[b][u]Doctor’s Orders[/b][/u]
 
Leaf awoke to a clatter, stirring him from his slumber. The early winter morning light was shining through the window like a stream of pale yellow that spot-lighted the sneaking Pokemon; a Lucario with ragged fur, still hunched over as he gripped the edge of the table to keep it from rattling. The Leafeon yawned and stretched as he slowly pushed himself up from the bed, his ears flattened as he stared at his patient.
 
“Err… morning, doc,” the Lucario mumbled as he tried to stand up straight, only to slump forward onto the table and make the empty plates and glasses on it rattle again.
 
 “Hello, Kano. I see you’re getting your morning exercises in?” the doctor replied, wanting to give his patient the benefit of the doubt. He finally sat up and quickly ran a paw over his cheek fluff to tidy them up. He had fallen asleep in his lab coat and glasses again. “You know, the only way you’re going to recover quickly is with bed rest.”
 
“B-but I have recovered! Look!” the Lucario brought his hands together and concentrated. He mustered the tiny wisp of blue aura, then steadied himself against the table with a bluster of coughs and panting. “See? Hack! Grgg! B-back to my old self!” he insisted between coughs.
 
“You can barely stand, do you really want to end up spreading your illness to the rest of your team?” Leaf tucked his ears back as he hopped off the bed and made his way towards the Pokemon. “Please go back to bed, I’ll start making you breakfast and your morning medication in a minute.” [i]’Please at least give me a chance to wake up before you argue with me,’[/i] Leaf thought to himself. He had never had such a stubborn patient, the Lucario had come in
 
“By that logic, aren’t I also risking spreading my germs to you by staying?” The Lucario pointed out as he finally pushed himself back upright and crossed his arms under his chest spike, though Leaf could still see how much the jackal was concentrating on his breathing. “My team can handle it, we get poisoned in dungeons all the time and we shake it off and keep going. You’re the town’s only doctor, I can’t risk you getting sick.”
 
[i]’If you get poisoned all the time and don’t use Pecha berries it’s no wonder you’re in here…’[/i] Leaf thought with a firm glare, though he opted to keep his thoughts to himself. He had to have bedside manners, after all, even if the Lucario didn’t.
 
“That’s very considerate of you, but I’ll manage.” Leaf finally replied, canting his head towards the Lucario’s bed. “I know your work is important to you, but mine is important to me too. I can’t let you leave here while you’re still sick.” He smiled warmly, his leafy tail swishing behind him as he looked up at the taller Pokemon. “Please? …with proper bed rest, you should be ready to get back out there in a day or two…”
 
“A day or two? us Rough-Housers don’t sit around! We can tough out any storm!” The Lucario barked as he puffed out his chest, only to let out another spluttering cough as he covered his muzzle with his arm. “We, hcck, hack! We don’t stop for anything! That’s why we’re gonna get to Silver Rank by the end of the week!”
 
“I know Team Rough House has a reputation to build, especially since you’ve only just started out.” Leaf reassured him with a slow, trusting blink as he did his best to maintain his composure. “But if you go back to Machamp and Aggron now, you’ll [i]all[/i] end up getting sick, and they’re going to know who to point the finger at.”
 
“You’re just keepin’ me here to make sure The Winners get all my team’s jobs,” The Lucario grunted. “If you were any kind of real doctor, you’d have blasted me with Aromatherapy and stocked me up on Oran Berries and sent me on my way.”
 
“Oh for–!” The Leafeon scoffed, stopping himself before he said something he’d regret. He had to find a way to stay calm, even if he was dealing with the most impatient patient he’d ever seen. “You have to realise how preposterous that is; for one thing, I don’t know Aromatherapy, and even if I did you can’t cure the flu and exhaustion with a move or berry. They can help, yes, but the only real cure is time and rest.”
 
“Sleep’s for the weak. If I can walk, I can fight.” The Lucario turned and marched… well, staggered, towards the front door. “Thanks for giving me a bed for the night, but I think I’m ready to get back in the game.”
 
“Please, listen, if you leave now you’re going to end up back here anyway, and it’ll be much worse.” Leaf spoke up as he quickly paced after the stumbling jackal. “It’s not just your teammates - you’ll make your clients sick, and any bounties you capture, and anyone who interacts with those bounties…”
 
“Then I guess all those Pokemon are going to have to tough it out too.” The Lucario replied as he flexed his arms, putting on his best battle pose. “Because I’m the leader of Team Rough-House; We’re Rough and Tough Enough to Bring Down the Hou-Uuauahaghh–!”
 
The Lucario doubled over, his hand clasped over his muzzle as Leaf quickly grabbed the bowl he had left next to the bed with his vine and held it out to the jackal. The Lucario grimaced and turned away, taking a deep breath as he held his finger out to Leaf. “...H-house…” he finished in a croaking voice.
 
“Kano, you’re sick,” Leaf told him bluntly as he slowly lowered the bowl with his vine until it was on the floor again. “I don’t want you to leave this clinic until you’re better. You can walk around if you really have to, but you’ll recover a lot faster resting in a bed.”
 
“No offense, doc, but even if I [b]am[/b] sick, I’m still stronger than you are.” The Lucario crossed his arms as he looked down at the Leafeon, his red eyes narrowed in determination. “You’re going to need a lot more than medicine and Oran Berry salad to keep me in bed all day.”
 
“As a Rescue Team Leader, you should know how important it is to keep Pokemon safe.” Leaf held his gaze, his ears flicking back as he stood up straight. He was still barely at the Lucario’s waist, but the determination in his hazel eyes almost made the jackal flinch. “As a doctor [i]and[/i] a Rescue Team member, I have to balance both of my responsibilities to keep others safe - Making sure they recover from their wounds, and protecting them in the world outside.”
 
“Big talk for someone who doesn’t even know how to fight,” Kano replied as he lifted his paw, his eyes narrowing in concentration. There was a tiny spark of aura between his fingers, but the Lucario still tried to make himself seem threatening even as he stood shivering and shaking with chills. “Mmgh… I’m not… spending another day… in bed…” he wheezed, gritting his teeth as the aura in his palm flared and wisped like a match being buffeted by wind.
 
[i]’I suppose there’s one alternative to bed rest…’[/i] The Leafeon thought, his eyes narrowing as he looked Kano over. It was going to be a tight fit, but he couldn’t take another day of thwarting his sick patient’s escape attempts. The Lucario had kept him awake and put him constantly behind schedule… it seemed reason enough to put bedside manners aside, for the sake of himself, his patient and the rest of the town. He decided to give him one last chance; “Please, Kano, just let me make you some breakfast and work on your medicine. You might be able to go back to your team by the end of the day if you try to rest.”
 
“I’m telling you, I don’t need rest,” Kano growled as he turned with a lash of his long blue tail and stormed towards the door, puffing and panting with each step of the way. Leaf sighed, feeling some comfort in knowing he at least gave him the opportunity. The doctor flicked his forehead leaf and spread his paws out in front of him, his vines extending out from the paw thorns under his coat and shooking out to wrap up the Lucario’s ankles, pinning them together. “W-what the?!”
 
“I’m really sorry about this!” Leaf called out as his vines snaked up the Lucario’s body, intertwining until he had him carefully wrapped up. Kano struggled in his bindings, the spikes on the back of his hands rapidly trying to cut they wear through the vines, only for them to restrict and pin his hands to his chest. The vines lowered him gently to the ground and slowly dragged him backwards until his feet reached the Leafeon’s jaws. “I-I promise, you’ll be completely fine. But if you aren’t going to rest in a bed…” The doctor licked his lips in anticipation, “...I’m going to make you rest in a Reviver Seed.”
 
“A-A Reviver Seed? H-hey!” Kano gasped, only to grimace as he felt his paws get grabbed by the Leafeon’s forepaws and shoved into his slick, drooling maw. “C-come on, doc! You’re not even a predator!” The Lucario whined, his body thrashing against the ground as he tried to pull his feet free.
 
[i]GLLRK![/i] Leaf gave his first swallow, his eyes narrowed on the back of the Lucario’s head as he mentally marked his objective. It was true that anyone who knew him knew he was a well-renowned prey around Clearspring. Very few had ever had the pleasure, or displeasure in Kano’s case, of seeing his stomach, but desperate times called for desperate measures. With another swallow the Leafeon dragged Kano in up to his calves, his tongue slurping noisily to coat them in saliva and make them easier to swallow. It was going to be a challenge, but whether he succeeded or failed he knew the Pokemon would take him seriously from now on.
 
“Y-you’re going to get sick if you eat me, you know! You said it yourself, I’ve got the flu or something, if you eat me you’ll get it too!” Kano protested as he rapidly wiggled his hips, using his chin and chest spike to try to drag himself towards the doorway. Another gulp from the Leafeon dragged him backwards as the doctor reached the top of the black fur of his legs. His jaws parted wider, accommodating for the blue fur of the Lucario’s shorts as the determined Grass-type gradually worked his way up towards the curve of his toned rear and naturally wide thighs. “Come ooon, don’t do this!” Kano whined in embarrassment.
 
Leaf adjusted his vine grip, putting more pressure on holding the Lucario’s arms at his sides as he tried to figure out how to handle the pokemon’s wide hips. [i]’If I can get past these the rest will be easy.’[/i] The Leafeon told himself, his jaws stretching painfully as he took another strained gulp. The Lucario’s tail switching against the back of his throat almost made him gag, but another heavy [i]GllrP![/i] pinned it in place as he inched his way over the Rescue team leader’s curves. Kano whimpered nervously and wiggled his hips trying to force the Leafeon back, but all his struggles were doing was sinking him deeper into the Grass-type’s maw.
 
“NNnghh… okay, fine! I’m sick! I’ll stay in bed!” Kano finally snapped, his chest spike digging into the wooden floor to hold himself in place as he thrashed his upper body. His rear had been reduced to nothing but a wide bulge in the Leafeon’s neck, and as he took another gulp the Lucario found himself having to curl his legs to avoid getting his feet caught in an uncomfortable position. “Th-there’s really no need to continue this, you’ve made your point!” he insisted, his ears tucking back as the Leafeon’s muzzle reached the black belt of fur around his waist.
 
[i]’GlllRKK!’[/i] But there was a reason; he had promised the Leafeon he would stay in bed and rest many times before, but he had always broken his promise. It seemed that the doctor had finally found a way to make sure he followed through, and he wasn’t about to let him get away again. The Leafeon began to pick up speed now that he was over the toughest part of his predatory challenge; each gulp bringing him further along the Lucario’s toned arms and abs as his vines unravelled ahead of him, making sure they didn’t get caught in Leaf’s jaws.
 
Leaf could feel his stomach starting to ache from how full it had gotten, but he couldn’t stop now that he was so close to achieving his goal. He pushed himself forward, taking in the Lucario one gulp at a time until he could slurp over the underside of his chest spike with this tongue. Kano wiggled his shoulders, his head tilted up to avoid his fate for as long as possible. With another gulp the Leafeon’s hind legs left the ground, pushed away by the bulbous yellow gut spilling out from under his lab coat, bulging with the Lucario’s muscular legs and wide rear end. With a flick of his paw he unravelled the last of his vines from his patient’s upper body and moved them to rub over his belly instead, gently guiding Kano in a more comfortable position for both of them.
 
The Lucario opened his mouth to give another reason for the Leafeon not to eat him, but as another gulp brought his biceps and shoulders into the doctor’s maw the words were caught in his throat. Leaf tilted his head back, his throat relaxing to allow Kano to gently slide down until finally his head rested against the back of his maw, his vision framed by fleshy walls and pearly white teeth. The Leafeon’s tongue curled up and gave the jackal’s face one last slurp, and Kano in turn shut his eyes tight in preparation for the slimy journey ahead of him.
 
[i]GLLLRRRKK![/i] The doctor gave one last swallow to drag the Lucario’s head down his throat, his aura sensors trailing along the walls as he was pulled down by the weight of his own body like an anchor. Leaf rubbed at the bulge he made in his neck, gently guiding him along and taking little gulps here and there to keep him moving in the right direction until finally he was forced to curl up in his stomach. “Phhew…” Leaf breathed out a sigh of relief. “F-for a moment there I wasn’t sure if I could do it. All those lessons with Cyn must’ve really paid off.”
 
“Ugh, this is the most… disgusting thing I’ve ever experienced, and I’ve been to the Poisonous Peaks!” The Lucario grunted as he wiped the slobber off his face, only to realise his hand was coated in drool as well. He shook his head rapidly to get it off of him, though as the stomach walls tightened around him he was forced to curl up into a ball, his face pressed firmly into the bottom of the gut. “Y-you better not tell anyone about this!” Kano yelped, trying to hold onto whatever shred of dignity he had left as the Leafeon’s stomach sloshed around him.
 
“O-oh, of course not. Doctor-patient confidentiality,” Leaf smiled awkwardly as he patted down his gut. His vines wrapped around it and lifted it off the ground, heaving it along as he waddled over to his work station. “Now, you just sit back and make yourself comfortable. I’ll have your medicine ready for you in no time.”
 
“How could I possibly be comfortable right now? You ate me!” The Lucario barked again, only to let out a hacking cough. “Ugh, surely this is going to be even worse for my recovery than just letting me leave?”
 
“This way you won’t be making anyone else sick… and I must admit, I have been meaning to run some experiments on how Reviver Seeds affect sickness.” Leaf replied as he pushed himself up onto his hind paws and balanced his forepaws on his work desk. As he reached forward to pick up a Reviver Seed from his stash he put more pressure on his gut, squishing Kano between himself and the desk as he plucked one from the jar before gulping it back. “Hypothetically, if you Revive without poisons or burns when you faint in a Mystery Dungeon, you might reform without your sickness too.”
 
“Couldn’t you have just knocked me out if you wanted to test that theory?” The Lucario grumbled as he tried to stretch, only for the walls to compact and pin him back in place again. The sphincter above him squelched open and the familiar bulge of a Reviver Seed wedged itself between the stomach walls and the small of his back. It was some small comfort, but the thought of being devoured by such a seemingly weak Pokemon still left Kano wiggling back and forth in embarrassment. “You didn’t need to eat me!”
 
“I suppose I didn’t, no,” The Leafeon smiled sheepishly as he rested against his gut like a beanbag. He reached down and gave his gut a gentle rub with his paws before using his vines to pick up the berries he needed for his work. “You um, might want to get some rest… I don’t have the strongest stomach, and with your Steel-typing you might be a bit more resilient than it’s used to anyway,” Leaf suggested as his stomach let out a low gurgle underneath him.
 
“O-or you could just spit me back out. I think the adrenaline from getting eaten made me feel better.” Kano countered as he pushed against the bottom of the stomach with his paws. He managed to make a little headway and lift the Leafeon above him, but the force of the stomach walls eventually pushed him back into his tightly curled up position, his head firmly planted between his legs. “Mmmph!”
 
“I’m sorry, but if you.can’t even escape my stomach you’re clearly not well enough to go back to Rescue Team work,” Leaf replied as he used his mortar and pestle to mulch an Oran Berry before pouring the contents into a jar and picking up a Sitrus Berry to work on next.
 
The Lucario stewed quietly for a few hours, allowing the doctor to catch up on all the work he had been holding him back from since his arrival. He even took his medicine went Leaf swallowed down the small flask for him, only to belch it back up a few minutes later completely empty. As the Leafeon continued to go about his business he slowly got accustomed to moving around with the weight of the Lucario dragging his belly along the floor, to the point where he could move around even without using his vines to bind his gut.
 
As the day finally wound down and the sun began to set, Leaf took a moment to feel over the chub on his gut with his paws. He could still feel the Lucario’s spikes, but the rest of the Pokemon had been converted to nutritious soup for his body to absorb as it pleased. He let out a quiet sigh of relief, telling himself he’d need to start eating healthier as he tidied up the clinic from his day’s work. As he finished cleaning the berry juices from the bowls stacked on his work desk he saw a flash of light from the corner of his vision, and as he looked over his shoulder he saw Kano laying sprawled across the bed. “Oh, welcome back!”
 
“Huh? Wh–” The Lucario blinked as he pushed himself up, one hand holding his head. “Nngh… y-yeah, morning…” he mumbled as he turned to look at the doctor, only to catch a glimpse of the fading sunlight through the circular window. “Or… evening? I guess I must’ve slept all day.”
 
“You were out for a while… like I said, weak stomach,” Leaf smiled awkwardly as he turned to face him, his gut still sloshing with the extra weight the Fighting-type had given him. “Are you feeling better? Did the Reviver Seed idea work?”
 
“A little, still pretty tired though,” Kano yawned as he stretched his upper body, “Mmh… at least the flu seems like it’s gone though. I was having the weirdest fever dream about you eating me when I tried to leave.”
 
“Y-you don’t say…” Leaf blinked as he stared up at the jackal, quickly adjusting his stance to try to hide his weight gain. Had the Lucario been so delirious with his sickness he had forgotten what happened? The doctor smiled awkwardly, his tail swishing behind him. “It um, certainly sounds like a strange dream.”
 
“H-heh, yeah. Not like such a scrawny Pokemon could eat me. No offense, Doc.” The Lucario rubbed the back of his head as he looked down at the Leafeon. His confident smile faded into confusion as he noticed the gut hanging out from either side of the unusually plump doctor. “Or err, I thought you were skinny anyway… you’re actually kinda…”
 
“W-well, anyway, so long as you’re feeling better,” Leaf quickly changed the subject as he smiled up at Kano. “I suppose you’ll probably want to leave now if you’re feeling better, it sounded like Team Rough House needed its leader back as quickly as possible.”
 
“Actually, I think I could use one more night of rest before I get back to work. I’m not sure the ‘Reviver Seed’ idea completely worked, whatever it was…” Kano replied as he lowered himself back until he was laying on the mattress with his arms behind his head. “It seems to have cleared up my flu, but I’m still really exhausted. I’d like to stay the night, if that’s okay with you.”
 
“That’s perfectly fine with me, Kano.” Leaf smiled before turning away with a sigh of relief. Not only was his patient cured, he was finally listening to his advice. The doctor let out a yawn and made his way to the other bed, still too full from eating the Lucario to need dinner. “I’m really glad you’re feeling better.” He yawned as he climbed up onto the bed.
 
“H-heh, yeah… and I’m [i]really[/i] glad that you eating me was just a dream. Would’ve been pretty embarrassing to get eaten by such a small Pokemon, especially if my teammates or anyone heard about it,” Kano replied as he rolled over to face him. His red eyes locked with the Leafeon’s hazel ones, his expression firm as he repeated himself slowly: “Good thing it was just a dream,” He stared intently into the smaller Grass-type’s eyes. “Right, Leaf?”
 
“Oh..? O-Oh!” Leaf blinked as he stared back at the Lucario, “R-right, of course. I’m glad it was only a dream too, and neither of us will have to tell anyone about it.” He nodded in understanding as he curled up into a ball to rest on the mattress. His head rested against his rump, sinking into the newly added fat as the Leafeon started to drift into a long awaited food coma. It would be easy enough for the Lucario to pretend it had never happened, but it would be a lot more challenging for the doctor. He was the one who had to explain where all his extra weight had come from.
 
But the doctor was more than willing to keep the proud Lucario’s secret. Prey-tient - Doctor confidentiality, after all.
 
The End