A hint of things to come.

Nox and Marcus lead the way through winding corridors, leading us deeper into the arena complex. It's late evening by my reckoning, so we only see a few people and pokemon out and about. We walk in silence, the clack of Nox’s heels on the tiled floor the only sign of our passage.

After what feels like hours (but was probably only a few minutes) the pair take a sudden turn, I do a double take as, from my perspective, they casually walk through a wall, disappearing from view entirely. I hesitate, then experimentally reach my hand towards the place the two had disappeared. I gasp as, with a minor tingling sensation, my hand disappears into the wall.

I wave my hand from side to side and watch the place where my forearm disappears into the solid surface in fascination. My second hand joins the first, sinking through the seemingly solid wall, which is accompanied by the same tingly feeling. Grinning, I plunge my arms deeper, only to stop as both hands come across something solid. What is that? My hands fumble as I attempt to ascertain the nature of the barrier.

Kinda soft… quite warm… very squidgy… I lift the objects, which seem fairly hefty, then stop applying pressure, noting that they return to their resting position with a fair bit of bounce. I’m drawing a blank here… Wait, now there're pointy bits? My hands fumble blindly until the pointy bits are held firmly between my thumb and forefinger, at which point I give them a squeeze. If anything, the pointy bits only get pointier. Weird. My curiosity overcomes my caution, and I finally press my face through the barrier, closing my eyes and stepping forward as I do so.

The tingly sensation washes over me, before finally abating. I must be all the way through! I open my eyes, and come face to face with an incredibly flustered looking Nox. Her face is suffused by a crimson blush. I idly wonder how that works with her dark fir as I give the objects in my hands another little squeeze, only to be met by the cutest “Eep” noise I think I’ve ever heard. I give Nox a funny look, not expecting the adorable noise out of the otherwise stoic woman, then look down to see what I have my hands on.

Let’s see what we have here. Boobs…? Boobs! The realisation that I am accidentally groping if not my new owner, then someone my new owner trusts enough to represent her, slams home. Panicked, I immediately withdraw my hands from the frazzled pokemon’s tits. I had had been far too intimidated earlier to realise quite how busty the beautiful pokemon is, a fact that is only reinforced when her bountiful tits spring back to their natural positions.

Figuring I was dead at this point anyway, I watch the impressive display with open interest. That little analytical part of me points out there is far too much bouncing going on for a bra to be involved, a point of view that is only solidified by the prominently visible nubs that both the women’s shirt and jacket fail to hide.

Welp, at least I got a decent show before the end. I slowly look up towards Nox’s face, expecting to find rage. Instead, I swear I see a flash of disappointment cross the beauty's features before the expression is hidden behind Nox’s usual stoic mask. In a stern voice (that only wobbles a little) she says, “That sort of contact is inappropriate, I am not a combatant of any sort. If you want to do that sort of thing, save it for the arena, are we clear?” I open my mouth, ready to state my innocence at the accident, but think better of it. Feeling a little chagrined, I nod.

Nox nods too, satisfied by my sheepish expression. She turns on her heel again and I take a moment to look round this hidden room. We are in a small courtyard, complete with benches and a small trickling fountain in the centre. On each wall other than the way we came is a closed doorway, the one on the far side of the space seemingly far fancier than the others. voice filled with wonder, I ask, "What was that barrier? I've never seen anything like it!"

In a distracted tone Nox replies, "It's a minor ward that the Mistress set up. She enjoys her privacy. Now shhhhh a moment." She glances at a coms device, one of the new-fangled models made by pokemon, for pokemon. She shakes her head slightly, rolling her eyes in an expression that can only be described as indulgent exasperation, then says, “The Mistress a little… preoccupied at the moment. When you meet her, she will have an offer for you. I have been authorised to show you your living quarters going forward if you accept her deal.”

Nox looks at Marcus and beckons towards the door on the right. The big tauros is already in motion, removing a lanyard from around his neck. It's only when he presses the device up to the door and the solid ‘thunk’ of disengaging locks can be heard I realise what it is. A key card. Marcus loops the lanyard back over his neck again, tucking the card into his shirt. In the meantime, the door swings to the side, accompanied by the ‘hiss’ and ‘swish’ of hydraulics in motion.

Nox leads the way into the new room, and I glance at Marcus, expecting him to follow. To my surprise, he beckons me forwards. Looks like I’m the spoink in the middle. The thought is hardly comforting, but I fight down the tide of nerves that accompanies it and step into the room, looking around with trepidation.

The room isn’t what I was expecting, like, at all. For whatever reason, my mind had already condemned me to some medieval style dungeon. I was expecting bare stone walls, damp with an ever-present drip. I had imagined rusty chains hanging from the ceiling, gently swaying and rattling in a non-existent breeze. A mouldy pile of straw in the corner would act as my bed, and the room would have an ever-present chill, making it impossible to feel the slightest bit of warmth or comfort.

So, when I’m not met by some dank cell, but with a nice little apartment, I can only stare on in confusion. The door opens into a little entryway, complete with shoe and coat racks, before expanding into an open plan style living room/kitchen. The kitchen is off to the left and as far as I can tell looks well stocked with all the amenities a person could want or need from a kitchen. The space is separated from the right side of the room by a dark marble topped island, which acts as joint table and breakfast bar.

The right side of the room is reserved as more of a communal living area. Three comfortable looking two person sofas surrounded a glass coffee table, and the back wall sports a sizeable TV. To the rear of the room, I can see another doorway, presumably leading off towards the apartment's bedroom.

I turn to Nox, aghast. “Not what you were expecting?” I shake my head numbly in response to her question. The usually stoic woman lets out a throaty chuckle, then says, “This is contingent on you accepting the Mistress’s deal. This place does come with a cost, but one that someone in your position should be more than happy to pay.” Her expression turns serious, and I can’t help the involuntary step back I take as she continues in a stern tone, “This is your one and only warning. Mistress is taking a lot of risks with you, do not disappoint her, understood?”

Yet again, I find myself nodding mutely. A pling sounds, and Nox fishes out her communicator. She glances at the screen, then looks up at me, speaking words that almost drown me in a fresh wave of nerves. “Madame Maggie will see you now.”