Chapter 5
Loxy had barely exited, when the door opened again. Reese entered even as Jon was re-securing the towel around his waist.
“You okay?” Reese asked.
“Yeah,” Jon said, sitting on the edge of the bed. He scratched at the hair on his chest. “A little sticky for some reason.”
Reese came over and sat on the bed with him, half crisscross apple sauce, and one foot on the floor.
“I saw Loxy leaving with Joy and was just curious,” Reese said.
“Oh, um, well, Belle passed out after leveling up,” Jon said.
“That’s curious. You and Loxy were training, naked?” Reese asked. “Tell me more.”
“Um, I am still trying to figure it out,” Jon said.
Reese nodded, touching his knee. “It’s okay. I think you’re doing splendid,” she said.
“Thank you,” Jon said.
“Jon, I feel compelled to tell you something,” Reese said. “I like you.”
“You do?” Jon asked.
“I think you’re probably the most kind, attentive adult male I have ever met, and that’s strangely appealing,” Reese said. “Have we ever met before?”
“Um, I don’t think so,” Jon said.
“I feel like I have known you all my life and that I can tell you anything,” Reese said.
“Really?” Jon asked.
“Yeah. I mean, you’re like so nonjudgmental,” Reese said. “I feel like you really notice me.”
“Oh, I notice you,” Jon said, pulling a pillow into his lap. “You’re very beautiful.”
“See! And you’re so kind,” Reese said.
“Well, I don’t feel kind,” Jon said.
“Really? You’re so nice to your Pokémon, and to people, but the thing that stands out the most to me is, you still haven’t asked me why I am dressed like a Pokémon,” Reese said.
“I have wondered,” Jon asked.
“So many people have judged me, and yet, you just accept,” Reese said. She bounced a little closer to Jon. “I want you to ask me.”
“Ask you what?” Jon asked.
Reese scooted closer till her one knee met his. She reached under the pillow and put her hands on his knee.
“Anything. Everything,” Reese said.
Jon was lost in her eyes. “I am feeling that feeling again,” he admitted, unable to hide the fact that the pillow was shifting up.
“Oh!” Reese said, leaning in as if to kiss, but holding just shy of meeting. She inhaled his exhale. “Me, too.”
“You get this, too?” Jon asked.
“Well, sure,” Reese said. “Of course, my swelling is less obvious, because it’s mostly internal, and it can be uncomfortable when you can’t attend to it, and a lot of wetness just requires a change in underwear. I know exactly what this wanting feels like. Maybe we could help each other?”
“Um,” Jon said, mentally tracking her hands as they explored deeper. “I want to ask you something first.”
“Anything,” Reese said.
“Why do you dress like a Pokémon?” Jon asked.
“Because I want to be loved the way Pokémon are loved. I want to be trained, owned, petted, collared, and evolved. I want to be possessed so thoroughly that everyone in the world knows I belong to that one special trainer that unleashes all of my power,” Reese said.
A bead of sweat rolled down Jon’s face. He bit his lower lip before admitting, “I think my heart is about to explode,” Jon said.
“I don’t think it’s your heart,” Reese said. “Tell me what to do.”
“I don’t understand,” Jon said.
“Command me, and I will obey. Give me a pet name, like Fersia, that only you and I know,” Reese said, her lips growing so close that they could sense each other’s warmth, and if either or both were Pikachu’s, they would have already sparked. Both her hands were in his lap as she inched herself to the brink. “Take me.”
Jon swallowed. “I…”
Loxy entered the room and Reese retreated, too quickly for it to be just a casual misunderstanding. She touched Jon’s cheek. “Thank you for listening to me,” she said, getting up. She paused in front of Loxy before passing to the door. “Loxy.”
“Reese,” Loxy said.
“Thought you’d be gone longer,” Reese said.
“Apparently,” Loxy said. “Want me to go and come back?”
“Would you?” Reese asked.
“No,” Loxy said.
“Oh, okay, then,” Reese said. “See you at breakfast.”
“See you at breakfast,” Loxy agreed.
“Goodnight then,” Reese said.
“Goodnight, Reese,” Loxy said.
Reese turned and blew Jon a kiss. “Goodnight, Jon,” Reese said.
“Um, goodnight,” Jon said, wondering if it was safe to be alone considering the tension.
And then Reese was gone, the door shut. Loxy Found Belle’s ball and sent him in, and sat it on the counter. She leaned into the bathroom door.
“Do you want me to leave?” Loxy asked.
“No,” Jon said. “Do you want to leave?”
“No,” Loxy said. “You okay?”
“Seriously conflicted,” Jon said.
“You don’t look conflicted,” Loxy said, indicating with her eyes the evidence she was seeing.
Jon pushed down on the pillow.
“I was thinking of getting a shower, but if you want to get a quick cold shower, I can wait,” Loxy said.
“A cold shower?” Jon asked.
“It will reduce the swelling,” Loxy said, indicating the bulge under the pillow.
“How do you know so much about this?” Jon asked.
“Because I am older than 10, I am a Pokémon breeder, and I’ve seen it before,” Loxy said.
“Really?” Jon asked.
“I am going to go get a shower,” Loxy said, grabbing her bag and heading to the bathroom. She closed and locked the door.
Jon sat there for a moment, not sure what to do. His swelling had reduced and he felt like he could get dress, but then remembered his clothes and bag were in the bathroom. He looked around the room for something to do and retrieved his Pokédex. It had buttons but he was having trouble figuring it out, mostly because some of the buttons had multiple function that one had to cycle through.
“Hello, Jon,” the device spoke to him and startled him so he nearly dropped it. It was robotic, male voice. “May I recommend the verbal interface?”
“You speak!” Jon said.
“Of course. Most tech does,” the device said.
“Do you have a name?” Jon asked.
“Pokédex, or Dexter,” it said.
“Oh, I am not fond of the name Dexter,” Jon said, mostly because his mother liked that show and threatened to call Dexter to come and kill him.
“Pokédex is fine,” it said, more affectionately.
“That’s kind of weird,” Jon said. “Do you have other voice options?”
“What would you prefer?”
“A Nurse Joy interface?” Jon asked, hopeful.
“Nurse Joy is a pay upgrade, and you presently have no credit. I do have miscellaneous Female options, English, with a Japanese accent that might leave you wondering if you heard her right,” Dexter offered, switching voices. “Is this better?”
“Oh, very nice,” Jon said. “And, I want you to answer to the name Siri.”
“But I am the Pokédex,” it tried reason.
“Siri,” Jon insisted.
“Very well,” the Pokédex acquiesced.
“Thank you,” Jon said. “Now, show me everything you know about this Pikachu fellow.”
“I am sorry, but you have not encountered a Pikachu,” Siri said.
“I don’t understand,” Jon said.
“You have to encounter it for me to display it,” Siri said.
“But, you’re like hooked into the mainframe, and surely by now, every Pokémon type has been encountered and logged, and your job as an encyclopedia is to display that information,” Jon said.
“And if I did that, how many people would go out into the world and discover the joy of Pokémon on their own?” Siri asked.
“You’re telling me, the only way for me to learn about Pikachu is to catch a Pikachu?” Jon asked.
“No, you could go to the library and read a book, or if you’re feeling more academic, you could go to the University and study Pokémon,” Siri said.
“You’re not very helpful,” Jon said.
“You need to be more proactive,” Siri said.
“Can you teach me about women?” Jon asked.
“I really think that is something you should learn on your own,” Siri said. “Or ask a woman.”
“You mean like by trial and error?” Jon asked.
“That is how most people do it,” Siri said.
“Well, that sucks. You make mistakes with people and then there are grudges and grievances and some things can’t be made right again, and I really like someone and I don’t want to fuck up, but I am like the biggest fuck up in the whole Universe,” Jon said.
“You have given me so much to sort, I am not sure how to best respond,” Siri said.
“Can you help me be a better person?” Jon asked.
“I can provide information on Pokémon,” Siri said. “And how to be a better trainer.”
“But only after I caught them!” Jon said.
“Pretty much,” Siri said.
Jon tossed the Pokédex back to the bed. He scooted back and leaned against the headboard. He found the remote to the television, and after several channels of Pokémon infomercials, several channels of battles, a regular commercial with Ash and Misty, and several Pokémon shows, he turned the television back off. As he put the remote back on the nightstand, he grabbed one of the square candy wrappers from a bowl full of the little square packages. One side of the package was black, the other white, but both sides had Poké ball on it. Some balls were gold, some red, and some blue, which he figured denoted the different types of flavors. He opened it up and a little circle stick of gum fell out. It felt kind of rubbery, not eatable, but it smelled okay. He put it in his mouth and began chewing. It did release a nice flavor, but the texture sucked, and it was like no gum or candy he had ever tried before.
Loxy emerged from the bathroom, wearing only a t-shirt. The shirt was black, with a Poké ball on it and fell to her thighs. Jon stopped chewing, nearly bit his lips. She was the most amazing looking woman he had ever seen, and the t-shirt was more revealing of any woman he had ever seen. She spied the open wrapper in his hand.
“Just because we’re sleeping together doesn’t mean we’re sleeping together,” Loxy said, hands going to her hips.
“We’re sleeping together?” Jon asked.
“There’s only one bed, where did you think we’d sleep?” Loxy asked.
“I thought I would sleep in the closet,” Jon said.
Loxy blinked. “You sleep in the closet?” Loxy asked.
“It’s the safest place,” Jon said.
“Well, you’re not sleeping in the closet here. You’re sleeping in the bed with me, but we’re not sleeping together,” Loxy said.
“I am confused. We’re sleeping together or we’re not sleeping together?” Jon said.
“I am using a euphemism for sex,” Loxy said.
“You want to have sex?” Jon asked.
“Yes, no, stop changing the subject,” Loxy said. “You can’t just assume I am going to have sex with you.”
“I would never assume you would have sex with me,” Jon said.
“Why would you assume that?” Loxy said.
“Because you’re out of my league, and because I don’t have any lunch money, but even if
I did, the girls usually just beat me up and take it. I have never even gotten to first base. And to be honest, I hate sports don’t really understand what first base is,” Jon said.
“Girls beat you up and take your lunch money?” Loxy asked.
“I so rarely have lunch money that I usually just get beat up for not having any money,” Jon said.
“Your world is fucked up,” Loxy said.
“That’s why I don’t want to go back,” Jon said.
“So, if you’re not expecting sex, why did you open the condom?” Loxy asked.
“What’s a condom?” Jon asked.
“The package you’re holding,” Loxy said, pointing to the wrapper.
“The mint gum?” Jon asked.
“It’s mint flavored?” Loxy asked.
Jon spit it out. “It doesn’t hold its flavor long, and I don’t like the rubbery taste,” Jon said.
“Jon, do you know what a condom is?” Loxy asked.
“Oh, is it a Pokémon candy?” Jon asked, embarrassed again. “Why is this world so hard?!”
“Oh, Jon, it’s not for Pokémon,” Loxy said. “Think of it as protection against having unscheduled Pokémon.”
Jon seemed like he was on the verge of tears. “I’m sorry,” he said.
Loxy softened, came closer. “For what?”
“I feel like I have done something wrong,” Jon said.
Loxy sat on the bed next to him and hugged him. “Jon, you have not done anything wrong,” she assured him.
“But you’re angry,” Jon said.
“No,” Loxy said, trying to make her face softer. “I am sorting emotions, and trying to understand you, but I am not angry. I don’t even need to know about what happens between you and Reese. It doesn’t change how I feel about you, or us.”
“There’s an us?” Jon asked.
“Of course there’s an us,” Loxy said. “Whether it was fate that delivered you to me, or blind luck, it is clear to me, to everyone who knows us, we were meant to be together.”
“And, when I get blind sighted by another, will you lose affection for me?” Jon asked.
Loxy changed her position so that she was sitting beside him, her back against the headboard. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and held his hand. She chewed on her lip a little as she considered the question.
“Do you see the statue in the corner?” Loxy asked.
Jon nodded. It was human size statue taking up the corner, and was so well chiseled from the marble that if it weren’t for the marble color, it might be a real person. The detail was exquisite. She stood there, slight bend in her knees, her hands together as if she was either bringing water to her lips, or extending a gift, ready to blow a kiss, push the smell of an invisible pie that she was wanting to share. The hands were slightly cupped, and might be the perfect place to stow a Poke ball. A small Pokémon might easily lay in her hands. It was not easy to decide if her eyes were focused on the invisible object in her hands, or perhaps on someone standing in front of her who she was extending the gift to.
“Do you know who that is?” Loxy asked.
“Isis,” Jon answered.
“Who?”
“The Egyptian Goddess of knowledge and light,” Jon said.
“No, Jon, that’s Sophia,” Loxy said. “She is the mother and protector of all. Stars, planets, people, Pokémon, we belong to her, the way a child belongs to a parent, like Pokémon to their trainer, like a lover to a spouse. We are all of this to her, simultaneously. Good or bad, she offers her knowledge of love and light to all. Notice, I said knowledge of love and light. One never gives love or light, they experience it, but if you never experience it, you can’t have knowledge of it, and if you don’t have knowledge, you can’t learn it.”
“That’s confusing,” Jon said.
“That’s the conundrum,” Loxy said. “But, that’s not what I want you to think about right now. Look at the statue and tell me what you see.”
“Kindness,” Jon said.
“And?” Loxy prodded.
“I am uncomfortable…”
“Tell me,” Loxy said.
“The more I look, the harder I get,” Jon said.
“She arouses you,” Loxy said.
Jon looked away, nodding. Loxy turned his head back towards her.
“I am sorry,” Jon said.
“Don’t ever be sorry for this reaction. Jon, you’re not responding to the statue. Well, you are, but you aren’t. You’re responding to what’s in your head. No one, not me, not Reese, not your family, can ever tell you how to respond or be in your head. Quite frankly, most people have this response to this image of Sophia. It intentionally crafted into the art. Even I respond to this image, only, because I am female, my reaction is not as in your face as yours.”
“You respond to this, too?” Jon asked.
“Sure,” Loxy said. “Now, consider the artist that made this Sophia, this half human half Pokémon siren who is calling to all of us to respond. She is calling for us to respond on all levels, the physical level, sexual level, heart level, mind level, our spirit level. We don’t just ascend through intellectual will power alone, but with all the chakras activated. Do you think in the crafting of this sculpture that the artist was also equally, if not more so, affected by this image in their head? And that maybe he or she had no choice but to find Sophia in the stone because of the urgency of this calling? And on seeing it, do you suppose that his or her lover probably felt some insecurity? Who could ever compete with Sophia? Realizing this powerful archetype lies within their partner, you either retreat from your partner, or you love them more fiercely because they have a vision of something better. And people with vision, they can bring out better in all of us. But whether we see clearly or not, we all have a vision, and we will respond to that first, to others second, unless we are severely self-aware.”
Jon was silent, observing, trying to figure out what she was saying.
“Here’s what I am saying, Jon,” Loxy said. “Love, light, is not a Pokémon battle. You have archetypes in your head. You have Sophia in your head. You have others in your head. You will respond to each and every one the way your nature and the Universe needs you to respond. I expect you to. If you respond to people with love and light, I will not run from you, I will run even more fiercely towards you. If Reese needs something from you and you can satisfy her and send her to the next level, then that is your purpose.”
“What about us?” Jon asked.
“Our purpose is to bring out the best in each other. To love and accept each other as we are, that’s it,” Loxy said.
Jon met her eyes. “I have never in my entire life heard such a message, or been met with such profound wisdom or affection. I don’t feel worthy,” he said.
Loxy smiled. “You’re responding to something inside you. Now ask yourself, is that thing inside you that you’re responding to fear or love?”
“Can it be both?” Jon asked. “I am afraid of you. Afraid of failing you. Afraid of losing you. But no matter how I turn it, I still love you.”
“Enough to push past some boundaries?” Loxy asked.
“Like?” Jon asked.
“Without thinking, tell me something you want right now,” Loxy said.
“I want to kiss you,” Jon blurted out, blushing without turning away from her. The heat he was generating was incredible.
“What’s stopping you?” Loxy asked.
“I haven’t secured your permission yet,” Jon said.
“That in itself is the biggest turn on I have ever experience,” Loxy said. “You have my permission.”
Jon found his hands trembling.
“I am afraid,” he said.
“Of?”
“Everything,” Jon said, tears leaking from his eyes. “Fucking up. You not like me. Of loving you so much that I disappear. Mostly of being rejected.”
“Does this feel like rejection?” Loxy asked.
“What if I am a bad kisser?” Jon asked.
“What if I am?” Loxy asked. “We had this conversation, Jon. There is a first time for everything, and first times are rarely perfect. We get tangled and tumbled, but we just try again, aiming for improvement, and sometimes that requires us digging our heels in and pushing through our discomfort to explore if there is something worth having. We just do it, and we practice, and we guide each other until we get this thing to where we want it to be. That’s life. You teach me and I’ll teach you.”
Jon put his lips against her lips, softly, teasing them apart, inhaling her air. Loxy smiled.
“Mint flavor,” Loxy said.
“Wasabi flavor?” Jon asked.
“You’ll get used to it,” Loxy said.
“May I kiss you again?” Jon asked.
“Please,” Loxy said, leaning in closer.
“May I touch you while I kiss you?” Jon asked.
“Yes,” Loxy said.
Jon touched her thigh, exploring just at the edge of the t-shirt. He followed the curve of her body up, outside the t-shirt, and touched her breast, lingering there, and then up to her neck. He stopped kissing long enough to touch her lips, and then pushed his fingers through her hair. He was still trembling. He noticed the small hair on the back of her arm standing, tiny goose bumps, and she shivered. Loxy removed her t-shirt, watching his reaction. His eyes fell to her breasts, but he brought I back to her eyes, and she gave a nod that it was okay. He leaned his head on her shoulder and just stared at the breasts, touching them. He cupped her breasts, squeezing tentatively, brushing with his thumb, drawing closer with his eyes, and then kissed one, sucking in on it. Her hand came up behind his head, holding him there. He looked up to discover her eyes were closed, her mouth open. She swallowed, her throat moved. He began kissing down the length of the centerline of her body, sucking in, and licking. He lingered around the belly button, kneading the stomach muscles, and then tracing up in a broad sweep towards the lower rib cage. He continued working his mouth down until confronted with the ‘Y’ of her thighs. He pushed his tongue between her thighs, sweeping up towards the body. She gasped, opening thighs to give him more access.
Jon repositioned himself between her legs, exploring her with eyes and fingers. He was surprised by how fascinated he was in her body. He discovered her wetness, how velvety smooth it felt, almost like it a lotion, but not, but in the soft light it made the outer lips glisten. He felt an urge to taste her but didn’t know if he should or not. She made a soft a noise.
“Am I hurting you?” Jon asked.
“No,” Loxy said, so softly he almost thought he had imagined it.
“May I taste you?” Jon asked.
Loxy nodded. Jon moved his mouth in, licking the outer lips, from the bottom to top, with the broad of his tongue. He did it again, only separating the lips with his tongue, and the next lick he went inside with his tongue, with each consecutive lip, he went deeper. On his deepest push, he came out apply up pressure, like licking the inside of an ice cream cone, coming upon the clit by accident. Loxy gasped. Her knees came up, but stayed against the bed, ‘butterfly’ pose, and raised her pelvis, thrusting against his face.
“Do that again, yes, right there,” Loxy said, putting her hands on the back of his head and holding him firm against him.
“Oh, just like the Weepinbelle?!” Jon said.
“Less talk, more licking,” Loxy said.
Jon continued Loxy grew louder. He had heard his mother making this noise, and perhaps a dozen similar sounds from various movies his mother and brothers watched, but this was his first to witness a person experiencing this, to be the source of this. Her breathing increased, her moaning deepened, her pull against him strengthen, her grinding increased, and when she came, she closed her thighs on him, and pulled so tight he couldn’t breathe through his mouth, and he felt the muscles under his lips quivering. When her sound eased, she reached over and removed a condom. She leaned up, released him from the towel, and eased the condom on so smoothly he could hardly tell she had done anything. Then, as she laid back, she drew him towards her. She embraced him, pushing the back of his head so his mouth met her mouth. Then she reached down and guided him into her. He gasped.
“Look at my eyes, Jon,” Loxy said, bringing her hands back to his head and holding his face. “I want to see your eyes. No, don’t move. Let me do this.”
Her legs locked around him. She rocked her hips, grinding against him. His eyes were growing wider. Her hands went from the back of his head, then down his spine, and grabbed his butt. He grabbed her hair.
“OMG,” Loxy said, and she came again.
He felt her muscled tightening around him, even as she was grinding on him. He gasped in, holding his breathe.
“No, breathe through it, keep looking at me,” Loxy insisted.
Jon smile was so subtle at first, and then his teeth broke and he exploded into joy, and then suddenly, he was not with Loxy. He found himself back in the white space, only this time, there were others with him. Their solidity gave him confidence that he wasn’t falling. This didn’t feel like a dream, and he was feeling euphoric, so blissful, that he hardly cared what was going on or what might happen. The only regret was that Loxy wasn’t here with him.
Three stepped up closer to him, becoming more in focus, as if just one step away when he had assumed they were miles away. It felt like there were more others in the background, but difficult to discern. The man in the middle had golden hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a suit of black and gold that reminded Jon of fancy motorcycle attire. The woman on his right wore nude tights that magnified the flesh tones of her legs, a one piece, pullover red dress, with a white coat with a red arm patch. Her eyes were red and her skin dark back. He wasn’t sure if she was Indian or African. The woman to the left of the golden hair man had blue hair, and was similar to the woman in red, only she wore blue and she was very pale, almost icy pale. These were the most striking, beautiful people Jon could ever recall seeing. Angels couldn’t have been more alluring.
“Um, hello,” Jon manage to stammer.
“Hello, Jon,” the man in the middle said. “I am Spark, leader of Team Instinct.”
“I am Candela,” the woman in red introduced herself. “Leader of Team Valor.”
“And I am Blanche,” the woman with blue hair said. “Leader of Team Mystique.”
“Um, am I dead?” Jon stammered.
“Do you feel dead?” Spark asked.
“No, but,” Jon said.
“You’re in an in between place,” Spark said. “A place of transition, evolution, change.
Though many cultures refer to this process as death, it is and it isn’t. You will be dead to what you were and born into what you will be.”
“This feels like a spiritual experience, like the light the end of the tunnel kind of thing,” Jon said.
“All experiences are spiritual,” Mystic assured him.
“You’re going to make me go back to Earth, aren’t you?!” Jon said.
“We won’t make you go,” Candela said.
“But you will chose to go back,” Spark said.
“Want to bet?” Jon said.
Spark nodded. There was no point in arguing about it. “Wagers are already made.”
“And don’t tell me I am the chosen one, I have to save the world or something,” Jon said.
“We would never say that,” Mystic said. “Everyone is chosen. Everyone chooses.”
“And normally, at this juncture, we would ask you to make a choice,” Spark said. “Ask you to choose a team.”
“And if I don’t choose? What happens then?” Jon asked.
“Normally?” Candela said. “We stay here and discuss the merits of each team until you make a choice. We are very patient. We have never had anyone out last us.”
“There are only three teams to choose from?” Jon asked.
They smiled, and invited the others out of the shadow. An orange hair woman stepped up, wearing a bright orange dress, almost pastel orange, with sherbet hose, and a white jacket with orange highlight. “I am the leader of Team Passion,” she said, taking up a space between Valor and Instinct. Between Instinct and Mystic, a green hair woman stepped up, wearing a dark green dress, light green hose, a white jacket with green highlights. “I am the leader of Team Harmony.”
On the other side of Mystic, an elderly man stepped up, tapping in with his cane as he joined the line. He resembled the old Chinese master, with the long white beard, wearing black pants and shirts with Indigo highlights, a white jacket with Indigo highlights. “I am the leader of Team Wisdom.” And on the other side of him a prince stepped up wearing a similar outfit to Wisdom and Instinct only with Violet highlights. “I am the leader of Team Royal.”
Harmony spoke next. “We represent the seven gates through which people usually pass to gain access to higher levels of being. The people of the world where you presently find yourself have held a very narrow focus, which has been functional for a long time, but you will remind them there plethora of pathways.”
“Wide is the spectrum,” Wisdom spoke. “Narrow are the gates.”
“Unlock them all, and you will find harmony,” Harmony said.
“But today, perhaps just for you, maybe others down the road, we have decided we are going to choose for you,” Spa