Soaring Affection

	Dense fog obscured the towering pines surrounding the rocky trail. Walls of rugged bark seemingly enveloped the path, the bundles of dark green needles decorating their branches dripped with moisture in the cool humid air. It was only midspring around these parts, so other than the trees and a thick underbrush of ferns the area was devoid of residents. The atmosphere was silent and still beyond the delicate pitter patter of droplets falling from the evergreen canopy. This hazy morning was interrupted however, by the fall of boots wetly crunching along the remote trail. Under a thick coat and worn jeans, a man traveled up the winding path. His name was Alan, but he wouldn’t have divulged this information easily. With a bulky backpack and worn boots, anyone could discern him as an avid traveler. Alone with only the rhythm of his footfalls to keep him company, his mind was left to wander. He was hesitant to dwell on his past, but his surrounding only provided him with rows of seemingly identical pines before swirling mist swallowed anything else visible. There was little else to preoccupy his thoughts other than times gone by.

	He hadn’t always been in this little-known region. Years ago, he lived in Johto. He probably would have stayed there too, if he hadn’t gotten mixed up in the wrong crowd. At a young age he found himself working as a grunt under an expanding organization working the area. While at the time he might have described himself as an “opportunistic repossessor,” most would have more harshly labelled him a “thief” or “crook.” After a string of successful little scores, he was even granted a position on a much larger heist. Needless to say given his current circumstances, the heist did not go as planned. Barely evading the law, unlike the rest of the crew, he fled from his home region. Even once he reached so far as Unova, he still kept moving. Taking odd jobs in isolated villages and out-of-the-way farms, he felt uncomfortable staying in one place for too long. Jumping on a train, working on a ferry, or simply hiking, he had never truly stopped running. It was this relentless need to put distance behind him that brought him as far out as this obscure region.

	Unwilling to ruminate on a past life of crime more than he had to, he shook the memories from his head and opted to focus on recent history. He had helped harvest berries at the last farm he passed. Honest work that took only a few days. The old couple didn’t have the money to pay him, but they were nice enough to give him a generous bundle of oran berries for his efforts. With a loaded bundle of food packed into his backpack, he had been hiking these past few days through the woods, spending daylight following old wooden signs and nights camping in the shoddy tent he had packed with him. Alan couldn’t help but sigh reminiscing about the real bed he had less than a week ago in that farmhouse, the flimsy shelter he dragged along with him paled in comparison. Under his breath he reminded himself the same thing he always did, “I’m lucky to be out of a jail cell, I’ve just got to keep moving forward.” Fixing his gaze on the obscured woodland ahead, his attention stirred upon noticing the foliage had dwindled to one side. Moving closer, he discovered the reason. While visibility was still next to nothing, the softly rippling water of a lake was hard to miss. The exact span of the lake was impossible to estimate in this weather, he could only be sure the fresh water spanned further than his sight carried. Straining his eyes to see deeper into the grey haze, he could identify an unusual silhouette among the trees. Along the fallen needle covered shore was some kind of building.

	Alan stopped a moment to consider the discovery. It was probably a little cabin being way out here. Maybe someone living out in nature? The kind of people that lived so distantly were a distrusting bunch, but he knew from experience this made them less interested in talking to anyone about his visits. Perhaps whoever lived there would tolerate his company? He could only talk to himself so long before the notion of socializing with literally anyone seemed appealing. Best case scenario this might even lead to an odd job, at least some directions for a wanderer if they were less chatty. Assured visiting was in his best interests, he sunk his boots into the mossy ground by the water’s edge. However as he approached, the moderately sized cabin failed to meet his expectations.

	The shape of the structure noticeably sagged inwards around the roof. A thick coating of shed needles and lichen coated the rooftop, not dissimilar from the aged logs composing the walls. The windows were still intact, but a warping of glass only countless years could produce muddled attempts to see inside. The place must have been abandoned a long, long, time just looking at the exterior. Peering closer around the weathered structure, waist-high ferns along the entrance only further convinced him the residence had been forgotten. Still, this could be the domain of some ancient hermit, so he kept stealthily creeping across the sandy dirt. Once close enough, Alan gingerly pressed his face against the worn window. Nothing. The inside was too dark to really make out anything. However, the lack of any kind of lights and a sparse interior encouraged the notion no one was home. At best he could make out a small bedframe in the corner and a rustic chair. There was also some kind of mess in the center. A collapsed piece of furniture? Maybe a bit of nature leaking into the single room? Steeling himself for any response, Alan gently pulled at the door.

	With a creak of protest, the wooden barrier remained firmly in place. The thought of moving back to the trail crossed his mind, but curiosity had gotten the better of him. Peeking through the rusty keyhole, he recognized more than a few familiar components. “It’s not a crime if nobody cares…” concluded Alan as he pulled off his backpack to fish around for a particular tool. After a moment of sifting, his hands returned with a small metal rod. It may have been a while, but a crumbling lock like this would be easy. With deft movements of his fingers, he worked the rusty mechanism. In less than a minute, a faint click sounded before the door gently pulled back into the cabin. Bingo! He still had it. Grinning at his little accomplishment he tried to adjust his eyes to the obscuring darkness within. Even standing in the doorway he couldn’t make out much of the room. The previously spotted chair was nearby, and the bed on the opposite side looked to still be in place. Even if it was falling apart, any bed had to be better than the bottom of his tent. He could still use an old blanket or pillow if the rest was garbage. Eager to investigate the mattress, he halted in place before disturbing the unknown debris at the center of the room. Bending down to get a better look, the pile seemed to be mostly clumps of brown needles and little twigs. There were even a couple dark feathers protruding from the heap. “This probably came from a hole in the ceiling…” Alan concluded before bending his head to check the ceiling. However instead of finding an opening in the roof, he noticed two yellow eyes gazing through the rafters back at him.

	Reeling back from the unknown observer, he figured some pokémon must have claimed this cabin as its own. He was no stranger to unwanted pokémon encounters, but without being a trainer his options were limited. It was hardly a sophisticated strategy, but often he would try to throw rocks or any suitable object to scare them away. Looking around however, there wasn’t anything to throw. Watching the amber orbs gaze back at him, he felt his heart race as he rifled through his backpack for anything suitable. Grasping something round with a little weight he tossed a blue object skyward. Not intending to actually hit it and make the animal angrier, the item sailed past the figure before a ruffling of feathers resounded throughout the silent cabin. Inching back towards the door, Alan nervously swallowed when the avian intruder snatched the thrown object still sailing through the air. Having moved to grasp the projectile, it became more visible in the dim filtered light leaking from the window. He could make out a dark feathered bird curiously examining what he had thrown. It was one of his oran berries held aloft in the feathered tips of their wing. Realizing he probably did the least intimidating thing possible, Alan froze in place trying to consider a new plan. His eyes however were caught on the unusual figure the bird presented. The fact the pokémon was half his size didn’t seem to matter, but above its blue webbed feet and long legs were a strikingly human feature. A female feature to be precise. Underneath a contrastingly pink patch of feathers lied an admirable pale blue bust. He wasn’t a researcher, but he knew a rack like that didn’t belong on a bird.

	Trying to decipher the origins of this mysterious creature, Alan hadn’t realized quite how long he had been staring. Nervously refocusing his eyes, he realized the unexpected intruder wasn’t coming any closer to him, rather preoccupied pecking away at the ripe berry he had tossed. Looking closer he even noticed a pink edge to her… uh it’s beak. It looked just like lipstick. Attempting to derail this train of thought, he sidestepped out the door while the pokémon was distracted. Back pressed against the wall of the cabin, he realized just how much he had started to sweat. Most of that was from fear, but he knew that couldn’t explain all the perspiration. “I’m just seeing things… Arceus it hasn’t been that long since I’ve been with a woman, right?” Contemplating if he had just misidentified a murkrow, he jumped when a mass of feathers swiftly flew through the doorframe beside him. Luckily it looked like the avian squatter had no interest in him, as it continued to sail deeper into the thick clouds encompassing the abundant spruce. Figuring it might be the safest move, Alan jumped back into the cabin and locked the door behind him. She -er, it, nor any other pokémon could harass him inside here.

	Catching his breath, he took his second opportunity to assess the cabin. With eyes a little better adjusted to the darkness, he identified a rusty metal device in the corner. Seemed to be a woodstove, coated with dust from disuse. Something like that could prove useful. But back to important matters, how was the bed? Stepping closer, the old wooden frame appeared to still hold its own weight. Experimentally he pressed an open palm against the patchwork quilt covering it. It felt like stiff leather, but even that exceeded his expectations. Feeling the mattress encouraged a yawn to break out from Alan. Sleeping on the trail hardly went well, he was already more than tired enough to seriously consider bunking down right here, right now. With a quick inspection around the cabin, he reassured himself nothing else was living here. Checking the lock again, he figured the chances of another avid lockpicker stumbling in was low enough to ignore. Eyelids already starting to droop, he removed the thin blanket from his bag. It wouldn’t do a lot, but he laid it over the ancient mattress. “Probably best I put a layer between me and the bed, who knows what might be growing in there.” With his only blanket serving as a barrier, he opted to keep his thick coat on, the interior soft enough to keep him comfortably insulated. It wasn’t much, but what little luxury the set-up provided had him soundly asleep in minutes.

	He found himself back in Johto, clad in black with the large red “R”. Sirens were blaring as his legs hurled him as fast as they could manage across the tiles. He couldn’t afford to look back now, this whole operation had turned into a shit show and it was every man for himself. Hearing muffled shouts grow closer with every second, he leapt into the nearby window frame and shakily sidled along the stone ledge. It took all his willpower to ignore the dizzying fall below him to the pavement. “Please don’t let them find me here!” he mentally shouted, desperately controlling his breath to stay quiet. Holding his muscles rigidly in place, his senses focused on a lumbering thump near the window. “THUNK” the heavy object sounded again. THUNK. THUNK. The noise was only growing louder each time, drawing nearer to the window. He couldn’t scream now, instead he flattened himself against the brick wall in a pointless attempt to become harder to see. THUNK… It had to be right by the window this time, and the sudden silence in place of the previous rhythm tested his willpower not to turn around to check the window frame. Boots already shaking on the rail-thin ledge, he nearly jumped out of his skin when another loud “THUNK” boomed out.

	Only now he was in a shabby coat. The ringing of alarms faded in the back of his ears as he questioned his surroundings. Wiping the perspiration from his face, the dusty atmosphere reminded him where he was. A cabin, in the middle of absolute nowhere. Inelegantly flopping from the bed, a quick look outside showed the fog was gone. Instead there were golden rays clearly shining between the numerous branches encircling his view. How long had he slept? Was it sunset or sunrise outside? Pausing to root himself back in reality, he heard a noise above him. It wasn’t the sound of his wheezing breathing… Recalling the events from yesterday, he hesitantly bent his neck back to look above. His gaze was immediately met by a familiarly bizarre bird situated in the rafters. Struck by panic, Alan called out “Shoo, get out of here!” before flailing his arms in a gesture to leave. Disinterestedly the pokémon stretched up before waddling on webbed feet to the edge of the ceiling. With little effort it flipped a panel of wood away from the rundown shingles with a loud “THUNK.” Startled by the reminiscent noise, he faintly registered when the bird turned back and tweeted a little giggle at him. In her beak were two blue orbs, not dissimilar to the other pair she sported. Swooping out the hole, the panel fell back shut as Alan realized he had been swindled out of more berries. “Thief!” he shouted, unaware he probably had no right to be calling anyone else that. Hastily he rushed to check his backpack over. Other than a few missing oran berries it looked like everything was still in place. Realizing this he sighed, “Oh thank Arceus, someone breaking in while I slept could have gone much worse.”

	Adjusting to the musty surroundings, Alan felt a cold draft seep into the space around him. Even with his coat the cold was difficult to ignore. Dragging the single chair across the floor, he gingerly climbed on to investigate the secret passage that little bandit had used. “Idiot!” he thought to himself, “Clearly if the door was locked and she was already in here, there must be another way in!” Observing the crooked panel closer, he could feel the chilly air leak from it. Luckily he only needed to tighten a loose screw to seal the opening. Lightly stepping down from the chair he registered just how much the temperature had dropped. If a cold snap was coming through, he was going to need to prepare fast. Shifting his gaze from the clearly dimming sunlight outside, he recalled the rusty stove situated in the corner. “Or maybe staying in a warm cabin wouldn’t hurt.” A cursory glance told him there wasn’t any firewood inside, so after adjusting his clothing he unlocked the door. Bracing himself for the cold, he thrust open the door, unleashing a freezing wind as he grumbled on the way out. “I’ll see what I can get before it’s dark out.”

	Old needles whipped across the ground as Alan held an arm in front of his face. He really needed a pair of warm gloves. While Alan didn’t have any tool to directly cut any timber, he found the forest floor provided an abundance of fallen branches and twigs. Even the fallen needles could serve as kindling. Scouring through the ferns for fuel, it wasn’t long before he had filled his pockets with material. Turning back to the cabin however, he got a better look at the lake behind him. The dark water was whipped into small waves by the advancing coldfront, and he spotted a dilapidated dock stretching into the water. The lake wasn’t very large, with the other shore probably a couple stone’s throws away, but the rough waters appeared intensely uninviting in this weather. Once he had plucked plenty of branches to stow underneath his arms, he trundled back to the cabin. He had made sure not to wander too far, a poor idea when sunlight was becoming scarce. He couldn’t have been out for long, but the sun was already rapidly sinking, leaving him once again in dim light.

	The door slammed behind him with the force of the latest frigid gale. Eager to warm back up, he loaded the small woodstove without hesitation. Packed with firewood, he removed his miniscule lighter to ignite the wad of needles he had pressed on top. The warm orange glow expanded to faintly encompass the cabin around him. Outside the windows any remaining sunlight had completely withdrawn, and frost fringed the corners of the glass. The heat provided by the stove kept Alan huddled by the fire, content to rub his hands in the expanding warmth. The crackling of the fire put him in a trance, before a knocking caught his attention. Knocking? Out here? Old campfire stories flashed across his mind before the hair rose on the back of his neck. Searching for the source of the noise, he realized it wasn’t coming from the door. Holding his breath, he noticed motion outside the window. Creeping closer to the warped surface, he leaned forward to identify the noise. “It’s probably just a branch in the wind or something,” he thought to himself. Already fogging the glass with his breath, a rogue ember illuminated the exterior for a moment. Alan gasped when a silhouette appeared nearly against the window. A blue beak rapping against the surface. He could only hold his chest a moment before recognizing the bird. With a hand on his chest he sighed before weakly gesturing for the intruder to go away.

	Apparently, she couldn’t see this through the glass, as the knocking remained above the wind’s howl. Watching the pokémon move, his eyes unconsciously noticed a different kind of knockers jiggle from the motion. Alan had to avert his eyes for a second. Why the hell did this little thief have features like that? Looking back up he realized that wasn’t the only motion, the feathered fiend was visibly shivering in the unexpected freeze. “Damn it,” he considered “this is probably more her home than mine anyway…” He shuddered a moment remembering the last time he had felt helpless behind a window. “I can’t believe I’m doing this for some petty thief,” he muttered while unlocking the door. He had only cracked the door when the blue-footed visitor dashed through the opening. “Hey, you better not be trying to steal my shit again!” Called out Alan as he worked the door back in place. However, his temper subsided when he turned around to the stove. The dark bird was curled near the woodstove, in that way only birds can, legs entirely absorbed by feathers, body flattened against the ground. She was still shivering by the fire, but she cooed softly in the warm glow. Averting his eyes from the quaking sky blue mammaries on display, he wordlessly walked back to the bed. Collecting the thin blanket he had draped over the ancient bed he pondered, “If karma is real, this better get me on the right side…” Still shaking in place, the boobimbo didn’t have time to react when the blanket was dropped on top of her. “Just don’t go stealing again, okay birdie?” Alan told the moving blanket heap in his best tough guy voice. He was already warm enough and with his spot in front of the stove occupied, he chose to flop down on the aged mattress with a squeal of rusted springs. Eyes back on the ruffling pile in front of the stove, he watched a blue beak inquisitively escape the blanket before thrusting her head out. Her amber eyes watched him for a moment, before resting back down on the comfortable pile, the shaking under the fabric slowing to a halt.

	Alan wasn’t very tired, so he ended up observing the unplanned roommate a little longer. While she could stand half his height, she had considerably shrunk under the warmth of the stove. Most of her body was obscured by the blanket, but her dark feathered head and azure beak were plain to see. Was it a coincidence the distinctly feminine bird’s beak looked like it had lipstick on it? Oh and what about that damn chest? Alan was hardly the most educated individual, but the point of “milkers” on an egg laying bird escaped him. Maybe they were like some bird organ or something? He was really wishing he had gotten a pokédex at some point. Regardless of his disorganized train of thought, he couldn’t help but find it cute when she shut her eyes and smiled serenely in the dim orange sparks. “Look, she’s just some wild animal,” he told himself, “probably won’t even be here when I wake up.” He lacked his thin cover over the old bed, but with the cabin properly warmed up he found it difficult to complain. He figured if the bed had bugs or something he would have gotten them by now. With a little shuteye he could be back on the road tomorrow, no need to dwell on any of this. It was all inconsequential anyway. It may have taken a longer than last time, but after some tossing and turning he was back asleep soon enough.

	It was a deep dreamless sleep this time, seemingly transporting Alan to bright white sunshine instantly. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he double checked his surroundings. The clear light of day was apparent outside, and the woodstove still had faint dying embers casting a red hue from inside the ash. What caught his interest more however was the swaddled bird still snoozing in the rays of the sun. Even under the thin blanket he could see her chest gently rise and fall with her breath… Damn he really needed to stop looking at that bird’s chest. Grabbing his attention from the view, his empty stomach growled. He really hadn’t eaten anything in quite a while. Fortunately, he still had a ton of oran berries packed away. However he didn’t want to wake his guest, so with practiced quiet movements he deftly unwrapped his backpack laid against the bedframe. Even better, it looked like no more food had been stolen this time around. Some of these berries were practically the size of baseballs, so he figured just one could make a suitable breakfast. Without hesitation he bit into the juicy morsel, only to remember too late just how loud the crisp exterior could crunch. Looking up from his snack he noticed the avian’s head tilted in his direction, eyes focused on the fruit. Trying to pretend no one was there, he took another bite, but this only prompted his observer to dart a thin tongue around her beak. With an exaggerated sigh Alan spoke up, “Well, I guess I can spare a little, even for a rotten sneak.” Although internally he knew, “This kind of charity is the only reason I’m still out and about these days.” Grabbing another round fruit, he rolled the berry across the planked floor. The makeshift ball would have went right into the wall if the nested bird hadn’t shishkebabed it with her beak before it could pass her. Alan had to stifle a laugh watching her intercept his pass, maybe this bird was all right.

	Still pecking away at her food, Alan packed what little he had pulled out back into his backpack. The road was calling, and he might as well keep moving forward. He hadn’t even planned to stay in this cabin so long. With everything stowed away he realized he was missing something, a blanket currently crumpled like a makeshift nest under his feathered visitor. The thought of pulling it right from underneath her crossed his mind, but watching her happily ruffle her feathers and stretch her wings reminded him how much of an asshole he would have to be to do that. “Ah, I can busy myself long enough ‘til she leaves,” he thought. Before he left the cabin, he spotted the chair he had moved earlier. Remembering her secret entrance, he decided to hop up and loosen the screw, she would be taking this cabin after he left anyway. Everything set to go, he unlocked the door and stepped outside. The air was much more pleasant today, while a small chill remained the freezing temperatures of last night were only a memory. Even the nearby lake looked more pleasant, incredibly still like a gigantic mirror, it looked like a piece of the sky had fallen, taking even the puffy white clouds with it. Transfixed on the water he got an idea, “Never can have enough food, right?”

	His original plan was to meander around until he could retrieve his last item, but the ragged dock reminded him of a more productive activity. Walking along the shore he delicately brought a boot down on the weathered wood. Despite the flaking appearance, it held firm. Satisfied with the condition, he reached into his trusty pack for a different item. It appeared like a small red tube until he grabbed each end and extended the tiny object a few feet. While the side labelled it as a “great rod,” he knew this bargain camping gear was more accurately “a piece of shit.” Still, sometimes this thing managed to snag something. Alan sat down with a creak from the old wooden boards, and flung his line as hard as he could. He may not have be an experienced angler, but it made considerable distance before sending circular ripples climbing across the reflected clouds. Watching the bobber idly float, he was left to take in the scenery while he waited.

	Alan had no idea how long it had been, but he was without even a nibble so far. In a stupor he kicked his dangling legs off the side of the dock. “Been a while since I’ve been able to relax like this,” he muttered. However his focus was interrupted by a loud THUNK behind him. Must be his dinner guest leaving the coop. He started to get up, before he realized he had some tension on the line. Oh, the bobber was below water at this point, he had something! Reeling back softly at first he felt the hooked fish fight back. Giving just a little slack, he pulled the cheap rod back hard. Sailing through the air was a deep orange magikarp, wriggling above the water’s surface. “Ah ha!” he cried, surprised he managed to get anything at all, even a boney magikarp. Preoccupied with reeling his catch in, he faintly noticed a shadow pass over him. His enthusiasm fell however, when he noticed the swooping shape snatch his bounty right off the line. “Not fair!” he cried, watching the wide wings circle back around with his catch. Defiantly shaking a fist in the air, he stood up before immediately jumping to the side when he spotted something falling straight towards him. Splashing uselessly against the deck, his magikarp was bouncing right next to him. “Idiot couldn’t keep it held,” he thought, pinning the floundering fish in place. Keeping the airdropped catch in place, he flinched when the same fishnapper came speeding down towards him. Ready to fight for his catch, he hadn’t expected the diving menace to land gently in front of him. Folding her wings in place, it was that same blue-bill looking up at him. Relaxing his hastily constructed kung-fu pose Alan sighed, “Can you stop stealing for one minute?” Watching her expectantly nudge the lake dweller towards him he realized her intentions. “Look, I can reel-in my own catch, you didn’t need to do that!” Alan said while puffing his chest out indignantly.

	Walking back to the cabin to prepare his catch, Alan put on a bit of a macho act, insulted the little lady trailing him didn’t think he could handle himself. However it was this same bravado that caused him to miss the root sticking out from the sandy soil. Toting his fish defiantly, Alan careened face first into the ground. It would have been comedic if searing pain hadn’t flashed across his leg as he pulled himself up. “Fuck!” Alan involuntarily cried out, realizing his boot was still snagged in the wayward root. The magikarp served as an emergency cushion for his body, but the same couldn’t be said for his right leg. Pushing himself up he began to stand, but the sensation of hundreds of needles in his ankle caused him to stumble back down. Unsteadily rising on his good leg, he noticed a concerned bird circle around him. “Never seen someone fall down before?” he yelled shakily. Undeterred however, the boobimbo pushed a wing underneath one of his arms in an attempt to steady him. Seeing such a genuine attempt to help Alan’s expression softened a notch as well as his voice, “Look, you don’t have to help me birdie. I’m fine. Go on, get out of here…” His bluff however had no impact on the pokémon, who with a little huff held on tighter before pulling him towards the cabin. “Good grief” he sighed, deciding to give into the walking feather duster’s demands.

	Opening the door for his short companion, he teetered into the single chair. This wasn’t some little bruise, it was now apparent to Alan he had sprained his ankle pretty bad. His unwanted nurse waddled back out the door while he tested a little weight on his ankle. “Damn it” he whispered hoarsely, the pain flaring in his joint. He wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Looking around the dusty cabin, he resigned himself to his fate. It appeared he was going to get even more familiar with this old building. Leaning back on the chair, he realized just how empty this little place felt. He was disappointed the pokémon finally left, but he quietly said to himself, “At least she finally took my advice.” Watching the specks of dust filter through the beams of light from the windows, he wondered how long he might be stuck here. “Another day at least” he thought, but in the back of his head he knew at worst it could be a few more, even a whole week to reach hiking shape again. At least he had a good food supply. The thought of stuffing oran berries that regularly wasn’t ideal, but it was better than going hungry. Alan winced at the thought, but he gingerly prepared to get up again. His efforts were interrupted however, by a rustling outside the door. Figuring it was just wind, he was surprised to see a familiar face toting a dirty magikarp through the open doorway. “You shouldn’t have…” started Alan, but he stopped himself from chiding, unable to contain a grin as she returned.

	Despite a few halfhearted pleas, the bird seemed adamant to stay by his side. Maybe she just didn’t have the heart to kick him out. Maybe she just wanted to coax more berries out of him. Even with his suspicions, Alan was clearly quite happy beneath his protests. Something that was not lost on the bird trying to descale the recently body slammed magikarp. Alan refused to remain useless regardless of his leg however, stumbling to sweep the floor of twigs and needles blown into the room ages ago. He may have been subject to a concerned chirp or two when he nearly lost his balance, but he refused to be babysat like this. Besides, if he was stuck here, he might benefit from cleaning house. The normally easy work however had him wiping sweat from his brow, just about anything he did was made harder hopping on one leg. Still, he remained unphased cleaning the planked floor. Once satisfied with the state of the floor, he noticed the pokémon had mostly prepared the magikarp. Though her idea of finished was apparently different, given she was peeling a strip of meat with her beak. Working his way towards her, Alan gestured to stop, “Hey now, we still have to cook it!” In return he got a quizzical cock of the head before she swallowed her beakful of meat.

	It took a bit of fumbling with his lighter, but there was more than enough fuel leftover from yesterday to get the woodstove going again. With the fire going, he laid the fish on top of the hot metal with a satisfying sizzle. Clearly she was far less acquainted with the concept of cooking, as Alan had to deter a few attempts by the bird to snatch a piece of the steaming fish. Wagging his finger at the hungry sneak, he spoke up, “Wait ‘till it’s finished, trust me, it’s better that way.” She seemed skeptical however, crossing her wings with an annoyed huff, causing her admirable breasts to sway under her feathers from the movement. Quickly averting his eyes from the display Alan replied in a less confident tone, “Just give ‘er a few minutes, that’s all.” In spite of his words, the aroma of cooking fish had Alan ogling the food nearly as much as she was. After only a tad more than a minute Alan relented, “Looks good enough to me.” Following his approval, the pokémon snapped a corner of the cooked fish with her beak and immediately swallowed. Perhaps recoiling from how hot it was she paused before looking back at Alan happily. Enthusiastically she plunged her blue beak back into the tender fish again. Feeling her excitement he blurted, “Leave the cripple some food, will ya?” before digging in himself, albeit clumsily considering his lack of tools.

	With a full stomach Alan found himself in the single cot underneath the old patchwork cover. A cursory inspection found the mattress underneath free of anything like bugs or mold, so he had risked getting inside. Uncomfortable to most, Alan had become unaccustomed to such luxuries, and found the aged bed more than adequate. The sun was setting, and frankly he had nothing more productive he could do at the moment. The fire inside the woodstove was dying, but the leftover warmth was still hanging around them. Getting comfortable, he watched his little friend grab the waded blanket from near the woodstove. “You bunking in the room with me again tonight?” he called out, aware he wouldn’t receive any spoken answer. Instead he watched the dark bird carry the thin blanket up to his bed in a little flurry of flaps. “Huh?” sounded Alan, watching her dutifully spread the blanket out over him. “Hey! My arms still work.” He interjected with hands peaking from the cover. She only shot him a look before smoothing the edges over the bed. Alan held his tongue before smiling. The bird flinched when Alan ruffled her head feathers before returning his arm under the blanket, “You’re spoiling me, you know that?” Ignoring the comment, she smoothed her feathers back in place before curling up next to his leg. He had never expected her, or anyone, to treat him so nicely like this. Maybe she was just as lonely as him out here? There was a strange lack of any kind of pokémon around here. Lost in thought, it took him a moment to realize how exhausted he became from hopping around all day. Feeling the fluffy down of his unsolicited caretaker against him, Alan was out like a light.

	Wind whipping past him, Alan was back uncountable stories above the streets. Muffled alarms were erupting from the open window beside him. Carefully holding his balance on the ledge, he used his black gloves to delicately shut the opening behind him. Even sealed from the building, it was as if the sirens leaked through the cracks in the brick wall, threatening his fragile hold on the side of the building. Even under the ceaseless wailing his heart froze when a loud thumping resounded behind the glass planes. “THUNK” the source drew closer. Without anywhere else to go, he pushed back against the wall, his Team Rocket hat tilting and blowing away in the night’s wind. However, the brick behind him felt… strange? Pressed against him was a cushion, firm yet undeniably soft. His panic lessened, but his confusion only grew. What happened to these bricks? Sidling in place a little he felt the rough wall jiggle like jello. “This isn’t right” he thought. None of this was right. This wasn’t how it happened. Even with the thumping growing closer he focused on the previous thought, “Not how this happens?” How did he already know what was supposed to happen? Memories bubbling to the surface, Alan found his tenuous grip loosening from the ledge. Beginning to fall forward he screamed, the little cars buzzing so far below him. Closing his eyes, he felt the falling sensation increase exponentially. Acceleration growing faster and faster, he could only brace himself for the inevitable. Except it never came, as he felt his velocity abruptly halt. Was he dead?

	Opening his eyes however, he saw only walls of logs in front of him. A quick tilt behind him revealed a very concerned pair of deep yellow eyes. The pokémon was pressed against his back, wings around his waist, attempting to calm him when he began to shake under the covers. With the situation dawning on Alan, he fell limp under her feathers. Ashamed he had acted out like that. However his worry faded feeling the caring touch. How long had it been since he had contact with anyone like this? His mind however wandered to the pillowy bumps pressed firmly on his back. Turning his head so she couldn’t see, his face turned red upon realizing what that feeling was. Now twice as embarrassed he rolled out of the bed. Only his forgotten ankle made standing difficult, causing him to kneel on the ground when the pain shocked him. With growing concern his bedside companion hurried towards him before he held an open palm out for her to stop. “I-I’m fine… I’m good… just give me a minute birdie.” Pulling up on the edge of the bed Alan rose to an unsteady standing postion before ruffling the feathers on her head gently. “It’s nothing…” he said, with the bird only shooting him an annoyed glance as she worked her messy head feathers back into place.

	Even after this incident, the rest of the day went smoothly. Alan hobbled over to the dock to fish more in the open sun, accompanied by his blue footed friend standing beside him, occasionally helping him reel in another catch. Meals consisted of whatever they had caught with an abundance of oran berries. Alan’s ankle was taking its sweet time healing, but it was getting better as the day progressed. Before he knew it, he was already spending another night in the cabin, lulled by the glow of the woodstove. Progressively the makeshift shelter was looking more livable, the byproduct of Alan being left without anything else productive to do at night. He could hardly grasp how much time went by like this. Three days melted into each other, only forming a peaceful blend in his memory. He hadn’t realized it in the moment, but this was likely the best he had felt in years, even if he lacked full mobility. Nights in bed with his nicknamed “birdie,” left him unusually content. The rise and the fall of the sun became less memorable as his dreams turned to pleasant visions of clear skies and wide-open waters. However, all things must change eventually, and after those few days had gone and passed, Alan felt his leg becoming easier to stand on.

	This morning Alan was back up and walking, but his pace was still considerably reduced, he didn’t know how but he really had done a number to his leg during that fall. While he tried his best to keep the bird at a distance, his faltering protests were hardly enough to dissuade the avian girl. He may have succeeded in keeping her from trying to help him walk, but she still stayed close in case he might trip, something he had already done a couple times. Walking back up to the rickety dock he couldn’t help but sigh thinking about the future, “She’s probably not going to like me leaving… at least she’ll have her home back to herself.” The thought of bringing her along with him flickered across his mind, but he dismissed the notion with a frown, “I’m not dragging her to jail with me, even if we avoid getting caught I’d be bringing her into the life of a fugitive.” His concerned expression wasn’t noticed however, as the pokémon had her eyes ahead on the lake, excited to laze around and catch dinner. Both of them had gotten pretty comfortable around one another at this point, sometimes Alan would sit on the dock while the busty bird would lie across his lap. Both were content with the quiet company. She had started humming a charming little birdsong on their walk when a terrible snapping sound roared out from the distance.

	Swiveling both their heads to see, they could only hear that horrendous crunching as the distant tops of pines fell underneath the tree line. Unsure what to do, the pair backed up as the ground began to shake. Difficult to discern through the trees was a hulking figure, deep red in color and causing the ground to quake with every step. Only drawing nearer the musclebound behemoth became more apparent, ripping lengthy trees from the ground with it’s six arms before splintering them against its knee. This beast was only known as an “Exercyclops” in this region, but to Alan it was just a monster. Sliding the gargantuan pupil in its single eye, Alan caught their gaze lock onto the nearby cabin. Unable to fully process what was happening, he shuddered at the thought of his little newfound home being smashed like those trees. Without thinking he picked up a sizeable rock and lobbed it at the towering pokémon. Bouncing off harmlessly, Alan felt immediate regret as the dark pupil narrowed in his direction instead. Shit! SHIT! Alan thought, consequences of his actions dawning on him. “Get the hell out of here birdie!” he shouted, before running as best he could towards the dock. With a panicked look she took his advice and fluttered up into the air as Alan moved away.

	Alan could only hear loud thumping behind him. Every loud “THUNK” drawing closer behind him. Unlike the last time he heard such a noise, he wasn’t going to hide. With adrenaline coursing he was able to ignore the pain and sprint by the lake. At the edge of the dock he dared to glance behind him, only to have his heart race faster spotting the mass of muscle charging behind him. He was really starting to hope his hastily constructed plan would work. Rushing back across the dock, he didn’t have a moment to lose as the blur behind him kept advancing. With an excruciating leap Alan dove into the frigid water. Plunging into the cold liquid, he felt agony and adrenaline course through him in equal measure as he struggled to open his eyes. When he did get them open, he caught the raging pursuer dive into the water seconds after him, rocketing a few hundred feet past him. The impact left a gigantic mess of frothing bubbles in the muscular meteor’s wake as it rocked the lake. Kicking against the water, the shockwave of the forceful dive unintentionally helped him push back towards the dock. Lifting himself up onto the dock would normally be impossible, but it was in Alan’s favor the rampaging titan had smashed the end of the dock downward with their jump. Carried by the surge of water, Alan crawled onto the shaky dock and gasped for air as he resisted the artificial wave behind him. Chunks of planks were raining down, the discordant splashes reminding him the dock was absolutely thrashed. Still finding his breath, he could hardly believe how quickly everything was going to hell. More importantly however, he kept his eyes fixed on the threatening shadow under the water. If his rushed guess was right, the weighty thing would sink like a stone. Kind of a shitty plan in retrospect, but it was the best he could do on such short notice.

	Back against the crushed wood, Alan watched the water bubble and swirl, stirred by massive arms thrashing underneath. The seconds ticked by for an eternity, but the shadow remained under the surface. Could this be over as fast as it began? Stumbling onto the more intact portion of dock, he heard a titanic splash behind him. Twisting around rapidly, he noticed two arms and an angry eye rise from below, water cascading down the figure as they lifted. Alan’s stomach sank as he realized his hunch was partially right. It took both legs and four arms for the bulky pokémon to stay afloat, but it was still moving. Alan tried to run, but his legs refused to cooperate, a mixture of freezing fear and already excessive exertion. He could only panic as the monster awkwardly inched closer through the water towards the dock. If his legs weren’t willing to move, he still had his arms. Alan resumed crawling back to land on the slippery wood, pulling forward with his arms, before he felt the structure shake. Behind him a burly arm had one of the dock’s supports in its clutches, crushing the pillar into splinters. He tried to push a new plan through his mind, but he hardly had the capacity for rational thought just digging his fingers into the soaked planks for balance. Prepared for another support to go, he was startled when a shadow shoot past him from overhead.

	Flying on dark wings, it was his blue beaked friend hurtling through the air. With blinding speed she divebombed the thrashing giant. Alan could hardly keep up as the bird slashed with her beak as she passed by, too quick for any of the inflexible arms struggling to stay above water to catch. At first elated by the rescue, Alan felt pure panic well up within him upon realizing just how much danger she was in. He had to do something. Fumbling upright on his ass, Calon checked his pockets for anything, even throwing something would be better than nothing. Only planning on fishing however, he just had his shitty extendable rod. “SHIT!” Alan grimaced envisioning a meaty hand snatching his little valkyrie. But he had no idea how to fight, what could he do? Why was any of this happening? Extending the rod deep in thought an idea stuck him, he did know something amid this chaos, “I know how to catch a fish.”
 Pulling the rod back he held his breath and lined up an imaginary trajectory into the lake. This wasn’t for some shitty magikarp, this cast was far more important, so he couldn’t afford to miss. With a silent prayer Alan furiously brought his arm forward, applying a tempered force to make his shot land like he wanted. Despite how swiftly the hook flew through the air, time seemed to slow for Alan. Leaving a trail of glistening string, the metallic object hurtled through the open air. It pierced the veil of countless droplets forced in the air by the flailing aggressor, still struggling to intercept the feathered fighter jet gracefully diving under, over and around their unsteady blows. It was only once the miniscule point drew near that the massive eye caught the reflection of metal whizzing by. The expanding pupil served as a fitting target, because the hook found it’s mark in the next second.

	Reeling back from the direct hit, the rod was thrown from Alan’s hands as the creature’s thrashing intensified, using its only free hands to grasp at the string in an effort to dislodge the attack. Time rapidly returned to realistic speeds as he watched the bird take full advantage of the opportunity. Rising high into the sky, Alan would have assumed she fled, seemingly disappearing into the clouds. After a moment of watching the skies in confusion, Alan spotted a silhouette plunging from a crack between the clouds. Only a blur of dark grey, the avian missile connected beak first with the back of the amazon’s head. A resounding boom echoed over the lake, before the red giant went limp. Without consciousness the hulking berserker calmly floated to the surface, finally and forcefully made to be at peace. In spite of witnessing the awe inspiring move, Alan found himself falling backwards, completely spent. His legs were entirely numb and his eyelids weighed heavy. Only now did the fact he was completely soaked in frigid water dawn on him. Still trying to grasp why such an intense attack had even occurred, he faintly registered the swooping dive-bomber land next to him. Was she glowing? That couldn’t be right. Alan didn’t get time to process this however, as in moments all of his vision faded into a pale white glow. Lost in a void, the last thing he heard was nervous chirping before falling unconscious.

	Cracking his eyes open, Alan felt like he had been tossed under a truck. It was difficult to fully make out his surroundings, as only the faint orange sparks of a fire softly illuminated the room. Log walls surrounded him, and he was tucked underneath a patchwork quilt. Lifting the cover lightly, he realized he was stripped of his wet clothes, only his boxers left to provide modesty. He tried to move his legs, but a shooting pain causing him to wince. Although upon closer inspection, he realized there was jury-rigged bandages around his legs, made of strips of what had to have once been his thin travel blanket. Memory still fuzzy, he recalled something attacking them on the dock. He and the cabin were still here, “We won, right?” he thought. Oh, “we”? Where had his little birdie gone? Squinting his eyes into the darkness, he realized there was someone else in the room with him, standing by the woodstove. They were humming gently, the only sound besides the crackle of the woodstove. Alan thought he recognized the tune, but not the singer. Standing around his own height, clad in white with dark grey fringes was an unknown woman. She must be the only reason he wasn’t shivering by the lake now. His throat was dry but he managed to croak, “Who’s there?”

	The response he got was not the one he expected. Swinging around hastily at the sound of his voice, Alan’s eyes were instinctually drawn to the massive swinging orbs above her waist. Stunned by the unreal melons, each possibly larger than his head, he barely squeaked out, “Have you seen a-“ before the overjoyed woman swaddled him in an impossibly soft hug. However, she seemed ignorant of her prodigious chest, smothering Alan in a flood of boob flesh before he could finish his sentence. The warm embrace melted any worries Alan had, as a delighted chirping rang out above him. It took a few moments, but he was finally released from the plush prison and was able to get a better look at his savior. Turning up to face the woman, he gasped upon noticing the blue beak. “Birdie?” he unconfidently spoke up. Alan was answered by a large wing eagerly stroking the side of his hair before she craned her neck down to nuzzle against his cheek. Either she had evolved into a boobigguns, or Alan hit his head very hard, either way he was overjoyed to know she was okay. Hugging her back, it was becoming impossible to ignore the weight pendulums that were hardly constrained by a layer of feathers. “You uh, you evolved?” whispered Alan, confident his companion wasn’t this prodigious before. While such a question didn’t really need an answer at this point, he could feel her feathered head rub up and down against his cheek, a surefire “yes” if there ever was. Feeling the full-bodied figure pressed against him, he realized he had a new emergency. Against his will a tent was rapidly rising on the other side of the bed.

	Desperately he tried to will the stiff intruder away, but it was not working. “I just can’t catch a break,” thought Alan, not wanting to ruin the moment. His efforts had the exact opposite effect intended however. The busty bird noticed his discomfort, and assumed it was one of his legs causing him trouble. Deftly flipping away the blanket, Alan resisted covering his face in shame. There was absolutely no mystery what was hiding under those boxers. But instead of an uproarious laugh like expected, he heard a second of silence before a deep cooing. She knew exactly what could cure an unexpected ailment like this. Moving to the end of the bed, she caught Alan desperately reaching for the discarded quilt. She placed a gentle wing on his arm, pushing it back into bed. Alan, unsure where this was going, watched with a red face as she brought her other arm to her chest. With a small tug, the gargantuan sky-blue mounds spilled free of their confines, bouncing and swaying for a moment, revealing a pair of dark blue nipples. Speech evaded Alan during this spectacle, but he didn’t need to say anything as his absolutely diamond shaft said more than enough. Leaning forward slowly, the bold avian gave him a sultry glare before she easily encompassed all the space below his belt. With the bountiful breasts pouring over his lap, he could only stifle a groan when a feathered wing gently freed his member of its tight confines. Tortuously slowly, she used her wings to force the bouncing spheres together, causing Alan to lose any composure he had left.

	She giggled watching the expressions he made as she kneaded his length with her bountiful pillows. Alan unconsciously gritted his teeth as he tried to fight the wave of pleasure. His attempt failed however, causing him to buck his hips and violently jiggle his heavenly surroundings. He only stopped when he felt something slim and smooth trail down his shaft. With warm breath tickling him, he realized she had opened her beak and was feeling the details of his member with a long dark tongue. He could only shutter under the delicate sensation while a fiery pressure mounted deep inside him. The long smooth tongue twirled from base to tip, teasing him the hot moisture it left behind. With the added lubricant, he bucked back into her prodigious chest. The feeling was divine as he felt his balls tighten. Eagerly she withdrew her tongue and returned to shaking the cushions around his dick, now sliding with a feverish pace. The pleasure he was feeling was just too much, he couldn’t restrain himself any longer. Unable to stifle a moan or provide any kind of warning, he came, hard. Firing a white spray into the air, he couldn’t stop himself from blasting another load, followed by another and another. Rocked by the unparalleled orgasm, Alan had to take a few deep breaths before he opened his eyes again. Her feathers were slick with his seed, generous breasts and most of her face dripping in the soft light. With one yellow eye closed from the rope laying across it, she gave an exaggerated wink before opening her beak again and nimbly cleaned his oversensitive shaft, leaving Alan a shuddering mess.

	Satisfied with her choice of care, she used a remaining impromptu blanket bandage to clean herself off. She wasn’t normally this impulsive, but the start of heat season had her acting differently. Even if she was a little miffed by how naturally these actions came to her, the results were difficult to deride. With a creak of protests from the worn bed, she crawled under the covers with Alan. The bed was clearly never made with two people in mind, but neither were complaining as they intertwined in the restricted space. Even without his coat or the blanket that had been repurposed into his bandages, Alan was kept comfortably warm by his newfound feathered down blanket. Brought back to the brink of exhaustion, the cozy atmosphere made sleep impossible to avoid. Looking back up at his partner, he listened to her gently bob her head as she hummed another birdlike tune before sliding a feathered wing around the top of his head. Perfectly at peace with the world, Alan whispered one last thing before slumber claimed him, “I love you…”

	Only peaceful dreams of watching the placid lake with his little companion drifted across Alan’s mind that night. Waking up it was obvious just how great he felt, never before had he been so happy to see another day. However, with a clearer head the memories of last night returned to him. Not only had the pokémon he had gotten to know evolved, but it seems like their relationship went a whole lot further. It seemed like a dream, but the white feathers still suck to him served as more than enough evidence. He was a man used to defying society’s standards, so with a lot of experience ignoring moral dilemmas, the intimate passion didn’t bother him as much as it should have. Maybe if he had heard about something like this happening secondhand, he would disagree, but after experiencing it for himself, it was a classic case of “If this is wrong, I don’t want to be right.” Rolling around in the bed however, he noticed a distinct emptiness in the bed. More accurately a normal level of space under the covers. Turning towards the windows, he realized it must already be late in the afternoon. “I must have really overslept last night.” he thought to himself. That still didn’t answer where she went off to. “She’s probably just getting more firewood like I showed her or something.” He pondered. Thinking about his considerably grown companion, he cringed remembering the last thing he had said. “I love you? What kind of cheesy pansy says something like that?” Angrily muttering to himself, Alan tried to rationalize it. It had been a long time since he had even trusted anyone, let alone got that intimate. Was it really the wrong thing to say? His face flushed red as he worried about his relationship like a teenage girl, the fact he was even doing so driving him to further embarrassment.

	Thankfully he was roused from his thoughts when he could hear a crunching of leaves and twigs outside. Looking up expectantly at the window, he spotted a bright red figure move past the window. “What the hell is that?” he wondered. The details were unclear through the warped glass, but he could plainly tell this wasn’t his friend coming back. Considering jumping out of bed, he was startled when a young teenage boy’s voice rang out obnoxiously loudly, “You won’t believe it, I found my Exercyclops passed out in a lake, just like floating around.” Still babbling into what must have been a phone, Alan pieced together what he had just said. “Floating in the lake passed out…” That fucking douche, he owned that monster from yesterday, didn’t he? Quiet bliss swiftly being replaced by poorly restrained rage, Alan froze in place when a loud knocking boomed against his door. “Anybody home!?” the same voice called out. In the tense silence that followed, Alan figured he was better staying put, he didn’t want anybody knowing he was here. “Oh yeah, that was just me trying to see if someone lived out here. There’s a piece of shit cabin that maybe some old beggar lives in. Yeah, I know I shouldn’t talk to people like that, but they could have seen what happened to my pokémon, you never know… But I guess the place is abandoned.” Taken aback by this little shit wandering around his doorstep, Alan kept listening as the warped shape behind the glass turned around. “Oh but dude, you’ll never guess what I found on the way here… No… No… Dude it was a Boobigguns. Yeah man! For some reason the thing was hauling wood and I just NAILED her with a pokéball. Maybe it was like building a nest or something, I dunno” Alan tried to figure out what this rambling idiot was saying, “Boobigguns?” what was that? He had hardly seen any pokémon out here. Unless… With dawning horror he put the pieces together. It was hardly elegant, but he had a sneaking suspicion who might have a name like “Boobigguns,” especially if they were carrying wood around. “Fuck” Alan whispered, watching the red blur move away. Had this random trainer caught her while she was getting firewood? “No, look I’ll see you in town. It shouldn’t take long.” With the droning voice retreating, Alan quietly rose from the bed. His legs, right ankle especially, gave him a twinge of stinging pain, but his legs still stood firm.

	In the stronger light he could better assess his condition. There was a little dried blood under the bandages, but other than minor to moderate cuts from splintered wood, he seemed uninjured. It was mostly overextended muscle that protested his movements. Seems like the only thing not hitting the fan today was his health, but even that could be better. His mind lingered on the hastily torn bandages wrapped around him, they must have been unnecessary, but that only made the gesture more endearing. With a flash of anger, Alan pressed his face against the glass, providing enough clarity to see the trainer drift down the trail. He recalled from his way up here, there was one and only one path from here to the next town. Judging from his direction, he knew exactly where he would be going. And then what though? He couldn’t call the police, the thought of being anywhere near the law frightened him. He may have tried his best to forget it, but his old life offered one solution; steal the damn pokéball holding her back. Fists clenched in thought, a small draft reminded him he had been standing in his underwear this entire time. Hastily he looked around the small room to discover his clothes hanging off the stove, likely having been warmed to dry them out. They remained a little damp, but he didn’t have a choice. Strapping on his boots and stuffing one of the last oran berries in his mouth, he braced himself to get going. It had taken him a few minutes, so their distance had grown, but he still tried to open the door quietly. The weather was warmer than it had been for a while, and the humid air felt filled to the brim with tension. Without the time to fully investigate the ruins of the pier, Alan pried a sizable branch from the forest floor as a makeshift walking stick. A cursory glance around the cabin had told him she was nowhere around, not on the remnants of the dock, not in the sky, not in the surrounding woods. Unsure if it was clear to do so yet, he still called out, “You there Birdie?” Cringing at how loud his unanswered echo returned to him from across the lake, he shook his head in silence. Time was of the essence, he had to get going.

	With a manageable limp he hiked up the trail. He recognized his reduced pace with a scowl, “If it weren’t for big red yesterday, I’d probably be walking fine.” Still not far from the cabin, he noted a pile of timber scattered along the rocky path. It could have been a coincidence, but the evidence provided by the dropped firewood succeeded in lighting a fire underneath Alan. Moving forward in the same clothes he had been wearing for weeks, he was partially glad the fall into the lake unintentionally washed them. Still, this wasn’t the time to be thinking about his worn jeans, as he maintained his march deeper into the woods. As time went on, it eventually dawned on him that kid must be moving faster than him, as otherwise he should have caught sight of him by now. He said he was going into town though. He could probably intercept the red bastard there. Still, at his speed the only town was still a few hours of walking away. Bracing his leg for the next step, he realized he hadn’t even brought his backpack along with him. It was too late now however, and with a shrug he figured the lightened load was better. Continuing his trek forward, the pit in his stomach grew deeper. It had been less than a week, but traveling under the evergreens felt different now. Lonelier perhaps. Struggling to define the dread fully, he shook his head to fruitlessly clear the thoughts away as he doggedly climbed the dips and swells of the land.

He had no watch to confirm it, but judging by the progress of the sun, a few hours had gone by now. Drawing nearer to the settlement, the rocky trail had evolved into a muddy dirt road. The wide gravel covered path stretched into more of a marsh. At this distance he could identify short brick buildings poking from the thinning willow trees that had outnumbered the spruce here. Even looking as rundown as he was, the few people he had passed payed him little mind in a rural area like this. Just another hiker wandering through… or maybe they thought he was homeless, but it didn’t matter to him. As he approached the town’s edge, he noticed how narrow the roads around this area were. Cozy cobblestone houses sat side-by-side with hastily constructed pole-barn buildings. He would have liked to look around this town if he wasn’t set on retrieving his friend. Head swiveling around, he saw only a few old couples, a farmer, and the occasional red hat. He knew even from the distorted view of the window this guy wasn’t just wearing a little red, they would be absolutely decked out in it. Despite the obvious colors, no one seemed to meet the description yet. His breath quickened, worrying this entire plan had been a mistake. “No,” he told himself, “He said he was going to town, and he went in this direction. If he turned the other way, I would have crossed paths with him.” Hand on his chest, he tried to calm down. Even at this hour few were walking on the cracked sidewalks. Looking ahead, his ears perked up when an obnoxious voice carried past him on the wind.

	“-eah, look, I don’t care what you’re dollishus is up to, I said pick me up at seven, not eight. NOT EIGHT, pick me up at seven okay?” the rambling carried forward. Following the sound, Alan spotted a very red trainer angrily pumping his legs on a bench. “Like don’t give me any tauros shit, it’s already past six, so just get here soon, okay?” Alan had found him, and he might even have discovered a timeframe. Looking for the time, Alan noticed the dingy townhall across the street. Above the aged entrance was a glass circle encompassing a once rather ornate large clock. The surface was noticeably fogged by water stains, but the time appeared to be a little before 6:30PM. If what the loudmouth said was true, he had about half an hour to come up with a real plan. Putting on his best casual, absolutely normal person walk, Alan scratched his head. Maybe if he had a better layout of the town he could plot something. He could probably spring from an alley or something if one was nearby. Although an ambush was hardly the stealthiest approach, he had serious doubts he could pickpocket someone in open daylight, dressed like a hobo and without a single reason to approach a “stranger” like him on the bench. Even in his heyday of crime, that would have been a lot to ask for. However, if he did manage to pull of something less noticeable, he still needed an escape route. The red trainer seemed firm in staying on the bench, even as antsy as he looked, he doubted anyone waiting for a ride would abandon the agreed upon location. Alan had the time though, so a quick look around him might be worth it. He doubted he would abandon the bench until seven at least. However, the idea of walking circles in front of his mark to understand the area seemed to be a poor choice. Maybe he could find a map of the area instead?

	Looking back up at the grimy clock he had a solution. If anyplace kept a map of this town, it must be the townhall. Resuming an exaggerated stroll despite his leg, Alan moved up the sidewalk, and through the flaking door of the worn building. The interior was made of dark wood, polished and waxed the age was better hidden, but the building still looked like it had seen better days. Dusty air filtered through small windows as he sized up the room. It appeared half the space was something like a waiting room, rows of uncomfortable looking wooden chairs before a glass window. Someone probably staffed it normally, but a sign hanging from behind the glass proclaimed, “Out to Lunch!” Judging from the hour, no one was in a rush to staff the office. The other side had a variety of small tables and posters. Most appeared to advertise local events, trade offers, even an occasional item for sale. This was exactly the kind of place he might find odd jobs while traveling, but he just wanted some kind of map now. Time was ticking, and without anyone present to spectate, he gracelessly hopped around to look around the filled walls. It was a bit odd absolutely no one seemed to be watching the entrance, but he figured smaller towns weren’t afraid of theft. Besides, unless someone wanted to burgle marker scrawled posters from the walls or old magazines from the lobby, there wasn’t anything of much value.

	After a few minutes of sifting Alan had found a map of the entire region, no good right now, and one of the townhall itself. Neither were useful. Passing over the umpteenth poster for a harvest festival that happened last fall, he finally found a white grid poking from behind a table. Pushing a cardboard box to the side, he had found what he wanted. The detail wasn’t great, but it had all the roads marked, with a dot signifying the townhall to orient himself. If the bench was where he thought it was… he had two narrow alleys to choose from. One to the right, and one to the left. The right would looked to be the better choice, as the unusual architecture around it gave it an S-shape, meaning he could get out of line of sight faster. Looking up from the map, he looked a little harder at the box he had just moved. In marker it had “LOST AND FOUND” written on the side. Inside appeared to be a pile of old clothes… He dismissed it earlier, but this actually might be important. He was sure he would attract less attention wearing something less torn up than his current clothes. Besides, it wasn’t technically stealing if it was all old discarded stuff, right? Rummaging underneath a bright pink shirt and a torn scarf he found a t-shirt roughly his size. It was black with some forgotten band on the front. Scouring further through the box he even found a pair of grey sweatpants and a blue knitted beanie. Without a better solution, he threw the articles over his own clothing quickly, knowing if someone walked in while he was dressing, it would raise more questions than he could answer.

	It didn’t take long, but he managed to get the new outfit on. It certainly felt to be in better condition than his worn pair. Still, picturing how it all the items fit together in his mind, he didn’t need a mirror to know how terrible he must have looked. Still, terrible was better than homeless, an obvious suspect if someone figures out something was stolen. Looking vaguely like an out of date hipster, Alan took another look around the room for anything that could aid him. Walking to the other side for a closer inspection, he noticed a large pile of old newspapers meant for anyone waiting in the lobby. Perfect! Nothing was better for looking casual than a good old newspaper in front of the face. He might even be able to get real close if he looked like he was just busy reading. Shuffling through the papers, his excitement froze upon spotting a familiar headline, “TEAM ROCKET D-” Curiosity gripping him, he realized he had no knowledge what his old group was doing anymore. He had no interest in reconnecting, and news was hard to come by on the backroads he traveled. Bringing the paper to his face he read the whole headline aloud, “Team Rocket disbands in Johto?” Skimming the article, it appeared an upstart youngster disrupted the entire organization. Wait, when, when did this happen? Looking to the corner of the paper, it was dated more than a year ago. That long ago? Shuffling more papers for the word “rocket,” he found another similar headline. “INTERNATIONAL SEARCH FOR FUGITIVES ENDS – LAST STRAGGLERS FOUND IN KANTO” This one was dated more recently, around a month ago. Eyes twitching he threw down the newspaper while the ramifications ran through his head. Did he even need to be on the run anymore?! Bending down to look at the discarded paper again, he realized he had started sweating. Carefully he read the article, the line “…all recorded members have been caught or assumed missing. The issue is no longer considered worth monitoring for by international law enforcement agencies.” Caught his eye. He wasn’t entirely safe, but unless he literally told someone he was team rocket in the past, it looked like he was in the clear… However, stealing a pokémon like he had planned seem to be an awful way to retain his secrecy.

	Standing alone on the creaky floorboards, Alan was met with a new decision. Startlingly fast he realized the potential for a new life had just opened for him. All he had to do was walk out the door and keep moving. Maybe he could stay for more than a week in a town he traveled through for once? Thinking about the many road stops he had seen, the memory of that cabin by the calm little lake stuck out. Why would he want to stay there of all places? Focusing on the idea, he remembered how he had personally cleaned the place… and the idea of sitting by that lake was enough to calm his aching head. Deep down he knew however, the real reason he liked that spot was the person he had shared the space with. Alan took a deep breath to consider his previous plan. Slamming a fist into his open palm he made up his mind, it was all or nothing, he was leaving with his birdie or he was going to the jail cell he had been running from for so long. Head still rushing from the implications, he straightened up and tried to make himself presentable. If things were going to go his way, he had to make this work. Fairly certain he could spare the time, he collected himself for a couple minutes before grabbing a random newspaper and stepping back out the old oak door.

	Most would have dismissed the weather today as pleasant, but for the man slowly approaching the bench, the atmosphere was stifling with pressure. Holding the paper in front of him, he glanced behind his shoulder to get the time. Somewhere between 6:54 and 6:55, he had to get moving. With a restrained pace, Alan hid any remnants of a limp as best he could in his calculated stroll. The trainer was still sitting on the bench, leaning back with his phone pressed against his red cap. Too preoccupied to focus on what he was blabbering about, Alan neared the bench. The way the trainer was leaning, the majority of the bench was still open. It would be a risky move, but he could sit right down with him… It was a bit suspicious considering the mostly empty streets, but he might be able to handwave the concern because there were little other options around here for seating. He still had the newspaper in his sweaty palms, he could always pretend to be reading. Shooting a glance to his side, he located the right alley between the buildings behind the bench. Even without his legs in full working order, he could probably disappear fast enough at that distance. The other alley also meant pursuers might guess incorrectly where he goes. Trying to be nonchalant, he sat down without a word on the bench. Holding his breath he noticed the trainer had stopped talking. Loudly Alan straightened the wrinkled newspaper, peering into the mass of words he could only pretend to be interested in. Was he already suspicious of him? Keeping his eyes ahead he only relaxed his breath when he heard the unending chattering resume, “…Yeah, no some dude just sat next to me… Look just get her quickly okay? You wouldn’t belie-“ While it wasn’t perfect, Alan now had himself as close to his target as he could get.

	Sneaking short glances away from the yellowing newspaper he caught the glint of metal around the incredibly red trainer. Bingo! He had his pokéballs around his belt. Wait, how many? Alan restrained his panic as he counted the little orbs. One, two, and three… All identical generic pokéballs. “Shit!” he thought, realizing only now he had no way to tell which held his friend. Still, he had to retain his composure. The bench wasn’t very large, but he had to carefully inch himself closer to the trainer, not enough to arouse suspicion, but just enough to get his free hand close enough. Retaining his aimless gaze into the newspaper, he scooted closer. Opening his ears again for any changes in his chatter, a lack of abnormalities in his voice told Alan he was in the clear. So far so good, now he had to actually snag one… well actually now it looked like he would be taking all three. He could sort out which was which later, but the growing number of targets didn’t thrill him. Waiting until the unaware trainer had started watching a woman across the street, Alan hovered a hand across the bench. Gingerly he placed the tips of his fingers around the ball. Not caught yet, he faked a small cough as he pulled the pokéball up and out of the holder. It was in Alan’s favor the belt was built for easy throwing, otherwise it would have been far more difficult to pry the containers off. Carefully he placed the item in his pocket. Two more to go. He was a little more confident the bastard was preoccupied, as he had started to give the person on the other side of the phone directions. While the trainer explained with ire, “NO, no… It’s RIGHT of there, not left!” he deftly snatched the second pokéball. This grab went even more smoothly, now that Alan knew what to expect. Refusing to turn away from his newspaper, Alan brought his arm up again for the third. Hovering closer to his belt, he nearly jumped straight up from the bench when the red cap turned straight to face him.

	Arm still suspiciously out to his side, Alan immediately let his arm fall limp, as if casually resting it along the length of the bench. Willing his face into a neutral expression, he noticed the incessant chatter had halted. He could practically feel the sweat trail along his forehead, he had to play it cool. A couple tense seconds passed until the trainer spoke up again, “You really listen to that band?” Hardly registering what this could mean, Alan turned to see the boy looking squarely at his recently “borrowed” t-shirt. Neurons barely firing to make the connection Alan croaked, “Y-yeah, big fan…” Still trying to keep his eyes on the paper he waited in silence for a reply, but the youngster simply turned back to his phone. “You won’t believe what I saw today… No… No even better, some dude actually listens to your favorite shitty band as well…” Still ragging on the other person’s taste in music, Alan composed himself again. He was so close. He couldn’t just run with two if the third could have what he really wanted. Focused intensely on the ball next to him, he hardly registered the beat-up car coming down the street. Paying it no mind, he froze up when the vehicle came to a halt besides them. “Finally!” the trainer shouted, getting up off the bench. “Fuck.” Alan thought, puzzling out what options were left to him. He really must have loved that damn bird, because as the red trainer opened the car door, Alan shot up and ripped the last pokéball off his belt before sprinting backwards. Careening into the right alleyway he heard a confused shout behind him, “WHAT THE FUCK?!”

	Darting down the narrow passage, he zigzagged through the corridor as fast as his legs could carry him. His risky move had consequences though, as footsteps soon followed him down the path. “Thief!” “Thief!” With a picture of the town map hazy in his mind, Allen bolted down a narrow street. It was hardly an alleyway, but it was better than an occupied road. With no one on the sidewalks he was free to run without fear of having his face seen. He may not have been able to move blindingly fast, but he had enough of a lead on his pursuer to hide behind an old looking brick building. From this angle anyone falling him couldn’t know for a face which way he had went. Hoping it would buy him some time he withdrew the pokéballs from his pocket. Catching his breath he reminded himself, “I’m not totally alone anymore, ONE of these things can help me.” Without the time to put more thought into it, he experimentally pushed the button on the first pokéball. In a dull red flash, something… rather small appeared on the ground. It looked kind of like a living foot? The bug however held little solutions for his predicament so he pressed the button again. He hadn’t used a pokéball before, so he was pleased to see the pokémon withdrawn like he had hoped. He still had two more, but the sound of footsteps, likely both the trainer and his ride getting closer meant he didn’t have much time left. Frantically tapping at the second ball he jumped back at just how large the red shape that emerged was. Standing in front of him once again was that six-armed cyclops. Realizing his mistake he furiously mashed the button on the pokéball. The exercyclops recognized Alan and let out a terrible roar before the ball mercifully activated and dissolved the brute back into light. Now shaking in place, Alan hear clearly behind him, “There he is! That dude stole my pokémon!” Shit, that loud roar had given away his position.

	Starting to run forward again Alan mentally screamed, “Third times the charm! Please, please, please!” With a hurl of his arm he sent the third pokéball flying in front of him. Unintentionally it landed near a walking bystander, who turned around in confusion. When they had swiveled around, they were met with the sight of a confused boobigguns checking her surroundings as a man clearly wearing two layers of clothing was being chased down by two high schoolers. Unable to discern what was happening in time, they simply watched as the strangely dressed man shouted, “Get us the hell out of here birdie!’ before jumping onto the anthropomorphized bird’s back.  With a shrill squawk she recognized the trainer barreling towards her, and as Alan held onto her shoulders, the pair lifted off into the air. Gaining altitude, Alan watched the rooftops come into view as the two chasing him rapidly shrunk on the street. “Get back here bastard!” the red dot shouted. Watching the red dot shake his fist, he recalled the two pokéballs still in his grasp. Not wanting to be reported for three counts of theft when it could be just one, Alan tossed the remaining capsules with a dangling arm. Unintentionally however, when the balls skipped off the sidewalk, they released their occupants. Even from his growing distance Alan could spot the six-armed giant begin rampaging across the street once it was released, smashing light poles in its path as the trainer panicked to handle the new emergency. Indirectly causing so much property damage wouldn’t normally be considered a pro for Alan, but a wide grin spread across his face when he realized it was the perfect distraction.

	Twirling through the skies, Alan’s attention shifted back to the impossibly soft feathers he was gripping with all his might. Eventually he felt his need to hold on reduce, as his big bosomed friend leveled out in her flight. Now able to relax for a second, he caught his breath before he noticed his ride’s head turn back to him on her flexible neck. Her expression radiated joy seeing him back there, however it faltered when he lifted an arm to ruffle the feathers on her head. With a pout she realized she couldn’t fix her plumage midflight, and playfully glared at him. Gaze returning below them, Alex watched the scenery beneath them quickly returned to the familiar evergreens, and hopefully out of sight for anyone in town. At this speed returning to the cabin would be easy, but it couldn’t hurt to be a little preemptive. In what felt like no time to the escaping couple, the surface of a little lake with a collapsed dock came into view. However, Alan seemed hesitant, “Look, just in case we’ve been followed, can you try to circle around before we land?” If anyone happened to be watching, he at least wanted their path to be unclear. Leaning to the side to emphasize his point to turn, she reluctantly delayed their arrival. Regardless of the change of course, Alan was loving soaring through the air like this, so he didn’t mind the idea of staying airborne a little longer. As they cruised through the atmosphere along a wide imaginary arc, the sun fully set below the trees.

	The night was clear, so the starlight guided them in their aimless circles before they decided to return. As they passed the occasional body of water, the reflection of the full moon stunned Alan with its beauty. He had spent a lot of time outdoors the past few years, but he had never gained such a view before, even atop a mountain the slope obscured part of the scenic vistas. Alan’s flight seemed to catch onto his gaze into the placid lake, because she adjusted her angle to lose altitude. Feeling the movement, Alan resumed his hold on her shoulders before she gracefully leveled out just above the water’s surface. Tilting slightly, she rippled the placid reflection of the stars with the tip of a wing. The miniscule waves carried out to make the twinkling stars dance and the full moon sway. Lost in the beauty, Alan hardly noticed his avian companion crane her neck back towards him. Still looking down, Alan felt a warm peck at his cheek before he turned around. It was a bit difficult with her beak, but she managed to sneak a little kiss while Alan was awestruck. Realizing what had happened with a dumb look on his face, Alan decided he wouldn’t be outdone. Reaching out an arm, he held her feathered chin before pushing in for a real kiss. The mechanics of working past a beak were a mystery to him, but as her mouth parted her long tongue was able to mostly solve the issue. Working its way past his lips, the sultry invader worked past his tongue and around his mouth. It was certainly a new experience as he found his tongue practically coiled by the oral intruder. Preoccupied with the loving kiss quickly turning into a battle of tongues, Alan opened his eyes to notice a rapidly approaching tree line from across the shore. Frantically he patted a hand against her back. Looking up in confusion, she opened her eyes before turning her head to see what he was so desperately trying to get her to look at. Withdrawing her tongue slowly with a soft pop, she turned around before her yellow eyes went wide from recognizing the imminent impact.

	Twisting rapidly to ascend, Alan felt his grip loosen from the g-force. Desperately he clung on, her body rotating to maintain their rapid ascension. Alan twisted along as well, but out of sync with her spinning, shifting his position as he held on. Now with a dizzy head, he found himself locked around her waist, face practically smothered by the aquamarine breasts pressed against him. Taking a second to pry his head free from the silky prison, he could only hear a twittering giggle above him. “Not funny!” Alan yelled. Once she had stopped laughing at the man now hanging underneath her, she rotated slowly so he might get back into position. It took a minute of awkward aerial maneuvers, but they managed to get back into a more comfortable flying arrangement. Able to sit comfortably again as they resumed horizontal flight, Alan stroked the side of his pokémon’s head. Giving Alan a half-lidded look in response, she knew they weren’t finished with what they had started moments earlier. Alan had to hold on tight as they veered back in the direction of the cabin. “Woooooah!” He shouted against the wind rushing past him. Kicking up the needles on the pines below them, the couple soared through the night air. The evening may have been growing cold, but the thrill kept them enthused as they rocketed above the ground towards their mutual little home. “Guess she’s more excited to get back than I thought?” Pondered Alan, just enjoying the speedy flight.

	It hadn’t taken long, but Alan was glad to get back on his feet. He might have stumbled a little, but his legs were refreshed from his ride through the air. In front of him the cabin looked the same as they had left it, the exterior walls were still rundown, but he remembered the cozy interior fondly. His friend seemed to be even more eager however, pushing him along inside with a wing across his shoulders. Moving through the doorway Alan spoke up, “Hey, whats got you in such a rush?” While Alan shut the door behind him, he figured she was just impatient to hide indoors. If the trainer bothered to file a report, they were probably safer in there than outside. Unbeknownst to Alan, was the fact heat season was in full swing at this point. The shock and awe of the day had suppressed her instincts well enough, but just their little kiss by the lake had been enough to send her hormone levels into a rage. Even if she seemed kind of pushy to get Alan back into bed, he was quite happy. “Hell, even if someone does find us, we can just fly away now!” he said, excitedly gesturing their flight away with his hands as he looked back at his feathered friend. In place of the chipper enthusiasm he expected, Alan was returned a gaze that could only be described as poorly restrained desier. Alan, capable of picking up on the undertones, quickly lost some of his composure. “H-hey if you’re trying to say what I think you are, just cool it birdie… I just stole you from someone like a few hours ago!” His complaints were unheeded however, as a plush wing pushed against his chest and towards the bed.

	Hitting the mattress with a soft “pomf,” Alan’s face was already red watching her strut all of what her body had to give him on the way to the bed. Even in the dim light from outside, he could tell her face was equally as red, and as she craned her head down to his face, he realized she was breathing heavy. Hot breath tickling his neck, he could feel her rub the tip of her blue beak along his neck before squeezing a tiny love bite, applying just enough pressure to still be pleasurable. It wasn’t until she lowered herself on top of the bed that Alan realized just how unavoidable this engagement would be. As she crouched over him, he could practically feel the heat radiating from her engorged sex. At this angle he could even see the glint of a thin trail running from between her legs onto the bed. Before he could say anything she was already yanking off his shirt. Well shirts, considering he was still wearing two layers of clothing. Still, the determined bird persevered peeling at his clothes. Alan, having never seen a woman so riled up before, was quickly warming up to the idea. He helped her peel the remaining clothing off into the growing pile beside the bed. Down to only his boxers, he could feel her begin to grind against his leg, forceful enough to cause the bedsprings to squeal. He even sensed a wet spot form from the heated friction against him, “Damn, is it mating season or something?” Alan could only wonder. Looking up to see his partner’s exponentially growing desperation he came to a conclusion, “She’s helped me more than enough… maybe this will make us even.”

	With that thought in mind and the bird preoccupied rutting against him, he made his move and swiftly pulled away any constraints from her heavy breasts. Still quaking from the motion, he firmly dug a hand into each swaying sphere, finding ample purchase in her bountiful cushions. Without realizing it Alan had already found a boobiggun’s most vulnerable point while in heat. With a loud moan reminiscent of a birdsong, she cried out from the sensation. Alan continued his assault by kneading the heavenly mounds between his fingers, causing her to shudder and writhe under the sensation. Satisfied seeing her head bounce erratically along her long neck in pleasure, he relented his groping to a gentle caress. It may have taken a few moments, but when she regained any semblance of composure, she deftly pulled a wing under his elastic and sent the boxers flying. Erection fully exposed to the cool air, in a blink of an eye she was already hovering her crotch above him. Only giving the faintest lust filled stare before slamming her eager opening over his member. Greedily it devoured the tip of his cock, sending shockwaves of pleasure coursing throughout both of them. Contrastingly, her inner walls grew tighter and tighter with every inch forward, the two mutually working to push their bodies closer and closer together. Alan had to grit his teeth to resist the searing hot vice wrapped around him as he brought his hips upward. His lover however was unabashedly crying out in pleasure, the squawking only partially muffled by the log walls. Her deep yellow eyes were wild with passion as she feverishly dropped her hips.

	Feeling himself worked all the way down to the hilt, he groaned loudly. Even if he was struggling, he was miles more composed than the harpy on top of him. With a sly grin Alan figured he had the upper hand, and wanted to press that advantage. Before she could settle back down, he withdrew somewhat before slamming his hips back up as hard as he could. The cacophony of frenzied bird calls only grew louder as he repeated the movement, rocking the bed with every thrust. Still, it wasn’t enough as he watched her light blue orbs wobble violently. Increasing his assault, he snatched a dark blue nipple in his mouth, sucking gently on the teat. The pokémon’s cries only grew more primal when he circled her areola with his tongue, showing no mercy as he resumed caressing her other breast with his free hand. Lost in the symphony of wet slaps and erratic bird cries, Alan found his pace moving faster with every second, harder with ever slam against her sopping wet feathers. His dick was rapidly approaching the point of no return as the bed began to threaten to give out. He wanted a mutual finish, so Alan lightly pressed his teeth against her sensitive nipple, quickly bringing her even closer to the edge. Without a moment to lose Alan erupted inside of her, followed by the spasming of her walls as they climaxed together. He could only see stars from the force of his ejaculation, painting her insides white with every load. His lover was absolutely wailing at this point, shaking from the explosive orgasm, feeling her insides grow even hotter. It was safe to say neither had experienced something quite as intense as this before.

	Head swimming the euphoria, Alan relaxed back into the bed as he drifted in the afterglow. His partner growing quiet, he ventured a peek back upwards. He may have already been spent, but she was looking down at his with half-lidded eyes. Breathing still heavy, she started working her hips against his again. Feeling the excessive stimulus against his waning erection, Alan woke from the bliss. This night was far from over if she had anything to say about it. Watching her ample assets sway in the rocking motion Alan braced himself for round two. “I’m not sure what’s going to last longer, me or the bed…”

	It was mating season after all, and it would be late, late into the night until the horny hen would collapse onto her lover. Alan, absolutely drained dry, immediately fell still when she laid her full weight on top of him. Their sweaty bodies were a testament to the fact a fire wouldn’t be necessary tonight, their combined body heat would be sufficient. Fingers wrapped around the tips of her wings, the two were an inseparable mess, panting above the sheets. Mustering what little strength he had left, he slid his fingers around the soft feathers of her back. “I really do love you.” Alan spoke between labored breaths. His companion merely let out a deep but hoarse cooing in response, her voice worn ragged long ago from the plethora of noises she had made over the course of the night. With virtually every muscle below the belt aching in exhaustion, Alan fell asleep quickly, tangled in the pale blue legs still locked around him.

	Alan was transported again to Johto. Bricks against his back. A horrific plunge beneath him. The alarms were hardly constrained by the shut window behind him. His heart raced as the familar methodical thumping sounded out behind him. THUNK. THUNK. THUNK. Every deep blow resounding against the tile and drawing closer to his hastily chosen hiding spot. There was no escape, he could only pray no one found him on this ledge, precariously balanced on the side of the towering building. Hand over the large red “R” on his chest, he could feel the incessant pounding in his chest, desperately trying to will it away in an attempt to become motionless. Looking down at the streets so far below, he couldn’t keep himself from shaking in his boots. His tenuous grip along the thin rail encircling the brick exterior grew flimsier. THUNK. This time the booming was right outside the window. Daring to bend his neck slightly, he could faintly recognize a horrid shadowy silhouette reach out to the window beside him. Holding his breath against the silence, the window began to rise with a shrieking squeal. This was it. There was no escape. Too focused on the window, one of his boots slipped. Desperately reaching for the stone lip, his body hurtled downward in the next second. Velocity growing faster he covered his eyes so he wouldn’t witness his horrendous demise. However, as he waited for his own death, he instead felt his body shoot forward, moving parallel to the asphalt that waited to catch his body moments before. Cracking open his eyes, he felt his chest surrounded by a delicate softness. Below him was still the sprawling shrunken streets, but they were no longer growing closer to him. He was instead riding along the wind atop a bright white angel. Beautiful patterns of dark grey feathers dotted her edges as her yellow eyes gazed back at him. With a deep breath, he figured he was safe now. Drifting onwards, far away from the cry of sirens, they sailed onwards towards new horizons. And Alan had never felt more prepared to start over, this beautiful bird staying at his side. The future looked bright as the sun finally rose above the skyline in his reoccurring nightmare, illuminating his blue beaked friend in golden sunshine.



	A week later the door to the cabin burst inward, investigators prodding the darkness around them with heavy flashlights. Under their beams of light, all they found in the dark cabin was a mess of white feathers and a cracked bedrame. Likely just a nest for a passing pokémon. Scratching his head the investigator asked, “Why the hell are we even looking around here?” His calmer coworker replied, “Checking out a reported stolen boobigguns.” The other badged official could only laugh, “Was this filed by the same dumbass kid that let his exercyclops destroy half of third street?” After a moment of consideration the other answered, “Probably just trying to deflect the heat off himself, apparently he even caught the thing the same day it was stolen, so he has no records of it, quite the coincidence.” With no evidence apparent, and a flimsy pretense to even investigate the old place, the two uniformed officials returned to their vehicle. The only occupants this cabin had seen for decades were long gone by now, seeking a new life far from prying eyes.