Spice of Life: Chapter 3: Dinner with Guzzler
by TastyTales
 
The Ninetales' was up early for once, he hadn't slept very well. While most of the night had been trying to get comfortable and jumping out of his 'bed' every time he felt his fur itch even slightly. Apparently Cyn had left at some point during the night, though he couldn't recall hearing her walk out. 'Such is the stealth of a Liepard', he supposed. Spice blinked drearily and yawned, letting his tongue run over his teeth in an attempt at waking himself up. He had gotten just enough rest that he had his fire back, but not enough that he wasn't beyond staring at the doctor's possessions.
 
The jar of Reviver seeds had caught his attention most of all. The idea was still so foreign to him, that there was something else that could bring a pokemon back after an unfortunate reminder of the food chain, and more importantly their place in it. He reached down and pressed his paw against the seed in his scarf.
 
What if it wasn't enough? He hadn't seen the Leafeon yet, but from the sounds he had heard coming from the back room, the Swampert had. He shook his head, unable to take the risk... he needed more. He needed all of them. He reached up to the jar and took it off the shelf, quickly pouring its contents into a nearby bag. He bound the straps to the underside of his tails before patting down his long fur over them. He made his way to the full-length mirror in the corner of the room and practiced curling his tails... lower... lower... a little to the left and...
 
There. It was barely noticable. He put the empty jar back on the shelf, tucking a few others infront of it to hide it. He heard heavy footsteps thumping around in the backroom. He turned quickly, keeping his tails behind him as he sat upright, giving them one more patting down with his paws as the Swampert came into the room.
 
"Sorry," The Swampert mumbled half-heartedly, picking at the corner of his mouth with a finger as he casually wandered in from the backroom. He plodded about the kitchen and opened the top cupboards, glancing through them curiously. "Grass types don't really agree with me."
 
"Perhaps that's just another reason you shouldn't eat them?" Spice replied, pushing the nearby window open to let some fresh air into the room. The Swampert hadn't noticed the jar was missing just yet, the Ninetales preferred it that way. "Honestly, the fact that Doc Leaf fed himself to you willingly was strange enough, but now you're commenting on his remains?"
 
"You're not going to?" Typh replied with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked the fox over, "So I make a crude joke or two. Sue me."
 
"If we were back in the city, I just might," The Ninetales snapped before beginning to blow little flames into the air, trying to replace the smell with the smoke that came off them as they disappeared. He then glanced around, "And where is Cyn? Did she leave without us?"
 
"She's scouting ahead. Going to pick up something from the den," The Swampert replied with a grin, "Honestly, I'm surprised she trusted me enough to leave you alone with me... and without breakfast."
 
Spice's ears twitched at the mention and he quickly made his way over to the kitchen area, looking through all the drawers, "I could probably find you some berries... and I might remind you that Cyn was insistant that you don't eat me. I'm the only one who can defeat Guzzler, after all."
 
"I could probably take him with a little more time. I just need to learn some ice moves and I'd freeze him solid. Have some vine whip-popisicles." the Swampert said, flexing his flab before feeling his jiggling midsection, "Wow, the doctor did -not- add anything to me at all. Go figure."
 
"Clearly a Leafeon diet isn't the way to muscle growth," Spice replied sarcastically, his tails swishing back and forth as his front end disappeared into the cupboard, searching for snacks. He wanted to know just how hard he could push his luck with the hidden bag, but as Typh didn't respond he cleared his throat, "So, I've been meaning to ask, is Typh short for something?"
 
"Typhlo." The Swampert answered with a grunt, scratching at his stomach as he leaned against the kitchen counter. The Ninetales tilted his head a little at the response, leaving the water-type glaring at him past his fluffy tails, "Well, what about 'Spice'?"
 
"It's just Spice." The Ninetales replied, poking his head back out of the cupboard to look back at the Swampert, "What about Cyn? Short for Cynthia, I take it?"
 
"Ha, you think Cyn would have a prissy name like that?" Typh bellowed before crossing his arms over his chest, letting them rest on his heavy gut once more, "It's short for Cynda. We were raised by a Typhlosion who found our eggs. Nice guy, our dad. Not very good with names though."
 
"Oh, I see. Is there a 'Quill' too then?" The Ninetales asked curiously. The Swampert glared at him in response... probably best to just let that one slide. The Ninetales pouted, pulling his head out from the cupboard, "Well, there's nothing in there but expired food and dusty leftovers. Certainly nothing that would suit my pallate."
 
"Works for me, at least one of us will eat." Typh replied, licking his lips as he advanced on the Ninetales, his hands spreading out to block his escape, "I'll start with your head this time, I want to try slurping up those tails, see if I can get them all down in one gulp."
 
Spice pressed his rear against the cupboard, but every time he tried to move out of the way, the Swampert would block him. Eventually he was pinned by the water-type's stomach, he whimpered nervously as he pushed back against it. The Swampert's tongue ran over his fur, the taste of the Figy berry juice still coming through strongly along with his natural spicy flavour.
 
The Swampert grinned, grabbing the Ninetales and lifting him to his mouth, "Hey... I think I figured out why you're called 'Spice'." he informed him, his tongue reaching out to pull the fire-type into his hungry maw.
 
"Hey! What did I tell you yesterday?"
 
Spice glanced up, expecting to see Cyn standing at the door, but instead he saw the small Leafeon standing in the doorway to the back room. He tossed his tattered labcoat to one side and ate the now powerless seed, gulping it down effortless before going back to glaring at his previous predator judgementally. The Swampert grinned and pulled the Ninetales into a headlock, rustling his headfur roughly, "Oh come on, Doc. I was just making sure the Figy berry juice was still on his fur."
 
"L-Leaf! You're alive!" Spice gasped, squirming free of Typh's hold and running over to the Leafeon. He looked him over, checking for any signs of damage... but the grass-type was fine, other than his labcoat which showed clear signs of it's trip through the Swampert.
 
"Of course, I had a Reviver seed on me," Doc Leaf replied with a little shrug and a smile. He noticed the Ninetales' eyes stayed on his labcoat and he breathed out a little sigh, his ears folding back. "Are you going to doubt their power again?"
 
"Ah, no!" Spice yelped... only to grin nervously as he tried to cover up his tracks, "Ha, no. No. No need to see it again. I trust you, Doctor." ...no need to see the jar was empty either, he hoped.
 
"That's a shame, I could go for a Leafeon right now." Typh huffed, getting a glare from the little pokemon. The Swampert responded by shrugging and patting his gut as he looked back to the Leafeon, "You didn't add a pound to me, Leaf. I figure you'd want me to start the day with a healthy breakfast."
 
"Still, I've got more important things to do than sit around in your stomach," Doc Leaf replied, flicking his tail as he held his head high. He turned his attention up to Spice, "I suppose Cyn went out while I was being revived?"
 
"Yes, I think she went to Clearspring to get... Oh, what was she picking up again?" The Ninetales muttered as he tried to remember. He had just gotten over the weirdness of seeing the Leafeon standing infront of him after watching him disappear into the depths of the Swampert.
 
Before Typh could answer the fox pokemon's question, the front door opened and Cyn stepped in. The shiny Liepard looked from one pokemon to the next before finally tossing a collar into the center of the room, which landed between the three with a leather slap and a metalic 'clink' as the tag knocked it.
 
"Oh, is this your collar?" Spice asked curiously, looking over the black leather and the red heart-shaped tag.
 
"No." Cyn replied with a cattish grin. Her eyes sparkled mischeviously as she clipped a leash onto it. She picked it up and tossed it, managing to land it over one of the Ninetales' ears. "It's yours."
 
* * *
 
Spice's cheeks remained a deep red throughout the walk to Clearspring. He tucked his tails back and kept his tails low, glancing about nervously as the collar's tag jingled against his chest fluff. Every time he tried to slow down he felt the jerk from the leash, it seemed that the Liepard had no plans in wasting anymore time as they walked along.
 
"Is this really neccessary?" Spice finally asked, gagging as the collar caught his neck again, "It's highly demeaning! And I've already agreed to the plan. It's not as though I'm going to run away."
 
"I know, I just need to make sure you look the part," The Liepard replied, looking back to the Ninetales before turning to the Swampert and Leafeon, "So, we're still sticking with the plan, right?"
 
"Of course. I've shown Spice the Reviver seed works. So long as he has his scarf on him he'll be fine no matter what happens," Doc Leaf replied with a nod before turning to the fox, "And I'm confident that the Figy berries will work and he won't actually swallow you. You have my word, Spice."
 
"I'll want more than your word if they don't." The Ninetales replied to the Leafeon with a coy grin, trying to put the plan out of his mind for a moment as his eyes trailed over the small pokemon's body, sizing him up as he allowed one of his free tails to trail along his slender stomach. "I suppose I -should- experience life as a wild pokemon before I go back to the city... having some live prey should do it."
 
"You won't regret it," Typh grinned, patting the Ninetales' tails approvingly as he winked at the Leafeon, who gave a nervous chuckle and walked a little faster to avoid being near either of them. Cyn just rolled her eyes and continued along ahead, holding Spice's leash with her tail as the town came into view.
 
This was the Ninetales' first time seeing a pokemon town, and he was surprised to how much it looked like a human one. There were tiny cottages with brightly coloured roofs, fountains and cafes with tables outdoors. It stretched off into distance around the edge of the pond, the multi-coloured rooftops made it seem like something he might see on a postcard. He could see the fishing docks that spread out over the pond, which either served to feed the town or as a place for the water-dwelling Pokemon to live.
 
"So -that's- Clearspring," The Ninetales gasped, looking to the Liepard. Finding himself speechless at the discovery, "I can't believe what I'm seeing. It's so... rustic. How did a bunch of wild pokemon build a town?"
 
"'Thank you for saving me from the wilderness, Cyn. I should have trusted you from the start.'" Cyn adjusted his words with an 'I-told-you-so' smile. After a moment of silence she shook her head, "Those of us who were sick of living in fear of being hunted banded together and formed a community... I'd say we've done well."
 
"It seems like it.. but how did you manage to avoid being captured for all these years?" Spice asked curiously as he looked around, the field was vast, it was as though they had stepped into another world after leaving the forest, "Surely a human would have stumbled across this place."
 
"Trainers never leave the path, and the other humans never leave their towns out of fear of running into a pokemon." Cyn chuckled gently, "If they could defend themselves, we may have some trouble... but we're safe here, and we live in peace."
 
"For Arceus' sake, Cyn! Have some decency! You know that there are children about, don't you?" A female voice cried out from the distance.
 
"Relatively speaking." Cyn finished, cringing as she heard the voice and stopping in her tracks. It left Spice wondering what could be so terrible that it would cause the Liepard, who had climbed into a Swampert's mouth twice, to show disgust. He looked ahead and saw a small Espeon storming towards them, her glasses catching the sunlight and shining it in his eyes.
 
"Ms. Rose... I see you're prudish as ever," Cyn greeted the Espeon with a smile, trying to put on a friendly face as she tugged Spice to bring him to her side, "And you haven't been eaten by Guzzler, that's two-for-two for you today."
 
"Oh, don't talk to me like I'm some sort of simpleton!" The Espeon huffed in response as she leaned up,prodding Cyn's chest with her paw as she spoke, having to stand on tip-toes just to maintain eye-contact, "I know what you're doing. You're advertising for the Den with this Ninetales, aren't you?"
 
"Not even close," Cyn said dryly, looking back to the fox as he shuffled his tails. She had hoped to avoid any of the villagers seeing them... now they needed to come up with a cover story, "The Ninetales is... a sacrifice. For Guzzler."
 
"Hmph, and you're supposed to be adventurers! I suppose you're the 'raiding dungeons' kind rather than the 'rescue team' variety," The Espeon snapped back, looking to the Ninetales, "Have you no shame, miss? Do you really think that feeding yourself to the Venusaur will sate this tyrant?"
 
"Mis-" Spice began with a start, only to get a hard slap across his rear from the Liepard's tail. He let out a yipe and jerked forward, leaving the Espeon backing off quickly. He blushed and went to speak again, though as the Liepard brushed her tail under his he held his tongue, raising his tails just enough to keep her tail from feeling the bag that still hid under them.
 
"Yep, she's a real beauty... and uh.. she ate an Eevee. Or something. So it's -actually- a punishment... type... deal. You understand." Cyn explained slowly before narrowing her eyes on the Espeon, "Now will you get out of the way? I'm sure Typh is still hungry if you'd rather come with us."
 
The Swampert grinned, giving a wave to Rose as his stomach growled loudly as it heard itself being mentioned. She shivered and stepped back hastily, though quickly attempted to cover it up as though she were planning to leave anyway.
 
"Fine, but remember Arceus is watching! He knows about you and your f-.. your fetish dungeon!" the Espeon cried as she blushed furiously, struggling to get the word out her mouth. After the final warning she went running back towards a confused looking field trip class, and an assistant teacher who was trying hopelessly to keep them all together.
 
"You own a fetish dungeon?" Spice asked once the Espeon was out of earshot. He couldn't help but watch her go, constantly glancing back to the group with a disapproving glare, though as it mostly fell in Cyn's direction he decided to follow her example in ignoring it.
 
"I like to think of it more as a club for pokemon with particular and sometimes peculiar interests," Cyn replied matter-of-factly, giving an indifferent shrug to go along with her answer, "But you really could've seen that coming. Why did you think I had a collar and leash? I grew up in the wild, remember?"
 
The Ninetales went bright red as he tugged on the collar, suddenly stopping in his tracks to yank it with both paws, desperately searching for it's buckle, "You use this for- Ah! No! It's sweaty! It's sticky! Get it off!"
 
"It's not sweaty, I wash it every time it's used." Cyn snapped back at him, "And I rarely use it anyway, most pokemon come for... well, what we use the Reviver seeds for." she explained, breathing out a sigh, "We get the Reviver seeds to let pokemon experience whatever they want without the obvious consequences... for a small fee."
 
"The obvious-" The Ninetales stared in disbelief, glancing down at the Leafeon who blushed and looked away, his tail wagging discretely. He then looked up to the Swampert, then finally back to the one holding his leash on her tail. His eyes drifted down to her spots, noting they were shaped more like hearts on each side of her rear, "So some pokemon... enjoy..." he mumbled, trying to get his head around the concept, "A-and you-"
 
"Why else would Typh learn to hold his stomach acids?" Cyn replied, giving a teasing wink to the Swampert before looking back to the Ninetales, "Are you seriously going to make a big deal about all of this -now-? When we're so close to freeing Clearspring?"
 
"When were you going to tell me you were a dominatrix?!" Spice shouted before feeling another slap across his rear. The Swampert leaned down to him, holding his finger to his lips and blowing out a 'shhh'. The Ninetales grumbled under his breath, shuffling his tails over themselves before continuing in a low whisper, "And why did you tell her I was a female anyway?"
 
"One, because Guzzler only eats female prey. Two, if I told her the truth she would just ogle your tails the whole walk there and we wouldn't be able to discuss our plan in private." Cyn added before turning and beginning to walk along the path to the town centre again, "and three, because it means you have to keep your mouth shut for once."
 
"Why, you-" The Ninetales barked, though as the Swampert raised his hand again his fluffy tails quickly covered his rear and he bit his tongue, letting out a noise of frustration through the sides of his mouth, "Hmph!"
 
"She's right, Spice." Doc Leaf added in, looking up at the Ninetales as he allowed himself to get within reach of him again, "If you speak in front of any of Guzzler's spies, you won't get eaten by Guzzler. You'll be banished and we'll be back to square one... except without a supply of Figy berries."
 
"Alright, you've made your point," Spice muttered, keeping his head high and his mouth shut. His tails curling over and his hips wiggling as he walked in an attempt to appear more feminine. Typh snickered at the way the Ninetales strutted, covering his mouth with his hand and trying not to make it too obvious he was laughing.
 
The group finally reached the wooden stage in the town center. Sitting in he center of it was a large Venusaur, at least four times the size of any other pokemon in town. He didn't stand, instead he laid on a gathering of the town's pillows, using his vines to pluck berries from the bowl of fruit infront of him as a group of Ghastly flew in the air around him.
 
"That's Guzzler? ...how did such a fat pokemon take over the town?" Spice whispered while they were still out of earshot, trying to hold himself back from laughing out loud at the sight of him, "It looks like you could outrun him easily enough. You could probably defeat him by rolling him over."
 
"When he first arrived, he created a cloud of stun spore that covered the entirity of Clearspring." Doc Leaf explained in a hushed voice, looking up at the Venusaur's mighty flower, he could probably use one of the petals as a boat if he folded it right, "He said if we don't keep him happy, he'll do it again... and this time he'll make it more powerful. The pokemon would be frozen in place forever."
 
"A-ah... well, maybe we should rethink this whole thing then?" The Ninetales suggested, glancing to the others as he tried to step backwards, only to find the collar dragging him onwards towards the stage. "We wouldn't want to bother him into doing something like that after all, would we?"
 
The Ghastly stopped circling in the air and stared at the approaching group. Typh raised a hand in greeting... after an awkward pause he lowered it again and scratched at his tail. Spice held his breath in the silence. The eyes of the hovering ghosts fell on him. He bit his lip, his tails shuffling nervously... he had never avoided a chance to be the center of attention before, but this felt different.
 
"Fire type!" One Ghastly cried, sending the others into a frenzy as they whizzed about the group. Cyn leaped to Spice's defense, covering his left while Typh and Leaf covered his right side. Typh swiped at the ghosts to keep them back, finally one flew above the group and called out to the Venusaur in alarm. "A fire type has entered your town, my king!"
 
All at once it seemed like every pokemon in Clearspring arrived at once, gathering around the stage and watching curiously as the small group made their way towards the stage. Typh put one paw on the Leafeon's tail and tugged him back... too many of them would be too suspicious. With an understanding nod, the Leafeon watched as Spice and Cyn made their way up the wooden steps of the stage.
 
"I've brought you an offering, your majesty." Cyn grinned, taking the leash off the Ninetales ' collar as she pushed him forward with a single paw, "Consider it a gift from the Den. We found her trying to sneak back into the town and figured you would want to hand out her... punishment." the Liepard explained with a sultry wink.
 
"Ah, excellent... you know my appetite well, little cat." The Venusaur grinned, his heavy tongue ran across his lips and coating them with slime as his vines began to raise above him, swaying back and forth in the air like serpents waiting to strike. "I could use something a little more lively than berries. This vixen will do nicely."
 
The Ninetales bit his lip, trying not to give himself away as the vines snaked around him. They felt over his legs and drifted along his slender form, dragging him slowly closer to the Venasaur's yawning mouth as the Ghastly floated about in the air, cackling in delight as they watched the fox squirm. One flew down and grabbed Spice's scarf, it's purple mist gripping onto it and unravelling it. The Ninetales watched in horror as it landed on a pile of
cracked glasses, torn hats and jackets, and scarves of every colour. He let out a low, nervous whine as he stared ahead at the grinning Venusaur.
 
"Not going to need it where you're going," the pokemon taunted. Cyn held her breath as the Ninetales was pulled inches from the grass-types dripping mouth, his front paw being forced to step over the rounded teeth and onto the red-carpet like tongue as the Venusaur's rancid breath washed over his face, blowing his fur back. He felt the vines creeping up his legs, one poked curiously under his tails.
 
"Wait a minute." The Venusaur muttered, his eyes narrowing on the fox. It was now or never! Spice tail-whipped the vines off of him before leaping back, landing on his feet and taking an aggressive stance. The crowd gasped in unison as the Venusaur stamped his foot in rage. "You're a guy!"
 
"Yes, I'm a guy." The Ninetales replied, spitting out flames as he spoke. The Venusaur stared at him, his mouth hanging open as Spice waved his tails majestically, spreading them out behind him as he tried to make himself look as big as possible.
 
"...Wait." The Leafeon squinted, noticing something strapped to the Ninetales' central tail, "...is that my bag?"
 
"In the past few days I've been humiliated, eaten, digested, eaten again and brought here with a collar and leash..." Spice continued in a low growl, his tails lashing back and forth his mouth opened wider. "Well now it's about time someone else got BURNED!"
 
The Ninetales' mouth began to glow a firey orange before errupting into life, unleashing a fanastic jet of flame towards the Venusaur. The Venusaur disappeared behind the blaze as the pokemon of Clearspring gasped in disbelief and the Ghastly looked on with concern. The Ninetales retrieved his scarf, putting it on as he watched the smoke, a grin spreading across his muzzle as he waited for it to clear and reveal his triumph over the giant.
 "Are you done?" The Venusaur's voice rumbled impatiently, hidden beyond the veil of the smoke as it continued to rise, darkening the sky... the Ninetales could smell something on the air. Burning, but sweet... what was-
 
The Ninetales ducked as the skin of a berry came flying out of the smoke screen and over his head. It landed with a wet slap on the stage... and as he leaned down to sniff it his eyes widened, "Oh no."
 
"An Occa berry." The Venusaur grinned, the smoke cleared to revealed that other than a few little flames coming off his leaves, he was completely fine, "Useful for resisting fire damage... I've had my servants cover me from head to toe in it." he laughed. Before the Ninetales could react the vines shot out at him once again, tying around his tails and lifting him into the air by them. The seeds fell free from the bag and sprayed over the stage, though most ran down past the Ninetales front and piled up beneath him. Cyn stared at the pile, then up at the Ninetales. Her eyes narrowing into a glare as he grinned at her nervously.
 
The Venusaur sniffed them, then growled as he detected their scent. "Reviver seeds." he glowered. The stage began to rumble as the crowd panicked, Cyn closed her eyes to avoid seeing the outcome. The earthquake spread through the stage, and one by one the seeds began to burst from their shells. Once the seeds were weakened, the Venusaur stomped down on the pile, shattering whatever was left and pounding them into dust. "...I -hate- Reviver seeds."
 
"Ah, crap." The Liepard hissed, looking up at the Ninetales as he dangled overhead. She scratched at the ground in anger, her tail lashing back and forth as though it were carving some unseen foe, "Damn it, Spice! What the heck were you doing with our supply?!"
 
"I thought I might need more than one!" Spice called back, kicking his paws about as he looked down to the Venusaur below. He doubted Cyn would save him now, she would probably enjoy what came next. As much as it terrified him, he knew the plan could still work. He bit his lip, shutting his eyes tightly as he awaited the inevitable, "F-fine, just finish me off. You've bested me, Guzzler."
 "Like I'm going to eat a pokemon covered in Figy berry, I could taste it on your paw." The Venusaur gagged before giving a gluttonous grin over at the Liepard, his eyes narrowing on her as he ran his tongue over his lips. "But I do see some suitable prey here~"
 
Before Cyn could respond she felt a vine suddenly restrict her back leg, she had been so distracted by the Ninetales it had managed to sneak up on her. She turned to run away, but it dragged her across the stage towards Guzzler's hungry mouth. She dug her claws into the stage, leaving a trail of broken nails and claw marks all the way to grass-type's mouth before finally getting a hold on the ground. The tongue ran over her rear as the vine lifted her upwards, trying to get her to let go as the mouth opened wide to flick her into it at a moment's notice.
 
"Cyn!" Spice gasped as he saw the cat get dragged into the mix below him. Guzzler's jaw opened wide enough that he could see his shadow over the Venusaur's throat. He whimpered, glancing up at the vines holding him, and then looking down at the Liepard... her grip was slipping, one paw broke free from the stage as the other held on by it's digits, and another vine was quickly moving to pull it free too. He shook his tails desperately, kicking at the vines with his paws. One let go, then the other two. They grasped at the air trying to grab him as he plumetted down and straight into the monster's mouth.
 
The Venusaur gagged as the Ninetales hit his tongue, his mouth closing instinctively around him. His vines flailed madly as he let out a muffled yell, flinging Cyn into the crowd before slipping into his mouth in an attempt to remove the foul tasting fox. Spice held tightly to the tongue, his heart racing as he was thrashed about in the mouth. His fur was swiftly covered in saliva as the Figy juice got licked off of him, much to the Venusaur's protest. Even as the teeth began to chew either side of him, the Ninetales held on tightly, whimpering into the tongue as he rubbed his chest and front against it, trying to spread as much of the Figy flavour over it as he could.
 
The predator growled in frustration, deciding to employ a different tactic to finish off the fox. He tilted his head back and took several hard gulps in an attempt to remove the Ninetales from his mouth by pushing him into his throat. Spice felt himself slipping his paws grabbing as the tongue became more and more slippery. The throat gripped one tail, then another. In two gulps he was in up to his shoulders. He took one last look at the sunlight that gleamed through the Venusaur's broken teeth... then it disappeared as the final gulp echoed around him, replacing the view with tight, red flesh.
 
The crowd watched as the Venusaur tilted his head up, letting them see the bulge of their hero disappear past his fat neck and into his large gut. He let out a loud belch of victory, and the Ninetales' drool-soaked scarf came flying out, landing with a wet 'splat' on the stage infront of him. He groaned, going back to eating from the berry dish. "Ugh... I -hate- Figy berries. Hey! Someone bring me some water, I've got to get that taste ouf of my mouth!"
 
"He wasn't allergic? ...he just 'didn't like them'?" The Leafeon stared in disbelief, "B-but he had us destroy every one he found! I-I hid them for weeks and this whole time, they were completely useless?"
 
"At least you don't have to give Spice that meal, right?" Typh replied with a shrug as he turned to the Liepard. "Well, there goes Plan A and Plan B. Come on, let's get out of here before we get in trouble for hoarding the Reviver seeds."
 
Cyn breathed out a sigh and turned away in frustration, her fur still frazzled from her near-prey experience. She felt a little guilty about leading the Ninetales to his fate, but there was little they could do now. Without his scarf, he wouldn't even return... her heart sank at the thought. It felt strange, unfamiliar... was she.. actually worried about him?
 
The Ghastly giggled as they hovered back down to their leader, congratulating him on a meal well deserved, their ethereal mist rubbing at his gut as he rolled onto his side enough to expose it... though their smiles faded as their leader began to groan, then cry out as his stomach glowed a faint orange. The glow quickly became brighter and brighter, soon it looked like it might burst straight through him. The Ghastly backed off quickly and looked at eachother in a frenzied panic, though none risked speaking first.
 
Guzzler opened his mouth and rolled onto his back, his vines thrashing as he roared. The crowd and his gang looked on with equal confusion as he howled in pain, thrashing as whatever was inside of him began to come out of his throat in a series of firey jets. He gagged before opening his mouth as wide as he could, the Ninetales came rushing back out of it, leaving a trail of fire behind him. His golden fur blazed with a firey glow as he turned, lashing his tails at the air majestically, "Hmph, the nerve!"
 
"Spice?" Cyn blinked in disbelief. She turned back to watch the stage, seeing the fox as he shone brightly, the stage around him crackling as his paws scorched its paint.
 
"So, you covered yourself in Occa berries, but you didn't eat any?" The Ninetales smirked, the fire covering his fur quickly burning off the mucus and stomach fluid, "And here was me thinking you thought with your stomach." he opened his mouth, letting out another blast of fire straight down the Venusaur's throat, leaving him roaring in agony as he blocked it with his forelegs, closing his eyes tightly.
 
"Oooh Arceus, my stomach. Ahhh! It burns!" Guzzler cried out, his vines holding his sides as he kicked his stubby backlegs in the air. He looked up at the Ghastly who hung over him, staring down in shock and fear for their master, "Well, don't just float there you clowns! Get him!"
 
The Ghastly quickly turned on the Ninetales, flying quickly towards him as they zig-zagged through the sky. One moved forward to be the first to attack, aiming to tackle against the Ninetales head to disorientate him, only for its target to open his mouth at the last moment.
 
Spice widened his eyes at the unfamiliar flavour, but quickly brought his teeth down to hold the ghost in his jaw. After thrashing it ferally to subdue it he began to breathe in deeply, inhaling the ghost pokemon. Once it's purple mist faded it began to shrink until it was about the size of an apple. It gave one last panicked stare to the other Ghastly before the Ninetales closed his mouth with a loud 'clack', some of the remaining mist escaping from between his perfect white teeth.
 
He tilted his head back, gulping down the tiny pokemon with ease. The bulge of the Ghastly ran down his throat, but was barely visible in the fox's slim gut. He licked his lips as he looked up at the other ghosts, which quickly scattered and fled in order to not join their friend in its fate.
 
The pokemon of Clearspring cheered as the Ninetales turned to them, reclaiming his scarf as the glow of his Overheat faded away, leaving him with little burns over his fur but otherwise intact. He wagged his tails proudly, instantly breaking attempt at 'coolness' and waving to the crowd as he soaked in the glory, "Thank you~ Thank you~ you're too kind~"
 
"Smartass." Typh muttered, crossing his arms as he looked to Cyn, "When do you think he was going to tell us he knew Overheat?"
 
"When were we going to tell him you planned to eat him when all this was over?" Cyn replied with a smirk, "Still up for the challenge after seeing that?"
 
"I'll bide my time... learn some ice moves to cool him down first. Then? Easy prey." Typh replied, scratching at his gut before looking to Cyn, a wide smile spreading over his muzzle. "So, party?"
 
"Party." Cyn concurred, looking up at the Ninetales on the stage as her tail flicked back and forth cheerfully. He had done pretty well for a city pokemon, but the fact that he was willing to take her place in Guzzler's stomach made her ears tuck back at the thought of him leaving. He had done his part, and they had made a deal.
 
Speaking of deals, she noticed the Leafeon out of the corner of her eye. She grinned over at him, her tail wrapping around his side and pulling him closer. He glanced up at her, then over at Spice. His promise came back to him like a delayed boomerang, "...Oh." his ears folded, a nervous grin spreading across his mouth as he looked up at the Liepard. "I mean... -technically- the Figy berries worked."
 
"Technically, you and Spice have a dinner date," The Liepard purred into his ear before wrapping the Leafeon up in her tail. She began to walk away from the crowd, coiling the Leafeon in her tail and holding him up with ease, "Typh, bring Spice by the Den when he's done inflating his ego. I've got a surprise for him."
 
"What should I do about the Venusaur?" Typh called back, thumbing over his shoulder at the groaning giant. Spice glanced back at the fallen grass-type and took a few nervous steps forward before continuing to wave to his many new fans, some of them even throwing flowers onto the stage which he 'graciously' accepted.
 
"What you do best," Cyn replied with a wink. Typh glanced back at the Venusaur once more, his stomach rumbling loudly. The Liepard walked off with the doctor wrapped in her tail, chuckling to herself, "I think you can handle it."
 
As the crowd began to disperse, Guzzler let out a few coughs of ash. His insides still hurt from their firey meal, he wondered if he'd ever stomach anything spicier than porridge again. He looked up as he found a shadow cast over his face... he could hear the Swampert's gut as it growled for him.
 
"Get comfortable, your majesty." Typh grinned, cracking his knuckles and popping his jaw, beginning to stretch and flex as he prepared himself, The Venusaur watched on in wary confusion... until Typh began to squeeze some of the berries onto him. "This is going to take a while..."
 
* * *
 
The Den wasn't what Spice was expecting when he had heard of the 'fetish dungeon', or 'club' dependant on which side of the argument he listened to. On the surface it was a quaint little house like any other in Clearspring. There were a couple of seats, a job board covered in slips of paper, and a plain desk with the words 'Pokemon Adventurers for Hire!' plastered over the wall behind it, and a vague piles of paper stacked up on it.
 
But once he had made his way through the door that read 'Employees Only' he found himself stepping down some stone steps into a corridor with several doors leading off of it. Each had words over them, advertising what the pokemon would find behind them. At the back of the room between the two doors at the end of the corridor he could see a purple banner with gold writing which simply read; 'To Each Their Own'.
 
"I know it's kind of dull right now. But we're working on getting some carpetting in... eventually," Cyn noted as she came down the steps behind him. She walked straight past him, leading the fox with her tail as it tickled at his chin. She pushed the door under the 'Hunger' sign. The room was set up like a french restaurant with a dining table at the center of it and a pile of cushions in each corner, music played on loop from a hidden gramophone.
 
"It is what it is. At least it's clean down here." The Ninetales replied as he sat daintily at the table, looking down at the silver platter before him, the dish was covered by a large silver bowl. He wagged his tails in approval as the Liepard went about the room, lighting the candles to really bring the classy atmosphere together, "My, when did I walk into Lumious city? I feel as though I'm in Restaurant Le Wow!"
 
"Hardly the place to show you what life is like as a wild pokemon, hm? But still, I wanted to make sure your victory dinner was to your liking." Cyn chuckled as she took the lid off the dish and revealed the Leafeon underneath, dripping with berry sauce as the Figy berry held in his mouth kept him from speaking, "Et Voila, Leafeon au Figy." she introduced the meal with a playful flourish, "I thought it'd be the appropriate garnish for him."
 
"And here was me thinking he had gotten away in all the commotion," the Ninetales grinned down at the doctor, licking his lips. He took the napkin from the table and tugged it around his neck, his mouth opening wide to accept his meal... only to pause as he recalled the Leafeon's reaction at the mention of enjoying being eaten, "...He's not going to... uh." the Ninetales gestured with his paw, trying to get the question out without saying it outright.
 
"Oh, he won't. Not if he wants his Reviver seed anyway," The Liepard grinned mischeviously, pushing the Leafeon's rump with her paw as the dish scraped across the table, closer to the one would be eating the meal. "If he tries anything, just finish him off and we'll keep the seed to save our own hides. Serves him right for tricking us both anyway."
 
The Ninetales grinned down at the Leafeon, who let out a muffled apology as he smiled nervously around the Figy berry. Spice wasted no more time in gripping the small pokemon's sides and lifting him up until he was eye-level with him. He gave him a little lick on the nose, "No 'Salad Dressing'. Okay, Leaf? Otherwise Clearspring will have to find another pokemon to run the clinic~"
 
The Leafeon whined at the teasing, his legs tucking together and his tail curling to guard himself as the Liepard watched on with a curious grin, snickering a little at the doctor's bashfulness. The Ninetales stared into his eyes and the Leafeon gave a little nod, agreeing to the terms... after all, he had never gone back on a deal before.
 
The nod was enough for the fox to get started. He opened his mouth wide and guided the Leafeon into it, running his tongue over him and licking off the Figy sauce. He took his first gulp, bringing the Leafeon's front into his throat as his waist slipped into his mouth, leaving his rear and playfully kicking legs on full view for the amused cat. She made her way around the table and pressed one paw under the Leafeon's tail, pushing him forward to force him down the Ninetales' throat.
 
The Ninetales gulped eagerly, his tongue lathering over the Leafeon's stomach and between his legs as they passed by him. He finally closed his mouth around the grass-type's tail, taking a long, sensuous gulp to pull him down towards his gut. He moved one paw to his gut, rubbing it gently as the bulge from his throat moved into it, quickly rounding out his slim form with a heavy and swollen belly.
 
He stared into Cyn's eyes, running his tongue over his lips to remove some excess Figy sauce as he grinned, "An excellent meal, Cyn. My compliments to the chef~"
 
"She accepts them, sorry there's no dessert." The Liepard chuckled, pushing her paw to the stomach as she felt the Leafeon squirming in the Ninetales' tight gut. She canted her head over to the corner and Spice followed her lead, laying down on the pile of silk cushions. He sprawled out over them, murring deeply as his many tails swayed slowly back and forth before resting over the rest of the pile.
 
"Looks like you're having a pretty good time with him," Cyn chuckled, making her way over to the pile and resting her head on the Ninetales' stomach, "I hope he was a good meal... no 'surprises'?"
 
"A little poking, but no 'added flavours'," Spice replied, letting out a belch as his stomach continued to bulge out. He murred, resting his head back on the pillows as his right leg kicked at the air in pleasure, "Mmph, he's really giving it all he's got though. I think he might be having as much fun as I am~"
 
"Well, he better be. Until we can find a way to get a new supply of Reviver seeds, we're going to have to be more careful." the Liepard replied, glancing down at the bulge briefly. She reached her paw into Spice's scarf and took out the Reviver seed, "Unless Typh finds any in that pile of 'trophies' that Guzzler kept, This is our last one. So, open wide."
 
Spice clamped his mouth shut, shaking his head with a childish 'mmph'. He rubbed his paws over his belly, listening to it groaning and churning as the kicking got harder. If the Leafeon knew he was safe, he'd probably stop struggling so hard!
 
Cyn narrowed her eyes on the Ninetales, accepting his challenge. She smushed the seed against his shut mouth and tried to pry it open with her paws. Finally she took the seed back, looking it over, "So, you're really not going to open your mouth?"
 
The Ninetales shook his head, his tails wagging in confirmation.
 
The Liepard shrugged in response, tossing the seed into her mouth with a purr. As Spice went to cry out in protest at her wasteful use of the last seed she yanked his scarf, forcing his muzzle to meet with hers. She closed her eyes as she locked lips with him, her tongue poking into his hot mouth. Spice could feel the seed slipping between his lips, but he found himself closing his eyes and kissing back. As they broke, he took a gulp and licked his lips.
 
"You kissed me," He commented with a grin, wiping the saliva off with his napkin before tossing it aside.
 
"Of course, I had to get you to eat that seed -somehow-" The Liepard replied defensively, her tail flicking back and forth as she looked away, "I thought I'd catch you off guard, looks like it worked to me."
 
"Oh Cyn, you wouldn't be the first to fall for my charms~" The Ninetales smirked playfully, waving his tails sensually as he raised an eyebrow at her. He laid back on the cushions once more, one of his tails moving down to massage his wriggling stomach and push down any bulges the doctor made, "I bet it was the moment I came blazing back out of the mouth, just after I rescued you from certain death. I must have looked like the pokemon of your dreams."
 
"Oh please, I would've gotten back out of him." The Liepard replied, her ears tucking back as she looked off towards the dining table again, avoiding eye contact with the teasing fox.
 
"Out of his rear, perhaps." The Ninetales retorted with a smug grin, not even missing a beat. The Liepard turned and pounced onto him, pinning him playfully beneath her. They rolled for a while, leaving the Leafeon inside of Spice sloshing about and completely disorientated. Finally they collapsed back against the base of the cushions, Cyn rested her head on Spice's stomach once again as she listened to the sounds coming from within it.
 
"...hey." Cyn began after a moment of silence, looking up at the Ninetales, "About what I said when we were in the clinic... that if I were to die now, I'd have no regrets."
 
The Ninetales looked back down at her, staying quiet as he listened to what she had to say, though he did wrap his tails over her to keep her warm as they laid against the cold stone floor of the room.
 
"I think I was wrong," Cyn admitted, closing her eyes with a gentle sigh, "Seeing you do that for me... even with how I treated you... I don't know, it made me feel..." she paused, trying to find the words, "...Like I wanted to be a better pokemon."
 
Spice tilted his head a little at this. He had never seen himself as a good pokemon, especially not in his city life... his ears folded back as he remembered what he had said. He glanced down at the Liepard, "Look, if you want me to stay-"
 
"Oh, you're going to. You've got to earn us enough seeds to replace the ones you lost." Cyn replied with a little chuckle, curling up under the fluffy tails as she rested back against them. They were so soft, comforting... they carried his scent more than anywhere else on his body. She ran a paw over his stomach, looking up at the Ninetales, "...and I want you to join us. Become a pokemon adventurer... maybe we could stand to do that side of our jobs a little better."
 
"And you think -I'll- be able to help you do it better?" The Ninetales chuckled, shaking his head at the thought, "After all the mistakes I made in the plan? I'm surprised the city isnt still under Guzzler's control with how I acted." he laughed heartily. Cyn folded her ears back, punching at his stomach to get his attention. He winced before letting out a little belch, "Mmph, well... I suppose I -would- like to explore the town a bit more... while it's not being ruled by a tyrant, I mean."
 
"Thanks Spice... I know we can do this. We'll get enough Reviver seeds to keep this place going and help pokemon along the way... the Den will be better than ever, and-"
 *BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!*
 
The Ninetales leapt to his feet, glancing around his belly jiggled beneath him, "What was that?! An Earthquake?!"
 
"Sounded like... Typh." Cyn replied, having heard the distinctive belch frequently enough to know it. Her eyes darted back and forth, the belch had shaken the room and could have probably been heard clearly across Clearspring... her eyes widened, "Wow... do you think he actually..."
 
"Let's not find out just now, I'm exhausted." The Ninetales replied, flumping back down onto the cushions now that the crisis was through. He let out a loud yawn before curling up, resting his head on his tails, "Is it alright for me to sleep here tonight?"
 
"Sure. Just for tonight though, I wouldn't want you to wake up with a hungry pokemon looming over you thinking you come with the room." Cyn replied with a smile as she got up, making her way towards the door, "I'll send off for a guild badge for you, Spice. Welcome to your life as a pokemon adventurer."
 
"Thanks, Cyn. I'm looking forward to it," Spice replied with a cheerful smile before brushing a paw through his mane, his tails swishing alluringly, "I'm sure with me in your team, you'll be getting a lot more attention from the cameras~"
 
"It wouldn't kill you to be humble for once," Cyn reminded him, shaking her head in disbelief at the Ninetales, "Honestly, I asked you if you knew any fire moves and you said you only knew Flamethrower and Will O' Wisp, then you come blazing out of Guzzler like you're on fire."
 
"Well, of course I had Overheat. How else would I dry myself off?" The Ninetales quipped, before covering his muzzle with his paw, "And it was so horrid in that stomach! Berries and mush and- I thought my fur would never be clean again!" he whined before turning and nuzzling at his stomach lovingly, "Not like mine. Any prey would be thankful to rest in such a perfect tummy... and of course, become a part of such a perfect body."
 
"Alright, I'll leave you alone with the doctor. Don't make out with the mirror or anything," Cyn replied, rolling her eyes at his self-centered attitude before closing the door. Spice could hear her quiet pawsteps moving up the corridor and back towards the guild hall, and finally they faded entirely.
 
The Ninetales curled up tightly, listening to his stomach as it churned, the sounds of the Leafeon inside it having long faded. He burped out a little flame before leaning up and blowing out the candles on the wall. Settling in for a long night's sleep.
 
Being a wild pokemon had its perks too.