Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction / Utawarerumono Fan Fiction ❯ No Turning Back ❯ Chapter 4: Oaths and Bonds ( Chapter 8 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

No Turning Back
A Pokewomen Universe Story
by Shade

Porn with Plot Warning.

Copyrighted character use warning.

Ignoring what a lot of other people wrote warning.

Warning about warning warning warning.

"Never assume the obvious is true."
-William Safire

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Chapter 4: Oaths and Bonds
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"The boy can not stay here."

Urutori tried to make sense of those words but found herself at a loss.

"I don't understand, Elder. What do you mean?"

Almost two months had passed since the battle. Even the worst of the wounded had long
since healed and rejoined their grateful companions. Summer had come into its full glory
and the forest's rich bounty was at its peak. For the village it was a time of joy
and song as the Pokewomen hunted, fished, farmed and gathered in abundance.

And to add extra excitement to the summer's activities had been the presence of the newcomer among them.

"You know what he is."

A thin stream of pale smoke escaped from the bowl of her pipe as the well preserved
pink haired Pokewoman regarded the visitor to her home with a critical eye. Urutori
sipped her tea with a commendable calmness, not even a single feather out of control.

"He's only a child."

Genkai simply stared at the winged priestess. Surely the young Onkami couldn't be that naive, could she?

The old Pokewoman coughed and decided to humor Urutori for now.

"Be that as it may, he still possesses a penis. Most of the time at least."

The golden haired Onkami sprayed hot tea across the room before sputtering weakly, "Elder!!"

Genkai gave her a withering look.

"There is no shame in stating the truth. Has anyone managed to figure it out yet?"

The blushing Onkami shook her head.

"No. Prolonged exposure to cold water seems to change him into a her, but nobody seems to be around whenever he changes back."

"Huh, even with that strange reaction to water he's undoubtedly the first real
live male that most of the other villagers have ever seen. And that is the problem."

The Elder took a long puff from her pipe.

"What are you saying? You think he's some kind of threat to the village?"

"In his own way. He may not mean to be one, but you've studied the histories. You know what men have wrought."

Urutori still looked defiant.

"He has done no harm in the time he was been among us. He can not be blamed for what happened long before he was born."

"True enough. But this is not the place for him. He needs to be returned to his own kind."

"And where would that be?"

"Far to the north, beyond the Great Mountains, there is a great human city. The peddlers come from there with their
useful little things and take back the furs and medicines we trade them. If as you say, he wishes to find himself,
that would be as good a place as any to start from."

The younger Pokewoman's wings flapped in agitation.

"There is something you are not telling me, Elder."

Genkai's unblinking gaze never left her face.

"Do you remember Veridandi's Chant?"

Nonplussed by this sudden change of topic, Urutori responded automatically.

"Of course. Every Pokewoman in the village has learned it by heart. It is part of the Rites."

"Yes. Now tell me, what do they mean?"

The winged young woman opened her mouth and then after a moment closed it again as her mind raced.

"You can't believe..."

"He came to you near the Forbidden Grounds without any memory of who he was or where he came from."

"But..."

"Free of true. Free of false."

Urutori said nothing.

"And his gender seems to exist solely at Water's whim."

The younger Pokewoman closed her eyes.

"What will you do then," she asked softly.

"Well first you need to unseal that which is within the temple."

Urutori's eyes shot open.

This time there was a kinder look on Genkai's face.

"Oh don't look so surprised. I don't intend to send the boy out there completely unprepared or unprotected."

The Onkami had the grace to blush. And the wisdom not to lie to the Village Leader.

"It's well past time that you and some of the younger villagers learned something about the outside world too."

"Elder!"

This time gratitude rather then embarrassment filled her voice.

"None of that. I believe you have a temple you need to visit," said Genkai in a gruff tone.

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The noon sun was merciless overhead without a single cloud to deflect its overpowering golden wrath.
It made Saito glad that he was in the shade of a thick willow as he watched the rows of fishing poles
mounted on the river's bank. It wasn't a particularly demanding task that he'd been assigned, all he had
to do was listen for the sound of the bells attached to the lines indicating it was time to reel in a
fat fish that would go into the large covered basket half submerged in the shallow water near the bank
which kept the catches cool.

Of course the village had other ways to harvest the water's bounty, but this one gave their guest
something to do that at least made him feel he was contributing in some small way. And more importantly
it put a little distance between him and those who worked in the village and the woods. The glances
and looks directed at him had not lessened much since his introduction at the Summer Feast.

The young man licked his lips at the memory. There had been whole roasted deer, wild boar hams,
baked potatoes and other savory tubers, smoked fish, salted nuts cooked over hot rocks and
other things he didn't know the names of but had tasted delicious. The only thing he hadn't partaken
of had been the mushroom dishes. For some reason the sight of them gave him a queasy feeling in his
stomach and he'd avoided them as a result. It was odd, he was certain that he'd eaten them before
but even thinking of eating them now made his body clench up.

"Well now, you certainly have a sour face for such a fine day."

To his credit, Melan hardly flinched at all at the wry voice coming from directly over his head.

"Hello Sei."

He looked up into a pair of twinkling hazel eyes not more then three inches from his head. The busty
dark haired Room Raider was hanging upside down from a thin line attached to one of the willow's thicker branches.
Once again Saito was reminded of the difference between Pokewomen and human women as he looked at her.
A normal woman would have been growing red faced staying in such an unnatural position as a result of
a circulatory system designed to handle gravity from only one direction. To say nothing of the fact that
breasts of that magnitude should by all rights have been hanging around her shoulders instead of remaining
in model perfect position where they were under that white cotton shirt she was wearing.

"Enjoying the view?"

He didn't rise to the bait. It hadn't taken him long to realize that Sei was a natural tease who enjoyed
getting a reaction out of him whenever the opportunity presented itself. He took a step back as she flipped
off of her line and touched down right in front of him, her dark boots digging into the soft gravel of the bank.

Her long braided ponytail whipped through the air as she unexpectedly spun like a startled cat and pointed an accusing finger.

"Stop hiding and get out here!"

At first there was only silence from the surroundings. And then where Saito would have sworn was only
water and brush a minute ago, almost half a dozen Pokewomen with various sheepish expressions on their faces
were suddenly standing there.

Sei pursed her full glossy lips in annoyance as she brushed an errant strand of silky brown hair back behind her ear.
So much for trying to spend some time alone with their unusual guest. She regarded the newcomers with a flat stare
that only Shirakawa and Kisaragi didn't turn away from. Of course in Kisaragi's case, the big-titted aqua colored Naiad was
normally so absentminded that she probably didn't even notice the way the Raider was glaring at her.

Shirakawa was a different story, hell she was an entirely different volume from the ditzy Kisaragi. Cool
and composed, the golden haired Bunnygirl brazenly met the challenge in her eyes directly. The air seemed to literally
sizzle between the two Pokewomen as their stares locked in a silent battle of wills as the two of them clashed
for psychic dominance over the other. But the Room Raider was not going to put up with an upstart like Shirakawa trying
to one up her in front of Saito today. At length, the other female bowed her head and broke eye contact, the change
in her stance indicating that it was Sei's victory.

The human male watched the confrontation uneasily. His understanding of the social dynamics of the village
was limited, but what he did grasp was that there was an almost constant undercurrent of social ranking
being determined between various individuals that rather reminded him of social animals like wolves or
horses. Everyone obeyed the short matron called Genkai, but below her was a complex web of subtle hierarchies
that were prone to change from things as obvious as the type of activity being performed to, as far as Melan could
determine, the size of their respective chests.

He'd noticed Shirakawa's increased aggressiveness toward Sei for several days now and felt in some indefinable way
that he was somehow to blame for it. Like Sei she looked practically human, save for the second pair of long white
bunny ears that sprouted from the top of her head and a fluffy bunny tail that wiggled just over her rear cheeks.
He had only seen her other form once when she'd been sparring against another one of the villagers in a supervised
ring. It had been an educational experience. Someone who looked that cute should not have been capable of dishing out
that level of punishment and he'd seen her in an entirely new light afterwards. She was also one of the younger Pokewomen
in the village that as far as Saito could determine, seemed to come in only three types; teens, young women
and fully mature adults that could be anything from thirty to three hundred for all that he could tell.
There were no young children around and no babies cried here. Even as wispy as his own personal memories might be,
he knew that this was very strange. Children were loud and annoying and always running around, but that's what they
were supposed to be. Their absence seemed to shout out at him from the background whenever he was in the village proper.

His thoughts were interrupted by Kisaragi pulling him into a hug. Given the noticeable difference in height
between him and the Naiad, this meant Saito's face was buried between two cool wet mountains of blue capped by
crests of darker blue.

"Blub!"

With an almost audible growl, Sei grabbed the floundering boy by the back of his damp shirt and yanked him out
of the giggling Kisaragi's grasp.

"Will you stop doing that!"

"But it tickles when he does that!"

The young man hastily wiped the excess moisture from his face and mask. While it wasn't really cold and tasted too sweet
to be considered normal water, nevertheless it still triggered unpleasant memories and made him instinctively
cross his legs slightly as if he could already feel his dick disappearing.

To his undisguised relief, the developing argument was cut short by the sound of Sopoku calling them all for the noon meal.
Before any of them had a chance to stop him he grabbed the reed basket holding his morning's catch out of the water and
hefted it up in front of him as he raced towards the village.

There was a long pause as the assorted Pokewomen stared at the rapidly dwindling figure in the distance.

Then they yelled at each other simultaneously, "This is all YOUR fault!"

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Urutori moved gracefully through the silent stone temple. Pale balls of soft blue magelight illuminated the hallway from above,
spells that had been so carefully anchored that they needed only the simplest of rituals to be maintained even hundreds
of years after they had been cast.

The polished stone tiles under her feet were cool and dry, each square perfectly cut and set so precisely that there
was no need for mortar to hold them together. Even the air that circulated through this place seemed to smell of
the weight of years that infused this place. This was one of the Mother's oldest temples, a far different place
from the simple shrine that she called home. Members of the village helped to maintain the place and Urutori herself
helped to renew the old spells that protected these grounds but nobody would dream of actually dwelling within here.

This was a place for words, not people. The elegant pictographs ran along the walls and ceiling, a flowing river of interconnected
scenes that not even Genkai remembered the full meaning of anymore. Much had been lost during the Third War, but the
Pokewomen who lived in the village still remembered the duty that was theirs to maintain.

The Onkami entered a room that was similar to dozens of others there. The only difference was that in this one, a shimmering
green dome of light filled the center of this particular room. It was a very old spell, the runes were cut deep into the rock itself.

She knew that what lay within it was what Genkai had wanted her to retrieve.

One hand came up to contact the barrier. It did not yield to her touch but remained impervious.

It was waiting for the key to unlock it. And here and now, she knew what that key was.

"This is for the man who has come among us."

The light dissolved away in a shower of fluorescent sparks, leaving behind a square black case resting on the center of the floor.

The priestess touched it gingerly, her stomach tight with tension as she studied its artificial exterior.
The stasis spell had protected it as if no time had passed within there at all even though centuries
had gone by since it had been entrusted to their care. A relic from when humans had last passed
through these woods.

She looked down at the gold circle with the arrow sticking proudly away from it which rested within a circle of nine silver stars
over nine red and blue stripes.

The symbol of the Pokeleague.

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Sopoku clucked her tongue and shook her head as she watched the boy eat. His manners had certainly improved
from when he'd first arrived, but that wasn't saying much. Her long furred ears twitched as the blonde Pokewoman
saw him devour an entire loaf of brown bread slathered with herb butter before he moved on to the thick meat stew
in the bowl in front of him. His hands were a blur of activity that even her eyes had trouble following as he filled
and emptied the dishes again and again.

With a loud bang she smacked the wooden table with the ladle in her hand.

"Slow down."

The masked face looked up at her with a frightened expression in his eyes that almost made her regret admonishing him.

Sopoku's talents as a sensitive were limited in nature compared to the healers, but even she could dimly feel
that there were old wounds within their guest's mind. Their cautious psychic probes had found nothing except fog
and shadows in his head, a mystery that made them even more sympathetic to his plight. Whatever had happened to him
before he'd come here, it had been very bad.

She nodded with approval at his meal took on a more dignified pace.

"Better."

The smile on his face in response to her praise was fleeting, but she still counted it as a sign of improvement.

Now if only the younger villagers would stop trying to monopolize him like some kind of new toy,
it would make her duties so much easier.

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Sei poked at her food distractedly as her gaze kept sliding back along the benches to where Saito sat and ate.

She would have preferred to have been sitting right next to him but the presence of Sopoku discouraged any attempts
to approach the young human as the normally docile caretaker was a holy terror when it came to disturbances
in her domestic domains. Not even the most outspoken Brassy would dare to cross her when it came to the sanctity
of the dining area.

It just wasn't fair. She could feel herself being drawn to Melan but every time she tried to get close somebody else
would always interfere at the worst possible moment. Sei knew that she had the most in common with him, her fascination
with the unknown frontiers beyond the forest had always set her apart from her peers in the village who were mostly content
where they were. But she had seen the look in Saito's eyes once or twice when he wasn't aware she was watching him, the
hunger for answers to the mysteries that surrounded him. Information that she knew he would not find here.

And when he went, he would need companions to help and protect him.

Now if she could only make *him* realize that!

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From the opposite side of the dining area Shirakawa alternated between glaring daggers at the arrogant Room Raider
and carefully studying the features of the human they called Saito Melan. There was something in his unique scent
that sent pleasant shivers down her spine. He smelled so different from the villagers that she could have identified
him in the dark with just her nose alone. A hint of salt and rich earth mingled with something else that the Bunnygirl
couldn't describe that seemed to trigger odd reactions within the more primal parts of the mind.

She felt restless. It was that damn Sei's fault, always trying to take the spotlight. Shirakawa resented how
the older Pokewoman had overshadowed her at every turn since they had been children, even today's challenge
had been ruthlessly quashed by the Raider's stronger battle spirit. Quite aside from her own personal interest
in seeing the human remain in the village she was eager to take away something that the other Pokewoman obviously wanted.

The trick of course was figuring out how to do that without letting Sei realize what was going on.

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Melan fought his body's urge to fidget as he stood waiting for the village's leader, Genkai, to address him.

As soon as he'd finished eating he'd been told by Sopoku to go to the old Pokewoman's hut while several villagers
without any pressing work at the moment had trailed behind after him, their curiosity aroused by this unexpected
summons. While they milled around outside of the small building of earth and wood he sat on one of the soft plump
woven cushions inside. Saito's legs were tucked underneath him in a sitting position that his body seemed to recognize
but still felt very uncomfortable as he tried his best to keep his feet from falling asleep.

The way that the well preserved matriarch studied him with an intensity that was almost physically tangible was unnerving.

It felt like she was peering into his soul.

"Have you enjoyed your time here with us?"

The sudden question took him completely by surprise.

"Um-I-uh-yes? I think so?"

He wasn't sure how else to respond. It was not a lie, even with the unusual aggressiveness of some of the villagers
the weeks he had spent here had been the best he'd ever experienced. But it was also true that he couldn't remember
anything of where he'd been before coming here so he really had nothing to compare it to.

He looked to Urutori, sitting besides the elder, for support. Her familiar presence was comforting in the dim room.
Sputtering bee's wax candles cast dancing shadows on the walls for the windows had been shuttered and the door closed,
leaving only the small little flames to cast any illumination within.

"Good."

That single word seemed to stifle all other sounds in the hut.

He watched as she sucked in a pipe full of smoke and let it puff out in a thin even stream of pale white smoke
that seemed to twist and curve in the air of its own accord to form strange patterns and shapes that seemed to
stick themselves into the back of his eyelids when he blinked.

The smell of the smoke was bittersweet and somehow reminded him of old wooden temples and worn stone statues.

Absentmindedly he touched the mask on his face. It was cool and hard against his fingers and joined against the
skin so perfectly that it literally was a part of his face. He'd learned to ignore its presence for the most part
once he'd accepted that there was no way to remove it, but when he was nervous or upset it seemed to throb against him.

He wasn't sure how much time passed as the silence stretched on, broken only by the old Pokewoman blowing the smoke
from her pipe in the candle lit room. His senses seemed to be going hazy, a strange kind of calm had fallen over him
as he looked into the unblinking eyes of the Elder while smoke and shadows danced in the corners of his vision.

"What do you see?"

The question seemed to come from all around him, a vibration in the air that thrummed through his body like tuning fork.

Translucent images flickered and formed in the air between their locked gazes, he could not turn away as
the question pounded through his heart, racing through the channels of blood pumping through his body.
Her dark brown eyes seemed to glow with an inner light that sucked his vision into them.

He saw things he could not yet place words to. The ghost of a mountain crested in snow, Lines and circles that
joined and broke apart in a spiral dance up a line of long curling stairs. Red and Blue, always together,
never alone, never apart. And a word formed on his lips.

"Ragnarok."

His voice sent the smoke flying apart, shattering the strange atmosphere that the cabin had slipped into.

Genkai blinked once, then twice. But otherwise her features remained completely impassive.

"I see," she said at last.

Urutori gave the old Pokewoman a questioning look that was tinged with concern but the elder didn't seem to notice.

Instead she lifted her gnarled walking stick and pointed towards the back of the small room where
a strange black metallic case rested against the wall. Among all of the carved and carefully crafted contents
of the room, this artificial object stood out as something alien and out of place in the village.

"We have been holding it in trust for a very long time. Now, we give it to you."

Saito could feel her eyes on his back even as he knelt down to examine the case.

It seemed to have no handle or lock, only an almost invisible thin line running around the sides to indicate that it could
be opened at all. There was a strange symbol on the top made of gold, silver, red and blue. He did not recognize it
and its image brought no stray wisps of memory to his mind so he doubted he had ever seen it before. Slowly, almost hesitantly,
he rested his right hand on top of the strange design of stars and stripes.

The metal was unusually cold against his skin. Then a sensation of sudden warmth caused him to withdraw his hand in surprise.

Where he had touched the case the metal now glowed a faint blue outline that was a perfect replica of the lines of his palm.
Even as he watched, the glow spread in a thin circular wave that flowed across the surface , illuminating tiny lines and squares
that had not been visible before. With a hiss of escaping air the top of the case slid open to reveal its contents.

"What in the world?"

He stared. Nestled in black foam padding were twelve blue spheres, each of them perfectly identical in design. Three thin white
lines at geometrically precise angles curved around the unadorned blue. The only other outstanding feature was what looked like
a round wide white button in the middle facing upwards and three simple colored light displays of green, yellow and red.
At the moment, only the green light was on, a small eerie glow in the candle lit room. He heard sharp indrawn breaths from behind
him and turned to see both Genkai and Urutori cautiously watching the innocent looking spheres as if they would explode at any moment.

"Leave those alone for now. You do not need them yet."

He blinked with surprise but decided to save his questions for later. Despite the elder's control
he had detected a slight strain in her voice and it both puzzled and worried him.

The other device, for he could think of no other description for it, looked to him like someone had shrunken
a television screen down to the size of his two hands side by side on top of a calculator keypad with more buttons
then he was comfortable counting and then done something horribly obscene to it with some kind of dark metal fishing rod.

"A Pokedex. I haven't seen one of those in a long time."

Saito blinked in surprise at Genkai's words.

"A what?"

She chuckled softly at the confusion in his voice.

"Pick it up. You'll see."

Gingerly he reached out and grasped the metal rod to lift it out of the case. To his surprise he found that it was
surprisingly light despite its appearance and tiny grooves lined with a softer almost rubbery material gave him
a good grip on the item. Something sharp briefly pinched the palm of his hand gripping the device and he almost dropped
it in surprise.

"Ouch!"

He nearly dropped it again as the screen flashed into blinking life.

"Registering Owner. Please Insert Name Here."

Saito stared as the pleasant female voice coming out of the blank blue lit screen.

"Insert name here," he repeated in a mystified voice.

"Confirm."

"Confirm?"

The screen flashed green and then blue again.

"Registration Complete. Loading Dee Dee program."

He stared in hopeless confusion at the Pokedex. What was a Dee Dee?

"Congratulations, Insert Name Here, for being the registered owner of the Lavos Enterprises
Mark VII Pokewoman Observation, Analysis, Reference and Index System. This unit's operational
software is Dee Dee Version 3.14159, copyright MacroHard P.S. 237. Big and Hard, Macrohard!"

Genkai seemed to suffer a brief fit of coughing before finally speaking.

"That can also be put aside for later study."

He placed the strange device on the ground with a quiet sigh of relief. There was something
unnerving about the Pokedex's speech pattern, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Further investigation of the case produced a black cross between a belt and a harness that fit
surprisingly well on his frame when he tried it on. It seemed to have more pockets and places
to put things then it appeared to, when he picked up the Pokedex again there seemed to be
a holster just the right size for it at his hip that he wasn't quite sure had been there earlier.

There was also a dark blue traveling backpack and a small pouch of coins of a type he'd never seen before.
The golden discs were stamped with symbols that looked foreign to him, though he could identify a few letters
here and there in English. The words they formed though, were not.

'Amor vincit omnia.'

He wondered what it meant.

Reaching into a second pouch he produced a handful of sparkling stones, each about the size of a small egg.
They were beautiful, each one a brilliant singular color that seemed to glow with an inner light.

He heard Urutori's gasp of surprise from behind him when she saw them.

"Evolution Gems," the Priestess whispered in awe. She had never seen stones of such high quality before.

It was obvious that the young man had not even an inkling of the value he held in his hands.
Her respect deepened for the planning of the long dead humans who had entrusted the case to the Temple.
While the currency they had left inside might no longer be worth anything, gems would always
be a universally accepted trade item among Pokewomen.

Saito poured the stones back into the cloth bag and tossed it lightly beside the pouch of coins on the ground.

Finally he pulled out out of the case the last of its contents, dozens of brightly colored plastic packages
that the two Pokewoman in the room regarded with identical looks of disgusted horror.

"Red-E-Meals."

The large type labels proclaimed them as the ultimate traveling food. And this was certainly true since
just the sight of an untouched Red-E-meal was more then enough to motivate hungry travelers to find
something else to eat. It was said that they had a shelf life on the order of a radioactive half-life,
and of even greater significance that the isotope in question didn't matter.

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The mood among the gathered villagers was tense with excitement.

The evening meal had been finished and the dishes and pots scrubbed and cleaned. Normally they would have either gone
to their beds in anticipation of an early rise tomorrow or gone off to work on their own projects in their own dwellings.
Some also preferred to retreat in privacy with their lovers and spend time together. But Genkai's order had been absolute
and so it was that the entire population of the village and its surrounding forest had gathered into the center where they waited
and whispered among themselves with growing curiosity. Some sat on wooden seats and benches while others contented themselves with
perches on roofs and branches and a few even planted themselves comfortably on the warm bare earth.

As the Elder finally appeared, her walking stick tapping a steady beat on the hard packed ground, the conversations ceased
and the village grew eerily silent as all eyes focused on the solemn figure making its way steadily to the small boulder
that served as both tool and platform in the heart of the clearing. Behind her came a silent Urutori but to their surprise
they did not see Saito Melan. Pokewomen looked to their neighbors, the same silent question obvious on all of their faces.

Genkai's staff came down on the boulder once. The piercing note rang clearly through the village and into the woods.

"In the Mother's Name I greet you all, Kin of my Kin."

The ritual greeting alerted one and all to the seriousness of the occasion.

Sei felt her pulse quicken with growing excitment. Shirakawa pursed her lips unhappily,
a tiny worm of concern forming in her belly. From where she leaned against a tree Shiryu's
expression didn't change at all, though her closed eyes never left Urutori's face.

"A Son of Man has sheltered among us as our guest."

Voices rose in a low murmur around the village center.

"He has broken bread and salt with us."

Nods of agreement came here and there from among the listeners. He had been welcomed and treated
as a guest and there were many who would not have minded him staying in the village as one of them.

"And now he requires our aid to find his way back among his own kind."

For an instant there absolute silence as the words sank in.

Then it seemed as if every voice erupted at once.

Leave the Forest?! It was almost unthinkable, travel beyond their lands
when everything needed was so near? Why could he not just stay with them?!

Genkai waited until the noise had died down before she continued.

"To North, far beyond the Hunting Plains and the Harpy Ranges, there is a city of humans."

This time she was forced to bang her staff down twice on the boulder before the hubbub ceased.

"This is not a decision made lightly. Beyond our borders are many dangers and hardships, but if
he is to find his place in the Mother's eyes then this is the only path open before him."

"And he will not go alone," said Urutori in a clear voice as she suddenly stepped forward.

Absolute silence fell over the clearing as every pair of eyes focused on the winged priestess.

"By She Who Protects All, do you pledge yourself to watch and guide Saito Melan on his journey no matter where it takes him?"

The sharp hiss came from a dozen throats at the Elder's solemn words.

"By Her Will, I pledge my life to this."

No sooner had the words left the fair haired Pokewoman's lips then Shiryu's cool voice rang through the stunned crowd.

"Where my lady goes, I shall follow."

Heads whipped around again as a third voice spoke out.

"I will go with them as well."

Sei's mouth remained open, the Room Raider's words unspoken as she stared
in absolute shock at the Pokewoman who had beaten her to the punch.

Clearbrook?! Why had one of the most senior and reclusive of the Forest Elves volunteered for this?!

The Chestnut haired Pokewoman couldn't believe what her eyes and ears were telling her.
Even the other Elves there were looking bewildered at the slender silver eyed figure,
her long hair shimmering like the soft glow of the full moon.

"....Me...too."

As the Raider struggled to recover her voice yet another Pokewoman spoke the words she'd been trying to say.

This time the gasps and stares were widespread. Ren, a normally silent buxom redhead and one of the strongest
physical Pokewomen in the area, had her hand raised in the air.

"I, I'm coming too!!"

This time Sei managed to get the words out. She could feel Shirakawa glaring at her with a mixture
of shock and disbelief in her eyes. While they were bitter rivals, the two Pokewomen's emnity towards
each other had gone on for so long that in a strange way it made them closer then friends.

But for the Bunnygirl the Forest has always been her home. Her friends and family were there and she fit in
with everyone else. Sei, who had always been a loner by nature, did not. She had always been the restless
one, wanting to know what else there was besides the village and their territory. Time and again she had been
tempted to go off with the occasional trader that came to visit and only her loose ties to those in the
village had held her back on each occasion. But now her time had come at last.

The Elder's staff striking the boulder once more cut through all the sounds and musings like an invisible scythe.

"Very well. Five will go and no more. May the Mother watch over you all."

As she strode away from the gathering the noise resumed as dozens of clusters of Pokewomen began to talk
and argue among themselves over the night's unexpected turn of events.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

That night he dreamed of a valley shrouded in mist and of yellow bamboo poles standing in innocent pools of water.

Someone faced him there, but the mist and shadows hid the figure's features.

It spoke to him but he could not hear its words as the wind seemed to steal them away.

But he could understand the hand that beckoned mockingly towards him.

Saito leaped upwards to balance on a pole of his own.

And so they fought.

Crossing from one swaying point to another they met in midair, their kicks countering each other in almost perfect harmony.

It was not a battle he seemed able to win. Yet he could not afford to lose.

So Saito slept and continued to dream.


-End Chapter 4

-Bonus Features-


Ask Professor Goa Tse!


Dear Professor, is it true that Feline-type Pokewomen kill and eat Rodent-type & Bird-type Pokewomen?

Absolutely Not. Despite the popularity of this urban myth in modern culture, normal Pokewomen do not
prey upon each other. Indeed, even suggesting this in the presence of any Pokewoman will result in
a long and painful stay with a highly unsympathetic Nurse Joy under the best of circumstances.
Consuming the flesh of other Pokewomen is considered the ultimate taboo among all Pokewoman.
While Feline-types possess the instinctual urge to stalk and pounce on their smaller cousins,
intended victims have far more to fear from the dominating and lusty nature of the Cat then their stomach.
Though there is a grain of truth in that several types of Dark-Evolutions are capable of feeding on Pokewomen
and that the most dangerous of these, including the Black Widow and the Scarrecunt, prefer to prey on Pokewomen
over most other normal prey.


Dear Professor, is it true that omelets made of Slutwing eggs are a rare delicacy over in the Blue League?

This is yet another old wive's tale that refuses to die. Let me reiterate to all my readers that under
no circumstances should *any* flesh, blood, eggs or other unidentifiable secretions from a Pokewoman
ever be consumed. With the exception of milk, saliva and vaginal secretions, the high concentration
of T-virus in Pokewoman render their flesh and blood highly toxic to most creatures. In addition
Slutwing "eggs" are actually not eggs at all. Like most Avian Pokewoman, Slutwings excrete waste
into highly explosive "eggs" that they can store in their anal canal for use in combat. In the absence
of a target to use these bombs on, Slutwings will dispose of their eggs in an out of the way place
where the elements can break down the components of the egg into safer non-toxic materials.


Dear Professor, recently my Level 40 Foxx battled a Level 25 Dark Magician Girl and was completely defeated.
How is this possible? Aren't lower level Pokewomen supposed to be weaker and easier to capture compared to higher leveled ones?

It seems that every month this same kind of question pops up. A Pokedex measures a Pokewoman's Aura and assigns it a level
based on the detected energy output. While this can serve as a general indicator of how strong a particular Pokewoman may be,
Tamers should never rely solely on a Pokewoman's given level to determine their capabilities. Certain types have demonstrated
the ability to mask the true strength of their Aura, some particularly skilled individuals have been so proficient that they were
even able to avoid detection by a standard Pokedex. Additionally, experience is a key factor in any Pokebattle. Even though a Pokewoman
may not be particularly powerful, if they have honed their abilities over the years against stronger opponents, then they will
prove to be a much more formidable adversary then they might first appear to be. Always remember the first Rule of Pokewomen,
"Looks can be deceiving!"


Pokedex Entry #000099


Name: Archeress
Aliases: Pettanko, Delicious Flat Chest, Ironing Board, Waifu, Little Miss Badass, Love Hunter
Classification: Warrior
Elemental Affinity: None
Lifespan: 140 years on average
Reproduction: Sexual and Parthogenesis
Habitat: Varies by Individual. Most seem to prefer rural & urban regions.
Reported Encounter Rate: Abundant in Red, Blue and Green League Territories. Uncommon in Edo, Gold and Orange League Territories.
Rare in Crescent and Indigo League Territories. Very Rare in Silvermoon League.
Diet: Omnivore. Enjoys sweets and milk products. Allergic to Mustard.
Libido: Average
Strong vs: Flying, Poison
Resists: Light (Low), Poison (High)
Weak vs: Bug, Ghost
Evolves from: None. Foundational Pokewoman.
Evolves to: Amazonchan, Amazonlee, Amazonwu, BabeGunner, Dark Amazon (Requires Darkness Gem), Valkyrie (Requires Lightning Gem),
Miko (Requires Spirit Gem), Witch, Princess (Requires Crown Jewel)
Capture Difficulty: Easy to Moderate unless their chest size is mentioned. Then becomes Insanely Hard.

Strength: C+ -Three times as strong as a normal adult human
Agility: A -Incredibly Flexible and Nimble
Speed: B+ -Can reach and sustain speeds of up to 45 miles per hour
Durability: C -Significantly Tougher then a normal adult human
Endurance: B -Capable of high intensity activity for up to 48 hours without food or rest.
Intelligence: B- -Equivalent to Human Standard
Hostility Rating: D+ (Normal) -Avoids confrontations most of the time, A (if breasts are mentioned) -Berserker Rampage
Distortion Field Strength: B- (deflects most standard caliber ammunition)
Armor Rating: C -Takes Normal Damage from Attacks
Psychic Ability: D+ -Minor Empath, Danger Sense, Lock-on
Overall Threat Rating: C+ -Moderate Caution advised when encountered

Special Abilities:

-Magic Arrow: The Signature Ability of the Archeress is the ability to create an arrow-shaped projectile out of pure Mana energy.
These bolts can be fired without the need for a physical platform as the Archeress uses her arms to draw the bow of her mind.
Magic Arrows pack a powerful punch that can Negate up to B class Armor and damage those who possess Physical Resistance/Immunity traits.
With much practice, additional abilities can also be added to make this attack even more deadly. Common upgrades include Elemental
Damage Affinity, Spread-Shot, Homing Missile, Rapid-Fire, Stunning/Paralysis and Overcharge.

-Lock-on: A Psychic targeting ability that gives this Pokewoman unparallelled accuracy even against the fastest and most distant of targets.
Illusion, Decoy and other misdirection skills are rendered ineffective while Lock-on is in effect. However, this technique's narrow focus
on a single person, vehicle or object at a time is a double edged sword that can leave the Pokewoman vulnerable to other enemies.

-Danger Sense: Like all Warrior Pokewoman, Archeress can sense deliberate attacks and hostile intent directed at them,
giving them a combat reaction speed that often catches their opponents by surprise.

-Resist Poison: In addition to the normal Pokewoman immunity to normal toxins, the Archeress is naturally resistant
to most chemical weapons employed by another Pokewoman. This has been attributed to the Pokewoman's original simplified
design by Dr. Sukebe as a ranged infantry unit capable of deployment into even the most inhospitable combat conditions.

Notes:

One of the original breeds of Pokewomen created for Sukebe's War, the petite Archeress is one of the most common Pokewomen
in the world today after Catgirls and Elfgirls. Deployed in battalion strength by many of the Pokewomen armies, they cut a
devastating swath through human infantry, armor and low flying aircraft with their signature Magic Arrow attack and innate mastery
of bows and firearms. When combined with Centauress or Pegaslut for additional mobility the paired units became the equivalent
of a Light Armored Vehicle for the Pokewomen forces. Following the end of the Great War the Archeress were one of the first Pokewomen types
to immigrate into human controlled areas where they were quickly accepted due to their relatively mild nature and unthreatening human appearance.

Archeress average five feet in height and are easily recognizable by their three trademark characteristics; their long hair arranged in
two large curled twintails, slightly elongated ear pinna and complete lack of a bust. The second trait becomes especially noticeable
with the average Archeress's preferred style of dress, a bright bare shoulder working dress with a dyed leather skirt. While the majority (77%)
are blonde, brown (12%), black (6%), red (4%) and other (1%) hair colors have been recorded. Outside of cities and towns most will also carry
a bow and quiver, crossbow or a pistol specially designed for use by Pokewomen. While they do not require these items to employ their abilities,
it has been confirmed that by using these weapons as a focus an Archeress to expends much less energy on generating a Magic Arrow as opposed to
creating one completely from scratch.

In terms of personality Archeress tend to be both polite and direct. Of all the Warrior types they are considered one of the least aggressive
and will rarely initiate combat unless provoked in some fashion. Their single sore point and berserk button is their breasts. Archeress never
develop beyond a B-cup with A and even AA sizes being the most commonly found. While other petite Pokewomen can often develop their bosom
with aids such as Bloom powder-extract, such artificial methods do not work on this Poison-resistant Pokewoman. As a result of this the Archeress
tends to regard most of the more well-developed Pokewoman types with barely curbed hostility, especially the more prominant Warrior Types.
Many a foolish tamer has made the mistake of making fun of an Archeress, mistaking their mild behavior for weakness, only to learn too late
where the nickname "Little Miss Badass" comes from. Once they're in an enraged state, even a battle loving Tigress would rather flee then face them.

If Archeress have a weakness then it is their extreme dislike and fear of Bug and Ghost Type Pokewomen. Even the common Buzzbreast sends shivers
down their spine and just being close to a Spinnertit can cause most Archeress to faint before a battle even starts. Given the common usage of
at least one Bug Type in most Tamer's harems, this has resulted in the low popularity of this Pokewomen among Tamers outside of a select few
fetishists. Archeress also tend to react badly to spooky areas favored by most Ghost Types, viewing the specters as unnatural terrors.
This antipathy is so great that they will often desert a harem at the first opportunity if a Ghost Type is added to it.

In combat an Archeress will always stick to their strengths, employing their speed and agility to pepper an opponent with ranged attacks
while remaining out of melee range. They excel at taking out Flying Types as their Lock-on ability enables them to target difficult to hit spots
no matter how fast the other Pokewoman might be. Even Dragon Types in Battle Mode are not immune to being knocked out of the air by sufficiently
charged Magic Arrow Shots to the wings. If forced into Melee combat the Archeress will concentrate on evasion and normally attempt to reopen
the range to allow them to resume their barrage. The sole exception to this pattern of attack is when they are in a Berserker state, where
the furious Pokewoman will actually close to engage in brutal bash-fest that involves them channeling their Magic Arrow ability directly through
their fists and feet into the target. This point-blank method of attack is so devastating that it has been known to drop more powerful Pokewomen
in a single blow. However this technique also causes severe damage to an Archeress's limbs which is why it is never empoyed outside of an
infuriated state where they simply don't care about the harm to their own bodies.

As a Foundational Pokewoman the Archeress is capable of evolving into many stronger and more popular types including the various Amazon Classes
and the Babegunner. This is normally the reason that they are occasionally brought into a harem for, though most Tamers simply prefer to wait until
after they've evolved before attempting to challenge the Pokewoman. Additionally the Archeress is one of the few known Pokewoman capable of evolving
into the rare Valkyrie and the only one known to be capable of evolving into the very rare and highly prized Princess, though these evolutions both
require additional materials that are nearly as rare as both types.