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>> Nostus Belongs to @forgottenjade over at: https://bsky.app/profile/softsheepewe.bsky.social
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Chapter 8.3
Peace fled the house the moment Nostus's team settled in.
Saturn commandeered a corner of the living room, her deep snores rattling the windows. Jupiter transformed the backyard into her personal garden, her sweet fragrance hanging in the air. Mercury claimed the garden hose as her personal water feature. Mars found her sanctuary beneath the old oak, her meditation sessions marking time with rhythmic breathing. Venus seemed to memorize the kitchen's organization before Ravina had unpacked half the boxes. Sol and Nostus's dawn training sessions became a silent, fluid dance of power and precision.
And Cinder… he inserted himself into everything.
He shadowed Jupiter through the garden, attempting to nibble her leaves. He challenged Mars to exercises his small body couldn't possibly complete. He sat at rapt attention whenever Sol trained. He once climbed onto the sleeping mountain that was Saturn and, in a show of misplaced bravery, attempted to intimidate Mercury away from Ravina's breakfast.
It did not work.
The resulting stare lasted almost thirty seconds before Cinder wilted, and Ravina nearly choked on her laughter. But at night, Cinder always returned to her room.
Initially, he curled up at the foot of her bed. By the third night, he pressed against her hip, seeking her warmth. By the fifth, he had somehow claimed her pillow.
"You have your own blanket," Ravina mumbled, half-asleep.
Cinder remained motionless, a furry lump on her pillow.
"You're literally warm."
No response, just a contented sigh.
"You don't need mine."
Cinder pulled more of the blanket beneath himself, and Ravina stared at her bed companion with a mixture of exasperation and affection.
"…Fine." She sighed, dragging him against her bare chest. Sharing a bed with a living hot water bottle had her wearing less each night, but the moment he felt her warmth, Cinder immediately settled, nuzzling between her breasts.
"Thief."
A contented chirp was her only response as Ravina smiled into his fur. Routine had arrived almost without her noticing. Breakfast together. Training together. Afternoons with Nostus's team. Dinner.
Then Cinder followed Ravina upstairs as naturally as though they had lived together for years. Eight days ago she hadn't known him. Now the bedroom felt wrong, somehow empty, when he wasn't inside it.
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Chapter 8.4
Daphne's visits evolved from professional to personal with subtle precision. She first appeared bearing Professor Elm's misplaced files or accreditation questions, work always her stated purpose. Then coffee lingered longer. Pastries arrived without paperwork. Her presence in the kitchen shifted from necessity to choice.
Ravina noticed immediately as Daphne settled across from Nostus one morning while Ravina prepared Cinder's breakfast.
"So."
Daphne looked up from her coffee. "So?"
Ravina gestured to the empty chair beside her. "No urgent paperwork today?"
Daphne smiled. "None."
"Laboratory crisis?"
"No."
"Professor Elm misplaced anything critical?"
"Surprisingly, no."
Ravina nodded slowly. "This is a social visit."
Daphne paused as Nostus took a deliberate sip of coffee.
"Yes," Daphne admitted softly.
Ravina's lips curved. "Nice."
She returned to Cinder's meal preparation as conversation resumed behind her.
"You've raised an observant daughter," Daphne murmured.
"Unfortunately," Nostus replied quietly.
Ravina's ears twitched. "I heard that."
Both women laughed, the sound comfortable and warm.
Later that afternoon, Ravina found them still at the table, work long forgotten. The folder Daphne had brought on her first visit remained untouched on the counter, neither woman concerned.
Ravina said nothing, but her eyes tracked the growing intimacy. Daphne's laughter coming more freely around Nostus. Nostus deliberately set aside documents when Daphne arrived. Coffee stretching into dinner. Daphne growing bold enough to scratch Jupiter under the chin while discussing town gossip. Once, Ravina entered the kitchen to find Daphne leaning against the counter beside Nostus, shoulders touching intimately.
Neither moved away. Ravina retreated silently as Cinder looked up from her arms.
"Not our business," she murmured to the Pokémon. Cinder tilted his head. "Yet."
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Chapter 8.5
Moonlight striped the hallway floorboards when Cinder padded back from the kitchen, a stolen berry held carefully between his teeth. Soft rhythmic sounds drifted from Nostus's room, punctuated by quiet gasps. His ears swiveled, curiosity overriding caution as he approached the slightly ajar door. With a gentle nudge of his nose, he widened the gap.
The scent hit him first, a familiar musk he associated with Ravina's morning arousal, now layered with another's heat and traces of Nostus's perfume. Through the opening, Cinder saw Daphne Elm bent over the bed, fingers clawing at sheets while Nostus stood behind her, hips rolling in deliberate thrusts that buried her thick cock deep inside. The Fire mouse remained frozen, his own body stirring as recognition dawned, he'd smelled this same heat from Ravina.
He should retreat, yet fascination held him. Nostus's confident control, the way she gripped Daphne's hips with practiced authority, sent an unexpected thrill through him. His mind flashed to Ravina beneath him, and his knot began to swell. When Nostus groaned through her release, the sound echoed one he'd drawn from Ravina days ago, making his cock emerge fully from its sheath. His slight shift drew their attention. Neither seemed angry, Nostus's knowing smile drifted down to his obvious arousal.
Cinder dipped his head in understanding and slipped from the doorway, the image of Nostus and Daphne's intimacy seared into his mind. The scent still clung to his fur as he padded back to Ravina's room. Moonlight spilled across her bed, illuminating her form where she lay half-naked atop the tangled sheets. Her legs were parted slightly, the cotton panties she wore barely containing the heat that emanated from her core.
He crept onto the mattress, claws sinking into the soft fabric. His nose twitched, catching her scent more strongly now—a mixture of sweat, soap, and something uniquely Ravina that made his own body respond. He nudged beneath the hem of her loose shirt, whiskers brushing against the warm skin of her stomach. His tongue flicked out, tasting the salty tang of her skin, the sweet remnants of vanilla soap from her evening shower.
Ravina stirred, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she shifted in her sleep. Her movement exposed more of her belly, and Cinder took the opportunity to explore further. He traced the line of her navel with his tongue, dipping into the small indent before continuing upward. His paws pressed gently against her sides, feeling the soft give of her flesh beneath his touch. When he reached the waistband of her panties, he hesitated only a moment before hooking his claws into the delicate fabric and pulling them down.
Her pussy glistened in the moonlight, the dark curls framing her folds damp with arousal. The heat radiating from her was intoxicating, and Cinder buried his face between her thighs without another thought. His tongue delved between her slick folds, tasting her essence with a hunger that bordered on desperate. She was wetter than he'd ever experienced, her juices flowing freely as he lapped at her entrance.
Ravina's hips began to move in rhythm with his attentions, even in her sleep. Soft moans escaped her lips as her body responded to his ministrations. Her hands came down to tangle in his fur, not pushing him away but pulling him closer. "Cinder..." she murmured, her voice thick with sleep and desire.
He doubled his efforts, his tongue swirling around her clit before dipping back inside to taste more of her. The heat from his body radiated against her sensitive flesh, adding another layer of sensation to her unconscious pleasure. He could feel her inner walls fluttering around his tongue, her arousal building with each passing moment. When she finally came, her body arched off the bed with a cry that was muffled by the pillow she clutched, her juices flooding his mouth.
Cinder didn't stop, licking up every drop of her sweet release until she was spent. As she caught her breath, he backed away slightly, watching her with adoration. Her eyes fluttered open, glassy with satisfaction. "Good boy," she murmured, her voice thick with pleasure.
Cinder preened, his chest puffing out with pride. He curled up beside her, his body fitting perfectly against hers as they both drifted back to sleep, the scent of their shared pleasure lingering in the moonlit room.
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Chapter 8.6
By the seventh morning, the final League notification arrived. Ravina’s Pokégear chimed over breakfast, the sound cutting through the morning chatter. She opened the message and stared at the screen.
Nostus looked up from her coffee, raising an eyebrow. “Well?”
Ravina read the message again, her fingers tracing the words.
JOHTO POKÉMON LEAGUE
TRAINER REGISTRATION APPROVED
Below it sat her new identification number, challenge eligibility, Pokémon partner registration.
Cinder — Cyndaquil — registered to Ravina Shales.
Ravina’s stomach fluttered. “It’s done.”
Nostus smiled, a rare, genuine expression. “Finally.”
“You’re the reason it took a week.”
“I’m the reason it was accepted correctly.”
Professor Elm, visiting to deliver the physical documents, looked offended. “My forms were nearly correct.”
Nostus stared until professor Elm reconsidered. “…Eventually.”
Daphne laughed softly as Ravina picked up the new Trainer Card.
Her photograph looked terrible. “That’s awful.”
“It looks like you,” Nostus said without looking up from her coffee.
“That’s worse.”
“It’s identification.”
“I look confused.”
“You were confused.”
Ravina turned it over. Her name. Registration. Partner. League Challenge status. Something that had seemed hypothetical only days ago now existed in plastic and ink.
Professor Elm set a small case on the table. “And these are yours now.”
Ravina looked over the box and opened it.
Poké Balls. Empty. Waiting for new partners. Ravina stared at them for a long while. Until now she had never carried capture equipment. Because until now she hadn’t needed it.
Elm sat across from her, his expression turning serious.
“You don’t need to catch every Pokémon you see.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“Good.”
Ravina looked at Cinder, who was now trying to sneak a berry off her plate. “I think one is already enough work.”
Cinder looked offended, his flames flickering indignantly, and she laughed.
“But Oak asked you to observe Pokémon. Travelling with different species will teach you things a Pokédex scan won’t.”
Ravina nodded as she clipped the empty Ball case onto her belt, the weight feeling foreign. Cinder immediately sniffed it curiously.
“No.”
He looked up with wide eyes. “Those are not toys.”
A questioning chirp. “I mean it.”
Another, more insistent one. Ravina narrowed her eyes. “You’ve been spending too much time with Saturn.” As if on cue, The Slaking’s snores echoed from the adjoining room.
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Chapter 8.7
That evening, Ravina packed, her movements methodical despite the growing anticipation.
Food rations, water purification tablets, spare clothing in weatherproof bags, first-aid kit, Pokédex, fully charged Pokégear, Apricorn satchel, empty Poké Balls, official Trainer documents, Cinder's specialized food and grooming supplies. And far too many things Nostus insisted she might need.
"Mum."
"You'll thank me later."
"I have three different antiseptics."
"Different injuries require different treatments."
"I have two emergency blankets."
"One for you."
Ravina held up the second. "And?"
"Cinder."
"He generates his own heat."
Nostus stared, unimpressed. "Emergencies don't respect typing."
Ravina sighed and added it to her pack. Outside, New Bark settled beneath the fading evening sun. Tomorrow she would leave again, but this time without an errand or destination beyond her own choosing.
There was no Professor waiting at the end of this road. No simple delivery to complete.
Her goal: Violet City. Somewhere beyond Cherrygrove, past roads Ravina hadn't walked yet, a Gym waited there.
So did Pokémon she had never seen, trainers she had never met, and probably trouble. Given recent evidence, definitely trouble.
Cinder jumped onto the bed and Ravina looked toward him. "You ready?"
He chirped excitedly and Ravina smiled. "Yeah."
She sat beside him, running fingers through his warm fur. "I think I am too."
Cinder climbed into her lap and Ravina wrapped one arm around him, looking out the window toward the road west.
Tomorrow, Ravina Shales would leave New Bark Town as a registered Pokémon Trainer.
Because she wanted to. And not for the first time since stepping off the train, Johto felt like it was waiting for her.