[b][u]Persian’s 100th Customer[/b][/u]
 
It was another picturesque day in Pokemon Square, and the town centre was bustling with activity. Rescue Teams went back and forth between the various vendors, buying and selling the treasures they had found during their travels before dropping off their remaining funds with Felicity Bank. The cat was proud of how her business had grown in the last few years, teams would always tell her how grateful they were of her service as she took in their money and placed it safely in the storage containers in her hut with her motto: “Thank you for using Felicity Bank, I’ll guard your savings jealously.” It always seemed to fill her customers with relief, knowing their money would be kept safe while they were out on missions in the wild, and Persian was happy to be around such copious amounts of gold coins.
 
But her field wasn’t without competition; she had heard there was another bank opening where Pokemon could store their coins; Duskull Bank had spread a lot further than her meagre operation, and she often had concerning dreams about her customers taking their money out and giving it to the ghosts instead. She had never been one to dwell on fears though; she was a winner, and she came from a long history of winners. She turned the anxiety into inspiration; how could she make sure her customers would remain loyal even when another service arrived?
 
Prizes. Pokemon loved prizes, [i]especially[/i] Pokemon in Rescue and Exploration Teams. She began handing out small trinkets whenever a Pokemon made their first deposit of the day, which then turned into much more useful items as time went by. The Persian sat up straight, her fur glistening in the sunshine as she held her best customer-facing smile. Now there was nothing Duskull could offer that she couldn’t!
 
[i]’Grrrrn…’[/i] her ears wilted as her body betrayed her, her empty stomach groaning out so loud she wondered if her customers would hear. Perhaps there was something she couldn’t offer after all; twenty-four hour support. Try as she might, the Persian was still a mortal, and thus needed to eat and sleep. She had managed to cut back on sleeping a fair bit, what with the nightmares, but she hadn’t found a way to feed herself without leaving the stand unattended.
 
Perhaps she could take one of the prizes? Her eyes drifted down to the shelf beneath the countertop and tugged the small box out, only to reveal it was filled with dazzling blue Quick Orbs. She frowned; not exactly edible, though as her stomach let out another empty [i]’Grrrwwwwlll’[/i] she was starting to wonder how long it would be until she had to resort to it.
 
“Uuh… Ms. Persian? My daily prize?” The Watchog asked as he curled his stubby fingers at her, his Ekans partner glaring impatiently behind him.
 
“Oh, sorry. Here,” Persian replied as she idly pawed over a Quick Orb. “Thank you for using Felicity Bank, I will guard your savings jealously.” she said, taking the small bag of Poké from the table and putting it in a box marked ‘Team Watchful’. “Perchance, do you have any apples you could spare? I’ve had some trouble finding them lately,” she asked, one paw resting on her stomach to stop it from growling.
 
“Apples are getting harder to find, I think the Wild Pokemon are eating them faster than they’re growing,” Ekans suggested as he tilted his head to the side with a little hiss, only for his tail to curl up and pat his stomach. “Hehe, and that’s not even factoring in how many us Rescue Teams go through during our missions, Hss!”
 
“It’s true, the Kecleon brothers have been selling out fast too, you have to get up pretty early if you want one for a mission.” Watchog nodded in agreement. “We eat basically all we find out in the field, you’ve got to keep a full belly when you’re jaunting through Mystery Dungeons. Last thing you want to do is pass out from hunger.”
 
"Seems like the only way to get good fresh food these days is being in a Rescue Team too." Ekans agreed with a quiet hiss. “Fair’s fair if you ask me. You can't just sit on your butt and expect Rescue Teams to feed you, you've got to work for your meals."
 
"Are you saying only Rescue Teams deserve to eat? Not all of us want to put ourselves in danger just to fill our stomachs." Persian noted, her whiskers standing on end in fright at the thought of facing a Mystery Dungeon just for the chance at an apple. “Either way, It seems like food is getting scarce… Do you think it might be tied to the calamities?”
 
“Who knows? It’s not our wheelhouse anyway, we’re only Silver Rank. Besides, food's never going to come walking up to you, you've got to go out and find it yourself.” Watchog shook his head before gesturing for Ekans to follow him. “C’mon, Ekans, let’s go put this Quick Orb in storage and then save that Wingull.”
 
The Ekans hissed in excitement and slithered along after him, leaving the Persian to ruminate on their words. She had noticed that the Kecleon brothers had been low on apples recently, but she never imagined the problem spread further than Pokemon Square. If things didn’t change soon, she’d need to find an alternate source of food… her stomach let out another hollow growl as her eyes fell on the Watchog… his back was turned, this would be the perfect time to pounce and–
 
She shook the thoughts out of her head rapidly and tugged her whiskers to calm herself down. The endorphins filled her head the movement she yanked them, leaving a pleasant brain fog filling her mind as she purred to herself. Her predator days were long behind her, and Reviver Seeds were even more scarce than apples, at least when it came to civilian use. She couldn’t let herself fall back to old habits of hunting and eating smaller Pokemon. Her stomach growling, the Persian ducked her head and focused on making it to her lunch break, and the daunting sprint she’d have to make to make it to her house and back without missing a potential customer.
 
As time went by the Persian found herself getting hungrier and hungrier, until her jaws were practically salivating at every customer who came through. She had managed to hold herself back from licking her lips as they approached her stand, though she was sure they could hear her stomach rumbling as she took their money and gave the daily prizes in return. It had been a hard fight with her instincts but she had gotten through the morning rush without eating any of the townsfolk or visiting Rescue Teams. She looked up at the sun glistening through the fluffy white clouds, it was almost in the middle of the sky! Relief filled her heart as her gemstone glistened happily. Her lunch break was close now, though she’d need to eat it quickly if she didn’t want to miss any customers.
 
“Uuhh, excuse me, Ms. Persian?” A tiny voice called up to her.
 
“Hm? Oh, sorry,” The Persian blushed as the customer caught her off-guard, her head lowering to make eye contact with them. “This is Felicity Bank, how can I help you today–”
 
The cat froze, her jaw hanging open and a large glob of drool splattering off her tongue onto the table. There stood the tastiest team she had seen all day, perhaps even in her entire life. The leader was a Rattata with a chubby gut, standing on his hind legs with his claws on the counter to look up at her. Shortly behind him was a nice plump Spearow, who seemed to be just as confused about her reaction as his team leader was. Finally at the back of the group was a tasty, slippery Finneon, his large glassy eyes staring up at her. A Rodent, a Bird and a Fish… the Persian shut her jaws tight and gulped back the drool in her mouth. [i]’How am I going to get through this one?!’[/i]
 
“H-hey, are you alright, lady?” Finneon asked as he floated up in the air to see over his two friends. “You look a little tense.”
 
“...I’m sure it’s just the heat.” Persian lied, composing herself as she stared down at the trio. [i]’They’re customers, not food. Customers. Not Food. Customers. Not Food. Customers. Not Food.’[/i] The Persian repeated in her head until the sounds of her growling stomach overtook the mantra. It was like it was trying to eat itself at the sight of the trio; how could she just sit there and talk to these snacks?! She pressed her paw against it, trying to gently nurse it behind the counter while she put on her best customer-facing grin. “W-Welcome to Felicity Bank, do you have some money to deposit, or withdraw?”
 
“Our account’s with Dusclops Bank, can you make a transfer?” Spearow asked, “We’re not in the area for too long, just here for a couple of missions and we’ll be back in Lively Town.”
 
“It’s no problem if not, we could always start a new account with you to store our money in while we’re visiting.” The Rattata offered, “I haven’t heard much about Felicity Bank, but all the locals say you’re really good at keeping things safe.”
 
[i]’Present company excluded, they’re the furthest they’ve ever been from ‘safe.’ ’[i/] the Persian scolded herself as she stared down at him, her eyes narrowed to keep herself from giving into her hunting instincts. Did he really have to swing his tail so much while he talked? It was getting harder to ignore the urge to pounce. With a forced smile the Persian nodded eagerly. “I-I’m afraid Felicity Bank isn’t currently able to access funds stored with other banks, but I can assure you I will guard your savings jealously until you’re ready to take them back.” She bowed her head, a perfect excuse not to look at the tasty trio and distract herself by counting the lines in the hardwood stand. “P-please give me your team name, and I will open a new account for you.”
 
“We're Team All Terrain!" The Rattata announced as his two companions leapt into position on either side of them. They held up their badges proudly, posing in front of the Persian like they were auditioning for a play. "We'll Rescue Pokemon anywhere, whether it be Land…"
 
"...Sea!" The Finneon chimed as he performed a flip in the air before sending out a spray of water as he landed back on the ground.
 
"Or Sky!" The Spearow chirped as he leaped into the air and flapped his wings.
 
[I]'Or Stomach!'[/I] The Persian licked her lips, only to quickly catch herself and shake her head to dismiss the intrusive thought. After a chuckle and a brief round of applause the trio fell back in line and she took out her notebook, flipping it open to the next empty page. "S-so, Team All Terrain, how much would you like to deposit today?" She asked as she pulled a fresh box off the pile from under her stand and set it aside. As she opened up her notebook she couldn't help but perk her ears at the page number… were they really her 100th customers?
 
“We’d like to deposit 1000 Poké, it’s not much but we’re only just starting out here and we’d hate to lose it while we’re exploring.” Rattata replied as the Spearow handed him the heavy bag of coins. The rat took it and clumsily stumbled on two legs before lifting it up to hoist it onto the countertop.
 
“O-oh, let me help you with that.” The Persian reached over and plucked him between two of her claws, lifting the rodent up by his scruff. Her heart raced in her chest as she realised what she had done, but dropping him would have only drawn attention to it. She placed him on the counter and offered a friendly, apologetic smile before picking up her pen again. “S-so, 1000P?” she asked as her stomach let out another needy groan under the table.
 
“Uuh, yes. Just this for now,” The Rattata replied as he dropped the bag, leaving the coins clinking against each other. The Persian took it away from him and slipped it into their box behind the counter, but the rodent remained on the table awkwardly twisting his tail. “...So, uh…” he stared up at her, his radar dish ears tucking back.
 
“Rattata, what’s the hold up?” Spearow asked. “We’ve got a new Mystery Dungeon to explore today.”
 
“Oh no, he’s making that face again…” Finneon groaned, one flipper covering his face. The Persian glanced down at the Rattata, her ears cocked in confusion as he continued to stare up at her meekly, his nose twitching and his cheeks tinting pink. “I’m sorry, he gets a little mousey around cats.”
 
The Persian’s stomach growled out in hunger at the mere mention of the word ‘mouse’, roaring so loud she was sure it rumbled the table. The Rattata stared up at her, pupils wide as he twisted his tail in his hands. His ears were tilted downward, and as the two made eye-contact they came to the same conclusion. The cat looked away, wiping the drool from her jaws. “I-I’m sure you’ve got a busy day ahead of you…” she muttered vaguely as she used her paw to nudge him towards the edge of the counter.
 
“N-nothing more important than making a good first impression, that’s what I always say!” Rattata insisted as he stared up at her, “You know, I’d love to get a guide to show us around Pokemon Square, maybe show us some places the tourists don’t usually get to see?”
 
[i]’Grrrrrnn!!’[/i] Her stomach complained; he was literally asking for it! But the Persian couldn’t give in, she was a civilised Pokemon now, and that meant not eating others. She turned her focus to the page, writing in her notebook so quickly she almost pressed the pen straight through the paper. “I-I’m not much of a guide. Maybe Kangaskhan can help. She knows the town much better than I do.”
 
“A-any local customs we should know about? Things us Lively Town folk might not see much of back home?” The Rattata asked, “It’s just that your architecture is quite primitive compared to ours, I can’t imagine you’ve been civilised for too long. I’m sure you’ve got some traditions or practices–”
 
“Rattata, I know you’re desperate but this is just embarrassing. Not every cat wants to eat you,” Spearow shook his head as he leaned up to peck at the rat’s tail and snap him to his senses. “Come on, off the table. Once we get into the wild you’re going to be fighting predators back.”
 
[i]’But I want to eat him! I want to eat all of you!’[/i] the Persian thought as her stomach let out another pained growl, a hollow gurgle groaning deep from within her calling out for the Rattata like they were star-crossed lovers. The Rattata stared up at her again, the same blush over his face and his paws resting submissively on his chest. [i]’I can’t… oh, screw it. When am I going to get this chance again?’[/i] “Wait!” she yelled, drawing the entire market’s attention to herself. The feline ducked, her ears tucking back as she tapped one claw on the page in her logbook. “It says here you’re my 100th customers… congratulations, if you’ll follow me into my tent I have…” her eyes fell on the Rattata laying prone on the table. “...a [i]special reward[/i] for you.”
 
“Oh my, a special reward!” Kangaskhan gasped as the cub in her pouch clapped its tiny paws. Soon the whole square was muttering amongst themselves, quickly circulating rumours about what it could be. Some Pokemon even stepped forward to offer their congratulations, but the Rattata and Persian kept their eyes on each other; the Persian gulping back drool, and the Rattata trembling in anticipation.
 
“Please follow me, right this way.” The Persian turned her back, her tail flicking welcomingly to the trio as she made her way into the tent. [i]’Nothing to get the customers excited like a giveaway,’[/i] she thought to herself as the clamour of excitement faded behind the fabric doors of her tent. Team All Terrain had followed her inside, staying silent in anticipation of what was about to happen. Rattata’s eyes sparkled with excitement as his two teammates took in the sight of the hundreds of boxes of gold coins inside, each marked with a different team name. The cat stood in silence, her back to them as her tail twitched and the growls of her stomach echoed in her ears… how was she supposed to start something like this?
 
“So, where’s our special reward?” The Spearow finally spoke up, as if he didn’t already know. The Persian was glad someone else broke the silence, it had given her time to get into character. She turned to face them with a rumbling purr, drool dripping from her jaws. The Finneon ducked nervously behind his cohorts, but Spearow just folded his wings to his sides and rolled his eyes. “Of course…” he muttered dryly as the cat prowled towards them. “We’ll never get to Silver Rank at this rate.”
 
“I’ll be sure to give you all glowing recommendations for accepting my ‘mission’,” Persian reassured him, her nose a whisker away from Rattata's face. She let out a long breath, her tongue lolling out in front of his face and leaving the rodent's legs buckling under him at the feel of her warm, predatory breath running over him. “I will of course give you a real reward too, but first you’ll have to retrieve it from my stomach.”
 
“I-I’m sure it’ll be worth the effort.” Rattata blushed under his fur, his eyes locked onto her lips so he could peek into her maw whenever they parted. He let out a squeak as the Persian slapped a paw down onto his tail, gripping it tightly in her claws before picking him up and dangling him by it. “O-ooh!”
 
“I-I suppose we were only going to do some exploration work today anyway, if it were Rescue missions it would be another thing–” Finneon stammered, averting his gaze as the Persian lifted his team leader up over her jaws and started to slurp over him with her broad flat tongue. “I-I mean, and we all have Reviver Seeds too, s-so, uh– I-If Rattata wants to–”
 
“Finneon, not you too,” Spearow groaned into his wing as he folded it over his face. “Honestly, we need to stop doing this. No one’s going to take us seriously if we keep letting ourselves get eaten by other Pokemon.” He turned his beak up, his wings tucking firmly to his sides. “Whatever the prize is, it’s not worth our dignity.”
 
The Persian’s tail scooped up a heavy bag of coins from one of the boxes and dropped it in front of him. The Spearow had to tilt his beak up to see inside, his eyes widening at the glistening golden coins inside. “...Okay, but this is the last one.” He conceded with a chirp.
 
“Don’t worry, I’ll make him come around,” The Rattata whispered, his paws resting on the Persian’s snout to take some of the strain off his tail. The cat replied with a hungry purr, her jaws parting wider and wider until the rat’s hands slipped off her nose and landed on her tongue with a splat. She lowered him into her mouth, her tongue soaking his fur with drool as it wrapped around him, tasting him from all angles until his entire upper half was in her jaws. “W-wow, you really [i]are[/i] hungry.”
 
[i]’Famished,’[/i] the Persian agreed as she closed her mouth around him, allowing his hind legs to dangle and kick outside her jaws while she took the opportunity to taste him. Her stomach groaned and growled, but she rubbed her paw to silence its roars. She needed to savour the moment; she wasn’t sure when she’d have live prey again, after all. If only the Rattata was as patient as she was; she could feel him pulling against her teeth to drag himself in, his curled tail flicking back and forth in excitement.
 
[i]’Fine, but I’ll take my time with the other two.’[/i] The Persian thought to herself as she opened her mouth in a wide yawn, allowing the Rattata to scamper the rest of the way inside. Her jaws snapped shut around his tail, being careful not to damage it as she pinned it between her teeth. She winced as the Rattata let out a squeak, though as he followed it up by rubbing his front against her tongue it was clear it was from excitement rather than pain. She began to roll him back and forth with her tongue, tasting over the lump of fur and meat as she sloshed it from one cheek to the other. “Mmmhhh~ Prrrrr~” She drooled, saliva escaping the corners of her mouth and running down her cheeks.
 
Feeling more relaxed now that she had something in her mouth, the Persian laid down on the soft cloth floor, her long tail curling behind the other two teammates and pulling them over until they were pressed snuggly against her side. Her stomach let out a groan, causing the two males to exchange a look; the Spearow unimpressed, the Finneon whimpering nervously. The cat tilted her head back and allowed the Rattata’s tail to slip in between her jaws, one paw pressed against the bulge in her neck to keep him in place as she closed her eyes. “Mmrrrrhhwwwlll…”
 
“Are you going to swallow him or not?” The Spearow grumbled, the feathers on his head folding back. The Persian curled around the two explorer’s in her grasp, her muzzle an inch away from the Spearow’s face. She let out an almost silent [i]‘Gllk!’[/i] and opened her mouth just in time for the bird to see the curl of his team leader’s tail disappearing over the edge of his throat as she let out a steamy breath over his face. “Ugh… charming.” The Flying-type sneered as he glanced away.
 
“Mmmhm~” The Persian replied, her eyes closing as she tilted her head back and took another gulp. The lump of the Rattata quickly sank down past her neck and disappeared behind her firm chest, only to reemerge as a squirming bulge in her midsection. She pressed her tail firmly against the two remaining members of Team All Terrain, an amused purr erupting from her throat as she stared down at them. “Forgive me, it’s been a long time since I've eaten prey. I forgot how much I enjoyed it.”
 
“I take it our ‘noble leader’ wasn’t enough to fill your stomach,” Spearow frowned.
 
“Even if he was, I think I’d still want to eat you two. Besides, as an Exploration Team, aren’t you bound to go wherever your leader goes?” The Persian replied as she licked her lips, meowing in delight at the taste of her former prey as her ruby eyes flitted between the two to decide who would be next. “I trust you are a more loyal friend than to leave him alone in my stomach… aren’t you?”
 
“Hmph.” The Spearow averted his gaze, a little blush forming either side of his beak as his feathers fluffed out. The Persian chuckled and squeezed him tighter to her gut with her tail, causing the Finneon next to him to let out a nervous bubbling whimper as they were pushed against her thin gut, now slightly plumper thanks to the rat squirming inside. Finneon started to flutter his fins, batting at the back of the bird’s head until finally Spearow looked over his wing to glare at him. “What is it?” he grunted.
 
“R-Rattata’s moving around a lot in there, do you think he’s okay?” Finneon whimpered as he flitted back and forth against the Persian’s fur, causing the cat to let out a rumbling purr as she licked the underside of her paw. “Wh-who do you think she’s going to eat next? Oh Arceus, it’s going to be me, isn’t it?”
 
“You’ll be fine, this has happened to us more times than I care to remember,” Spearow reassured him with a stern look. “But if you’re that scared, I can go next. I’d rather get this over with quickly anyway.”
 
“N-no! You can’t leave me alone out here!” The fish bubbled, his fins swishing in a panicked frenzy and batting against the Spearow’s crest. “I-I don’t know if I want to go second or last! Aaah, this always happens!”
 
“You seem awfully agitated for someone who’s experienced this before,” the Persian rumbled down at him. The fish stared up, his eyes wide as he shivered against her belly. She caressed him softly with the coiled tip of her tail, causing the fish to flinch before gradually relaxing against it. “Would you like me to help calm your nerves?”
 
“M-maybe,” Finneon gulped. “S-sorry, Rattata and I usually go down together, I get a little nervous about the whole… uh…”
 
The Persian’s red eyes flashed, the mesmerising pink hue settling in the corners of her iris. Spearow quickly ducked his head to avoid it, but the Finneon was completely enraptured by her Charm, just as she had intended. The fish immediately relaxed, visibly melting against her as she purred in amusement. “My goodness… usually it takes a few seconds to take effect,” Persian smiled down at him as she reached a paw to gently brush over the fish’s smooth scales. “I’m starting to think your anxiety was just excitement in disguise.”
 
The Finneon let out a drunken bubbly laugh as he rested the side of his head against her paw, his lidded eyes glazed pink as he stared up at her. Her paw slipped down over his ear-like back fins and caught his tail between two digits before hoisting her out of his own. He began to flop back and forth, wiggling in her grip as she slowly lifted him. “It’s been even longer since I had fish,” she purred, “They were always too fast for me to catch out of the water. Much easier to catch on land though~”
 
“I’m just glad you stopped his worryworting.” The Spearow remarked as he looked up at her, his eyes flitting briefly to the fish before turning his gaze back to the predator expectantly. The Persian held the Finneon, letting him tire himself out as he flopped back and forth as she stared at the bird. Spearow blushed, his feathers ruffled. “What?!”
 
“Nothing, I just think it’s funny that someone so averse to this whole thing is watching me eat so intently,” The cat replied, her smile revealing her fans as she ran her slimy tongue over the smooth scales of the fish, leaving drool dripping down his underbelly. “Perhaps you wish I had eaten you second instead?”
 
“If you did at least I wouldn’t have to watch this blatant perversity,” The Spearow scoffed as he turned his beak up. “If anything [i]you’re[/i] the suspicious one, I thought you were starving but here you are playing with your food.”
 
“So you admit you’re food?” The Persian countered, hoping he wouldn’t notice the blush under her whiskers twitch at being called out. Not wanting to prove his point she opened her mouth wide and lowered the Finneon onto her tongue, placing him as delicately as she could. The moment she took her paw off his tail he immediately began flapping around in a frenzy, leaving her snapping her jaws shut to avoid him getting out. She closed her mouth, her cheeks bulging out as she looked down at the Spearow, only to catch his judgemental glare.
 
[i]’He’s acting awfully superior for someone who’s about to be lunch,’[/i] the Persian thought, though Finneon's delicious flavour and the texture of his scales immediately took her mind off the prudish bird. She let out a revelrous purr, her eyes closing in bliss as she swept him around her mouth with her tongue, quickly coating each part of him in her drool until he was practically slipping around by himself without so much as a nudge.
 
After a few times moving from cheek to cheek she tried to pin him to the roof of her mouth as she had done with his team leader, but the Finneon’s slick body slipped out of her grip and right into the back of her throat. The cat swallowed instinctively, sending the Finneon hurtling down her throat like a fleshy waterslide. She quickly moved her paw to her neck, trying to hold the bulge in place. She didn’t want to let him go that easily.
 
She could feel his fins flapping in her throat, eagerly swimming forward towards his destination as her stomach let out a hungry [i]grrrgggle[/i] to draw him like a siren to his doom. It suddenly occurred to her that neither he or the Rattata had any accessories to carry their Reviver Seeds in; perhaps it was best she left the smartest one of the trio until last. Finally the fish slipped through her grip and sailed the rest of the way down her chest without so much as a gulp, though the Persian did have to swallow the copious amounts of drool he had left behind. She let out a satisfied, fishy-breathed sigh before turning her attention to the bird. “Mmmrrowl… your teammates have been delicious so far, but where are they keeping their Reviver Seeds?”
 
“Rattata keeps his and Finneon’s in his cheek pouch, I hold mine in my crop, assuming we don’t have our bags on us.” The Spearow replied with a flutter of his feathers, “I do hope you aren’t only thinking about our Reviver Seeds [i]now[/i] when you’ve already eaten two of our team.”
 
“I trust Rescue Teams to always carry Reviver Seeds on them. You’d have to be pretty stupid not to, especially at your size.” The Persian deflected his accusation, though her stomach let out a guilty rumble as she averted her gaze. “...This is also the first time I’m encountering willing prey. I assumed you came prepared.”
 
“Rattata maybe, but I think this is a waste of Reviver Seeds,” Spearow replied with a shrug of his wings. Though he looked stoic, the bird’s eyes kept flitting to her stomach whenever the bulge of one of his teammates pushed against him. “...I expect you to reimburse us for the Reviver Seeds, and provide additional remuneration on top of the money you’ve offered.”
 
“Hmm…” The Persian furrowed her brow as she quickly did the maths in her head; three Reviver Seeds, a bag of a thousand Poké [i]and[/i] a ‘special prize’? …this was quickly becoming the most expensive meal she had ever had. Her tail unwrapped from the bird and she stood up, “I’m satisfied with your teammates, I can go without eating you.” She bowed her head, “Thank you for your time; please return later and I’ll return your teammates to you,” she gave him a toothy grin as she dragged her tongue teasingly along her paw in a slow [i]Slrrrrrrrp![/i] “Until then… my stomach will guard them jealously.”
 
“W-wait, hold on,” The Spearow fluttered his wings as he got back to his feet. “You can't just eat two of us, we’re a team.” He flapped his wings furiously, “besides, if I know those two they won’t fill you up for long anyway. Then you’ll be wishing you had eaten me too!”
 
“Be that as it may, I’m sated, and I don’t wish to trouble you further,” The Persian replied diplomatically as she began to walk towards the tent flap, her bloated stomach swinging under her with each step as her two prey sloshed back and forth inside it. She stopped at the entrance, her eyes drifting over her shoulder to regard the bird who still hadn’t taken a single step from where she left him. “I’m sure you’ll find plenty to do around Pokemon Square while you wait for them to reform, and I need to get back to work anyway.” …that last part hadn’t been a bluff, the cat realised anxiously. It had only just occurred to her how long she had been back there. Her stomach let out a hollow groan at the idea of letting the bird walk free, but she clutched it with her forepaw and narrowed her eyes. [i]‘Wait for it…’[/i]
 
“I… I insist you eat me!” The Spearow squawked suddenly, surprising both himself and the Persian at his volume. The cat swivelled her round ears and twitched her whiskers, but all she could hear from outside of her tent was the usual bustle of the market. Breathing out a sigh of relief she turned away from the flap and back to the Flying-type. He tucked his wings to his sides and ducked his head, “Th-that was the agreement, after all… and I don’t want our team to be known for going back on our word.”
 
“Hmm… first your dignity keeps you out of my stomach, and now it’s forcing you into it.” The Persian ran her tongue along her fangs as she dropped into a hunter’s crouch and prowled towards him, her engorged belly dragging against the floor and squishing the Spearow’s teammates from all angles. She couldn’t help but purr as they began to squirm from again, pushing against the walls of her stomach as they were compacted together beneath the pressure of her stance. “I’m sure I could squeeze you in, if you were to drop the additional charges…” she licked her lips as she motioned with her claw for him to turn around, “And promised to be as filling as your teammates.”
 
“Hmmph…” The Spearow grunted. Even in the darkness of the tent, the Persian could see his feather’s ruffling from embarrassment. Finally he turned away from her, his tail feathers sticking up as he shuffled his wings against his sides. “You’re a shrewd negotiator,” he muttered under his breath.
 
“I’m glad we could come to an agreement,” she replied, only to immediately break her professional etiquette by springing off her hind legs and launching herself towards the bird. She landed with him pinned under her forepaws, causing the Spearow to let out a squawk of surprise at the sudden weight on top of him. She swung her muzzle down and engulfed his head in one go, gulping him past his chest with a single [i]‘Ggrlrk!’[/i] before tossing her head back to lift him off the floor.
 
The Spearow let out a muffled squawk and started to flap his wings, spraying loose feathers over the floor and over the Persian’s whiskers. She knew it was all for show though; he couldn’t look like he was enjoying it [i]too[/i] much. Another gulp dragged his belly into her maw, his wings splayed either side of her muzzle before she parted it wide enough for them to slip past her teeth. Her jaws clenched back down once they were inside, her fangs resting on the fluffy feathers of his midsection as his legs kicked at the air in front of them, his head entering the tight confines of her throat.
 
“Mmhh… Mrrrowll…” She purred, letting out copious amounts of drool over the Spearow’s slick feathers as she slurped him around in her maw. Her stomach growled hungrily, urging her to swallow the morsel, but she knew she had to be slower on her last one if she was going to make the price worthwhile. She slurped the bird fully into her mouth and sloshed him around, moving him from one cheek to the other as her tongue swished saliva over every inch of him.
 
Once she was satisfied he wouldn’t be able to fly away she opened her mouth, leaving the bird gasping for air as he was given a brief break from the overbearing heat of her maw. He flapped his wings as best he could in the tight confines around him, hovering up a few inches to ‘get away’ before the Persian’s teeth snapped down on his brown tail feathers.
 
The cat opened her jaws once again and the bird plopped back into her mouth, sliding down her tongue and spluttering as his face was soaked with drool. Finally his rear met the back of the Persian’s throat once more, and she closed her mouth around him with a satisfying ‘clack!’ of her teeth. She let out a gluttonous chuckle, her paw pressing against the bulge he made in her neck as her rumbling purr vibrating around him, ruffling his feathers one last time before his final descent.
 
But, try as they both might to avoid it, it [i]was[/i] time to finish playing with her food. She had a stall to run and a stomach to fill, after all. The Persian closed her eyes and tossed her head back, swallowing once to get past the Spearow’s tubby belly, and then again to send his muffled squawks trailing down her throat until they were nothing more than an afterthought. She immediately began licking her paw, drooling and slurping in the afterglow of a well-earned meal. Her belly hadn’t felt that full in a while; all three Pokemon were moving in unison, pushing at each other in the cramped confines of her gut and rubbing against her sensitive stomach walls as they did so. “Oohh.. thank you, thank you… y-you will be.. Mhh.. greatly rewarded…” the Persian panted, as she kneaded her belly with her free paw.
 
A rustling caught the Persian’s attention, stopping her heart and turning the warmth of her full belly to a block of ice. She knew that heavy plodding anywhere; it was Kangaskhan! The cat opened her mouth to yell not to come in, but the matronly kangaroo was already halfway through the tent flap. She quickly turned away, crouched over to obscure how fat and lively her belly was as Kangaskhan stepped through the tent flap. “Oh my, it’s dark in here. Don’t you ever have a light on in your tent, Persian?”
 
“Hmmupp!” The Persian burped into her paws, barely blocking the noise. She let out a sigh of relief and shook her head as Kangaskhan didn’t seem to notice. “N-no, Kangaskhan. I have excellent nightvision, and I can rely on my whiskers when that doesn’t work.” The Persian gulped down some stray feathers that had gotten stuck in her throat, “B-besides, I’m not back here often enough to warrant it.”
 
“You’re so frugal, you know you’re allowed to treat yourself once in a while, right dear?” Kangaskhan replied, her voice as warm as baked cookies as she plodded deeper into the tent, each step making the boxes of coins on the shelves rattle.
 
“I-I know,” Persian replied guiltily as her stomach let out a bubbling gurgle. She slowly sat up, parting her hind legs to hide the bulging belly splaying out across the floor in front of her. “Believe me, I know.”
 
“I just thought I’d contribute to your special prize with one of my own, those boys were my one hundredth customers too, if you could believe it.” Kangaskhan laughed as though she had just heard the funniest joke of her life. “It seems like just yesterday you and I opened up shop in Pokemon Square, and now we’ve both got so many friends and customers to look out for.”
 
[i]’Please leave, please, please leave.’[/i] Persian shut her eyes tightly. Kangaskhan was one of her oldest friends, she couldn’t let her see her like this! It seemed that ship had already sailed though, she could feel the warmth of the huge Pokemon looming over her. She flinched as she felt her smooth-clawed hand rest on her shoulder, her fur standing on end. “But I don’t see Team All Terrain here, wherever did they go?”
 
“Th-they left out another way,” The Persian lied as she turned to face her friend, her paws pushing her belly back underneath her to hide it as much as possible. Unfortunately compacting her prey’s space only made them squirm harder. Her legs and tail twitched, her fangs biting her lower lip to contain the pleasure of the trio moving about inside her.
 
“I’m sure they did,” Kangaskhan replied as she petted softly along the feline’s cheek. The Persian purred and leaned into it, glad to have an excuse to purr without drawing attention to her gut. The relief vanished quickly as the Kangaskhan plucked something from between her whiskers and held it in front of her eyes; a single brown feather. “I think you and I need to have a talk about eating Pokemon again. I was hoping the last time would have been our last.”
 
“Th-this time was different; they were willing prey, the Rattata practically fed himself to me,” Persian stammered as she stared wide-eyed at her friend. “They all had– Have Revived Seeds, and I agreed to pay them for their services.” She tucked her ears back guiltily, her stomach groaning suddenly feeling much louder now that she was desperately trying to explain herself. Tears of humiliation started to form in the corner of her eyes, her throat aching from embarrassment and guilt as she rested her head against the Kangaskhan’s chest. “Th-there hasn’t been enough food lately, and I’ve been stressed and tired and–”
 
“Dear, that’s enough. You’ve said plenty already,” Kangaskhan reassured her as she pulled her into one of her town-famous hugs. She scooped the Persian off her paws and cradled her against her broad chest, allowing her to melt into the warmth and comfort of her embrace. “You should have told me you were struggling to get apples, I could have offered you some from my supplies. Rescue Teams are always giving them to me as gifts, more than Junior and I can eat on our own.”
 
Persian sniffled and nuzzled at the larger Pokemon, narrowly avoiding breaking into all-out sobbing as she rested against her form. “Please don’t tell anyone about this…” she begged, “If word got out that I… e-even with willing Pokemon, I could lose everything. My business, my place in Pokemon Square…”
 
“They’d be a fool to push you out over this, and if they did they’d be losing me too,” Kangaskhan reassured her with a gentle kiss on her gemstone. With the Persian settled she reached down and began to rub over her belly, nodding to herself contemplatively as she felt each of the forms. “They certainly filled you up though, I can’t imagine you’ll need dinner tonight.” The kangaroo nodded to herself, “It’s decided then, you’ll have to come over tomorrow, and bring your new friends with you too if you like.”
 
“It’s hard to say whether they’ll want to see me again after this encounter…” The Persian replied, her cheeks flushed as she stared down at her bloated belly and pictured the three Pokemon inside. “The Rattata perhaps, but the other two…”
 
“Oh, nonsense. I’m sure us all having dinner together will give them a chance to get to know you on the outside as well as they know you on the inside.” The Kangaskhan winked down at the cat in her arms before placing her back on the floor. “Now, you stay in here and have a nice long nap. I’ll take care of your stand until you’re well-rested.”
 
“I-I couldn’t ask you to do that, the Pokemon at Duskull Bank never take stop to take naps,” Persian blushed as she moved to follow the Kangaskhan. The kangaroo’s tail pushed firmly against her, sliding her along the floor until it knocked her into a stack of pillows. Kangaskhan threw a blanket over her before she could stand up, and held up another as she tried to squirm out from under the first.
 
“The Pokemon at Duskull Bank don’t offer ‘special rewards’ to their customers either,” Kangaskhan winked as she stepped back out of the tent and left the Persian surrounded by shadow. The dark and quiet certainly helped her feel sleepy, along with the oncoming food coma that had only been held back by her anxiety of being discovered with a belly full of Pokemon. The Persian closed her eyes, relaxation sweeping over her for the first time in moons. Her stomach gurgled and churned, getting to work on the delicious team of perfect Persian prey. Perhaps having dinner with them would help clear up some of what unfolded today.
 
But if not, she and Kangaskhan could always have them for dessert.
 
The End.