continued to shamelessly, expertly, massage her. "We need to be in perfect sync to beat Victor and Gloria. A single Mukup could turn the match their way..." He said, letting his hot breath hit her neck. "And since they're ex-lovers...we'll actually have an advantage over them."
He didn't seem to mind her nails digging into his darker skin and murmured to her. "There's no better way to achieve synchronicity...and I can hear your thoughts, Isabella...you want this as badly as I do."
He relented then, moving one hand from her chest so he could tilt her head towards him again. His dark eyes locked on hers. "I don't want to give you an excuse though...I want you to be as into this as I am... since the moment we met; I've wanted to do this with you. I haven't hidden that. I genuinely believe that we'd be unstoppable if we became a…proper couple. But as I promised, we move at your pace, or not at all."
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Her face was flushed, which he could see perfectly once she was properly looking at him. "I don't…get you. It doesn't make sense, at all." She sounded a little frustrated right now, torn between continuing to call BS on him, and asking him to show her these techniques from his homeland. She tried not to think about how much she wanted his hands to resume. Finally, the ongoing conflict in her head seemed to cease. "Why does it sound so utterly stupid, and why do I want to ask you to continue anyway…?"
"It's not stupid." He said, firmly. "Why do most Double Battlers also have relationships with each other? Because they're stronger together. But they're not Champions. They're average Trainers doing the best they can...you and I...Miko and Zabrina...Victor and Gloria...even Leon...we have something they do not. The flames of true passion. We can easily turn them into flames of victory, too."
He stared into her eyes as he laid her down on her back then, sitting on his knees before her spread legs as he murmured to her. "And when we reach the Battle Tower, and we finally face each other…I will still feel the same about you, regardless of who wins."
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"You just…want to get in my pants…" She murmured, still arguing despite very strongly wanting that outcome herself. She still had lingering doubts though, but his words were helping to alleviate them.
"I mean…that's part of it…but we view the act much differently in Indius than you westerners do. It's…supposed to be special. Sacred, even. The key to a healthy ma- er, relationship with one's partner." He corrected, as he remembered how western girls reacted to the M word. That could come later, if she even wanted it.
He stared into her eyes then, very obviously smitten with her, but didn't resume kissing her. "I want you, Isabella. It's not just about your body…although…" His eyes roamed over her, lying before him, flushed and focused entirely on him. "Damn."
He stopped talking as his eyes ran over and up her, before meeting hers, and it seemed like if there was a moment for her to stop where this was heading, this was it. He wasn't in her head, either, more like he could hear her thoughts, as if she was speaking beside him. He had said exactly what he meant, implying she could be heard and listened to, which for psychics, was worlds apart from pushing into someone's mind and reading their thoughts that way. That was considered an abhorrent action, outside of training, and something only psychics who'd ruled entire kingdoms in the Dark Times of ancient history had done.
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There were a thousand things she could say, or ask of him, but instead Isabella reached sideways, where her bag was, tapping a Pokéball to release her Gothitelle. Not one moment was she looking away from him or seemed to care how her Pokémon saw her in this more than suggestive position, with him sitting before her spread legs. Bianca was more than capable of sensing her feelings towards Sikandar, who glanced up awkwardly at the Gothitelle, as dex entries about its possessiveness filled his head. "Bianca. We need some privacy, please." Isabella murmured, her eyes not leaving his.
Bianca rarely showed any emotions, besides seemingly always looking bored. But at this request, she smiled, and after creating some powerful shields around them, Teleported out of their connected tent. Isabella's hand went up and on the back of his head, pulling his face back to hers. The kiss which followed was burning, passionate, hungry. And this time, her body made the first move, wrapping around his.
Bianca posted herself outside of the joined tent, now covered in a combination barrier of Reflect and Light Screen her Trainer had made her master. Reflect Screen, as it was usually called, also canceled out most noises from behind the barriers. Despite that, she still heard her Trainer.
"Sikandar…I need… you."
Bianca increased the power of the shield then, as it seemed her Trainer's latest lover knew what he was doing, and the last thing Isabella would want was sex noises from their Trainer traumatizing the young ones.
As time went on, the second hour passed into a third, and the Reflect Screen remained in place, Isabella's Poliwrath was starting to get nervous. His Trainer always followed through with her plans and was never late. Bianca, meanwhile, was still leaning against the barriers she had created, ignoring the complaints of the fighters, telling them to just resume their training, as their Trainers were busy with some important plans and shouldn't be disturbed. If one of Sikandar's Veterans seemed distressed about their Trainer's absence, and less dense (like Carlos), she'd hint the truth to them.
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Sikandar's original team knew what was going on, as they had quite easily figured out how attracted he was to Isabella from the first day they'd camped together, and Arjun, his massive Copperajah, had moved in front of the tent sometime during a particularly loud moan that managed to pierce even Bianca's shield. Neither human had really noticed the ground shaking from his movement, but the vibrations had helped quite a lot. Between the Gothitelle and the massive metal elephant, nobody would be disturbing the humans.
"You were definitely...worth waiting for..." Sikandar panted, once their final, passionate kiss ended. She was resting atop him now, as they both cooled off, and he found himself just staring at her, still not quite believing this perfect woman had wanted him as badly as she had.
She smiled at him. "Thank you… for your patience. And for still respecting my boundaries." Him not marking her neck with kisses, without her having to ask, was something she was extremely grateful for. Something she conveyed to him in this last kiss of theirs. After that, they just stared at each other for several minutes. She could tell he had, once again, been right. She felt closer to him, and that closeness, that bond, would manifest in battle. The same way it did for her partners.
Still, she was wondering if he really could, or even wanted, to keep up with this. With her... need for privacy. She knew, if they'd proceed with this kind of relationship, she would want to keep it a secret for at least until the challenge was over. Remembering that her thoughts were still streaming over to him, and everywhere, made her frown. "One day you really have to show me how to… stop leaking mental information."
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"Everyone leaks information. But shielding your mind will help." He said, smirking. The smirk faded, then. "Unfortunately, there's a... very real possibility people will learn about us before we're done with this challenge." His forehead pressed into hers then. "That's alright though...they've already paired us romantically anyway. Even if people did find and post the truth to Chatter, it would change little. As for if I want to keep doing this..."
He let his mouth answer, as he pressed his to hers and resumed their tongue's passionate, and intimate dance. It seemed he wanted to stay one with her for as long as possible.
She gave herself to him, melting into the kiss as they enjoyed the intimacy. Eventually, when they parted for air again, she continued the conversation. "I know what they are doing, and frankly, I don't approve of it. Heck, they have tried to pair me with my cousin Raihan. It's plain stupid." She closed her eyes, meeting his forehead again. "Please don't get me wrong. I am not ashamed of you, or of being in a relationship. Or whatever this is going to be. Even without things like the Pokénet, I am not really much for showing affection in public. That's just who I am."
Her Gothitelle started nudging at their minds then, conveying that some of their Pokémon were getting nervous. "Mh… we should probably resume the training." One final time, she brushed her lips over his. They had some towels and water in the tent, which made easy cleaning possible, at least until they could take a proper bath in the clear lake next to their tent.
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"Worry not...I'll find a way to steal a kiss from you. In private. But we shouldn't let some idiot with a camera stop that. In this era, there are many idiots with cameras."
Sikandar sensed her partner's concern and took the initiative to send her instructions. Shortly after, Bandar joined Carlo in showing the bear cubs, and the other fighting capable Pokémon, how to use Power Up Punch. "We probably should..." He said as she mentioned continuing the training, before her mouth met his again. He took her invitation, and kissed her deeply, and she'd be able to sense just how much he enjoyed it.
When their lips parted again, they were panting slightly, both flushed. Their lip lock had heated up again, as it seemed to do whenever they came together. The only thing that stopped them was a need for oxygen.
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"People kissing each other in public are gross. Sorry, but they make me gag and I don't want to be one of them, camera or not." Still, she stole another kiss from him. She knew that the question of 'what are we' would naturally answer itself over the course of the next few days, or weeks. From her point of view, there was no need to rush these things.
There was a lot about their sex that had been memorable, and she had easily claimed her place as number one in Sikandar's depressingly short list of lovers. Before him, Isabella had been in one relationship which could be considered serious, and while that made her own list quite short as well, she didn't think of herself as inexperienced. She wouldn't be able to objectively rank the session they just had, as her last breakup didn't exactly go over well. If someone would ask her now, she'd answer that even a cactus would be better than her idiot ex.
He guided her out of the tent once they were done, and Arjun kept them hidden as they headed towards the lake. They both had bathing towels, and clothes in hand, and the massive metal elephant kept their decency as they made their way to the water and submerged in it. Her Milotic popped up to greet them and began swimming around them in a circle. They had to hold each other to keep their feet, which was likely the point of her behavior, and she finished her celebration of their mating with a graceful leap in the air.
Some of their partners had a better idea than others as to what was going on, but he found it fitting that the fish he'd given her was so keen on helping them clean.
Isabella had to laugh at her happy Milotic. "I guess that means she approves." She said, grinning at Sikandar. She quickly took care of cleaning herself, and rinsed off the rest of her body as well while she was at it.
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Once they were clean, dry and dressed, they went over to their fighters. "Alright." Isabella clapped into her hands. "Show me what you have learned in the past two...three…and a half hours." She said, flushing slightly as she realized just how much time they'd taken. It had seemed shorter, but then, time did tend to fly when one was doing something enjoyable.
When Isabella asked them to show her what they'd learned, her male Kubfu didn't hesitate, and came at her with a Brick Break. Sikandar's did the same, but he was ready for it, and easily shifted the young bear's balance by psychically tripping her up. She looked genuinely flabbergasted that he'd so easily dodged her attack, and she tried again, only to again be redirected.
They took turns in fighting the Kubfu, changing up their tactics, and making them think while they kept throwing punches. Her shiny green Poliwrath sat a bit farther off, watching the Kubfu struggle. He had been there as well, struggling against his Trainer's tactics, and remembered the first journey with his Trainer fondly, as he recalled how happy she'd been upon seeing his slightly lighter blue than normal coloration among the other Poliwag.
The rest of the day was mostly spent on strength training, climbing up and down the mountainside from their camp, swimming lessons, and of course, more martial arts. Once the Pokémon were thoroughly tired, they recalled them, and retired to the tent for more mental image training with those who could do it.
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Once they were back at the tent, every single one of their muscles was aching. Isabella had taken a stone with her, and let it hover a few inches over her palm. "So, what's the plan for tonight?"
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He'd pulled her into his lap once they returned to the tent and had everyone resting in their balls. "First...a massage." He said, as his fingers trailed up her curves, teasingly avoided her chest, and settled on the back of her neck. "Once our minds are...less stressed, we can work on other techniques. Unless you want to try opening your Chakras. It's an advanced technique, but you could probably do it. You'd have to open all of them once we start, though. That means not stopping. There's not really a hard time limit, but Not unblocking most if not all of them could...end badly. It's your call." He murmured into her ear as he worked out the knots in her upper back.
"He-hey!" She was about to protest, but by that point, he already had her in his lap. The massage felt heavenly though, and thus she remained there, and she couldn't even pout because of the excellent job his skilled fingers were doing. Closing her eyes, she let him work on the countless knots of her back for a while. "My mind isn't stressed at all." She mumbled. In fact, her mind was a mess, Pokémon being the only thing in it. Tactics, strategies, Team compositions. Constantly wondering whether or not she was doing a good enough job.
"Bit farther up and to the right, please…" She said within her mind, trying out whether or not they would reach him as he kneaded away on her right shoulder blade. "I really don't care if we work on other techniques or do the Chakra thing. Honestly, I can't tell which would be the better decision. What do you recommend, Sensei?" The last word was spoken playfully, not in an attempt to mock him, but in a way friends, or people who are otherwise close to each other, would speak.
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"I can sense your stress, apprentice." He mimicked in the same teasing tone.
First, they entered his mindspace, and went over battle combinations against what Zabriko were reported to have on their teams. She could tell he expected the teams to change though, given how badly Kabu and Flannery had apparently thrashed them. He wasn't worried about either of them, as his new Hippowdown, Jalahastee, and his Earthquake could probably one shot any fire types they brought out. The perks of being adamant. They replayed the battle then, recently posted to the Pokénet, and it was like they were standing in the fiery stadium as Kabu and Flannery utterly burned through any strategy Zabrina and Miko tried to employ. They were both convinced, after that, that if she picked a partner immune to being hit with Earthquake, she could take out anyone who survived the initial strike. Fafnir would likely be the ideal choice, because he was a dragon type, and Air Cutter could hit one or both of the Pokémon who managed to tank Jalahastee's Earthquake. All Isabella had to do was evolve him.
She didn't want to use Fafnir, but Sikandar was certain that strategy would work. Thus began their first 'fight'. She wasn't used to being contradicted by someone, and soon the two of them started to discuss various advantages and disadvantages of their team compositions. It turned into a somewhat heated discussion at one point, one with a lot of respect, as both of them knew they were experts. Two people with the same passion, pushing each other to the limits to create brilliant tactics. Neither of them snapped or tried to convince the other without delivering facts and evidence first.
With the fire gym prepared for, Sikandar went through the other leaders as well. Rumor had it that Bruno of Kanto's Elite Four had teamed up with Bea for this challenge, but they both had teams capable of handling fighting and rock types. Leader Bede was a mystery, but given his track record, and how remote Ballonlea was, Sikandar expected one on one matches with him, full of psychic and fairy types. Of the two Gyms supposedly on the Isle of Armor, he knew little, as Leaders Klara and Avery were relatively new, and unlike Bede, far less infamous, or known in general. He expected them to be solo for the same reason as Bede. The Isle was home to rather tough Pokémon, so new Trainers tended to avoid it, and most Gym Challengers preferred facing Gordie, Marnie, and Raihan on mainland Galar, rather than hiking out to the Isle to battle two less-famous Trainers. Unless they were desperate for a win, and had the wrong teams to face dark, rock, or dragon types.
After an hour or so, Isabella pinched the bridge of her nose. "I like being able to discuss things with you like that. Honestly, it feels a little like we're rivals, except we're also partners. I like that."
Once they had a strat for pretty much every Gym, Sikandar ended the mindspace training. "Shall we continue with your psychic enhancement, or...do something else? We've done both, today, so which do you prefer? Rest, or training? Keep in mind...opening your body's energy pools...it's a process. One that will tax you mentally, and one that could kill you if done wrong, or given up on. It will also likely dredge up memories you'd prefer forgotten or buried. You need to be very certain you're ready for it." Connected as their minds were, she'd be able to tell he very much wanted to avoid killing her but would show her the method if she believed she was ready.
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She thought about his words, and suddenly, felt a little exhausted. "Honestly… I think I'll just need a little me-time right now. Take a walk or something. Clear my head. After all of this discussing, it would probably be stupid to train more anyway. It's gotten quite late." She wriggled out of his lap and stood. "I won't take long. No need to wait for me in case you're tired." She'd wait for his answer, before leaving the tent and enjoying the cool summer breeze.
He nodded, as she opted for rest over training. He hadn't known what form her choice for recuperation would take, but he gave her fine ass a push all the same as she struggled to stand from sitting in his lap. "I'm fine." He said, as she moved to leave. "You're worth waiting for. I'll still be up when you come back."
The intense glow of his aura lit the tent's interior as she left, and she'd likely be able to sense it now. Fiery, powerful, and judging by his shadow, he was floating in mid air again, likely for more mindspace training with whoever was still awake. Nine out of ten times, it was his Infernape who joined him in staying up later than they should have. They had a goal to reach, after all, and as a fighting type, Bandar was always down to train.
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Isabella saw the tent glowing in the distance even as she moved through the night. It was quite useful, that way, she knew she'd always find her way back. Isabella didn't wander too far off. She collected a few berries, as well as wood for their fireplace. It felt good to her to do something productive without having to interact with someone else.
Despite how much she appreciated Sikandar, she wasn't used to always having someone by her side and creating a little distance between the two of them reset her social battery at least a little. After all, they had spent most of the day together, and for the bigger part rather close to each other as well.
Trying to find excuses not to go back to the tent, she ended up with a rather large pile of wood. Enough for the next four days at least. At this point, she knew that stalling wouldn't make any sense, and went back inside. She grabbed her phone and sat down a little farther away from him, on her sleeping bag, while reading through four days worth of unread messages. Finally, she put the Rotom to sleep as well, and turned around to Sikandar. "I'm going to hit the hay. Gonna take the fighters for a run at six. Mind if I let yours out of their Pokéballs then?"
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He stopped his Jedi-like meditation as she returned. Their bags were closer together than they'd been before, now occupying the center of the tent again, but they were about as far apart as the futons had been. He didn't expect a cold shoulder, but could sense her inner turmoil well enough.
"Sure, that's fine. I'm going to sleep in." He turned in his bag then, not because he was returning her cold shoulder, but because he slept better on his right side, and facing her required his left. "Goodnight." He said, before falling asleep.
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The moment he simply accepted her need of space without being pushy or making fun of her, she visibly relaxed. She appreciated him leaving her alone more than he could have guessed, although her feelings probably leaked over to him anyway. She hesitated a second but wished him a good night as well before turning around to sleep on her belly, her face looking in the other direction.
Her alarm clock was extremely silent, and she made sure to make no noises when getting up. At some point in the night, they'd moved closer together. She had the weird urge to brush her fingers through his hair, but as she didn't want to wake him, and just left with the Pokéballs of both of their Kubfu. Their speed and power were great, but their endurance was a catastrophe, and thus she started with interval training. Letting their Pokémon run for two minutes, before taking a fast-walking break for one. Rinse and repeat for an hour. At the end, all three Pokémon, as she'd grabbed Raphael too, were exhausted, panting, while she was just warmed up.
She handed them over into Carlos's experienced fists and did a proper run alone for another fifteen minutes, just to get that energy out. By the time she returned, their Pokémon had started to spar, which gave her enough time to clean herself.
When Sikandar finally emerged from his tent, she was in a rather good mood, social battery completely loaded, and actually glad to see him. "Morning! You picked the perfect time to wake up. I made pancakes."
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As he saw the shift in her mood, he began to understand why his master had trained only male pupils, not out of misogyny, but out of preference. He had, many times, waxed poetic about the beauty of the female form, while Sikandar and Bandar had begged him to stop. The old man had preferred students who had patience, who he could mold to his idea of what a psychic should be. He'd warned Sikandar that someday he'd have his own pupils and would be responsible for what they did and became. Not all psychics turned out good, but Sikandar still had a feeling Isabella could become one of the good ones, mercurial moods or not.
He tilted his head as he joined her. "Pan...cakes? Like a cake in a pan?" He glanced at her work. "Ahh. Smells like Unovan food." In his ignorance, he was unaware it was actually Italia who had revived the tradition of pancakes after the recipes had been lost in the chaos of the Dark Times. When humanity had regained its senses following the death of the man who'd Tamed Arceus, many such recipes had been discovered on the Old Net and were thus shifted to the Pokénet.
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She shrugged. "I hate cooking, and a… uuuh… friend of mine taught me a bunch of lazy recipes. I honestly have no idea which Region it is from." While she knew the hearty version of Crespelle, which was a term for them in her region, she didn't know they were related to the dish she had just made. Popular as pancakes were, she had assumed it was universal. Isabella put one of the pancakes on a plate, and handed it over to Sikandar, together with a small bowl of berry compote and cream.
Taking a closer look at him, she noticed how he sported a cowlick this morning, a few strands of his hair were looking rather messy after he got up. She liked it somehow, it suited him, and thus she decided to enjoy the view while they had breakfast. Once their Pokémon smelled the sweet dish, they finished up their round to join them. There were three different berry compotes she had made: one for them, and one for both their special and physical attackers, sprinkled with Calcium and Protein respectively. Thankfully, the challenge did not impose a currency limit on food and vitamins, and a Champion could typically afford to feed their teams the best. "Do you want a cappuccino as well?"
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He paused mid-bite as he heard her offer for coffee and blinked out of his chewing frenzy. Someone had been hungry, and he had a new love for the soft, delicious cake in a pan.
"Mm. No, thank you. Coffee is...not for me. I prefer tea." And as he said the word 'tea', his Kingdra floated over, and Sikandar psychically retrieved a cup from his bag, decorated in the colors of his homeland. Steaming water shot from its mouth, and then his Abomasnow added some leaves. The liquid swirled, boiling and mixing, as the pair went back to doing whatever they had been doing since they'd been let out.
It had been some time since most of his original team had been let out, and after seeing Bandar enjoy his freedom, he had convinced Isabella to use her human thumbprint to activate the other balls. Sikandar's Toucannon was fabulous, and liked to flash his plumage, his Rhyperior was a gentle giant when not in his ball, and his pale white Trevenant was even now providing them with autumnal falling leaves that made staring at him very easy, especially since his terrifying ghost tree face was turned away from them. Each of his team was a powerhouse, but the one that unnerved her was likely his Medicham. It had Mega Evolved, on its own, after appearing, and was even now holding the form, and meditating atop a nearby cliff only flyers or climbers could reach. The way he'd looked at her, and then ignored her, had an intelligence to it that was common with psychic types.
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She just nodded, knowing that many people preferred tea, and made one cappuccino for herself. The cup she was using was an old tin cup with a dent, and whatever had been printed on it had apparently faded years ago.
Right now, both old and new members of their teams were out of their balls. Some of their veterans mingled, others stayed among themselves. Her Gothitelle simply teleported herself to his meditating Medicham, and hung out there floating next to him. They didn't even interact with each other, and just floated there, looking creepy. Fakir was actually his master's Pokémon more than his own and had been used by Champions of Indius for centuries. Thus, Fakir was actually glad for Bianca's company, as she had an old soul, and a quiet wisdom he could appreciate.
Her Togedemaru and Cinccino apparently got into a healthy rivalry the moment their eyes locked. However, both of them knew they had to keep this positive, or they would face the wrath of their Trainer.
Isabella nodded to their floating psychic types. "Look." Despite their completely different appearances, they had exactly the same creepy yet intelligent expressions. "Bianca is usually my little black sheep. It's…fascinating, whenever she gets…uuuh…along with another Pokémon." While they didn't exactly hit it off, their Pokémon seemed to be in some kind of silent agreement, about things only they could fathom.
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Psychic types were very good about handling emotion, and, they were in the same egg group. Which meant there was potential. Their Trainer's mutual and ongoing attraction only helped this potential.
Sikandar looked where she pointed and did a double take. "Hmm. Fakir usually prefers silence and solitude in that form. He must like your Bianca."
As she'd been staring at him and his bedhead throughout the meal, he'd checked her out in turn. The falling red leaves from above made breakfast a bit romantic, but despite his Trevenant's efforts, Sikandar stayed focused. "We should hit the Gyms here, today. I have a feeling Miko and Zabrina will be moving on soon with their fresh teams. They won't fall to Kabu twice. After that, we can work on opening your Chakras."
At the word 'Chakras', he felt Fakir intrude on his mental space with the ease of a Mega Form. They had a brief argument, but the Medicham seemed displeased that he was so easily willing to share the secrets of power with a foreigner. The consequences for doing so could turn quite dire, if shared carelessly.
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"Silence and Solitude, eh? Yeah, sounds like Bianca. Honestly, if you like being alone without truly being alone, she's the girl for that." Clearly, her Pokémon could hear every word, but there was no way to tell if she took offense to them.
Countless of the smaller leaves got stuck in both of their hair, but it seemed like neither of them got bothered by that. Isabella listened to his proposal. "Today? We have been training the 'mons for one day. We said we wanted to take three. I'd be down to taking them now, provided they can prove their strength." However, hearing him mention Zabrina and Miko made her sigh. "Ugh, what a pain. You are right, and I hate that fact right now. I mean, not because you… err…" She scratched her head, not sure how to word that, and instead opted for more coffee. Stronger coffee. "What I'm trying to say is, time is indeed working against us. We could…give the Gyms a try. If we get beaten up, we can still use the remaining two days for more training. It's a risk we'll have to take."
Isabella was oblivious to what was going on in either of their psychic's minds. She felt like something was off with Sikandar for a second, the moment Fakir intruded, but couldn't quite place what bothered her and wrote it off as herself being incompetent.
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If anything, the leaves made her crimson locks look that much more appealing. She was already sexy, and the combination of leaves and running afterglow just enhanced that. She'd probably recognize the look in his eye, but he stayed focused as she protested the plan.
"The cubs are strong enough after yesterday, and their run, to take on the Gyms. This will simply train them faster. Nothing makes them grow quicker than Battles, and you can't find more consecutive Battles anywhere but a Gym. Let alone two that are close to each other. Master Mustard said they'd be around the cub's level, and we can handle Psychic and Poison types. The Experience Charms should do the rest." He said, tossing her one of said charms that specifically enhanced what one got from Trainer battles, not general exercise. "Hugh said he was sorry. And that Victor and Gloria also have these. We can catch up to them, now."
It was probably clear then, why he hadn't been worried. Some regions, like Kalos, didn't care for Galar's 'Experience Doping' as some called it, but in both Unova and Kalos, such devices, be they charms or otherwise, had been added to and upgraded the system that already spread experience gain across one's belt. Many hardcore Leon fans, to this day, blamed this practice for allowing Victor to so quickly surpass their Unbeatable Champion. The man had supposedly only lost two matches in his entire career, but some people were salty anyways.
Finally, Isabella reached out to him, and brushed her fingers through this stray lock of his. It felt soft, and she caught herself running her fingers through his hair a few more times than necessary. "Alright then. I'm on board, under one condition. I want the cubs to have a break of at least two hours."
Sikandar nodded. "Two hours should be more than enough. And once we beat the Gyms, Mustard might show us how to evolve them. If we're the team with the pair of Urshifu in this challenge, nothing will be able to stop us." He was disgustingly confident, but then, Victor's Urshifu had certainly demonstrated why its power was now categorized as Legendary. Most Legendaries couldn't reproduce, but that was no issue for Urshifu.
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Meanwhile, Fakir listened to the Gothitelle make her case for her Trainer, but because she was a Gothitelle, he kept a bit of skepticism about her words. It was like asking a Gardevoir how great their Trainer was. There was bias.
Fakir shared with her all that the past Champions had taught him of the Dark Times of their world. Arceus' Tamer had created an era of peace out of the chaos of humanity's initial collapse. When Pokémon arrived on the planet, things had changed dramatically, the flora, the fauna, and the humans who lived upon a world Judged by the Alpha and found worthy. Like everything humanity had ever discovered, within a few decades, they found a way to turn the magical creatures now in their midst into armies of mindless or obedient weapons, and some had done the same to the new wave of psychically awakened humans. The result was the chaos that had ultimately birthed the League, and the concept of a Trainer.
With that context, that things could go very bad if Isabella, or someone she trained in turn in the psychic arts might bring their world to ruin again, Fakir posed Bianca the question that Champion Prakash had once posed to his current partner's Infernape. "Do you think she's worthy? Can she handle psychic power, and not succumb to mindless greed?"
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Bianca could sympathize with Fakir's grief, as looking into the stars had told her Isabella's fate long ago. The knowledge that she would outlive her Trainer had broken her heart, but it had also allowed them to achieve Mega Evolution, something that was actually rather difficult for a Gothitelle, even using awakened Plate shards. Bianca always forgot what she learned from being that phenomenally powerful, but according to her Trainer, her Mega Form was one that constantly cried. She could even use her tears as weapons, but they hadn't stopped flowing.
The question Fakir had asked hung in the air. Bianca pondered for several minutes and with both psychic type's minds linked, she wouldn't even have to tell him to let her think. Finally, she sighed. "Tell me, Fakir, what Human is worthy? Why should they tap into a power which belongs to us?" His mind was flooded with pictures of various criminal groups, although those of Team Rocket seemed to be a lot clearer. "Humans are greedy. Lazy. They boast, are driven by their lust, and often eat a bite more just so their neighbor gets one less. Often, their anger destroys the land, and even entire species. We shouldn't have allowed them to share this power with us in the first place."
She watched her own Trainer fight her desires, Isabella's gaze locking with Sikandar's. It was obvious how much she wanted him, Bianca just knew that the woman's upbringing combined with whatever was mentally wrong with her Trainer made her a little slow to accept and indulge in her desires. "As long as there are horrible Humans, we need a few of the good ones at our side. We need the Balance. Isabella is far from perfect, but nobody knows her flaws better than herself. And it's Humans like her that give me hope."
Her mental fingerprint wandered briefly over Sikandar. "The stars have told me about their crossing paths. Where it leads, I couldn't see. They are young, and have a lot to learn about the world, and about themselves. You are not blind, Fakir. I don't need to tell you about either of their worth, isn't that correct?"
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Fakir was silent for a long time after Bianca spoke, but eventually, he laughed, a soft chuckle that shook his thin shoulders. "We did not invite them to share in our power, young one. They have grown enough as a species to begin to tap into one of the powers the Alpha tamed in the Beginning. In fact, Humans have been gaining these powers regularly for quite some time now. You are correct, they are by and large irredeemable, so easily corrupted by their greed and the illusion of control over others. This planet is littered with monument tombs to forgotten tyrants who thought so very highly of themselves. Thus, you understand my skepticism."
He glanced at the two humans, each trying to deny the desire to mate after filling their bellies and waking up. "Some of them do prove worthy. Some of them can acquire power, real power, and not go mad with it. If you have hope in your Human, I will do the same, and trust Sikandar's judgment." He said no more on the issue, instead withdrawing, and returning to his meditating.
Bianca watched the humans in silence as well, waiting for the inevitable to happen, and to once more shield her Trainer from prying eyes and ears. The psychic type's conversation had ended without them formally saying so, as each of them just remained silent, withdrawing themselves back to their own thoughts. Alone, but together. A comfortable silence. Fakir's words did generate a worry within her, though. As a species, there was not one single thing Humankind had ever made that had not, at some point, been turned to violence, or what they called 'war'. Usually against other humans. She had never seen a species that seemed so…tolerant of killing off other members. On purpose. If psychic power became the norm, there were really only two paths humanity could take. They could become enlightened by their new awareness, like Fakir and Sikandar, or they would indulge in their petty, baser instincts and use their abilities to acquire status and wealth, by force. To take and take and take until they finally, mercifully, expired. Not even the stars had an answer for her on which path these psychic humans would choose.
Down below, Sikandar pulled her lingering face in for a kiss, and he tried not to cringe too noticeably at the taste of coffee on her tongue. He could withstand it if it meant being close to her. A few of their partners glanced over, but this was old news already. His forehead pressed against hers once their lips parted.
His cheek pressed into hers then, as he whispered to her. "I don't know about you...but I could do with a swim in the lake...you should join me..." He let a thought bleed over then, one that suggested he'd read up on the Poké Sutra, and remembered some things they could try.
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As their cheeks were still touching, he couldn't see hers reddening. She smiled, and snuggled closer, her hands finding his shirt. "Hmmmh~ I think I'd like that… Seems like you will be teaching me a few new things today after all…"
He stood then, and brought her with him, as his brown eyes met her blue ones again. "I'll have something to...teach you every day, if you want, gorgeous..." He'd half expected her to reject him again, but he seemed very glad she hadn't. He pulled her fine body into his, clearly smitten with her, judging by the thoughts in his head she could probably peek at if she wanted. He made no effort to hide them from her, and indeed seemed to want her to understand just how incredibly sexy he found her.
He kissed her again after they reached the water and undressed. His eyes never left hers as they moved into the water. Mentally, he summoned his metal elephant to block the view, and Bianca structured the soundproofing accordingly. He resumed kissing her in the shade of his titanic copper elephant once they were secluded. Her Milotic glanced at them, mostly out of curiosity, but would eventually retire to the deeper parts of the lake once they got going.
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They tried their first attempt at a position from his homeland, a rather simple one, but they both found the intimacy it brought very enjoyable. In a rare admission, she'd told him he was driving her crazy, in a good way, and he made sure to drive her crazy multiple times. Sikandar hadn't been able to take his eyes off of hers, and her face, and once they were satisfied, they kissed a few more times, before separating and washing themselves. He offered help again, and she refused at first, before pausing. "If it doesn't bother you, maybe with my hair? The curls are a pain to take care of." Naturally, she'd also offer to do the same, to help him wash.
"I say we go over some possible tactics with our Pokémon again, before making our own way to the Gyms."
On the outside, Bianca noticed the two were done, and devoted slightly less energy to the barriers. It was rather draining to keep them up, but she did her duty as diligently as Arjun did.
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"I can handle your hair..." He said, cupping her flushed face, before gathering some water, and then dumping it atop her head. He did this several times, as her curly mane of fire seemed to absorb most of the water, but eventually he'd gotten it wet, somewhat straight, and was massaging her scalp.
He kept staring into her eyes as she asked her strategy questions, and he massaged her head. "Mustard said these Gyms are one on one. All we really need to decide is who goes where first. Both of our teams are more than capable of winning against them, but I'm going to keep the cub out to watch all the same. Which do you prefer first? Poison or Psychic?"
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She was done with her rather simple task of cleaning him before he got her hair completely wet. Isabella relaxed under the massage, grateful that she didn't have to take care of the mess on her head. Multiple times in the past, she had wanted to cut it short. Her manager didn't approve though. Something something, her image would suffer. And thus, she kept it.
"Do we have to Battle both of the Gyms, or one each? I think I have a Pokémon to kick their arse anyway, but it would be interesting to know beforehand." She thought about it some more. "Did Mustard say something about us being allowed to bring the cubs to those training towers on the island? They seem to house apprentices of different martial styles."
So far, she had a Pokémon on her team for most situations. She was still not sure whether or not she wanted the small Pikachu clone to fight for her in an actual battle. Then again, Felice the Boltund did prefer to relax instead of battle. "I think I'd prefer the psychic one for starters. My Froslass definitely needs a confidence boost with her fighting skills, and it would be a good opportunity. How about you? Anything you'd prefer?"
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"We'll do both. We need to, if we want to stay competitive. You can have the Psychic one first. I'll take the Poison." He found he rather liked her long hair, her curls, and running his hands through them to massage her. He'd never been a fan of short hair on women, and couldn't even picture Isabella with it. He doubted it would be enough to make him less attracted to her, smitten as he was with her body, personality, and everything else.
When she mentioned the towers, Sikandar smirked. "What, did someone at the Dojo tell you a rumor? Mustard didn't even mention the towers. He said to focus on bonding." He tried working out some of her curls as he went through her fiery mane. He couldn't get rid of them entirely, but he could try to make the curls themselves longer, to give her the appearance of fuller hair. This distracted him from the massage as he went through the more curly parts of her mane.
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She didn't answer him immediately, and rather enjoyed him taking care of her hair, and the nasty job of detangling her messy locks. Whenever she put that much effort into it, her hair usually stayed a little straighter for a few days. And Sikandar was doing a thorough job.
"Look, I know I'm no psychic master or can do fancy stuff like reading Mustard's mind. But, a remote island with a dojo on it? The very place Champion Victor trained? You can be sure that's exactly what I've been looking into before I even won the tournament for the challenge. I'm a Champion after all, not some kind of novice." Her voice wasn't snarky, and despite those words, she wasn't bragging either. Isabella simply knew where her strengths were, and Trainers who didn't do their homework and research tasks usually didn't last long in a gym challenge.
"Judging from how you formed that question, you know about them as well, don't you? Those two towers…I know they're related to Urshifu somehow. The net was vague, though." They could see both of the places in the distance from their higher spot in the mountains.
"I never said you were a novice. I said focus on bonding with your cub. What the towers are will become clear in time. Until then...much as I'd love to keep finding an excuse to massage you...we should get ready, and get moving." He said, reluctantly standing up.
They dried off then, and in a matter of minutes had the camp cleaned and their teams ready. He stepped out to the edge of their cliff then. "The Psychic Gym is over by that tower near the ocean. Mine is near the tower further up in the mountains. We can meet in the forest after, for our...break."
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Isabella just grinned at him. "The bonding part is a good idea. Probably." As they stood at the cliff, their cubs moved behind them, hers grabbing her leg while he looked over the isle.
She looked up and at the sky. There were barely any clouds. Her Rotom Phone swirled out of her pocket, showing her the weather report. "Hm, we should definitely meet up in the forest. We have a hot day ahead of us. Our Pokémon will need to cool down." She reached down to pet her little guy. "The break will also be a good opportunity to bond with them. They are young, after all, and barely know us."
A soft breeze brushed through both of their hair, dragging this one stubborn locks of hair into his face again. She stepped closer to him, despite their Pokémon watching, and brushed it out of his face. Then, she gave him a winning smile. "Let's crush those Gym Leaders."
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One hand went to hers on his cheek, while the other brought her closer. He gave her a look that was half encouragement, half steam, and kissed her. Not as passionately as he wanted, thanks to their tiny audience, but enough to convey the obvious affection he had for her. He stared into her eyes as he murmured, "You're going to destroy them. I've seen how you Battle."
"I will. Just as I know you'll sweep the floor with their Pokémon. You're strong. I studied you, too. Once you were a finalist." They kissed one last time, before reluctantly splitting apart, to do their job as Champions.
In short, they did. Klara tried setting up some kind of poison typed equivalent to Stealth Rock, but Jalahastee repeatedly pounded the poison types into the ground with his superior moves, much to Klara's dismay. The Hippowdon found her irritation amusing, and Klara's referee had to guide her off the field with the help of several Gym Trainers, who Sikandar recognized from the Master Dojo. It seemed even prestigious martial art students needed a day job.
Sikandar assumed the psychic type leader would probably take longer, as psychic users tended to be tricksy battlers, but he made his way into the forest all the same, and waited for Isabella's mind to enter his mental range.
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The moment the two of them went onto the respective fields of each gym, the cameras started to record, live streaming their matches to all over the world. The public excitement was huge, and some countries even canceled the planned TV program just to get more viewers by showing footage of the Champions which had been missing thus far.
As soon as Isabella threw her Pokéball, Avery tried to take over her mind, launching a full out attack on her thoughts. While his psychic potential couldn't even compare remotely to hers, he had years of experience. At this moment, every single piece of advice Sikandar had ever given to her regarding this power probably saved her, as Avery tried to make her surrender the match. Isabella had her cub out in the beginning, just to get some experience in. However, she couldn't coordinate a Pokémon with a type weakness through a fight, while simultaneously defending her head. Thus, she called in her Froslass, which basically massacred the psychic enemy with ruthless Shadow Balls. Elsa laughed at their pain, and Isabella encouraged her violence.
Isabella's only real contribution was keeping her mental door shut, and Avery out. Nevertheless, she won. None of her Pokémon were even remotely tired and could probably go straight to the poison gym. Obviously, Sikandar was the first to arrive at the forest, and Isabella told him what had happened in detail. "There's no need to worry, I'm fine. Your training really helped there. But I suggest we don't take a break, and head directly to the other Gyms. My friend informed me about Chatter going crazy, and they even had to close down the Corviknight Taxi. I guess we only have so much time left until some kind of reporter will be on our heels."
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It was Italia and Indius in particular who suspended regularly scheduled broadcasts in favor of watching their respective Champions kick total butt, and it was also Klara and Avery's first real introduction to the global stage. Nobody was impressed with how Klara cussed out the clearly superior Hippowdon, and those who recognized psychic attacks, were lambasting Avery online, even calling for his resignation, for attacking a Trainer's mind during a match.
An unnerving look came over Sikandar's face as she told him what Avery had tried doing to her, and he was very tempted to bring out Khaang, his psychic-chomping Krookodile, to teach the man some manners. But that would be against the rules, and these matches were live. He had Ajagar though, who had since evolved from a Dreepy into Drakloak, a ghostly missile platform that fired Dreepy from its head like missiles. The Dreepy loved, nay, craved being shot like missiles, so that made it okay to use them as weapons, apparently. "If the hordes are coming, we'd best get moving." Sikandar said quietly, his handsome face, for once, more serious than easygoing.
He'd intended to take a break, but neither one of them had broken much sweat in their battles, and he knew how romancing her would probably go, when she was still this revved up and freshly satisfied. "Probably the last chance I'll have for this for a while..." He pulled her close and kissed her again, holding nothing back this time. Pleasuring her in the sun dappled glade would've been fun, but now time was against them, it seemed.
"Klara may be salty about her loss...watch your step. I'll…handle Avery..." He said, and his expression turned notably darker, as he stared in the psychic gym's general direction. "Once we're done, we should meet at the Dojo. If the mobs will be kept from anywhere, it'll be there. The Fields of Honor are probably about to become a camping ground for our fans."
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At least for Isabella, the battle at the poison gym was far easier. On her way to the gym, she had finally managed to name her cub, and Ursarti got time to shine at the gym battle. His Trainer let out her frustration from the previous battle on Klara. Despite the pink haired girl's sad attempts of cheating by setting up some traps in her own gym field, Isabella's team crushed the opposing poison types with almost pitiful ease. The star of the battle was actually her Gardevoir, which thanks to all of the meditation training, had sharpened her psychic skills enough to redirect every poison attack that came near her. And because she'd been traded, her power was growing exponentially quicker than most of her other newbies, except of course her Milotic, who'd also been traded.
Klara, completely frustrated after being wiped out twice, threw another tantrum while being live on TV, and Isabella used the welcome distraction to snatch her Badge and flee from the gym. This time, it was her turn to be the first at their meeting spot. As she arrived, the dojo trainees were busy setting up barricades. "Don't worry, Champion Isabella. You guys can rest easy. We will hide your presence on the island, and tell the fans you're already gone." The friendliness of the trainees surprised her, and she felt a little bad for acting so cold towards them after their initial Muk up.
"Thanks guys. You have no idea how much I appreciate that."
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"Aw, no biggie, Champion. It's the least we can do." Mustard came in, followed by three Kanto starters. "I am rooting for you two. That Battle of yours was hot as Honey's chili. Just promise I'll be seeing some more matches that are just as spicy!" He winked at her, before continuing. "But I believe you and your partner get along well enough, no?" Isabella had to blink a few times, before understanding the words had been transmitted on the other plane, with the students not hearing a single word. She just stood there dumbfounded, not sure what to answer.
Mustard was quick to fill the silence, and stop his pupils from reading too much into it. "By the way, your Squirtle-loving friend sent her regards with the latest batch." He patted the little blue turtle. "Always brings me some amazing new friends, that one." He faked some back pain then, and under the pretense of needing some rest, fled to his room to play Smash on his Switch.
Isabella went back to their shared room, to wait for Sikandar, and think about some possible next steps.
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Sikandar had several hard counters for psychic types, but like Isabella, he went with his Gallade. Avery tried his tricks and mind games again, but this time, found someone more than his equal on the other end of his shenanigans. Someone who didn't take kindly to having their mind probed.
The psychic feedback loop Sikandar gave him stunned him, and Raphael smashed through his team with ease, Night Slash after ruthlessly brutal Night Slash, until Sikandar claimed his badge, without shaking the man's hand. Instead he simply said psychically, "If I ever hear of you trying to take over people's minds just so you can win a Battle again...I will make your brain matter melt out of your nose before I'm done with you. Understand?"
The man in the tophat nodded as he turned pale, and a hand covered his nose. Sikandar left then, to a crowd of his fans waiting outside the Gym instead of the dojo. He signed autographs, posed for selfies, and then hopped on his Gyarados as he headed back for the dojo. Once he arrived, Mustard paused his training against three level nine NPCs all on the same team against his character, which was Ryu, and hobbled his way to the Champion's room.
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Naturally, Sikandar had greeted his redhead, and then kissed her again, at which point he'd been drawn in by her lips and kept the kiss going.
Isabella was surprised how happy she felt after seeing Sikandar again. She knew she didn't have to ask; her partner had shown the psychic cheater who was boss, and she was proud at how strong Raphael had become. Valuing every second they could share together, knowing their time together in privacy was limited, she enjoyed their kiss until the knock came. Sikandar shouted for Mustard to enter once they'd disentangled themselves, and he looked between the humans, and their cubs.
The two kung fu cubs were chatting excitedly on a futon bed as Mustard greeted them. "It seems to me...that you're ready. The time has come for us to part soon, but first, you must pick one of the two towers you've no doubt seen on the island, and challenge them with only your Kubfu. If you can make it to the top with your companion, it will evolve into a truly ferocious Pokémon."
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"The towers, right. Water and Dark, depending on which one we choose, if I remember correctly?" She looked over to their Pokémon, burning the sight of those cute little cubs into her memory. As Urshifu, they would be tall, shredded, and wield the power of a Legend. She turned to Sikandar. "It makes sense to take one tower each. And since I got help from you with my Milotic, I don't really need another Water Type in my party. I also don't want to force the cubs into an evolution they don't want. What about you? How do you feel about it?
"Bhaloo is definitely a multi-striker. Everyone likes the Dark Type's machismo, but she'll find the flow eventually." He conveniently left out the part about having three critical hits, to the one that Isabella would get, powerful as it was. If their bears were to battle, his would be able to survive her dark typed punch, and counter with Surging Strikes. Assuming Bhaloo didn't strike first. He'd been giving her specialized feathers from across the Isle as he'd found them. Evidently that was the Isle's version of taking one's vitamins. She always put them in her 'headband', but they disappeared mysteriously a few hours later.
He looked at Mustard then. "We'll make our way to the Towers, and once the cubs evolve, we'll call a taxi back to the mainland. Throw the tourists off our scent. Thank you, for all you've taught us, Master Mustard." He bowed low, closed fist to open palm, in a style the old man easily recognized.
"Usually, I'd Battle you before you left...but time is of the essence. You are young. Go! Win! And once you do...then come back and Battle me. Your cubs might be a challenge, by then. Heh heh." The old man left then, before Hugh tried taking his spot on the Switch. There would be no Animal Crossing this day! Only Smash!
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Isabella nodded. It relieved her that he wasn't opposed to the idea of taking the water tower. The bears seemed nonchalant about the decision anyway. The fighting spirit of the old man made her laugh.
Then, as Mustard made his way back to his living room, the room was theirs again. Isabella inhaled deeply. Their futons were still far away from each other, just the way they had left them. "Looks like we'll have to get to bed early." The silence in the room relaxed her, and she managed to calm down completely, despite Sikandar being here.
"If you are not opposed to… I mean…" She scratched the back of her head, making her wild locks fly around. "If you want, we could move our futons together… And get some rest…" A slight blush danced around her cheeks. Since her emotions were still not hidden from him, he'd be able to sense that her invitation was without innuendo. She didn't ask him to make love to her, but to genuinely relax together, to go to bed.
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Sikandar waved his hand at her first statement. "The students have this place locked down. We can rest for the morning. It wouldn't hurt to at least say hi to our fans, either. Before we head out." He watched her blush, and then moved closer to her. Mostly because he enjoyed her eyes. He made a point to stare into them at every opportunity he got. "If you want more than rest, you let me know...otherwise, that's a great idea..." He turned then, as the sound of scraping futons came from either side of the room. Ursarti popped into his ball once that was done, and Bhaloo closed the window, before doing the same.
She shook her head. "Really, I think doing this as early as possible would be a good idea. The cubs are not as experienced as the rest. Heck, the whole team we have is rather green. They rely a lot on us still, and thankfully, trust us enough to jump on command even if it seems stupid at first. There will be a few fans around no matter when we wake up. But I'd like to focus on the towers first."
He laid her down on her futon then, and there was a moment where he hovered over her, enjoying the closeness. If she didn't stop him, he'd then slide in beside her, and pulled her close.
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The reason she stopped talking was mostly because of the moving futons. She laid down on hers then and waited for Sikandar to join her. It was unfamiliar to her, to share her bedding with another person. Thus, a lot of shifting happened, until she had turned to her side, head resting on his chest just slightly under his shoulder, one of her legs placed over his body. Her hand was resting on his belly, her chosen sleeping position drawing him into the ultimate hug.
"Is that… okay?" she murmured, hoping she wasn't too heavy, or made him feel uncomfortable. "I'd really like to get some rest if you don't mind. There were a lot of…impressions today. Fending off Avery was a little taxing as well." She took a deep breath, trying to get accustomed to being this close to him, and accepting him as a part of her comfort zone. "After taking care of the Towers, we could roll with your idea to take care of the fans. Maybe even put a few hours aside, hand out autographs, do the selfie stuff."
"Or, we could sleep in, and greet the fans in the morning. They'd have a harder time following us if we left after we clear the Towers. And I really want some of those hashbrowns Honey makes. They're amazing." By the time they were done shifting, Sikandar was lying on both futons at once, with their heads against the back of hers, and their feet pressing into the back of his.
"Get some sleep, then..." He said, before yawning, and closing his eyes. Mentally, he told their Rotom phones to put off any alarms until eight. That would give them time for breakfast, fans, and showering. Avery had been small potatoes compared to Sikandar's strength, but he could see how fending him off would tax a newb like her. She'd only just begun to wield her power after all. His longer arms held her close, keeping her warm as they drifted off to the land of Dreams.