The sun shone over over the Palma city park as groups of trainers and pokemon enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather. The grassy hills and groves of trees rang out with laughter, spotted with the shouted orders from trainers engaged in heated battles with each other, testing their pokemon’s limits in the few secluded spots where battles were allowed. At the center of this park was it’s crown jewel. A hedge maze nearly a square mile in size. 


For most visitors to the park, getting lost in the maze was part of the fun. But for Perun, it was nearly impossible. The anthro Pachirisu had spent entire days wandering the labyrinth and knew every twist and turn by heart. His favorite spot was arguably one of the hardest to find. It was a small tree about a ten minute walk into the maze, and it’s seclusion was what made it particularly attractive to him. He could always expect an empty, comfy spot to relax.


Perun smiled as he rounded the final turn and caught sight of his spot, a small grove of trees with various berries scattered around on the grass below. Unlike most days, there was already someone lounging under one of the largest ones. An anthro Shinx had his back leaned against the trunk and was fiddling with a purple scarf around his neck. He stopped abruptly however when he caught sight of Perun walking towards him.


“Perun!” Zi shouted happily, the Shinx standing up under the tree and waving him over. Perun walked briskly towards the shinx and dropped his bag under the tree just in time to brace for the inevitable hug that he tackled him with. He tensed up for a moment but soon returned it gladly. Usually Perun was far too nervous to touch anyone, due to a terrible birth defect which risked making him shock anyone who came into contact with the palms of his hands. With Zi being another electric type however, Perun felt comfortable enough to try and return the friendly gestures.


“I’m glad you found the spot.” The pachirisu said, giving the shinx a squeeze and plopping down under the tree. Zi joined him immediately and leaned against Perun’s side gently, a gesture that made him blush faintly. The two had met very recently, but in the weeks since, Perun had begun to feel a strange attraction to him. It didn’t hurt that Zi made for an affectionate friend, as well as being one of the only people in Perun’s life who he felt comfortable being close to. He raised a hand to his cheek and looked away, hoping that Zi hadn’t noticed the blush. As he began to search through his bag, he half listened to the Shinx talk about the trouble he’d had finding the place, focusing most of his attention on the feeling of the shinx’s fur against his.


Off in the distance, the sounds of a battle starting up could be heard. Perun grumbled softly, not wanting their lunch to be ruined by the shouting of a couple of trainers facing off. Instead however, it seemed he would be the one to ruin the meal. 


“Damn…” Perun said softly after a few moments, closing his bag and looking up at Zi with a worried expression. 


“What’s wrong?” Zi asked, raising an eyebrow and leaning over to look at the bag. 


“I’m such an idiot. I invited you to lunch, but didn’t actually PACK the lunch. I’m really sorry.” He said, rubbing his forehead in embarrassment. He had wanted to make a good impression on Zi with this little lunch. It was the first time he’d ever spent any time with him away from his usual group of friends. Part of him almost wanted to think of today as a date, but he was far too shy to actually say that aloud. “If you want we could go to a cafe or maybe-”


“Well… actually!” The Shinx interrupted with a bright grin. “I do have these if you’d like to try them. I baked them last night! They’re my own special recipe. I sort of.. made them for you.” Zi rustled around in his bag for a brief moment before pulling out a container of dark brown pokepuffs, showing them off to Perun proudly. The pachirisu smiled and picked one up, examining it with a hungry gaze.


“Oh, are these mocha!” He asked, taking a bite out of the puff without waiting for an answer. Almost as soon as he had shoved it into his mouth, Perun began to cough and sputter, sending chunks of the spicy poke puff over his mouth and shirt. “Ack… ahh.. s..spicy.” he said, gasping a little and clutching at his throat. He’d never had much of a tolerance to spicy food, and Zi’s poke puffs were spicier than anything he’d ever tasted.


“Oh crap! Perun.. I..I’m sorry! I should have warned you, my recipe is really, really spicy!” Zi leaned over in his bag, looking for a towel or a napkin, something to help clean the Pachirisu off.


“It’s ok. I...” He coughed. “I should have waited...to tell me.” he coughed again, wiping some of the half chewed puff from his black shirt. Zi, unable to find a towel, simply leaned over and helped him brush off some of the mess, wiping off the collar of his shirt and then brushing his hand over the Pachirisu’s cheek gently. Perun blushed slightly as he did this, his cheeks throwing off a few sparks while his eyes widened. He reached up and grabbed the Shinx’s arm, stopping him for a second. It had been so long since he’d allowed anyone to touch him quite like that. Normally it was too risky. A single errant shock had been enough to do serious harm before, but of course Zi was an electric type. He had to keep reminding himself of that. 


“Oh, I’m sorry!” Zi said, trying to tug his arm back. “I… I forgot you don’t like-”


“It’s alright.” Perun said, leaving the Shinx’s hand against his cheek as he let go. “I don’t mind it… from you.” he said, though immediately regretting how corny it sounded. 


Zi’s face flushed a bit, and he left his hand pressed against Perun’s cheek. Something about it just felt right. The tiny sparks jumped from the Pachirisu’s electric pouches, arcing onto his hand and making it tingle pleasantly. He wasn’t sure exactly what to do! Thankfully, something within him took over and instead of drawing away, he cupped Perun’s cheek, focusing and sending his own electric charge through the Pachirisu. 


Perun let out a shuddering breath as the energy surged through him. He wasn’t sure if it was that, or the tension that had seemed to instantly formed between them that was making his heart beat faster, but something definitely was causing it. He leaned towards Zi, looking into his eyes and searching for some clue of his intent. Was he just being friendly, or did some part of the Shinx return his feeling of closeness. “I…” he started, not knowing what to say. Zi merely looked back with a nervous flush covering his face, his eyes keeping whatever secrets they held to themselves.


Perun continued to lean toward the Shinx, closing his eyes and hoping to Arceus that he wouldn’t protest or run off. To his surprise, Zi stayed perfectly still, letting Perun’s face get so close that he could taste the spices that still lingered on the Pachirisu’s breath. 


Perun let out a slow, shuddering breath as he decided to do what his heart was screaming at him to do. He opened his eyes and met with Zi’s gaze, feeling for that moment like nothing else existed, but before their lips could finally touch, a shout from the battle just over the hedge wall brought their attentions back to the world around them.


“Arrivar, use Shrink Ray!”


“Quick Meowstic, Reflect!”


Without warning, the two heard a zapping noise come from the other side of the hedge, followed by the sound of a gong. A bolt of white energy shot through the leaves, and before either could react, it struck Zi hard in the side with a force that pushed the two abruptly apart. The little Shinx hardly had time to shout before a blinding light flashed over his body and for a moment, seemed to vaporize him.


“Zi… Zi!” Perun shouted, looking around for a wildly terrifying moment before his gaze drifted down to the grass which he had been sitting on. There, lay a tiny Shinx no more than 2 inches tall, brushing the dirt from his fur. 


“Gah… I think I’m ok.” he said weakly, looking up at Perun and letting out a gasp as he too realized what had happened. “How did you get so…” he started, looking around and soon noticing that the blades of grass and roots around him were giant. “Oh.” he said, frowning and looking up at Perun, still blushing slightly. “C-could you take me to a pokemon center?” he asked the giant Pachirisu, a look of slight embarrassment on his face 


Perun reached down and picked Zi up with care, cupping his hand around the miniaturized pokemon. “Oh… of course!” He said, sitting back against the tree and using his free hand to start packing things away into his bag. Zi merely sat atop the leather glove that covered the soft paw pad and watched Perun pack. 


“Did.. did you really want to kiss me?” Zi asked abruptly, making the Pachirisu freeze with a squeak. Now that the moment had passed, Perun wondered if it had been the right thing to try, Was he about to get told off?   


“Mhm.” Perun said timidly, keeping his eyes fixed on the packing. “I’m really sorry… I should have known-”


“Don’t be sorry.” the Shinx said, placing a hand against one of Perun’s finger pads and giving it a soft rub. “I was about to kiss you back, remember.” he said, sounding more than a little nervous.


Perun’s cheeks let off another series of bright sparks as he gazed down at Zi, his face showing off a mixed expression of shyness and surprise. Without much warning, the pachirisu raised his hand containing the shrunken Zi to his face and pressed his lips against him. It was a little sloppy considering the size difference, the Pachirisu's lips covering nearly half of Zi’s body, but it certainly didn’t lack in passion. Perun allowed his lips to linger against Zi briefly before pulling away and blushing down at the tiny pokemon. 


Zi seemed to be at a loss for words, staring up at Perun with a paralyzed expression. The Pachirisu grinned timidly and licked his lips. As soon as he did this, his eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t expected Zi to be so tasty! It was at that moment that he remembered just how hungry he was. He’d merely coughed up Zi’s pokepuff, leaving his stomach agonizingly empty. His eyes flicked down to the container of spicy puffs, and then back to Zi. The tiny Shinx didn’t seem to know what was going on in his friend’s head, but something about the look in his eyes unsettled him. 


Before he could say anything, Perun leaned in for another kiss, this time poking his tongue out and licking gently over Zi’s face. The Shinx coughed slightly and blushed, conflicted by what seemed to be half a kiss, and half a tasting.


“P...perun. Maybe we should go to the pokemon center. We can… er… d-do more when I’m back to normal!” 


“Yeah…” Perun said, trailing off as his hunger gnawed away inside. Part of him knew that what he was about to do was inevitable, but he cared far too much to hurt the little Shinx. “I just want to er.. try something first.” 


Zi could only sit and wait as Perun rummaged in his bag, and pulled out a small bottle of medicine. “Oh, do you have a full restore? That could work!” the Shinx said, his ears perking up. It didn’t take long to notice that the label wasn’t one he recognized. 


“Well, no… It’s a potion made from the Ampho berry. It guards against… corrosive attacks.” he said with a nervous grin. 


“Corro-? Hey!” The shinx covered his eyes and winced as he was sprayed with the bottle, coating his electric blue fur with a sticky potion which fortunately dried instantly. “Perun, what are you doing?” He asked nervously, staring up at the giant Pachirisu’s face. He looked a little nervous as well, but behind his eyes… was hunger.


“I just… want to try something. I won’t hurt you. I promise” Perun said. He brought Zi back up to his lips, but instead of another kiss, he parted them and let his tongue lap out over the Shinx. Zi groaned unpleasantly as the slimy appendage slid over his body, covering him in drool. Perun shuddered again at the taste of his tiny treat, now accentuated by the sweet flavor of the berry potion.


“Perun wait!” Zi pleaded, not knowing what to think. Perun said he wouldn’t hurt him but he was treating him like a candy! He struggled against the pachirisu’s tongue, sparks flying between him and it as it worked over his miniaturized form. Before he knew it, the hand tilted and he was dropped face first against the tongue and pulled into the Pachirisu’s maw. Brief sparks illuminated the dark, wet cavern he was now confined within, giant, white, boulder like teeth surrounded him on each side. To his front, he could make out the slightly opened throat, thankfully closed enough that he didn’t have to fear immediately slipping inside. “Perun!” 


The pachirisu groaned softly as Zi filled his mouth, closing it gently around him and rubbing the tiny treat between his palate and tongue. He was too caught up in the moment to notice the pleas coming from within his mouth, but he did feel the struggling. He pushed his tongue against the micro in his maw, pressing him flat and simply holding him in place as he thought. The temptation to swallow was so strong. His stomach was begging to be filled, but it was more than that. He wanted Zi as close to him as possible. The more he thought though, the more he knew that he’d have to spit Zi out. Being swallowed would probably upset him, even if he did plan to let him out before he could be hurt.


Inside, the Shinx was contemplating his own fate. He knew Perun didn’t want to hurt him, but he was just one gulp away from joining the contents of the Pachirisu’s stomach. He let out another whimper as the tongue adjusted itself under him, pushing him another inch towards his friend’s throat. That was it. If he didn’t do something, Perun was gonna swallow him! Zi tensed his body up, feeling a charge of electricity building within himself. As soon as it was strong enough, he let loose a powerful thunder attack, lighting up the inside of the pink cavern with electricity and sending bolts of lightning shooting against both tooth and tongue. 


Perun let out a tiny yelp as he felt the charge unleashed in his mouth, but instead of pain, he felt an immense wave of pleasure sweep over his body, warming it with an electrical charge like he had never felt before. The pachirisu slumped back onto the ground against his tree, forgetting the conflict in his mind and sucking on Zi once more before slowly tilting his head back and gulping the shrunken Shinx down in one swift motion. Zi let out a scared little squeak as he felt the tongue collapse under him, pushing him into Perun’s throat which squeezed tight around his body, pulling him down towards the hungry pit of the Pachirisu’s gut. From the outside, a yellow, glowing bulge could be seen slowly sliding down the Pachi’s neck, finally disappearing into his chest as the glow from the attack faded. He let out a satisfied sigh as he felt the large lump pass from his esophagus and land with a splash inside his stomach. Nothing had ever felt so good…


Zi groaned as he squeezed through the entrance to Perun’s stomach, landing in a pool of acid and whatever melted remains were left of the Pachirisu’s breakfast. He tried to stand, but his paws slipped against the slimy mass of muscle under him, making him fall face first into the acid. “P...perun!” He cried, crawling to one of the walls and pounding on it. “Let me out!” Panic was beginning to rise within the shinx, but at least he couldn’t feel himself burning or melting. Hopefully Perun had been right about that potion. 


“A...ah, Zi! I’m sorry.” Perun whimpered, pressing his hand over his belly. “I wasn’t gonna swallow you...but…” He shuddered, remembering the feeling of Zi shocking him. Nothing had ever felt so amazing! Inside, Zi continued to pound against the fleshy wall, looking around the belly in terror as it was lit by residual sparks of energy. Strands of thick digestive slime connected the churning walls to the shallow pool of acid at the bottom, and the entire chamber seemed to growl around him every so often. It didn’t take long to realize that his pounding wouldn’t do any good. Like it or not, he would have to trust that the Perun didn’t want to hurt him.


He crawled to a spot where the acids were at their lowest and pressed a hand against the stomach wall, closing his eyes and trying to calm himself. “J...just get me out!” he said, his voice shaking in fear.


“O..of course! Just er…” Perun looked around for a moment, wondering exactly how to retrieve Zi from his stomach. It’s not like he carried a small rope around with him. He realised with a groan what he would have to do. 


Inside, Zi heard a chorus of gagging coming from far above, each one making the belly around him contract violently and push him back into the acids. “GUH, be careful!” he shouted, crawling back to his safe spot and wiping the fluids from his fur. “Maybe you should just go to the pokemon center. They’ll know what to do.”


Perun sighed solemnly and pulled his finger from his throat, wiping the drool from his fur onto the grass below.  “Zi… I’m so sorry.” he said, standing carefully so as not to jostle the shinx around too much. “I don’t know what I was thinking. You probably hate me for this.” 


Zi’s ears pinned back against his head as he thought. Did he? 


“No. No, I don’t.” he finally said, pressing a shaking hand against the wall of flesh next to him. “I actually really like you. And as long as you promise not to eat me next time… maybe we could try another date?”


As soon as he said this, he heard the pounding of Perun’s heart speed up.


“I’d really like that Zi. Thank you.” he said, sounding immensely relieved. 
“Don’t think you’re just gonna get away with this though. You’re paying me back big time!” The shinx said, smiling weakly. “I want you to cook next time. I fed you, so now you’ll be feeding me.”


“Deal.” Perun said, resting a hand over his stomach and enjoying the feeling of having Zi so close for the time being.