Chp 39: Fluffy

"We're back!" Seth announced as he entered the room. He was immediately attacked by Dust.

"How did it go? Did you win?" She asked excitedly while pawing at his knees.

"Yeah. We won. But... I'll admit, I'm kinda scared about what's next. That one was tough."

"If you want to leave us out, it's okay. I know we're the weakest here." Dust said.

"Wait, what was that?" Drew asked, perking an ear towards them.

"Nothing."

"Anyways, if it wasn't for Soul and Mewtwo, we would have been in trouble. First, I need to breath." He stepped past her and entered his room. Once inside, he began removing and releasing the pokemon from his belt one by one as they scattered off. Once he was done, Soul and Sky were lying on the bed. As Seth joined them, now in only his underwear, his eyes fell onto his pack sitting in the office chair. Inside was the artifact. An artifact of the being who created this world. There was also-

"Seth? Seth!" Sky asked, trying to get his attention.

"Huh? Sorry, what’s up?"

"I never got to battle. What happened out there?"

"Well, first it was Cynthia."

"Oh, I would have loved to talk to her."

"Yeah, she was pretty busy though." Seth said. "Her strategy was smart. She teased out any weaknesses to her headliner, making sure I didn't have any ice or fairy types, then her garchomp mega evolved and would have destroyed us, if Soul hadn't off shown some new tricks." Soul let out an affirmative groan without moving. "Then Mewtwo mopped the floor with her last two pokemon." 

"Sounds like it was tough. Soul seems spent, but I feel fine. Wanna do something?"

"Sure, just let me go ask Tiff."

"Actually... I wanted it to just be us." Sky stopped him before he could leave.

"Oh alright. Dinner and a movie?"

"Sounds like a date." Sky said happily, her tail wagging and face lighting up.

"We're going out for the night." Seth told Dust on their way out. "You guys can order room service for dinner." 

"Okay, have fun!"

+++

"Alright..." He muttered as he walked, looking down at his dex which displayed a map. "Seafood, pasta, steak... what do you want?"

"I dunno." Sky said, interrupting her pleased humming. "I'm fine with anything." She had a noticeable strut in her step as they walked.

"Alright, standard steakhouse it is." He pointed ahead of them, guiding the way. 

They arrived shortly later. There was no line, as it was an early Tuesday night. They were taken to a table just for them. Like everything in the professional pokemon environment, it was built for both pokemon and humans. On Seth's half of the table was a normal booth, while on Sky's was a pair of medium sized pokemon cushions that left her head at just the right spot to access the table. As they walked to said table, Seth noticed other ones, with platforms for small pokemon and mats for larger ones. There was even a tank for water bound pokemon and a hole for pokemon taller than the ceiling. As how they would make it into the hole, Seth did not know.

"Whew!" Sky let out a whistle as the waitress left. "This place is fancy."

"You think?" Seth asked as he looked around at the decor. Fancy isn't what he would call it. The place had a distinctly Unova feel, with a trendy city like setting. It wasn't exactly high class and expensive looking, but it did feel comfy. The large seemingly hand painted pokemon mural that stretched along one wall probably helped with that. It mostly featured pokemon native to Sinnoh.

Seth flipped open his menu by hand, while Sky opened hers with her tail. 

"Why do you always use your tail for stuff? Wouldn't paws be easier?"

"Kinda. Have you ever noticed how you don’t have too many problems gripping while you’re a lucario, even though you don’t have thumbs?”

“Now that you mention it, yeah.”

“It’s a little harder for quadrupeds.” She reached forward with a paw and picked up the menu easily by squeezing the side of it. “But my tail can grip a lot better. It’s like two long thumbs. It’s not that long but it’s a lot easier to use. And I keep my balance.” 

“Makes sense.” Seth looked down and began to peruse the menu. "Oh, wood grilled steak with butter. And a big one." Seth said.

Sky spotted what he was talking about, causing her eyes to bulge. "That's expensive! Can we really afford that?"

"Trust me. You haven't seen how much the elite four has been paying out. Get whatever you want." 

"Okay... Fish sounds good. Wood grilled?"

"Yeah. That means they cook it on a plank of wood instead of just the stove. Makes it taste really good."

"Alright, I'll try that."

Soon, the orders were placed, with Seth getting some appetizers as well.

"So why did you want to go alone?" Seth asked as he stuck a cheese stick into his mouth. "Ah hot!" He cried out, blowing in pain.

"Several reasons." She said simply. The conversation stalled for a while as he waited for her response, which didn't come. Her mood noticeably soured.

"So, who do you think Soul'll have waiting for me when we get back?" Seth asked awkwardly.

"Hopefully no one. She did seem pretty tired." Sky reached out with her tail, dunking a cheese stick in tomato sauce before bringing it to her mouth.

"I'm so glad you girls don't shed." Seth commented.

"So am I."

"Seriously, what's wrong?" Seth asked. 

"A lot." Sky sighed. "I'm scared."

"Of wha-"

"Of you killing yourself!" She snapped. "I'm not stupid. I know how dangerous your new moves are."

"Oh..." He said, looking away from her in shame. "I won't die." He told her confidently.

"That's what everyone who's ever died has said. You're strong, but not enough to change the world."

Seth closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I know... but..."

The waitress came over, carrying a tray with their food on it. Seth looked away and rubbed his eyes quickly. "Anything else?" She asked.

"No, thanks." Seth choked out. Once she left, he returned his attention to Sky. "I never want to lose anyone again."

"And we don't want to lose you."

"The only way I know how is to be strong. Then nothing can take you from me. Or me from you."

"Soul was right. You are stubborn. Just... please be careful."

"Alright. I promise. If I can find a safer way... I'm just in uncharted territory right now. Each of my forms comes with the instinct of that species, like how to use their moves and natural abilities. But the aura things... It's all brand new. Even Riley doesn't use aura like I do. He could probably teach me some supportive things, but... Our food's getting cold." He said. "I'll be careful." He repeated as he picked up his knife and fork.

Sky knelt down and began taking dainty bites out of her food. She let out a pleased noise at the taste, but did not increase the fervency of her eating. Seth on the other hand, was eating as if he had been starved for days.

"Dis ish goud." He muttered through a full mouth. Sky considered commenting on his manners, but knew the futility. While she took time to chew and enjoy the flavor of her food, Seth's plate quickly lost its contents. However, they still finished about the same time, namely because her plate had much less on it. "You still look upset." Seth commented.

"Is it that obvious? I'm worried about our child." She said sadly. "The egg should have hatched by now."

"It's okay. That incubator I put it in takes care of everything. I've been checking it every day and it says everything is fine. It'll hatch when its ready."

"I know, but..."

"Everything will be okay." He reached across the table and rubbed the tip of her ear. This caused him to press his stomach to the table, which forced a powerful belch out of him. "Sorry." He leaned back in his seat and let out a pleased groan while his hand ran over his full stomach. "That was good."

"Yeah. So back to the room?" She asked.

"I believe I promised a movie."

"Oh, okay." She said, perking up a bit.

"You can even pick which one."

+++

Just as Seth got settled into his seat and Sky sat down on her open space, the trailers had just finished rolling. Not long after, Sky let out an eep when Seth grabbed her and hoisted her up into his lap. He wrapped one arm around her chest and another to prop up her feet. This left her no choice but to snuggle her back into him, which she did happily. 

They cuddled like that in the dark for a while, Seth even sneaking a quick kiss or two. It quickly became less about the movie and more about the company. But suddenly, Sky’s cuddles turned frantic and she broke out of Seth’s grasp. “Room!” She shouted. The moment her paws hit the floor, she vanished in a flash of light. This caused complaints from the audience, but Seth was far more concerned with getting out of the theater. He had no idea what that was about, but it had to be urgent.

He hurried out of the aisle after uttering “excuse me” and “sorry” several times. After going down the stairs and out of the theater, he managed to be lucky enough to be next to the side exit. Once outside, he almost started sprinting towards the hotel, but it was dark enough that he could take a shortcut. He ducked into the bushes beside the building and leaped out high into the sky a moment later. As a lopunny, he landed on the roof of the movie theater. Thankfully, this wasn’t Jubilife city. There were few very tall buildings, only the hotels, the elite four, and the colosseum in the middle. With another kick, his powerful legs launched him into the air in a leap to the next building. He easily moved through the city, running and hopping along the roofs, clearing even the biggest gaps with little problem. By forming walls of aura in midair and kicking off of them, he was able to nearly fly.

Only two minutes later, he landed near the hotel, taking the time to hide and turn human again before going inside. He ran quickly up the stairs and down the hall before nearly bursting into the room. He was past Dust and Drew before they could even ask questions. The first thing he heard when he opened the door was the beeping. 

“Seth!” Sky called out. “I can sense it!” She was pawing at the egg container, trying to work it.

“What’s going on?” Soul asked. “She’s been babbling like crazy since she popped up.”

Seth went over to the glass container and pressed a few buttons on the bottom panel. With aura, he could see that the egg indeed held life, but it had always had that appearance. “The egg is about to hatch.” The glass swiveled around to open the front. He took the quivering egg over to the bed and set it down. 

Sky was upon it immediately, climbing onto the bed and wrapping her body around it. Cracks slowly began to break around the top. With one final large crack, an eevee broke through the top. As it shook its head, Sky knelt down and gave it a lick.

“Momma?” His voice was male.

“Yes.” Sky said, her voice cracking and eyes growing wet. 

“Hey little guy. I’m your daddy.” Seth said as he gave him a scratch behind the ears.

“But... you’re a human?” He asked, cutely cocking an ear.

“Oh.” Seth glowed and was quickly replaced with a lucario. “Ta-da!”

“Woah!” He perked up and climbed out of the remains of the egg. He bounced around excitedly in front of Seth. Now that he had fully emerged, he was only a little bit smaller than an average eevee, just big enough to fit into the egg. He was almost identical to a normal eevee, except with the sky blue eye color of his mother. “What are you?!” 

“I’m a hybrid, half pokemon half human. And since I’m your dad, you are too.”

“Cool!” He closed his eyes and his face grew red as he tried to force a transformation.

“Don’t try too hard. I didn’t learn to do it right away either.” Seth explained.

Eevee turned around to find Soul looking over Sky’s shoulder. “Aw, he is cute~” Soul purred.

“Hi!” Eevee said happily.

“You need a name.” Sky said. “Any ideas?” 

Seth shrugged after a bit of a delay. He was stunned, and a bit jealous, by what he saw when the eevee turned around. He had huge balls. They were at least double the size of Seth’s.

“How about Fluffy?” Soul suggested. She got a pair of dirty looks from both Sky and Seth. “What? It’s accurate.”

“Fluffy! Fluffy!” The eevee cheered as he jumped up and down happily.

“Alright, if that’s what you want.” Sky said. She reached out and wrapped her paws around him, dragging her son in to cuddle. 

"Aren’t you glad pokemon are born smart?” Soul said. “Otherwise you’d have a screaming little monster on your hands.”  

Sky said nothing. She was busy as she nuzzled and licked at Fluffy, who returned the affection in kind.

Seth crossed around the bed, as Sky was occupying his usual spot. He easily grappled the nonresistant Soul and lied her on top of him. “Remember how you made fun of me for getting wiped out?” He asked. “Maybe I should get a little revenge?”

“I can still kick your ass.” She grunted. She didn’t complain though when he started stroking her in long brushes. 

Not long after, Sky set the energetic Fluffy free. Soul turned around lazily before she pressed on the remote. Sky alternated between watching Fluffy explore and sweeping the eggshell off the bed. 

After getting some attention from Seth, Fluffy wandered further down the bed, climbing onto Soul. He padded along her back and lied down on her head. ”You’re soft.” He played with her fur and horn with his little paws.

“Thanks.” Soul said. She seemed pleased with the attention he was giving her immaculate coat. 

Sky finished cleaning and came over to Seth, lying on her side and resting her head on his shoulder.  

“Is it everything you expected?” He asked.

“It's better than anything I ever imagined. Thank you.”

He chuckled and stroked her side. “Don’t mention it.” 

In a sudden burst of speed, Soul threw Fluffy up over her head. She spun around and grabbed him out of midair, ferociously snuggling him into her chest. He was laughing and squirming the whole time.

“Isn’t Tiff joining us? Why is she still in the other room?” Sky asked.

“Just give her some time. In case you didn’t notice, she’s cripplingly shy.”

“I suppose.”

“It’s fine. Besides, I promised her a good night. I’ll make sure she’s alright then.”

“I'm sure you’ll treat her like a queen.”

“Not right now though. You’re my queen for today.”

“And Fluffy... ugh.” Just saying the name drained the starry look from her face. “He’s our prince.”

“Don’t worry, he can change his name when he gets older.”

“I wanted something normal... like Nate.” 

“Oh well. He seems happy about it at least.” Seth shrugged.

+++

“Daim? May I confide in you?” Mewtwo asked.

“Of course. I am your friend. Go ahead.” The mienshao responded.

“I am afraid. Normally, I can see hints of the future. But with Seth, I see more battles, but then everything grows hazy. His future is blank.”

“What does that mean?” Daim asked with concern.

“I do not know. A change in fate, or him defying it. Maybe the influence of a powerful legendary... or even... death.”

“No way. Seth has all of us protecting him.”

“Yes... yes, of course.”

+++

“Erghm.” Drew groaned as he fidgeted around. “C’mon! I wanna see!”

“No. Give them time. We can see tomorrow. Besides, we’ll have our own eventually.” Dust told him.

“But they're having fun!" He whined.

+++

Zip lied on the foot of the bed, her tail flipping around lazily as she watched Tiff debate herself. 

“But... Maybe if I... but then... what if...” Tiff nervously twiddled her paws.

Zip roared, her voice nearly shaking the walls. “Just do something already! Your indecisiveness is frustrating me!”

“But-”

“AGGGH!” Zip cried out, sparks flying from her body.

+++

“Alright, right here.” Seth pat his blue furred belly. He was standing a few feet away from the bed.

Fluffy reared back, muscles tensed, before he leaped forward, tackling right into Seth.

“Ooff!” Seth grunted, arms grabbing Fluffy to prevent him from falling. In truth, he barely felt the impact. “Good job.”

“I think I found something.” Sky said. She was using his dex to access the internet. Her small paws and lack of claws allowed her to use the touch screen in her feral form. “Pokemon naturally carry the knowledge to use their moves and abilities. In addition, they inherit some knowledge from the parent, such as those concerning tactics and trainer tools. Because of this, as well as pokemon hatching at the developmental age of a seven to eight year old, pokemon are able to battle from the moment they hatch.”

“Yeah, let me at ‘em!” Fluffy said excitedly. 

“We’ll see.” Seth told him, as he put him down and gave him a pat on the head.

“You’re making me jealous.” Soul said as she looked over at him. “I might want to try getting me a baby again.”

Not even her mention of the past could pry the smile off Seth’s face. The pain in his cheeks barely hurt. “You’ll have to wait on that. Give Fluffy some time to grow up.”