by KJ Harlow
“Maybe he’s using our sperm to create a mutant girlfriend?” Yoshi pondered.
“That’s crossed my mind,” Kell said. “Get a whole bunch of girlfriends, impregnate them all, wait until their offspring hatches, see if they have favorable TPs.”
“But why us? Thorn had collected heaps of samples from different guys. What makes us special?”
Kell shook his head again. “Don’t know, but we’re not the only ones here. There are three other guys I’ve seen. You’re the fifth.”
Yoshi frowned. First, the Project Shiny, using them to generate unlimited power. Second, the destruction of the Grand Stone to turn it into Agent N. Third, the mysterious gun that ‘captured’ girlfriends and released thousands of Starlottes into the streets of Sapphire.
Now this. Him, Kell and three other guys were being used as ‘studs’, as they called it, to impregnate ‘Ripe Ones’. Four separate Team Boom projects, all very different. What was their end goal?
“Have you actually ever seen any of your…” Yoshi faltered.
“What?”
“Children?”
“What?”
“Offspring. The daughters that hatch from the eggs the girlfriends you impregnate lay.”
Kell stared at Yoshi, not moving a muscle. “No.”
“So your theory could be completely off.”
“Have you got any better ones?”
Yoshi fell silent.
“So we’re in Sapphire now.”
“Well…” Yoshi said slowly. “I was in Sapphire. I hope we’re still in Sapphire.”
Starry, Soph, Flick, Crystal and Arlif. They must be worried sick about me. Good thing I let them out before I went to the Guild. If he had left them in his belt, what would Team Boom have done to them? Would they have destroyed the rings with them still inside?
“Where are your girlfriends, Kell?”
The bearded man averted his head. “I don’t know. I…” his voice trailed off, breaking slightly.
“Don’t worry,” Yoshi said quietly. “I’m sure they’re fine.”
“They’re still in their rings. They have been for… I don’t know, weeks? Months? They can only survive in there for so long. I…”
“Someone’s going to find us. They’re going to make the connection between the Breeders Clubs and our disappearances.”
“When will that be?” Kell said, voice hoarse.
Yoshi opened his mouth and closed it again.
He laughed mirthlessly. “Crocop’s right. Life isn’t that bad here. We get unlimited sex without consequences. It doesn’t look like it’s ending any time soon. I’ve been here this long, so apparently they’re getting some use out of me.”
Yoshi sat back against the wall, mirroring his cell mate. He looked at the door. Only way in, only way out. It was made of heavy dark metal, with a small viewing screen at head height. There was a scraping sound at the bottom.
“And we get free food as well,” Kell said. He shuffled forward expectantly. “Wonder what it is today? Gruel or gruel?” He shuffled towards the door, bent down and picked up the plastic bowl. “Oh boy, gruel! My favorite!”
Yoshi edged himself back out. “What are those pills in the cup there?”
“Vitamins, buddy. Keeps us fit and healthy.”
“Really? That’s not so bad.”
He bent down and picked up one of the medicine cups. The pills were smooth, white and innocuous. They could have been anything. Kell watched him, sipping at the gray slush in his bowl.
“I lie. They’re performance enhancers.” Yoshi looked at the grizzled man dubiously. “Give ‘em here.”
He snatched the cup from Yoshi and downed the pills in a single gulp. “See? I’m not dead yet. But wait, there’s more…”
Yoshi watched him, an eyebrow raised.
“They give you a boner, man. Shoot lots of the good stuff. Want me to prove it to you?”
“Nah, I believe you,” Yoshi said, looking away.
He bent down and picked up his bowl of slush. He sniffed at it, wrinkling his nose.
“Better eat it, it’s not going to get much better than that,” Kell said through mouthfuls.
He put it aside, making sure it didn’t spill onto his poor excuse of a bed. If he had trusted his gut at the beginning, then he wouldn’t be in this situation right now. He closed his eyes.
Starry, if you can hear me, I’m OK. I don’t know where I am, but I’m going to get out of here. We’re going to train, get stronger, take on the Sapphire Gym and beat them. Then we’re going to move on to the next one and beat them as well. And then…
CLUNK.
The door swung inwards, knocking the tray on the floor to the side, sending the other cup of pills scattering all over the floor.
“Hello studs,” the guy in the white jumpsuit greeted. “Play time’s over.”
14
The Pink-Light District
“There, that guy.” Soph tapped the screen. “That’s him, sitting right there.”
“Do not touch the screen.”
“That bastard’s kidnapped my trainer!” the bird-kin said, stabbing the screen again. “And you can’t tell me what to do, cop bitch.”
“Soph, no,” Starry commanded as authoritatively as possible. The uniformed Labby was baring her teeth, dark hair on the back of her neck standing on end:
NAME: Labby (#230)
LEVEL: 27
HP: 88/88
“I’m sorry, Officer,” Starry said contritely. “My friend is upset that our trainer has disappeared. She means no malice.”
“You are lucky that you are here with Chester, otherwise I would have you thrown in the slammer for a night,” she growled.
“I think Soph needs to cool off a bit.” Chester eyed Flick pointedly. The water-type glowed red and nodded.
“Yes, o-of course,” she stammered. She stepped up to the bird-kin staring down #230. “Come on, you’re dropping feathers all over the floor.” She looped her arm around Soph’s. “Let’s go.” She dragged the flying-type out, who refused to turn her back until she left the room.
“Have you got any footage of the presentation rooms in the Guild earlier this afternoon?” Chester asked.
“I really shouldn’t be doing this,” #230 muttered.
Chester gave her a crooked smile. “I appreciate it.”
Starry stared at the screen as the police dog wound through footage on all the security cameras in the Guild. Girlfriends battling… that must be the Battle Theater. That’s the Mission Board… that’s the Dining Hall… the kitchen…
“There, the screen center-right,” Starry exclaimed, pointing over #230’s shoulder. “That’s the room we were in when we listened to Professor Thorn give his talk.” She retracted her hand before the police dog protested.
“What are all those booths?” Chester asked, leaning in. Crystal and Arlif hovered in the background, murmuring quietly between themselves.
“They were set up by the Sapphire division of the Breeders Club to collect sperm samples from trainers,” Labby #230 explained.
“So this really has been happening?” the green-haired trainer murmured. He watched a few minutes of the footage. Trainers would come in, fill in a form and be directed into a booth, a girlfriend following them. Minutes later, the girlfriend would emerge, head to a machine at the middle of the room, then finally go back to the booth to dismiss the man.
“It has. As strange as it is, we can’t stop it because they aren’t doing anything illegal.” #230 said, turning around in her seat.
“Hmmm.” Chester mused. He looked at Starry. “Do you know what time Yoshi might have come to the Guild?”
The interstellar type frowned. “We all went to different parts of town after midday.”
“Check from 12 pm, please.”
“On it.” Labby #230 spun through the footage, slowing it down at 12:00.
Starry shuffled closer to the monitor. That’s not him… that’s not him either…
&nbs
p; “I’ll get out of your way,” #230 said, standing up and stepping to the side of the control board.
“Crystal, Arlif, come over here,” Starry said. The two girlfriends fell quiet and came forward. “Help me look for him.”
Chester stood next to the Labby, arms crossed.
“Why are you helping them out?” the police dog asked.
He shifted the weight on his feet. “I’m not so much helping them as I am doing the police’s dirty work.” Seeing her splutter in indignation, he grinned. “I kid. You know I love a good mystery. Besides–” he averted his face ever-so-slightly– “it takes my mind off everything that’s been happening with Dad.”
“That’s him!” Arlif squeaked.
In a flash, five faces clamored to the screen at the same time. The footage was a bit grainy and without audio, but Starry would recognize her trainer anywhere.
“Good work, Arlif!” she said.
For the next few minutes, everyone silently watched screen-Yoshi. Several times, he started moving back towards the door before he turned back to the sign-up desk. He’s not sure whether he wants to still do it. Eventually, the lab coat-clad Ava came back and escorted him to a booth. Starry’s pace quickened, heat rising to her cheeks. Ignore it, you’re his girlfriend, not her.
After five minutes, the Ava emerged. At the machine, she placed something on a belt. Seconds later, the results appeared on the screen. Ava stared at it. She pulled a cell phone out of her pocket, held it to her ear for no longer than five seconds then slipped it back in her pocket. She walked back to the booth Yoshi was in. He didn’t come out.
“Do you know what that machine checked?” Chester asked the Labby.
“No idea,” The black-furred police dog said, eyes glued to the screen.
The Ava came back out. She spoke to another of her kind, who promptly left the room. Half a minute later, she came back with a wheelchair. The two girlfriends eased a floppy-headed Yoshi into it before the first Ava pushed it out of the Presentation Room.
“Where are they taking–?” #230 asked.
“Sssh,” Starry shushed. Her eyes roamed the screens, searching for where Ava moved to. She bounced from the center-right screen to the bottom-left, which showed the dining hall. A few people turned to look at the horned girlfriend in the lab coat, but otherwise paid her no attention. She waited at the doors as some trainers who had just come in held the doors open for her and she left the Guild completely.
“They’re putting him in a… Pampermobile?” Starry said, browed furrowed. One of the male Pamper nurses was pacing around nervously, head snapping up when he saw Ava wheel Yoshi out. He practically threw open the back doors, jump into the vehicle, lowered the platform before wheeling the unconscious Yoshi in. He conversed with Ava for a moment, looking very flustered while the girlfriend stood there with her arms crossed.
“I’m going to put out a BOLO for a Pampermobile,” Labby #230 barked. She rested her furred hand on Starry’s shoulder. “Don’t worry ma’am, we’re going to find your trainer.” She left the room and closed the door.
“Come on, we’re going to find him ourselves,” Chester said.
“You know where they took him?” Starry asked.
“No,” he said. “But I know some people who might.”
“Welcome,” Chester announced, “to the Pink Light District.”
True to its name, the Pink Light District pulsed with every shade of pink imaginable. Neon signs buzzed and flickered, while spotlights turned to the sky cut rose silhouettes of breasts and lips into the clouds.
“No prizes for guessing what goes on around here,” Flick said, peering through a grimy window.
“Before we go anywhere, let me do this…” Chester lost focus for a moment.
Chester invites you to join his party.
Accept?
Y/N
“Do this and we won’t hurt each other by accident,” he explained.
Starry nodded.
You are now part of Chester’s party!
The other girlfriends saw the same prompt and duly accepted.
“Alright, down to business. There aren’t slides or waterways through the PLD. The mayor didn’t condone it, but it was making way too much money to shut down,” Chester explained, a look of disgust on his face.
“What’s with your get-up?” Soph asked.
Chester pulled the fedora tighter around his head. “It’s better if I’m not recognized around these parts. Anyway, stay close and watch out for prying hands. Don’t be afraid to use a bit of force if need be. The usual rules don’t really apply here. I’ll back you up if one of these scumbags gets a bit too frisky.”
The five girlfriends stayed close together, moving as a unit behind Chester. There were moans of lust and muffled grunts of passion through certain alleyways they passed.
“Hello master, care for a rub and tug? I’ll show your girlfriends how it’s done.”
Starry eyed the girlfriend leaning against the grimy brick wall. Her face was so round it was almost circular. The pinkness of her cheeks blended in with the gaudy lights shining around her. She wore a cut-off top that exposed her pale, flat stomach and a denim skirt that ended before it had even begun:
NAME: Blushy (Lush)
LEVEL: 16
HP: 30/32
“No thanks, Lush, although…” He brought the back of his hand up to his mouth. “It is not pleasure I seek.”
The Blushy blinked, her entire demeanor changing. She was suddenly more relaxed, smiling even. “What is it you seek?”
“A Pampermobile, if one has come through the PLD earlier this afternoon.”
The Blushy pulled a cellphone out from the purse hanging by her shoulder. She tapped something in and put it back.
“The fee is 5,500 Coins.”
Chester winced. “It wasn’t that expensive the last time I checked.”
She flashed dazzling, white teeth. “The market dictates the price.”
Starry watched the exchange in fascination. Was she a prostitute or a secret agent?
Chester touched his cell to hers. A beep later and he withdrew.
“You will receive a message later if what you seek is found.”
“Thank you,” Chester said. “And thank your people for me.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Anytime, master.” With that, she dissolved back into the shadows.
“What was all that about?” Soph squawked.
“The Rose Network,” Chester explained. “Prostitutes, dealers, others who call the streets of the PLD their home. If you ever want to have eyes in Sapphire’s underworld, you just reach out to one of them.”
“How do you know that she won’t just take your money and run?” Flick asked.
“She won’t,” he said simply. “If she can get her money from simply keeping a lookout for a Pampermobile instead of selling her body, she would. They can only charge that high a price because they know they almost always get results.”
“Why don’t the police use them?” Crystal enquired.
“Moral code,” he shrugged. “That, or they’re too proud to admit that the people they lock up are better at doing their job than they are. Speaking of which…”
He pulled his buzzing phone out. Scanning the screen, a smile of triumph lit his face up. “Come on, this way.”
Soph Used Dagger Wing!
It’s Super Effective!!!
Enemy Tina Fainted!
Soph has gained 720 EXP!
“Smack my ass again and I’m gonna chop your balls off!” the bird-kin hollered after the trainer. He slipped on the floor, staggered but managed to stay on his feet before he disappeared around the corner.
“Sure showed him,” Chester grinned.
“Scumbag,” Arlif growled.
“Are you alright, Soph?” Starry asked. She gazed at her friend, her full stats appearing:
NAME: Sophie (Soph)
NATURE: Bossy
TYPE: Flying
ACC.: Sakura Speedrobe
LEVEL: 20
HP: 46/66
- ATTACK: 26
- DEFENCE: 19
- SPCL ATTACK: 18
- SPCL DEFENCE: 17
- SPEED: 25 (+3)
MOVESET:
Bird Run - Type: Flying - 33/35 PP (Run at foes and crash tackle them)
Sand Screen - Type: Normal - 40/40 PP (Lower accuracy by kicking and flapping sand up into opponent’s face)
Fell Swoop - Type: Flying - 20/20 PP (Launch up and dive at foe. 5% recoil damage)
Dagger Wing - Type: Steel - 12/15 PP (strike down foes with sharpened metallic wings [bird-kin only])
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just want to find our douchebag and get out of here.”
“We’re not far.” Chester and the five girlfriends stood at a dead-end of an alleyway. “The message said that the Pampermobile backed into this alley.”
“And what, they just dumped his corpse into a dumpster?”
“Soph!” Starry snapped in unison with the other three girlfriends.
“Sorry,” she said quietly. “Out of line.”
Chester stood at the corner of the dead-end, hands flat against the grungy bricks. He knocked them from high up to down low, took a step and knocked again. He did this until he got about two-thirds of the way along the wall.
“You guys hear that?” he whispered. He knocked again. “Hollow. There’s space behind it.”
“Maybe it’s a one-way door?” Arlif suggested.
Chester took a few steps back, drawing one of his rings out.
“Lyd, come out.”
Chester pointed his ring towards the ground. His girlfriend stepped out of the blue light, inclining her head respectfully at her trainer. She wore a dark-blue lycra leotard that emphasized her powerful quads. Her shoulders were wide, like a swimmer’s. She held a wand at her fingertips, a ribbon the same blue as her leotard that snaked and rippled, taking on a life of its own. Starry stared at it. That was made of water, not fabric.
Starry examined her:
