The Sylvar Knight
 
The afternoon sun fell over Roselake, and all around Pokemon were trying to rebuild. Homes had been lost, their berry farms raided for every last scrap. Any plants that weren’t mature enough to harvest had been cut down, and the farmers struggled to search for any saplings that hadn’t been affected by the destruction. But on the eastern side of the town, standing by the border and staring out over the fields was a young Eevee waiting for his hero to come over the horizon. A Buizel wandered over, wiping the sweat off his brow from helping repair the Inn. For a moment he stared out with the small fox, enjoying the gentle melody of the wind.
 
“He’s not coming, Maxwell.” He said, finally.
 
“You don’t know that.” The Eevee retorted with a shake of his head, “I sent that letter out four days ago, it takes a long time for messages to get around. He could have just gotten it yesterday.”
 
“And he’d have still been too late to do anything.” The Buizel scowled at him, “That.. [i]thing[/i] ate our mayor for trying to stand up to it, do you really think your stupid wandering knight is going to be any different?”
 
“The Silver Knight is not stupid!” Maxwell scowled before staring back at the grassy horizon and the forests that laid beyond, “He’s a hero, and probably a Skarmory with a name like that,” a smile crossed his face and his tail began to wag as he turned to the sky, “I’ve heard he’s travelled across the world, saving little towns like ours. Maybe he could help fight the dragon.”
 
“Well, he better be able to. You’ve got a lot of hopes up.” the Buizel reminded him as he thumbed over his shoulder. Maxwell turned to find himself looking at the welcome wagon the town had managed to pull together, a table of bread and mugs of watered down ale, and the last few remaining berry tarts that weren’t devoured by the dragon. Two of the villagers slowly unrolled a banner reading ‘Welcome, Silver Knight!’ and draped it over the Roselake town sign, surrounding it with bouquets of the roses the town was named for.
 
Maxwell winced at the weight of the responsibility suddenly on his shoulders and turned his attention back towards the sky. Any moment now, the Skarmory would come into view, bursting through the clouds in a display of awesome power. He’d tear down the dragon and bring safety to the village, and no one would have to worry about him showing up each dawn to collect his tribute for the day… nor would they have to worry about what would happen if that tribute wasn’t enough.
 
“Hey, someone’s coming!”
 
Maxwell’s hazel eyes lit up and a smile crossed his face, an excited gasp escaping his muzzle as he looked back down at the road. His smile immediately faded as he saw a lone Pokemon wandering towards them, dressed in a sandogasa hat and a long blue cloak that covered most of his body. The villagers let out a frustrated sigh and continued to watch the sky together, even as the stranger arrived in their town.
 
Now that he was closer, it was clear that behind the large hat was the pink and white face of a Sylveon. He was only a little taller than Maxwell when he passed, though the Eevee knew it was likely because he had waited on evolving. There were far too many choices, and with the town in peril he hardly had the time to go searching for evolution stones.
 
The Sylveon immediately made his way to the buffet table, cramming a loaf of bread halfway into his mouth. He began to eat and drink at the same time, clearly famished from his journey. He gagged, choking a little before taking the other half of the loaf from his muzzle, deciding to pace himself after all. Maxwell shook his head at the Fairy-type and glanced back up towards the clouds, waiting with the rest of the town for their hero to appear.
 
His nose twitched; a sweet, yet unwashed, scent had begun to assault it. He looked up to find the Sylveon standing next to him, staring at the sky like everyone else. With a shrug he turned his attention back to the clouds, not wanting to miss the moment.
 
That was when the traveller ruined everything.
 
“You spelt the name wrong.” the Sylveon noted.
 
“Huh?” Maxwell glanced up at him.
 
“In your letter, you spelt my name wrong.” The Sylveon explained, his face much clearer under the sandogasa now that they were standing next to each other. “It’s S-Y-L-V-A-R, Sylvar. Not ‘Silver’.” the Sylveon grinned, “I mean, I get why the banner is wrong if they had to get instructions from you, but getting it wrong in the letter? C’mon.”
 
“...Sylvar..?” Maxwell blinked slowly. His eyes drifted over the Sylveon, noticing the bulky bag on his side. He could see what looked the head of a lute sticking out it. The Sylveon’s grin only grew as Maxwell’s ears wilted and his pupils shrank. “Oh.. no…”
 
“YES!” the Sylveon cheered loudly, getting the attention of the entire crowd in a single sound. Maxwell ducked his head and took a few steps backwards, but each time he did the Sylveon advanced, talking at him rapidly as he struggled to not trip over his own tail, “I got your letter about needing help with a dragon, I LOVE fighting dragons. They call me a Dragon Slayer, but I prefer to go by…” the Sylveon reached into his bag, pulling out his cherrywood lute and posing with it, “the Sylvar Knight!” he strummed it dramatically.
 
“D-did he just say ‘[b]Sylvar[/b] Knight?’” a voice in the crowd called out, causing Maxwell to shrink. As more questions came in, he silently pleaded the world to just open and swallow him whole. The Sylveon continued to pose and grin, showing off to the crowd of confused Pokemon.
 
“Don’t worry everyone, I’m going to take care of your dragon problem once and for all. No charge, no fee.” the Sylveon said, one pink paw moving to his white fluffy chest, just below his bow, “I may not look it, but I’m the strongest warrior in all the realm. I’ve fought dragons before, nothing can scare me.”
 
“But first,” he grinned, closing his eyes as he sat down on a chair near the buffet table. “I need to rest my aching paws, I walked a [i]long[/i] way to get here. So how about I sit down and play you all one of my many songs?” he offered.
 
As the Sylveon opened his eyes he found that the villagers were slowly walking away. Two worked on taking down the banner while others hastily grabbed food from the buffet table. “H-hey, where’s everyone going?”
 
“To pack up.” the Buizel replied as he walked past, his arms crossed just below his floatation sac, “Tomorrow morning that Haxorus is going to come back, and no one wants to be here when he does.”
 
“But why? I’m here, I’m going to beat him up and save the town.” the Sylvar Knight blinked. The Buizel didn’t respond though. He merely shook his head and went back to trying to get the food back to his bakery. The Sylveon tilted his head, his hat almost falling off of it before he adjusted it with his paw, “Huh, weird…” he muttered before turning to the Eevee, “Hey, kid, why doesn’t anyone believe me?”
 
“I’m not a kid!” Maxwell snapped, bouncing on his paws as his fur fluffed out in rage, “I just haven’t evolved yet because I can’t get access to evolution stones and there’s no way I’ll ever be happy enough to evolve into anything else.” he growled as he stormed over towards the seated fairy-type, “I thought you’d change that, but you’re just a bard!”
 
“I’m not just a bard!” The Sylveon retorted, his brow furrowing under his sandogasa, only to turn away with a little grin, “I’m also an alchemist.”
 
The Eevee narrowed his eyes on him, though the ball of anger growing inside of him finally reached his throat. Tears formed in his eyes, and he turned away to keep the Sylveon from seeing them. “Th-this is all my fault, I got everyone’s hopes up… n-now he’s going to come tomorrow and I’m…” he sobbed, “th-there won’t be any food to give him and he’ll…”
 
“H-hey, c’mon man, don’t cry.” The Sylveon lowered his ears as he reached a paw out to the Pokemon before pulling him into a hug with his ribbons. A warm tingle moved through Maxwell, the positivity growing inside of him… he knew it was just a Sylveon’s natural ability, but it did bring him some comfort, “Everything will be fine. You’ll see.”
 
“Th-thanks…” Maxwell mumbled, wiping the tears from his eyes with a sniffle as he looked up at him, “I-I’m Maxwell.” he added, gulping to clear up the remainder of his sadness before looking away to hide his reddened eyes, “I-I’m a librarian… or I was before that Haxorus destroyed my home and buried all my books in rubble.”
 
“What? That’s so mean!” the Sylveon scowled, trying to look threatening despite his cute appearance, “I’m going to dedicate the final blow to your library, Max. That oughta teach him for messing with your town.”
 
“Maybe you ought to dedicate it to our mayor… he…” Maxwell sighed, “He told the Haxorus we weren’t going to feed him anymore, so he ate him and said if we weren’t going to feed him, he was going to feed on us.”
 
“Wait, he [i]ate[/i] him? Like…” the Sylveon took a big bite out of his bread, chewed it thoroughly and swallowed it as loud as possible. He patted his belly and licked his lips for added effect before breaking character and staring back down at the Eevee, “Just like that?”
 
“Yeah, but… no chewing.” Maxwell winced.
 
“No chewing?” the Sylveon repeated, his blue eyes blinking in disbelief. “But that could only mean…”
 
“Yeah.” Maxwell tucked his ears back, “The dragon’s a Devourer.”
 
* * *
 
“Devourers are meant to be pretty rare, huh?” the Sylveon spoke as he lowered his tankard of ale back to the surface of the bar.
 
“There aren’t many in the world,” Maxwell agreed as he finished his own drink and leaned against the bar before turning himself on his seat so he could admire their rustic tavern surroundings, “It’s said that they were cursed to have a never-ending hunger… their natural ability to swallow things whole means that they fill it with other Pokemon.” the Eevee shook his head, “And I guess tomorrow I’m going to be the one getting eaten… it was my fault the town’s in this much trouble, I made everyone think a hero was coming to save us, that’s why the mayor took the chance he did.”
 
“I’m still going to save you, Max.” the Sylveon reminded him, digging into the bowl of berries he had ordered greedily. He turned to him, chewing as he talked, “Hmh, you know, your mayor isn’t even necessarily gone. Ulp. I’ve heard when a Pokemon gets eaten by a Devourer, their soul is sealed in their mark.” he grinned, “So they’re still alive, we just have to convince the dragon to let him out and he’ll reform just like that.” he snapped his ribbon in the air.
 
“That’ll never happen,” Maxwell sighed dejectedly, his head resting against the bar with a gentle ‘fwompf’... it was hard to look depressed when you were an Eevee.
 
“Well… then we’ll have to find another Devourer to eat him and steal his mark, then they can set the mayor free.” The Sylveon suggested with a broad smile as he sat up straight, tilting his head back to reveal his face beyond his hat, “And I think I know [i]someone[/i] who’d do that for you, especially after all the trouble they’ve caused by not being a Skarmory.”
 
“Who?” Maxwell asked, sitting back up in his chair. His eyes widened as he put the clues together, “...Wait, you?”
 
“Yep.” The Sylveon grinned, placing one paw to his chest, “I’m not only the Sylvar Knight, but I’m also a Devourer.”
 
“Oh yeah?” a gruff voice called. The two froze, then slowly looked over their shoulders to find a Tauros stomping across the tavern towards them, his eyes narrowed on the Sylveon. “So show us your mark, little lady.”
 
“First off, I’m a guy.” the Sylvar knight began, swivelling on his bar stood to face him. “Secondly, you don’t want to see my mark. Pokemon usually only see it when I’m about to devour them.”
 
“Just tilt your head up. Devourer’s marks are on their neck, right?” the Tauros replied, peeking under the Sylveon’s sandogasa, “Is it hidden behind your bow or something? Show me, you phoney!”
 
“I’m done talking to you.” the Sylveon turned his nose up at the ox before swivelling on his seat and going back to drinking his ale, “Go bother someone else, you big drunk.”
 
“You’re just a fake, you’re probably not even the real Silver Knight.” the Tauros bellowed, his eyes locking onto Maxwell, “You little pipsqueak! You doomed the whole town with your damn fairy tales. I oughta kick you into the next town over so you can ruin that one too!”
 
“I-I’m sorry,” Maxwell pleaded, raising his paws to defend himself from the pummeling the bull was about to give him. The pink and white ribbon shot between the two, drawing the Tauros’ attention back to the Sylveon.
 
“How about we talk outside for a moment?” the Sylvar Knight offered him with a little grin, swivelling his ale with one paw before downing what was left in his tankard. “I’m the one who’s ruined everything really, right? You can kick my tail. I might even like it.”
 
The Tauros stared at him suspiciously, only to shake his head and glare at the Eevee once again, “No. This is all Maxwell’s fault. If anyone’s going to get beat up, it should be him.” he growled, his stomping hooves leaving cracks in the wooden floor as he prepared himself. “I’m going to trample you into a rug, fox!”
 
“I’ll show you my mark.”
 
The two stared at the Sylveon, who simply smiled and tugged his sandogasa down to cover his eyes, “Max can’t see it, he’s too young and innocent for that sort of thing.” he said, ruffling the Eevee’s ears with a paw, “But I’ll show it to you, big guy. Then you can trample me into fairy dust for all I care.”
 
“Hey, I’m not young! I just haven’t evolved.” Maxwell reminded the Sylveon with a growl. The Tauros stared between the two, considering his options before finally pointing to the Sylveon. With a smile the Sylveon bounced off his seat and pranced along to the door, his long cloak barely hiding his skipping hind paws.
 
Maxwell’s ears perked up, waiting for the sounds of the fight to start… yelling, punching, moves. But there was only the gentle murmur of the tavern… even after half an hour, he hadn’t heard a peep from either of the two Pokemon. As it was coming up to an hour and three empty mugs in front of the Eevee, he decided it was finally time to investigate, and so he pushed himself up from his barstool and staggered out into the moonlight.
 
“Sylvar Knight..? Mr. Bellows..?” the Eevee called out, staring drearily around. It didn’t help that he was drunk, and the street was practically pitch black. He decided to borrow a lantern from a nearby table. He held it out in front of him as he began to walk along, his ears perked and his nose twitching nervously, “A-are you there..?”
 
[i]“Shhh… someone’s gonna hear you…”[/i]
 
“Huh?” Maxwell turned as he heard the voice.
 
[i]“You were the one who wanted to see the mark, I told you this would happen...”[/i]
 
It was definitely coming from the alleyway between the tavern and the bakery. It was too dark for him to see anything down it, but he could hear movement… movement and a dulled voice struggling between ‘schlorps’ and the groans of a sated gut. As he moved closer the first thing the lantern illuminated was a large, white furry mass, and as he followed the curves he saw the Sylveon attached to it, breathing out a sigh of relief. The fairy’s eyes opened gently to the light, only to widen as he saw the Eevee, “Max!”
 
Maxwell yelped in horror, dropping the lantern and staggering backwards. The fire continued to illuminate the alleyway, revealing the Sylveon resting on his giant, writhing gut. It was almost twice his size, and Maxwell could make out the clearly defined bulges of the Tauros’ horns and head. The Sylveon grinned, bouncing on his belly as he rubbed it with his paws, “Check it, I’m riding the bull~!”
 
“Y-you ate him! You’re a Devourer! Just like the dragon!” Maxwell panicked, his voice gradually getting louder with each exclamation, “Y-you’re not going to save us, you’re going to eat us! O-oh Arceus, what have I done- I’ve- Mmph!”
 
A ribbon wrapped itself around Maxwell’s muzzle, and two more joined it to bind the Eevee’s paws to his sides. They effortlessly lifted the Eevee up, moving him gradually towards the Sylveon who, for the first time since Maxwell had met him, was frowning. “You should keep it down, Max… someone might hear us.” he warned him before allowing one of his paws to trail over the curvature of his stomach, feeling the Tauros’ struggles slowly coming to an end. “Now… I’m going to take my ribbon off your muzzle. But you need to promise not to yell, or scream, or cry for help,” his bright blue eyes met with the Eevee’s, “Can you promise me that, Max?”
 
Maxwell nodded, and so the ribbon was removed from his muzzle. The Eevee was petrified, frozen in horror at the sight before him. “Y-you ate him…” he whimpered, trembling in the Sylveon’s ribbons as he tried to keep himself from screaming.
 
“Of course I did. He was threatening me. He was threatening you too.” the Sylveon reminded him as he nursed his gut, “Why? Was he important to the town? Important enough to throw his weight around like that?”
 
“He was-” the Eevee stammered before gulping and shutting our eyes tightly, “He -is- our blacksmith.You need to let him go, Bellows is the only one who knows how to make the tools we need to repair the damage the dragon causes.”
 
“Doesn’t mean he should be allowed to threaten Pokemon,” the Sylveon pouted, pushing down as he felt the bulge of one of the Tauros’ horns poking up. He grinned a little, “Squish~ Mmm, big strong guys are my favourite. They’re so meaty...” he teased his prey, only to frown in consideration. “But I guess if he’s that important, I should let him go… I only want to keep bad guys in me.”
 
“So… you’ll spit him out?” Maxwell asked, his ears slowly raising as the Sylveon lowered him back to the ground and took his ribbons off of him.
 
“I’ll get him out,” the Sylveon replied non-committally before crossing his paws over his belly, “But you’re going to have to give me some privacy. It’s a little gross.” he wiggled his rear end suggestively, “I can’t really ‘go’ with an audience.”
 
“S-so you’re going to-” the Eevee stammered. He was too late, there was nothing to save after all… but how could that be? He could still see the Tauros moving inside of him. He tucked his ears back, “Y-you can bring him back though, can’t you? Using your mark?” he lowered his head to the ground, “Please, -please- don’t digest him forever. He doesn’t deserve that, he’s just mad because I screwed everything up.”
 
“Hehe, you’re so silly, Max.” the Sylveon giggled behind his paw before waving him away with a single ribbon, “Just because he’s coming out back there doesn’t mean [i]that[/i].” he stuck his tongue out playfully, “But you’re going to have to trust me on this. I’m not going to hurt some innocent Pokemon, I haven’t even got his soul in my mark yet.” he told him as he pushed the Eevee away with his ribbons, “So…. privacy, please? Kinda gotta get him out before he goes from buffalo to butt fat.”
 
“O-oh, yeah, right... “ Maxwell replied, picking up his lantern before making his way back to sit down outside the tavern and wait. This time he could hear the two, or at least he could hear the ‘brave hero’ grunting and groaning, complaining about Bellows’ horns every now and then.
 
Finally the Tauros emerged from the alley, visibly shaken and looking like he needed to wash, but otherwise alive and well. He took one terrified glance at the Eevee before racing off into the night. The Sylveon emerged from the shadows, narrowing his eyes on the retreating bull, “Not even a ‘thank you’. Can you believe some Pokemon?”
 
“Y-yeah…” Maxwell replied uncertainly, a timid grin crossing his muzzle as the Sylveon adjusted his cloak, covering his rear once again. The Eevee climbed out of his chair and wandered over to his side, his eyes drawn almost hypnotically to his gut. “I still can’t believe I saw that… I mean, he was inside you, completely alive and everything.” he glanced over at the fairy, “How did you manage to swallow him?”
 
“You’ll see tomorrow when that dragon shows up,” the Sylveon grinned, his tail flicking back and forth under his blue cloak as he looked up towards the waxing moon, “Better get plenty of rest… I’ll see you tomorrow, Max.”
 
“See you tomorrow, Sylvar Knight.” the Eevee replied, watching as the Pokemon walked off into the night. His ears tucked back as he recalled his home had been destroyed, and he had spent all his money getting the welcome party ready for the Sylvar knight. He creeped under one of tavern tables and curled up, the gentle breeze of the night washing through his fur. In his drunken state the grass was as soft as his bed…
 
[i]Maybe I’ll just lay down for a while.[/i] he thought to himself, [i]I can find somewhere better when I sober up a bit…[/i]
 
* * *
 
Thump. Thump… Maxwell slowly opened his eyes to the familiar sounds. They filled him with dread, as they did every morning. The dragon was coming into Roselake, everyone was hiding inside… and he was laying under a table outside of the tavern. He scampered to his feet and ducked behind a nearby barrel, shivering and shaking as the footsteps got closer.
 
[b]”HELLO?!”[/b]
 
Maxwell froze up, hugging his tail to his chest as he tried to keep himself from screaming. The stomping grew closer as the Haxorus continued to shout, “You better have my tribute, or there’s going to be hell to pay. If someone doesn’t show up with my food soon I’m gonna start smashin’ stuff!”
 
The Eevee shuddered, he could feel the dragon’s presence looming over him. As he looked up he noticed a window across from him, the reflection of the Haxorus’ blades as clear as a mirror. The shadow of the blades slowly started to shine, getting brighter and brighter, the hum of the energy filled both his ears. He yelped, leaping at the last moment as the Haxorus cleaved the barrel in half, sending splinters and wood flying off in different directions.
 
“Ha, found ya!” he smirked, snatching the fallen Eevee by the tail and holding him up to his face, dangling him five feet from the floor. A smirk crossed his axe-like muzzle, and he blew a breath of foul hot air in the small Pokemon’s face, “You got anything for me to eat, little vee?”
 
“N-no…” the Eevee tucked his ears back. He could feel his tail trying to curl between his legs, but as he was being suspended by it all he could do was dangle and move his paws to his chest. “I-I don’t, I’m not a baker or farmer, I’m a librarian.”
 
“Librarian? Didn’t I destroy that library yesterday?” the Haxorus asked. A sly grin crossed his muzzle as the Eevee’s face went from terrified to petrified, his jaws slowly opened as the black circular marking on his neck began to glow ominously, “Guess they won’t be needing a librarian anymore… don’t worry, I’ve got you a new job.” he smirked. The Dragon-type forcefully shoved Maxwell’s face against his scaled gut, pinning him as the Eevee squirmed in horror, “Being breakfast, you’re about the perfect size.”
 
“N-no! Please!” the Eevee pleaded as he felt himself getting lifted back upwards, the Haxorus’ laughter filling his ears as he was lowered towards his jaws. He reached his paws out, trying to push against the muzzle as the clawed hand pushed against his backside, forcing his head into it. “S-someone! Help!”
 
His paws slipped as the jaws grew wider, and all at once his entire body fell into the maw. He could feel the Haxorus’ sharp beak-like jaw slam shut at the base of his tail, leaving him letting out a cry of pain. The tongue immediately began to assault him, rolling him around and covering his fur with drool as he kicked and flailed. He could see the throat up ahead opening to drag him in at the dragon’s command.
 
The Eevee shut his eyes tightly, waiting for the moment. He could hear the Haxorus chuckle… then something in the distance, beyond the slurps of the tongue, he could hear someone shouting… calling his name. Suddenly something was pulling on his tail. He knew the feeling well… it was a ribbon.
 
A sharp yank launched him into daylight, coughing and spluttering as he landed on the grass. He had never been so happy to feel the sun on his fur. His eyes slowly opened to reveal the Sylveon standing over him, his hat casting a shadow over his face and his cloak billowing in the breeze. “You okay, Max?”
 
He nodded breathlessly. The Sylveon gave him the slightest of nods in return before leaping forward and landing gracefully between him and the Haxorus, his ribbons poised and ready to strike as he took on an aggressive stance, “How dare you come to this town and bully these poor Pokemon! Devourers like you give the rest of us a bad name.”
 
“Hmph, who are you supposed to be? His mother?” the Dragon-type snarled, his claws balling into fists as his thick tail lashed out behind him, swiping left and right before coming down with a heavy smash against the floor, “Get out of the way, princess. Unless you want to be dessert.”
 
“I’m the Sylvar Knight, Dragon Slayer.” the Sylveon replied, his blue eyes narrowing in determination on the Haxorus, “And I’m here to take you down and put you where you belong.”
 
“Heh, you’re not the Sylvar Knight.” the dragon shook his head dismissively, “That clown was going to fight my buddy Charizard. There’s no way he’d get taken down by the likes of you.”
 
“Maybe this’ll change your mind.” the Sylveon replied, one of his paws moving to the latch of his cloak. He yanked it and tossed it to one side, revealing the bandolier of brightly coloured potions he wore underneath it. As it flew in the breeze Maxwell finally got to see where the Sylveon’s mark was. Plastered on the left cheek of his thick, bubble butt rear was a large circle with a pattern in the center…. The mark of a Devourer.
 
“I-Impossible... “ the Haxorus snarled, his eyes lighting up with fury as he pointed a claw out towards the mark, “How… how did you..?”
 
“You can tell, can’t you? Lots of prey have contributed, but none more than that tasty, smokey Charizard.” The Sylveon replied playfully, turning so his backside was facing the Haxorus. He gave it a hard, teasing wiggle, causing it to jiggle and bounce as he shook it. “It was a tight fit, but totally worth it. He’s been a nice layer of padding for me ever since… who’d have thought Charizard would make such great cushions~?”
 
The Haxorus stared at the rear, slack-jawed and shocked. He seemed to be struggling to comprehend what he was seeing, “So… Charizard is…”
 
The Sylvar Knight smirked, lowering his front as he raised his tail high. A small blue wisp of flame escaped his tailhole and flew between his cheeks, forming the shape of a heart. The Sylveon giggled and fanned it away with his tail, covering his nose with one of his ribbons as he did so. “Whoops, sorry. Fire-types have that effect on me.”
 
“Y-you… I’ll kill you!” the Haxorus snarled, leaping forward as the axe-like blades either side of his muzzle crackled with dark energy. The Sylveon gasped and leaped forward at the last second, watching the Dragon-type get his axe stuck in the ground. “Nngh, I’ll kill you and then burn this whole village to the ground, you bastard!”
 
“Max, get outta here!” The Sylvar Knight yelled, gesturing with his ribbons for the Eevee to retreat. The Normal-type managed to sprint to the nearby alleyway just as the Haxorus freed himself from the ground, “You’ve been causing these poor Pokemon nothing but trouble, and so was Charizard with the town he was terrorising!” the Sylveon yelled, taking a few steps back to put some distance between himself and the towering dragon, “I’m not going to let you hurt anyone anymore!”
 
“You think you can just waltz in and be a hero?” the Haxorus roared. His claws began to light up with a dark purple energy that sparked and crackled like lightning. He thrust both his hands out and once, sending two beams of light towards the Sylveon that seemed to roar like dragons as they flew through the air towards him. The knight dodged the first and threw one of the potions from his bandolier into the path of the second. The bottle exploded as it was struck, sending a white powder over the battlefield that shrouded the two from view.
 
“Sylvar!” Maxwell gasped, creeping out of the alleyway to witness the aftermath of the explosion. The Sylveon was on his back, pinned beneath the heavy foot of the Haxorus as it grinded down against him, putting his entire weight onto him.
 
“I’m going to cut you into chunks, ‘hero’. We’ll see how much of a dragon slayer you are when you’re diced meat!” the dragon growled, slowly lowering the blade of his axe down towards the Sylveon’s exposed throat. He squirmed in place, trying to avoid it as the blade rested on his neck… Maxwell covered his eyes, the Haxorus pushed down hard.
 
...the Sylveon giggled.
 
“Huh?” the Dragon-type blinked, one clawed hand reaching up to feel along the blade of his axe. His eyes widened in alarm, “It’s… dull.” he gasped, only to stare down at the muted nubs at the tips of his claws, “My claws are dull too!”
 
“Not the sharpest guy, are you, Haxxy?” the Sylveon smiled up at him, his blue eyes sparkling before he vanished in a puff of smoke, causing the Haxorus to stumble forward and almost lose balance. He turned to find the Sylveon standing a few feet away, his ribbons wiggling playfully at him. “You went for the Substitute when the real deal was right here… don’t worry though, that Potion of Dullness won’t last for long…” he winked, giving his rear a playful smack with his paw and causing it to bounce in response once again, “Just long enough for me to ‘tuck ya in’… if you know what I mean.”
 
“I don’t need my axe to beat you, coward.” the dragon snarled, his hands reaching back as he prepared another Dragon Pulse. As he launched it forward the Sylveon’s form burst into a blinding light, causing him to rear back and cover his eyes as the fairy’s energy washed over him. The dragon roared out in response to the Dazzling Gleam, but the Sylveon showed no signs of stopping.
 
He dropped to his knees, then to all fours. As he slumped forward, but was caught by a pair of ribbons that slowly snaked around his whole body. He opened his eyes weakly, finding himself staring into the Sylveon’s. “Woah there big guy, better keep it down, some Pokemon are still trying to sleep.”
 
“Y.y.h… I’ll… kill.. y…” The Haxorus mumbled as the Sylveon lifted him up effortless. He had never been hit by a move so hard, he could barely move. All he could do was watch as the hero turned in front of him and presented him with the twin white globes of his ass.
 
“Say ‘buttnoms’~” the Sylveon stuck out his tongue at him. The Haxorus snarled, but his final roar was cut short as his head entered the fairy-type’s plump rear, causing his muffled cries to be almost completely silenced. The Sylveon bit his lip, taking a moment to adjust to the wide axe of the Haxorus’ head before breathing out a sigh of relief, “I’m glad I got some practice with that Tauros yesterday… if I can handle his horns while their sharp, I can handle you while you’re dull~”
 
Schlorp. Sylvar bit his lip, wiggling his rear as he felt the Haxorus’ neck sliding between his bubble-butt cheeks. Any struggle the dragon put up was immediately countered by the ribbons, which still had time to caress his form and search for things that might become a trouble later down the line.
 
“I’ve got to say…” the Sylveon began again, shuddering at each ridge of the Haxorus’ scales that entered his wide backside, slipping between his cheeks before forming a bulge just below his belly with the rest of the Pokemon’s form, “Those spikes on your back? ...they feel soooo good…” he panted, his forepaws reaching back and rolling his asscheeks as the Pokemon slipped deeper into him, “Hehe, ribbed for my pleasure… you’re so thoughtful~”
 
“Ggrh… snrrl….” the dragon tried to respond, but the Sylveon just gave the bulge of his head a condescending rub as he continued to slip into him. Past his broad shoulders, the Sylveon unbound his ribbons now that the Haxorus’ arms were pinned to his sides by the tightness of his tailhole. He gritted his teeth, grunting as he forced him in past his chest, his cheeks resting on the thick, doughy belly.
 
“So much food… so many prey…” the Sylveon murred as he admired it, his toes curling at the thought of having it inside him. He bit his lip and closed his eyes, taking a deep inhale before clenching as hard as he could. With a low schlorrrrrrp the Haxorus’ gut entered his body, leaving all four of his paws lifting off the ground with how big a bulge the dragon was making inside of him.
 
The dragon’s legs entered him, forced against each other as the Sylveon rolled himself forward, allowing gravity to aid him. The dragon’s tail disappeared inch by inch, ridge by ridge, until the smooth black tip disappeared into his hole, and the only sign of the dragon was the huge gut he was now resting on. “Mm… you know what they say, Haxxy. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” he grinned, his voice lowering as his paws pressed down on the bulge of the Dragon-type’s head, “Too bad yours happened to be a friend of mine.”
 
“I’ll.. kill… y.h….” the dragon protested, pushing against the walls of the Sylveon’s gut. The fairy-type lazily rubbed them back down, a drunken, euphoric smile crossing his muzzle as his ears tail wagged through the air behind him.
 
“Don’t be like that, Haxorus… you’re going to be in my mark with all your Devourer buddies, even Charizard. Just think of it as joining a club…” the Sylveon murred, his tongue running over his lips as he let out a tiny belch, a wisp of dragon pulse energy escaping his muzzle as he did, “and I’m the clubhouse.”
 
“Y-you did it… he’s-” Maxwell gasped as he crept out of the alleyway. As the Sylveon looked around he noticed that Pokemon were coming out of their houses to marvel at the sight. The once great and terrifying dragon was now nothing but an incredibly large belly, even larger than its owner. The Sylveon grinned and patted his gut, rubbing what he could reach while looking as though he couldn’t be more proud of himself.
 
“Th-thanks for finally dealing with that monster,” The Buizel baker said as he made his way towards the front of the Sylveon. He shuddered as the sounds of the fairy-type’s gut going to work on the dragon, who continued to snarl and fight even in his dire situation, “It’s… not exactly how I thought you would but…”
 
“Urrrrrp~!” the Sylveon belched in response, causing the Buizel to recoil in disgust. The Sylvar Knight simply grinned around the gathering crowd, patting his belly and showing it off. Maxwell breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that it was finally over. Roselake was safe and they could finally go back to normal.
 
So why was nobody happy? Everyone just kept staring at the Sylvar Knight like he was just as bad as the dragon. They all kept their distance, even the Buizel who had been the first to make an approach. He tucked his ears back, looking at the Sylveon… he continued to smile and wave, but Maxwell could see something in him… well, besides the bulge of the dragon that was becoming less and less pronounced with each thrash.
 
The town made their way to the tavern to celebrate the dragon’s defeat, but of course the Sylveon couldn’t move. He just grinned and watched them have fun from a distance, rubbing down his belly to try to get the dragon to digest faster. As Maxwell turned to go inside he noticed something appearing on the Sylveon’s neck… the Haxorus’ black Devourer mark. In a flash of light, the Mayor was standing next to him, confused but totally unharmed…
 
...and they still all looked at the knight like he was a monster.
 
* * *
 
The sun burned down over the horizon, turning the blue skies orange. The Sylvar Knight stood at the edge of the town, looking down the road that lead towards the distant forests as he took a few practice steps to get used to his new rear. It seemed that the Haxorus had added even more than his Charizard companion, the extra plushness left the Sylveon smiling as his rear bounced under his blue cloak.
 
“Welcome to the party, Haxorus… hope you don’t get bored being my butt. I’m sure Charizard can show you the ropes.” He smiled, turning his gaze to the town one last time before he began to walk down the road, off towards the next town that needed to be rescued from someone like him.
 
“Sylvar Knight, wait!”
 
The Sylveon turned to find the Eevee running full pelt toward him, dressed in a green traveler's cloak that flapped behind him as he ran. Finally he stopped before him, completely out of breath. “Max?” the Sylveon tilted his head, “What’re you doing here?”
 
“You don’t have to go. You shouldn’t have to.” he panted, looking up at the Sylveon with his light brown eyes, “You saved the town, you freed the mayor from that dragon. It shouldn’t matter how.”
 
“But it does matter, Max… I’m a Devourer. We’re dangerous.” the Sylveon folded his ears, “You don’t have to worry about me. I got what I came for, and now I’m going to go find the next one.”
 
“The next what?” the Eevee blinked, finally having caught his breath. “I thought you were just here because of my letter.”
 
“When you mentioned a Haxorus with an insatiable appetite, I knew it was -the- Haxorus… it was my chance to devour him and get his mark.” the Sylveon explained, tugging down the bow at his neck to reveal the circular mark. He then wiggled his rear, “Plus I got to add him to my collection… I’m trying to gather the Devourers in one place; Me.” the Sylveon explained with his usual cheery smile, “if I do, maybe I’ll be able to find a way to break the curse.”
 
“So you want to stop being a Devourer?” Maxwell asked, tilting his head to the side. “But… why?”
 
“It sucks, Max. I’m always hungry, it makes me want to eat my friends… one way or the other.” he glanced back at his rounded rear, “Most Pokemon won’t trust us, even more are afraid of us… I don’t want to be a monster, Max. I want to be a hero.” he smiled weakly, “You’ll understand when you evolve.”
 
“Well I’m not going to evolve staying here in Roselake,” the Eevee replied, lowering his gaze to his cloak before tugging it back to reveal the leather bag strapped to his side, “...That’s why I want to come with you.”
 
“R-really?” the Sylveon gasped, “You’d come with me? Even with how dangerous I am?”
 
“I know you’d never eat me, Sylvar. You only eat bad Pokemon… and even if you did, you could release me from your mark right away, right?” the Eevee replied, smiling sheepishly as he glanced back at the town, “Besides, with the library gone it’s not like I have anything left here… this is my chance to see the realm, and I want to do it as your squire.”
 
“I don’t want a squire.” the Sylveon replied with a shake of his head, turning and beginning to march down the dirt road. After a few steps he turned, looking past his wide hips and smiling warmly at the Eevee, “...I want a friend.”
 
“That’s perfect then, because I want a friend too.” Maxwell grinned, skipping happily to the Sylveon’s side as the two began to walk together towards the setting sun, “So, where are we going?”
 
“I’ve heard there’s this Feraligatr who lives in the swamp. He’s been swallowing traders and merchants travelling through it with his [i]dick![/i]”
 
“What? That’s so weird!”
 
“I know, but he’s definitely a Devourer, and if I’m going to break the curse I’ve gotta catch ‘em all!”
 
The two laughed as they walked away into the sunset, leaving the town of Roselake far behind them. It was the start of a long journey, and a beautiful friendship.
 
The End.