FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Cast

Charm: Snowfur.

Doomtrain: Me.

Dr. Fox: Me.

Evertide: Me.

May: Snowfur.

Ninetails: Snowfur.

Other inhabitants of the Snowfur household: Snowfur.

Solar: Me.

Pokémon and the world in which they live (c) Nintendo, Game Freak, etc.

Popsicles (or at least the brand name) (c) Good Humor.

The phone rang in Charm and Solar's room on their private chartered boat. Solar grumbled and rolled over on the bed to answer the phone. "Yeah?"

"Mr. Solar, we'll be docking in Olivine City in about one hour," the captain said.

Solar nodded. "Kay," he answered, hanging up the phone and looking at the clock. 8:30 A.M. They'd made good time.

Charm rolled out of bed, one hand at her gut as she moved to the bathroom, having not felt well the past few days. She felt a lot as she did after Solar had first told her he didn't want to have children yet: she would suddenly start feeling queasy for no reason and her stomach periodically knotted up. She had yet to throw up, and the feelings went away after a little while now, but it still worried her as she sat on the toilet, cradling her head in her hands as she waited for the feeling to go away.

The Blaziken sighed as he stood up and went to the medicine cabinet, fishing out some anti-nausea pills and handing them to her. "Still the same?" he asked.

She nodded and downed a few of the offered pills. "I think...I need to go see the Pokémon center. This can't be normal..." she grunted as she stood back up, the feeling starting to pass as she slowly made her way to the deck of the boat, needing some fresh air.

Solar patted her back and followed her. "What could be the problem? You think you just caught something from being out in the wild so long?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, but I have been feeling strange for a while now. Besides feeling like I'm going to puke, I've been getting hungry more than I should and eating more than I should." She poked the thin layer of fat (not even enough to be seen, really) that she had put on in the past weeks. "I just think it might do some good to get checked out once we get to Goldenrod. I never liked the Pokémon center here in Olivine; seems understaffed."

He shook his head as he leaned on the railing. "You better be okay...I'm not eager to have you go on bed rest only some two weeks into our mateship," he remarked, reaching over to rub her arm.

She smirked and wrapped an arm around his shoulders and held him close. "It's probably nothing, just a little flu or something. Bet they tell me to take some vitamins and watch what I eat for a few days and everything'll be fine." She smiled some at Solar's sympathy.

By the time they made land, the queasiness went away. After they thanked the captain and disembarked, Ever and Snow having paid for their ship in advance, they started to make their way north. As they passed the Gym, Solar pointed at it. "Did I tell ya that Ever's dating Jasmine? Been going almost a couple months now."

Charm chuckled. "Good for him. Snow...well Snow's Snow. Most of the female Gym Leaders are well-acquainted with him, and even some of the males." She laughed with a wink at her sometimes too-horny trainer Snow.

He joined her in her laugh before responding, "I can only imagine what it was like if he tried hooking up with Claire. She'd probably chew him out for touching her the wrong way."

She laughed again. "More than probably, but I'd rather not delve too much into it, we don't have that much time." She was still chuckling as they passed a berry bush and her stomach rumbled. Without missing a beat she pulled a large branch off and began to eat the berries three at a time.

The avian cocked an eyebrow at his draconic mate. "Mm...if you're feeling so bad, why not just go to the Center in Olivine?"

She shrugged. "Like I said, I don't like it there. Besides, I'm not so bad that I can't wait a couple of days, so I can at least be in my hometown and be checked out by the," she motioned for quotes with one hand, "'family' doctor." Among the many, many doctors she had been to, she trusted him the most, an older brown fox anthro male to whom Snow had taken his Pokémon to since before he started his adventures and after he was experienced enough to Fly wherever he needed to go. She was only comfortable with him touching and checking her out in the ways that had to be done sometimes

He nodded. "Well, your call. Guess you know how you're feeling better than I do," he reasoned. In the back of his mind, though, he was still wondering what her deal was. She had been at the pinnacle of health and physical fitness when they fought and while they were on the road.

Charm nodded and held the thick branch to him, having eaten nearly of all the berries already. She too had been trying to figure out what could be wrong with her, and the longer these symptoms persisted, the more often a thought sprang into her head. "What if I'm...no...that's not possible...is it? Though...Cerberas felt the same way and did the same stuff I'm doing when she was...best keep these to myself for now, at least until I know for sure what's going on in my body." But she couldn't help but glance down at her midsection at that moment, her heart fluttering some at the thought, but she figured it best not to jump to conclusions. She didn't want to start on those thoughts again only to have them lead to nothing.

Solar accepted the branch and nibbled on the berries. "What's wrong? Feeling sick again?" he asked in a concerned voice.

She shrugged. "Just wondering what's going on down there is all." She tried hard not to giggle or fawn, though she wanted to so badly, but she managed a straight face as Goldenrod's radio tower loomed far off on the horizon, the two Pokémon's keen eyesight allowing them to see it. "Ah, home sweet home...wish I felt well enough to Fly the rest of the way," she remarked, the city a two-day walk away.

He patted her bottom. "Dun' worry, maybe you'll be better by the time we get back. We'll just slow down."

She chuckled and groped his butt with one of her hands. "Maybe, but still, better safe than sorry." She then yawned feeling drained all of the sudden. She sighed as she looked to the sky; it was only late in the morning. "Man, I can deal with the queasy stuff...but this no energy crap is going to kill me."

"Hey...don't joke about that," Solar responded in an unusually serious tone.

She sighed and sat down at the base of a tree. "Sorry...but I have to take a nap. Don't worry; like I said, it's probably just a flu, there is that new strain going around." She slouched down to get comfortable.

He nodded and sat down beside her. "Okay. Just take a good nap. We're in no hurry," he said calmly, moving her a little so her head was in his lap.

She sighed pleasantly as she relaxed and was asleep almost instantly, snoring loudly, her belly grumping almost as loud as she slept like a log.

Two and a half days later, Charm was sitting on an examination table in Goldenrod's Pokémon center. Her condition had slightly worsened in the form of her finding that her breasts were a bit sore when she and Solar mated the other day; her upset tummies and fatigue often gave way to the need to be close to her mate, who had always been in orbit of her indispositions.

The brown fox knocked on the door to Charm's exam room. "Charm?" Dr. Fox asked as he ducked his head into the room.

She was waiting anxiously, twiddling her thumbs when he came in. Her head shot up to look at him. "Well...did I break anything?"

He shook his head and entered, closing the door behind him. "Oh no, not at all. You're as healthy as the day you were born, so to speak."

"'So to speak'?" She raised an eyeridge at him and sat up straighter. "Okay, doc, level with me, what is wrong with me?" His comment made her worry a bit as she wished she could read upside down and backwards to see what his clipboard said.

Dr. Fox looked her square in the eyes and said the two words that change lives forever. "You're pregnant."

She went stiff as a board as her breath was taken from her. Her eyes went wide as her head slowly tilted down to look at her six-pack ab belly, not able to say a word as a palm softly rested on it, shaking some. All thought and emotion other than shock was whited out, so she sat silently.

The fox gave her a little while before he spoke again. "Charm? Can I ask you a few things?" he asked as calmly as he could.

Charm snapped back to reality and spoke, still slightly dreamy, "Ya?" She had a huge smile on her face now, her hand still on her belly.

He smiled down at her and sat down in a chair to take notes. "Do you know who the father is? Snow told me you recently took..." he paused to look at his clipboard, "Solar as your mate, one hell of a catch if you ask me."

She nodded. "Yeah, he's my mate. I love him...why do you ask?" She leaned the wall and just thought of the months to come.

"Well, it's pretty common knowledge that Blazikens and Charizards can't interbreed so...."

Her brow furrowed she looked at the doctor and snorted a cloud of smoke. "I have known you all my life...so I know you're just doing your job...but how dare you even think I would cheat on Solar...."

The fox's eyes widened. "You...wha? But...that's impossible...erm...okay," he stammered as he scribbled notes. "Next...do you have any idea when conception probably occurred?"

She growled at him but took a deep breath to calm down. "Probably two weeks ago, because I starting feeling sick and stuff a week or so after that."

More scribbling. "I see. Um...right." He stood up. "I'll be back to give you a prescription for prenatal vitamins and all that," he said, quickly making his exit.

She nodded and sighed, going back to thinking about being pregnant. Finally...finally...after everything...she was finally going to have a child...and with Solar.

Meanwhile, Solar was still waiting for Charm to come back. He saw the note she scratched on the wall: "Went to the center, please don't follow." He sat on a rock and obediently waited for her, silently praying that she was okay.

A half hour later (the sky darkening and the moon just starting to rise) the Charizard came into the cave, that dreamy smile still on her face. "We're back..." she said with a giggle. She felt on top of the world at that moment.

The Blaziken hopped to his feet and was in front of her immediately. "Okay, Charm, just tell me you haven't contracted a bad strain of Pokérus and I think I'll be okay."

She giggled again. "No virus, nothing bad...." She took a deep breath to calm herself before she broke the news. "I am pregnant." She smiled and held her hands to her midsection.

Solar goggled her. "What?" he asked flatly.

Charm nodded. "That's why I've been feeling sick and stuff, Doc Fox says I am two weeks along."

His eyes widened further as he looked at her midsection. Then he stumbled back a little, sitting back down on the rock and seeming to stare into space.

She went to his side and knelt down. "What's wrong?" she asked. The warning bell in her head told her what it was, but she silently prayed that it wasn't that...that he didn't want to be a father...she couldn't live with herself if he left her.

His eyes seemed glazed over in thought before his head snapped to look into her eyes. "Who...is...the father...?"

She stood up, getting a bit angry. "What do you mean? You are. You can't possibly think I would cheat on you; I've been at your side since we first mated." Her fists were clenched at her sides and shaking as she fixed him with a glare.

He hissed, his own hands clenching into fists, his muscles tensing visibly under his feathers. "I swear to Ho-Oh, I'll kill him! Tell me who he is!" he snapped as he looked up at her, the air around him starting to waver from his rising body temperature.

"Listen to me carefully...you are the damn father, okay? I did not fucking cheat on you! You're the only person I've mated in months! Get this through your thick skull: YOU'RE THE FATHER!!!" She shouted the last words so loud it made the cave vibrate and scared a few roosting Spearows into taking flight, cawing in fear.

With a flick of his arm, he had planted his fist in the cave's rock wall, the air around him that had started wavering from his body temperature now going ablaze. "I CAN'T BE THE FATHER!!!" he shrieked as he sprung to his feet.

"YOU ARE! I did not fucking cheat on you! You can go look at the DNA shit yourself! You ever stop to think that maybe because of the S-gene we're not the same as normal Pokémon? That because our bodies are different, all the barriers others usually have don't exist anymore?!" She was getting really angry now, almost to the point of throwing blows, but she tried her hardest to remain level-headed.

He was exhaling clouds of smoke and embers, and now they were streaked with flame. "That can't be possible!" he argued, his footclaws digging into the cave's floor and his hands clenched into fists so tight his talons were nearly making him bleed. He unclenched one fist and pointed at her abdomen. "I don't know what that is, but if you don't tell me who the father is, so help me, I'll...I'll...."

Charm leaned her face in inches from his face, one of her hands clenched firmly around his neck. "You ever threaten our child again, I swear I will rip you into so many pieces there won't be enough left to bury in a matchbox." She pushed him away from her and to the mouth of the cave, and turned her back to him. "You need to think...leave, get some air, and calm down, but if you're not back by sunrise, I don't ever want to see you again. I will raise our child myself and tell him or her their father died or something."

This caused Solar to literally blow his stack. He let out a fierce cry as his body flames erupted into a tiny explosion of heat, a gout of bright orange flames streaming from the cave. When it died down, there was a small molten crater where Solar stood as his pupils had narrowed into small points. "I swear you'll pay for this, Rayquaza damn you!" he cried as he stomped off, the sounds of rocks breaking and occasional blasts of flame following him.

Charm waited until he was gone before slumping to the ground, bursting into tears as she pulled her legs to her chest and tried to hide herself from the world with her wings.

Three hours later, Solar's rage was still in full swing. He was leaving a path of burnt destruction behind him, lashing out at everything that crossed his way. He had uprooted huge trees as if they weighed nothing and swung them like baseball bats to knock down more trees before burning them to ashes, flung boulders like shot puts or crushed them to pebbles, and blasted lines of burnt ground and vegetation over the landscape. Wild Pokémon made good their escapes from him, able to hear the racket he made a long way away. A lesser Fire Pokémon would have started a huge wildfire in a similar stampede, but the flames Solar produced at this point were so hot that plants were cinderized, leaving behind very little combustible material.

Throughout his rampage, the Blaziken was shouting curses against Charm and "whoever knocked her up." What breath wasn't being used to form words was spent on voicing his anger in furious bellows, battle cries, and other bestial vocalizations. His state of mind reflected his actions well: most reason had departed, leaving behind a cauldron of rage that was boiling over.

Now Solar had come upon a rock quarry and continued venting his rage in it. Before long, however, a rumbling under his feet alerted him that he wasn't alone. Bursting up from the ground came a pair of Onixes, roaring at him for intruding. Undaunted, Solar matched their roar and sprung up at one, knocking it out with a Sky Uppercut. The other Onix whipped its body around to try to strike him, but Solar caught its tail easily, and then jumped up so he could pull the rock snake over his head to slam it into the ground. Maintaining his grip, he spun on his heels and whipped the Onix around and around before flinging it into the rock wall across the quarry with a loud crash, leaving it in a coiled heap.

He finally took a few seconds to pant and catch his breath. That pause in the action, though, made him aware of a pain in his heart. This wasn't a pain from injury, though...or at least not physical injury. It confused him; he'd never felt pain like this before, and the only thing he could liken it to was the pain of heartbreak that Evertide had told him about. He sat down on the gravel to stop and think.

Did he hurt? Yes. He was not so proud that he couldn't admit he didn't feel pain. It hurt like needles in his heart, the pain of feeling betrayed by the woman he loved. Loved? Did he love her anymore? ...He wasn't sure. One voice in his head was telling him to never forgive her and just live celibately. Another told him to stay with her at least until they could find out for sure whether or not the baby was his, and then go from there. Yet another said that the points she made were valid, and that voice unnerved him the most. Was she really telling the truth? Could he really be a father-to-be? But that was impossible! The specie barrier couldn't be overcome without doing anything special! But hell, they were damn special, right? They were Pokémon who had reached the peak of power in their species. He couldn't recall encountering any Pokémon who was probably compatible with a Charizard during their honeymoon, and he had seldom left her side in the last two weeks...so if she really could have children with him....

Solar shook the thoughts from his head and tried to reignite his anger, but at that point it had been drowned out by pain, confusion, and fear. He needed more time and a change of scenery. He hopped onto a hill to get his bearings and saw that he was just outside Goldenrod City. Sighing, he jumped onward into the city limits and started walking around aimlessly.

After hours of walking the streets and rooftops (a nearby clock telling him it was 4:30 A.M. and running out of time to return to Charm), he came across the path that led to Snowfur's house. Feeling drawn to it, he took a quick look around to make sure no one was watching and was soon looking for a quiet way in. The Blaziken hadn't been in Snow's house before, so he didn't know what to expect. He was going to skirt the perimeter when an idea came to his head. He looked underneath the welcome mat and found the key. He shook his head. "You're just like Ever," he muttered before he inserted the key into the lock and silently opened the door.

The inside was dimly lit, the occupants either asleep or in their rooms doing their own things. Right inside of the door was a small living room with entrances for four hallways. Solar started to wander the halls, his hearing on full alert. He wasn't trained much for stealth, certainly, but he had such precise control of his body that moving quietly was almost natural to him.

The square, seemingly one-story building was set up like a grid with four main hallways, occasional cross halls making transit between the main halls convenient. The first two hallways were lined with doors, most of the doors decorated according to the whims of the inhabitants...probably the rooms for Snow's main Pokémon, Solar reasoned. The third hallway was similar to the first two, but the doors were plain, and there were clipboards hanging up beside them. That hallway had signs of damage: there was an occasional hole in or scratch on a wall, a burn on the carpet, and so forth. The last hallway contained the kitchen, the infirmary, a couple of living and gaming rooms, and most of the other rooms one would find in a fairly big house.

As Solar passed a door with a pressed flower encased in glass (among other things) hanging from the frame for a second time, the doorknob turned. He quickly fell to his stomach with his back to the wall to try to take advantage of the hall's darkness. Emerging from the room was Vixxen, walking nude down the hall, half awake. The Eevee anthro padded by him so close he would have barely needed to move his arm to reach out and touch her, but she was on autopilot as she groaned tiredly and scratched her hind end, continuing down the hall and entering what he had seen was a bathroom. He stood up and leaned to look into the open door she left behind, seeing Doomtrain fast asleep on his back on her bed. He cocked an eyebrow. "Well...isn't that cute?" he thought as he went back to walking.

The sound of another door opening down the hall startled him, a female voice whispering, "Don't worry, honey, most everybody's asleep. I'm just going to grab us some munchies." It was an anthro Absol female, most likely Pressi based on Charm's description, her back sticking out of the door to her room, wide awake and talking to someone.

"Shit!" Solar mentally cursed as he looked around for a hiding spot. Without looking inside, he quickly opened a closed door and ducked into the room, hoping that whatever was in the room was better than being caught.

The room he ducked into was lit only by a dim nightlight. He could see that there was little in the room but a dresser, a desk, a bed with a nude anthro Mightyena female sleeping on it, and...a small crib? He could hear the Mightyena woman's light breathing, but there was a set of tiny eyes reflecting the light of the nightlight were staring at Solar from the crib. It only took Solar a second to guess what was going on. The pup was Cerberas's Genky...he had closed himself in her room. Cerberas was fast asleep, but her pup wasn't and was looking right at him with a look that suggested she was contemplating whether to cry out or not.

His eyes widened as he flattened against the door. He tried to remain calm and non-threatening, forcing himself to smile at the Mightyena pup.

She just continued to stare at him for a few seconds before "Hmph"ing at him and lying back down and closing her eyes. When she did, Cerberas rolled over, mumbling something about "not wanting her belly rubbed" as her face pointed right at Solar, her eyes still closed.

The Blaziken silently sighed in relief. "What an adorable show of...indifference...that apple didn't fall far from the tree," he thought a bit disdainfully...he always seemed to bounce off that type of personality.

Cerberas began to stir again as the sound of Vixxen padding by the door, and then Pressi returning to her room came to their ears. Her attempts at sleeping disturbed, Genky started making little noises to try to tell mommy she was hungry, ignoring the stranger in their room completely and concentrating on her hungry belly.

Solar gulped and, thanking his good luck, took a quick peek into the hallway and ducked out, quickly making his escape before the Mightyena woke up enough to see him. "Little too close." Once he was in the hallway, he continued on his silent walk, taking a moment to listen in on the Absol's door. Strange, Charm hadn't mentioned Pressi having a kid or anything. The voices on the other side were both female, dotted with kissing sounds followed by hushed giggling and murrs. It quickly became obvious what Pressi and her unknown guest were probably doing. He raised his eyebrows and quickly made his exit from this hallway.

He found himself in the third main hall again. He heard beeping and the sound of machinery inside a room he had passed, and cracked one door open to peek inside. On the inside there was an Umbreon male lying on a small bed, hooked up to several life-support machines, a tube in his throat helping him breathe and several IVs hooked up to his body. Both of his hind legs were in thick casts. Solar flinched at the sight and quickly closed the door. After looking at the chart next to the door, he learned that the Umbreon had very nearly been beaten to death. Walking down the hall a little more, he came to another door and listened in for the beeping of machines. Hearing none, he opened it, hoping he wouldn't see another poor Pokémon like the Umbreon.

This was the room of one of Snow's more recent Pokémon, a female Tropius. She seemed to be normal until Solar noticed that she was missing the fruit and some of the vegetation that grew on the bodies of her specie. She was lying in a corner, not being able to sleep as she looked up at Solar and tilted her head slightly. "Hello...have not seen you..." she said quietly before she began to cough heavily for a bit. It was now clear to Solar why she was here: she had had her unique fruit and body exploited and overharvested. "I am sorry...I am not feeling too well...." Despite sounding as if she had a sore throat, her words had an undertone of calmness and softness.

The Blaziken shook his head. "Nah, I'm kinda new. Just poking around, I guess."

She nodded slightly, coughing again. "Well, don't get caught out of your room at night. Mister Snow doesn't like it for us to be wandering around while ill of health." She smiled at him and shifted her body a bit on the pile of soft rugs and padding she called her bed. "If you will excuse me, I must sleep. I have an appointment to see Mister Fox in the morning to see if I am getting better," she said as she curled her head and neck around her body to try and go back to sleep.

He returned her nod. "Okay. Sleep well, now," he whispered, closing the door. He let out a quiet sigh as he contemplated the two Pokémon he just saw. He was reminded of the Poochyena puppy he and Charm saved and how she awakened their protective and nurturing sides. Ever had his share of abused and abandoned Pokémon come through his home, to be sure, but he suddenly felt an urge to take all of these unfortunates under his protection as well....

The sound of small, soft feet padding across the floor interrupted his train of thought. It was followed by soft, distinctly female grunting as a door down the hall opened and a stout shadow darted across the hall and into the kitchen. The sound of dishes softly rattling soon followed, as if someone was rummaging through things. Solar immediately crouched to a spiderlike posture to keep as low a profile as possible as he stalked into the kitchen, thinking that he had a burglar on his hands. He peeked around the door's corner...and couldn't possibly be prepared for what he saw.

It was the Latias May, holding a small glass bowl in her mouth as she dug through the freezer, taking a cherry popsicle out and padding over to a table. She set the bowl and popsicle down on it and grunted some more as she pulled her body into a chair, trilling quietly to herself as she unwrapped the frozen treat and began to happily lick it.

Solar's eyes went wider than they had gone that night, second only to when Charm broke the news to him. He slowly stood up and gawked at her.

She continued to lick the popsicle, oblivious to Solar, her tiny legs and feet bouncing happily in the air as she ate carefully, making sure any drips went into the bowl to avoid detection. She still had light bandaging around her wound under her arm, though the infection that had kept her bedridden was cleared up. The heads of the house told her that she was still on bed rest, but she managed to find ways to make brief excursions into the house without being caught, such as walking instead of floating and using a bowl when she ate her popsicles and washing it after she was done.

He finally spoke. "You...you're...how did..." he blabbered, keeping his voice down as he walked over to her.

May looked up at him and pouted, speaking to him with her mental voice. "I am sorry...I was hungry...are you going to tell on me?" She didn't stop eating the popsicle, though; if she was going to get in trouble, she figured she was at least going to finish her snack. She tilted her head some as she looked at him after not receiving an answer. "Wait...you don't live here, do you? You're friends with the big lady. I'm sorry, but she is not here."

Solar shook his head, wiping his eyes one last time to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "I...big lady? Oh, Ch-...Charm..." he said morosely as he fully remembered why he was here. "We...we're having...difficulties," he finished, looking away.

She began to suck on the end of her popsicle as she continued to mentally speak to him. "Why? Vixxen says you two are made for each other." Even with her innocent demeanor and personality, it was clear she understood exactly what Solar was talking about.

He took a seat next to her and took a few deep breaths before he spoke again. "She's...p-pregnant...and I don't know if I'm the father...."

She nodded. "She is your mate. Why would she do that with someone else?" She then set the popsicle, or what was left of it, in the bowl and moved to wrap her undersized arms around the Blaziken's middle in a hug of sympathy, trying to make him feel better.

"That's just it...I don't know...we know she'd slept with others before we mated, but I thought that was over. I mean, during our honeymoon we rescued an abused Poochyena pup and that really woke something up in her...well, that's not fair; in both of us," he rambled as he accepted the hug.

She thought for a bit, scratching the side of her head. "You do know. You know here," she said simply as she touched her paw to his chest, "it is your baby, and Miss Charm is yours only." She smiled up at him, her purple eyes glinting a little.

He flinched and shook his head. "But...but...I can't be a father...I don't have any right to be. Evertide was my only real parent. For Lugia's sake, I was abandoned as a Torchic. What good could possibly come from...from a child I father?" he asked, his voice cracking.

The Latias stood back a little. The answer was very clear to her, even if it was not for the distressed Blaziken. "Do you want to be a daddy?" She tilted her head to one side slightly with her question.

The Blaziken's eyes widened as her question hit like a runaway train. "Wha...what? D-D-Didn't you hear me?"

She nodded. "Yes, did you hear me? Do you want to be a daddy for your baby?"

He took a step away from her and covered his heart with one hand, falling down to his knees. He stared into space again, much as he had when Charm told him of her pregnancy, and took a minute to consider before he looked up at the Latias with tears spilling from his eyes. "I...do..." he said above a whisper. "Oh no, what have I done...what do I do?" he asked her as if begging for guidance.

She nodded again. "Go tell her. Tell her you are ready to be a daddy." Her smile returned as she picked the popsicle back up and finished it off, picking the bowl up and quietly slurping the juice the treat left behind.

Solar nodded and stood back up slowly, wiping his eyes on his arm. He leaned down to hug the legendary Pokémon softly. "May Ho-Oh bless you, Latias," he murmured.

She hugged him back, giving him a light kiss on the check. "And you as well. Now go to your mate." With that she padded over to the sink, climbing up a small set of steps and turning on a trickle of water to wash her bowl.

He nodded and slipped out the kitchen's backdoor, letting out a deep sigh before finally smiling again. At that, he made a beeline for the cave, hoping Charm was still waiting for him.

Charm was still huddled in the corner of her cave. She had managed to stop crying, but her hope was flatlining as she saw the sun begin to rise. She was steeling herself for what she knew was coming: Solar never returning. She tried to stir her anger to get rid of the sorrow, but she couldn't. She still felt like wailing her grief over her lost love to the heavens, but she didn't, so the pregnant Charizard just sat there, hugging her legs.

A cry of "CHARM!" jarred her thoughts as Solar landed in the mouth of the cave, cracking the ground with the impact. "Charm!" he repeated, looking a little out of breath; he had really hustled.

She hopped to her feet, her eyes wide as she let out a gasp. "Solar...." She began to cry again, but this time tears of joy as she rushed him and threw her arms around him in a tight hug, nuzzling his neck as she bawled openly, unable to stem the tide of emotions she was feeling.

Solar hugged her tightly and kissed all over her face and neck, his own tears flowing freely for the first time in too long. "Charm...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry! I'll never leave either of you, NEVER!" he declared as he sobbed.

She nodded through her sobs. It was a while before she was calm enough to speak again, tears still rolling down her cheeks and her body trembling. "I...I thought...you would never come back...th-thank you...I l-l-l-love you." She nuzzled her muzzle along his face, so happy to feel him there.

He sniffled and nodded, kissing her firmly on the lips. "I love you too, Charm," he whispered as he moved them into the cave, slowly maneuvering her so she was sitting upright against the wall. He leaned in and nuzzled her muscular tummy, planting kisses on it. "And I love you. You hear me in there? I'm your daddy, like it or not."

She chuckled a bit and kissed the top of his head, sliding a hand through his headfeathers. "I...have to ask...what changed your mind?" She didn't really care, and would just as soon drop the question, but it had to be asked.

He looked up at her and a broad smile crossed his face. "A very gentle 'look inside yourself' reminder," he began, crawling up to sit on her thighs and kiss her, "from a friend and more when I needed one the most."

Charm nodded and held him close to her, the feeling of being on top of the world returning but now she felt even better as one hand went to her belly again, rubbing the side of it gently. "I...know it's not going to be easy, but I know we can do it, you can do it. We're in this together; our child will know what it's like to have a mother and father, and its father will know what it's like to be a father."

The Blaziken nodded and leaned in to nuzzle her collarbone, one hand holding her to him and the other on her tummy. "Well...I'll do my best. That's the best I can give you."

She smiled and wrapped one arm around his shoulders and laced the fingers of her other hand in his on her stomach. "That's all I will ever need or ask for." She actually began to fall asleep, still holding Solar close to her, never wanting to let go again.

Solar breathed slowly as he cuddled his mate, unable to remember a time when he felt such a mix of fear, hope, and love as he did then. He kissed her lips once before he snuggled up to her. "I love you, Charm," he whispered.

"I love you, Solar," she murmured, half-asleep. She gave one big yawn and another tight squeeze before she drifted off with Solar in her arms. They'd had such a long night...what was adding one more day to their honeymoon?

May finished washing the evidence of her early-morning romp and hopped down from the sink, only to land right in front of the small mountain of metal and muscle that is Doomtrain, who raised an eyebrow at her. She sighed mentally and gave him her best pouty face as she looked up at him. "I was hungry...are you going to tell on me?" she asked in her normal voice.

Doomtrain crossed his arms and sighed. "May...you know you can just ask us for whatever you want...you really should be sleeping," he gently reprimanded. Then he smiled and softly patted her head. "But...I don't know what you just did with Solar, but I think you've earned the right to make a deal with me to keep me quiet. This time."

She nodded. "I...told him what his heart was telling him, but his head didn't understand, and I don't want to wake people up. I'm better, see?" She waved her little arm up to show him the small bit of bandages over her wound, so he could see it didn't hurt anymore.

The Aggron waved his hand dismissively. "And I appreciate that, so here's the deal. I won't tell on you..." he paused to look over to the freezer, "if there's at least one more cherry popsicle in there," he finished with a knowing smile.

She giggled out loud before she could cover her muzzle with her tiny paws. "Yes, I only ate one. If I eat more, it makes my mind hurt."

"Excellent," he remarked as he went and took out another popsicle, soon eagerly slurping on it.

Evertide padded through the property of the Hoenn Daycare, entering the tranquil section. He was pleased to learn that so far it was a big success, giving many females a quiet place to deliver their young and raise them in their early days. He soon found one such Pokémon: the Ninetales who, unknown to him, had met Charm and Solar a week ago. He approached her slowly to not startle her.

She was on her side, nursing two of her kits. One was sleeping by her head, and the last two were just starting to discover how much fun wrestling was, playing no more than a couple feet away from her*. She moved her head to look at the blink dog and smiled, her tails wagging slightly to show him that she liked him and he could approach her and her young.

He knelt down next to her and patted her shoulder. "Hi, mama. How's everyone doing?" he asked quietly as he looked at the little 'uns.

"Fine, thank you," she said in a pleasant tone, one hind leg scratching gently around one of her swollen teats before she stretched out a little, still being careful not to disturb her young as they played/ate/slept.

"That's good." He reached over to one of the wrestling kits and picked it up to give it a quick look-over, the little Vulpix turning her playful aggression on him but not able to do much about her situation. "Heh, fighters, these two."

She nodded. "Just be glad they have no teeth yet." The other joined in, crawling over and gumming Ever's pant leg, the Ninetales giggling.

"Heehee, quit it," he said as he set the Vulpix down and examined her sister in turn. He repeated this with the remaining pups before he reached over to pet the Ninetales's cheek. "They're all in great health. I'll come back to give you a once-over after I check for other newborns, okay?"

She nodded and licked his hand. "Thank you for helping me birth them. I don't think I could have done it on my own."

"Oh, anytime," he said as he stood up to walk off, waving to the kits before he left, who yipped at him. As he walked out of their sight, he mused to himself, "It's just a season of new life."

* She formerly had three kits. The previous chapter has been edited appropriately.