The Other Side of the Coin

For a moment, they all stood there, silent. Pomona floating, the figure on the ground, Hailey and Gem sitting somewhat awkwardly further back. Nothing happened.

As was often the case, it fell to Gem to break the ice.

“Soooo, what do we… do here?

“Nothing, this is purely my concern.” Pomona replied. “However, my client may be disturbed by your presence here so perhaps you-”

“I’m not dead yet.” The figure on the ground suddenly spoke, voice loud and booming despite her expression. “So don’t talk about me like I’m not here.”

“My apologies ma’am.” Pomona curtsied in mid-air. “I do not usually bring others with me on work. If you prefer, they can retreat back-”

“Eh, what do I care.” The woman waved her off. “I’m to old to give a shit, what’s two more gawkers?” Hailey’s breath caught in her throat, but she said nothing.

“If you are sure Miss…”

“Sharp, just Sharp.”

“Very well Miss Sharp. Now, do you know why I have come to you?”

“Because it’s finally time for me to shuffle off this bloody mortal coil?”

“It is entirely your choice to leave, or not, I simply came because you called to me.” Pomona said, in a calm, patient voice. Where as her partners were fidgeting around in their awkwardness, to her this exchange was clearly old hat.

“Not much of a choice.” Sharp said, with a profound weirdness. “Shantel is gone, what else am I going to do?”

“Crossing over is hardly the only option.” Pomona spoke like she was merely discussing the offerings at a restaurant. “Some, often Water or Ground types like yourself, choose seclusion. Sequestering themselves in the deep places to rest, regain their energy for a long while before they emerge again. Of course, the fastest way to reignite your joie de vivre is to return to the world, meet new people, form new bonds.”

“Yeah!” Gem jumped in, Hailey almost felt she should shush her. “Hit some clubs, or prowl the side of a route, jump out of the tall grass at some girls!”

Sharp didn’t seem offended but she did wave her off. “Any spring doe would get sucked dry trying to keep up with me, and it… just wouldn’t feel right. I’m tired, tired of being tired ever since she’s been gone. I feel like I’ll never stop being… tired.” Her face spoke of a whole lot more than just exhaustion.

“You do.” Gem lowered her voice now, a rare serous tone. “It’s hard to tell exactly how long it takes, but you do come out almost like new.”

“Oh, you a return squirt?”

“Yeah, about two years ago, almost went back before I grabbed this goober.” The elbow in the side didn’t really hurt, but it did knock the wind out of Hailey.

“Surprised you dragged her down with you.” Sharp said, dryly, before turning to address Hailey directly. “You must be pretty bored, look like a kid that got dragged to work by her mom.”

Hailey didn’t really know how to respond to that, so she didn’t. “Ah, no, I’m just… surprised you noticed me at all. That’s, uh, pretty uncommon.”

“What, you like the legendary of Humans? Always flitting around just out of sight? Eh, come closer, let me get a better look at you.”

Hailey rolled forward a bit. Not only was it strange to be scrutinized by Pokémon, but she had a… air about her. Pokémon didn’t really age much, physically at least. Hell, humans didn’t even age like they used to, at least going by old art and archaeology. It was much slower now, less gradual, until it wasn’t. Still, Sharp had that ‘edge’ about her.

“Legendarily terrible maybe.” Hailey laughed, “I don’t expect young Mon are dreaming in their beds about chasing me down and breaking into my house.”

“Oh, don’t talk about your partners that way.” It was said without any real malice, but Hailey couldn’t help but flinch. “You actually remind me of Shantel.”

“What, she have brown hair too?”

“No, no, she didn’t actually… hmm, what is… hmm.” Sharp trailed off, shifting a bit. There were some things next to her, scratchings in the rock it looked like.

“Wish I’d learned to draw before she, well, I still have photos but it’s not the same.” After that Sharp lapsed into silence. Pomona continued to float at her side in silence, not expectant, but merely waiting.

Finally, after an indeterminate amount of time, Sharp sighed. “I think I made up my mind a long time ago, no sense drawing it. I wonder what next time will be like?”

“There is no way to know. All I can say is that it will be different, but still somehow familiar. Even cleansed, the essence remains.” Pomona said, before reaching out and gently laying her hand on the Gible’s.

The flashlight flickered, then seemed to recede, as if the darkness of the cave was expanding. Pomona and Sharp became vague, indistinct in the growing darkness.

And then she was gone.

But so was Pomona.

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The end of the tunnel was completely empty.

Rounded, smoothed walls, a bit of sand on the floor, and not a sign the two figures that had been there had ever existed.

Well, nothing but some scratchings on the wall.

“Did… you know she was going to do that?” Hailey was quiet, it still felt wrong to be loud, even now that they were gone.

“No of course I didn’t!” Gem hissed. “I mean, I’ve met a spook before, I must have, but you don’t really remember that part.”

“So what do we do then? Will she be… back soon?”

“I have no idea.”

They both sat in the near darkness for a few minutes, but their living pillow wasn’t forthcoming. Eventually, Hailey rolled forward a bit. At least examining the scratchings where Sharp had been would be something to do.

Looking closer, with the light held steady, it became clear that they weren’t just random gouges, effort had been put in to scraping away the soft stone of the wall.

What did they call that kind of thing? Hailey had to wrack her brain, eventually a word popped up, probably from an old artbook, or documentary. Relief.

It was fairly crude. Sharp hadn’t been lying when she’d said that she wish she’d learned the arts, but the Gabite also hadn’t given herself enough credit. Hailey could tell it was a woman, a human. She seemed to have a long face, a… mohawk? Maybe it was styled to look like a fin. Her teeth were sharp but Hailey couldn’t tell if that was stabilization or she’d just really come to look like her partner.

Hailey pulled out the Dex. It was a interesting sight, but also it felt somehow wrong to leave the carving unobserved. Shifting the light around she found she could really play with the image, changing how the beam played off its depth.

“Hey, Hailey, you, uh, remember how we got in?” Gem was standing at the entrance to the tunnel, peering left and right.

“Huh? No, not really. Pomona was pushing most of the way. Why?” Hailey was still focused on the carving. It was quite engaging actually, to change the reliefs entire character by altering the angle she shot it from.

“Well, I’m not really sure either and, uh, we electric types aren’t really known for our underground navigation.”

“Oh.” Hailey just sat there for a minute. How long did this flashlights batteries last anyway? “Can’t we just… wait for her to come back?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know how long that will be.”

Well, that was a bit of a pickle.

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They stuck around the dead end for a while, but it wasn’t long till Gem was bouncing off the walls. Electric types really weren’t meant to be underground.

Plus, Hailey couldn’t get any signal down here.

So, they’d headed out into the labyrinth. A MinoTauros would actually be a welcome sight for once.

Unlike the Ravaged Path there wasn’t any signage down here, no wires or lights strung along the wall, nothing. So, they picked a direction and went, and then again, and again.

Hailey seemed to remember there was some kind of rule to solving mazes, but for the life of her it wasn’t coming back.

According to the Dex’s clock they’d been at it for a few hours, though the actual distance they’d covered was hard to say. Not only were these tunnels not exactly a straight grid, but they cantered up and down, requiring semi frequent breaks so Hailey could rest.

Work was put in to keep their spirits up though. Probably the funniest bit came when Gem took the flashlight and headed down yet another tunnel. The giant shadow encroaching could have been a shot in a horror movie, but the stretching meant it only looked like you were being stalked by a giant bunny. Those usually only stared in a different kind of film.

“You sure you don’t remember the way out?” Hailey said, after her laughter stopped echoing around.

“Even if I did, I wouldn’t by now!” Gem snapped back. “And I wasn’t exactly paying much attention on the way in, I assumed Pomona knew the way.”

“Honestly, I think she was just floating, gut instinct.” Hailey muttered. “But it’s not like I have a sense of direction, so what has you so distracted?”

Gem just grumbled but Hailey did notice her adjusting her skirt, and that got her thinking.

Yesterday had been… nice, yeah, nice. Finally getting intimate with a partner (in her own body at least) still didn’t feel quite real. Honestly, it showed just how inexperienced she was that a few hours of making out had her buzzing long after, totally satisfied, but one thought had still been rattling around in her mind after.

What about Gem?

Sure, the Minun had been in a self professed dry spell for a while, but unlike Hailey, that she was in a dry spell was the notable bit. Which led to the question, would she really be satisfied by just some lip and tongue action?

Hailey didn’t think so, even if she’d been very happy afterwards, there was no way a little taste was enough for an experienced Pokémon, or so Hailey had to assume. So, she patted her lap, the Minun was more than happy to climb up.

It was a weird feeling having someone sit on your legs when you couldn’t usually feel your legs, the phantom impression of pressure without sensation. Still, she could feel Gem snuggle her back up to her chest, a cozy feeling that had been growing on her.

Her passenger didn’t seem to suspect anything yet, even as Hailey let her hands pass over her partners body. It was fun in a way she would have never expected to just… touch someone else, feel their pulse, how they moved as they breathed.

It was only once her hands drifted lower that the mood changed.

“Oh, hey, hello there!” Gem almost squeaked, Hailey had to check she wasn’t accidentally squeezing. “Didn’t expect… uh, funerals get you kinda frisky?”

Hailey had to snort. “No, but I am getting kinda bored rolling around tunnels, and I figure you must be to, no way a little peck on the cheek yesterday is actually all it takes to satisfy you.”

“Hey now! Is this an obligation thing? Cause that’s nonsense, I loved yesterday but that -oOough!”

“Well, what if I just want to touch you, what then? Would that be problem?” A statement that was totally innocent, totally, even if both her hands were getting more active under the skirt. If she was honest with herself, Hailey was still figuring out how she felt about… things, but then, she told herself, she’d wouldn’t actually know until she tried.

“Ah, no, the opposite of a problem! I just didn’t want you to think-” The noises Gem was making had to be from anticipation because Hailey was barely touching her, while also having no idea what she was doing.

Still, it was kind of a thrill, a blind scavenger hunt, running her hands all over her partners belly, HER PARTNERS BELLY, and lower. Still, she did spend a few moments just kneading biscuits on that deliciously soft belly. Gem was fit enough that there was some real firmness there, while still being far from rock hard, just enough to push against.

Still, she’d started this with the goal of making her partner cum, and even if that was a bizarre thought to sit in her brain, it was the course she had dedicated herself to.

One hand slipped under the red skirt.