227 – Dampened Spirits

227 – Dampened Spirits

They were on a cruise ship, not a cheap one, which meant their private showers were excellent. Built to handle any Pokémon, it meant the ceiling was tall enough that Calcine didn't need to duck, spacious enough that they could all fit in with room to spare, and the multiple nozzles had enough settings that they would have to drag Sparky away from the controls before she found one that drowned them. Brandy had begged for the heat on the high-pressure jets to be cranked up enough that there was a warm mist in the air.

Calcine had her arms around Brandy, or at least what she could. She was so ridiculously massive now that her breasts were resting on Brandy's head. The shower water pooled in her cleavage and then dripped down to wash over Brandy. Calcine rubbed her with her large hands to soap up her skin and press in even more heat. It was everything Brandy needed to relax after the match; her Steam Engine heart absolutely loved the mix of heat and water.

It was an almost perfect moment, if not for one lingering problem.

A mass of wet black feathers with a witch's hat on was lathering herself on her own, the less scorching hot side of the shower. Still riding the high of her victory, Morgan had a smug grin that wouldn't leave her lips. She should have been chatty, but instead, she was almost sinisterly quiet. Her red eyes watched Brandy with an intensity that was somehow more embarrassing than having sex in front of a few hundred people.

"Morgan, can you pass the shower gel?" Calcine asked, her deep voice rumbling against Brandy's back. She was trying to play the peacemaker, but she hadn't made any progress cracking Morgan's silence.

Morgan waved a wing, water dripping off it. A sharp gust of wind popped the shower gel out of her hands and over to Calcine, along with an arc of splashing water that soaked Brandy and Calcine both.

"Ah, sorry," Morgan said, words so sharp they could cut. "So forgetful of me. My wind's a lot stronger now."

"Morgan," Sparky snapped, looking up from the shower controls. "Come on, snippy doesn't suit you."

Morgan shrugged, shaking her hat so the water cascaded off the brim. She didn't seem interested in saying anything else.

Sparky looked to Brandy for help. The awkward mood in the air was clearly getting to the bug. She could handle people laughing or being annoyed, no problem. Still, this kind of negative energy was making her shoulders sag.

Brandy could have waited for whoever was meeting them in the showers to turn up, but no. It was on Brandy to fix the mess she'd made.

"Sorry," Brandy mumbled, her heart sinking at what she knew would come. "I fucked up."

"You didn't," Morgan said, "We won, you made some good tactical choices."

"It could have been better. We agreed to bring you out second, and I didn't. Things were getting crazy, and I panicked. I needed Calcine with me to level me out."

Morgan didn't look any happier about Brandy saying it, but why would she? It clearly wasn't the tactical choice bothering her. Calcine gave Brandy a gentle squeeze for support. The sheer size of the woman made her a sturdy rock to lean against, which gave Brandy some strength to press on with tearing the bandage off what she'd done.

"I felt like shit the moment I did it. You should have been second. You were the stronger fighter. You were perfect for untangling a messy situation. You thrive on the kind of mind games Wren had going on."

"You fucked Ceridwen up so bad, we'd been struggling with her a lot." Sparky nodded as she tried to get in on the hug with Calcine and Brandy. She couldn't; the water was way too hot, but she was trying anyway. Jumping back from every splash of hot water, shaking it off, and trying again. "You just took her to pieces."

That got a genuine smile out of Morgan. Something in those red eyes made the difference, a light there that wasn't before. "I'm not deadweight. You know I can do this."

"No. You are not dead weight." Brandy nodded. "I messed up. I picked Calcine because she makes me feel secure in myself. I needed a shot of confidence, but I should be able to feel that with you. I made a shitty call."

"I don't need a pity party." Morgan waved a wing to the controls. "Sparky, turn the heat down some. Brandy, you heard what Calico said. It's tough being the new girl. You have strong bonds with Calcine and Sparky, a history I haven't been a part of. I can accept that I'm not as deeply treasured in your heart."

"Morgan-"

Morgan held up a hand to stop Brandy. "It's true, I am playing catchup. I don't know you as well as Calcine and Sparky; if we get a fourth, she'll have it even harder."

As much as this whole thing sucked. Brandy knew this was really long overdue. Having a large team of Pokémon wasn't easy. You had to juggle a lot of relationships. There was only so much time to give and attention to spare. She felt she knew Morgan well, and if she'd just stuck to the plan, this would have been a celebration.

"No. You are going to take Sparky on a date while I take Brandy on one."

This was a genuinely incredible idea, and Brandy could feel Calcine's thighs bouncing against hers in excitement. Brandy had to agree, that was going to be so good, the only bad part of this plan was she wouldn't get to see it!

Morgan picked up on Brandy's excitement, dipping in to give Brandy a wet kiss.

"Does the Trainer approve of my devious plans? I'm not going to do any work for it; you, Brandy, are going to organize it all for me. I expect to be pampered."

"Absolutely," Brandy nodded. "My hot witchy bird partner deserves something special. I'll not disappoint."

"Perfect. Then the mood is officially good again." Morgan smiled. "So! What did I miss in that fight? It sounded like it got pretty wild before I turned up."

Brandy just kissed her, wrapping her arms around the feathery neck and letting the conversation roll over her as Sparky and Calcine hugged and told little snippets. Her heart felt like it had been torn out momentarily, genuinely scared for her relationship. But they'd worked together to stitch it back in, and now things would be stronger than ever. It was worth the effort and that bit of misery. Everything had turned out so nice in the end.

"Brandy Joyce." a woman called out as she entered the shower. "I've been looking for you."

She cut all conversation dead in shock because her look was just that arresting. Completely naked, the eyes were immediately drawn to the gorgeous black tattoos running all along her tanned skin. Black flowers that broke apart into black flames and back again, hearts with thorns wrapped around them hidden among the rather intricate designs. Her figure was also incredible, incredibly fit, tall enough she might have an inch or two on Brandy, and curves that weren't excessive but were sufficient to make the heart beat excitedly. She looked like what Brandy desperately hoped she might have with a few year's inheritance. Her hair was a mussy black pixie cut, the very tips a white that gave her a striking two-tone, and her eyes had changed until they were a sea of pink so deep it was almost red, with a black pupil floating on it that darted over everyone in the room.

"Professor Joan." she said, "I'm helping Mercury judge the competition. We were very impressed with your performance."

Being a Professor just deepened the shocked silence. Professors were Trainers who'd been so successful in their careers they were given free rein and the funding to do whatever they wished. Tame a Legendary, do tough research with difficult Pokémon, or shepherd the next generation. They were living legends with an inheritance so strong they could go toe-to-toe with some Pokémon.

Being cornered in a shower by one was a little terrifying. Especially since Brandy had apparently fucked her daughter.

But who had she slept with that had a Professor as a mother? Surely that would have come up.

Wren? No, she wouldn't be able to judge a tournament fairly.

Victoria? The Noibat-loving girl didn't seem like she had a typical family, and Brandy doubted a Professor would let her daughter be out on her own.

"I do love a woman with a strong style. That's an incredible punk look," Morgan said, breaking the silence. "Surprised you don't have any piercings, though. Skin too tough?"

"Oh, I got plenty." Professor Joan smirked and poked her tongue out at Morgan, a silver tongue stud stamped right in the center of it. Then kept poking it out. And out. And out. A whole foot pierced tongue, a chain of little silver studs running along it in regular intervals, and she curled it to show it off with unmistakable pride.

Two-tone hair. Punky. Ridiculously Long Tongue. Piercings. Bottomless confidence. A clear oral fixation.

Oh no. Brandy knew exactly who this was now, and she hated it.

"You're Shay's mom." Brandy groaned.

Professor Joan snapped her tongue back in with a crack that made Sparky moan, the motion clearly disturbing her imagination. "Very good, Brandy. Mercury said you were smart. So, how has my wayward daughter been doing? She never calls."

Brandy had patched things up with Morgan. Now she just had to explain to the scariest woman she'd ever met that she'd had to fuck some sense into her delinquent daughter after she'd caught her Morpeko stealing.

This shower was going to be in her nightmares for weeks.