. Shades Of Gray

Chapter 2 - On To Hoenn!

Woohoo! This the second chapter of my story, "Shades Of Gray!" If you reviewed the last chapter, then good for you and if you didn't, I wouldn't walk down any dark alleys, if I were you. Also I am going to say that there is a lot of sleeping in this chapter because Gray's Early Bird ability makes it so that she can't sleep for over two hours so she takes intermittent naps to get all the sleep she needs. Also in this chapter she starts relearning about her sexual impulses. This is a revamp of the original chapter.

Anyway, on with the chapter!

Early the next day, I woke up very early on the beach, lying on my back with the tide lapping at my bare feet. I groaned as the sunlight penetrated my closed eyelids and rolled over, pushing myself onto my hands and knees. Once my eyes had adjusted to the light, I opened them and stumbled towards the sea, intending to clean up. I collected some water in my cupped hands and splashed my face, letting out a startled gasp as I woke up properly. The water was completely freezing! I fell backwards in shock and wiped my face as quickly as I could to get the water and dirt off. Around this time Sirius also woke up, but with a loud and disturbing yawn. He shuffled to his feet and slowly padded into the woods, most likely to go hunting. I had gotten used to his random leavings and was happy knowing that he wouldn't forget about me and never return. After Sirius was gone, I stripped off all of my clothes, throwing them to the sand underfoot and tentatively walked into the ocean. The water was very, VERY cold but I managed to bare it and quickly scrubbed the blood and dirt off of my orange skin, trying to ignore the rough pain.

I looked around to make sure no-one was watching me and then I began to clean my breasts and genitals, wondering as I did what the wonderful feeling spreading through my body was. Once I had scrubbed myself thoroughly, my entire body pink rather than its usual sun-kissed orange, I quickly gathered up my clothes and began to dress, not wanting Sirius to see me naked. I knew that Sirius was just a pokemon but I still wasn't comfortable with taking my clothes off in front of him. I remembered the night before when I had to go relieve myself and Sirius wouldn't leave my side as he was worried that the thugs from earlier would come back. Sirius had made sure his back was turned but I still wasn't happy with the arrangements.

I was pulling on my black T-shirt when my hands brushed across the circular wound on my belly, where a broken bottle had been plunged into my stomach. I noticed, with some shock, that it was almost already healed, even though it had went in deep. There wouldn’t even be a scar most likely, which was odd since the edges of the wound had been ragged and torn from my exertion in the ring. ‘It must be another side effect of my new pokemon DNA,’ I thought. I finished my inspection of myself, trying to get used to a body that I’d had since ‘being born’, since I had no memories of ever having a different body. This train of thought greatly disturbed me so I terminated it and I began pulling my extremely tight fitting clothes on as fast as I could before Sirius returned.

Sirius emerged from the woods, licking his lips, just as I finished zipping up my figure-hugging black leather pants. I let out a mental sigh of relief, as the Houndoom padded up to me and lay lazily down at my feet. I bent down and scratched him behind his ears, causing his pointed tail to wag.

"Hey Sirius. Ready to go to Hoenn?" I asked.

"Yes. I am excited to see what new adversaries there are in that place," Sirius replied. When I heard the word ‘adversaries’ my mood immediately darkened as I was reminded of the Jade Faction, the bastards who had made me this way, who turned me into a freak of nature. Whenever I thought of them, it made my very blood boil and suddenly images of me ripping into scientists and that other youth Zan, filled my mind, making me feel extremely uncomfortable and a little guilty because I enjoyed the images of gore and bloodshed just a little too much.

Suddenly, I wished that Blue was still here to take the journey with me. Even though I had only known him for about an hour and a half, he had made me feel safe in this frightening and strange world. He would have known exactly what to say and do to make me feel better about my new situation. Some of my sadness must have shown in my eyes because Sirius suddenly laid his head upon my knees and gave me a puppy-dog look that showed his feelings better than words.

“What is wrong, Gray? Are you feeling alright?” I was touched by the note of concern in his voice. I was about to say that I was fine but I realized that I was far from it, so I gave a small sigh before I replied.

“I don’t know… I suppose I feel, empty? I appear to be sixteen on the outside but my mind feels like that of a new-born child, albeit with a fan-fucking-tastic vocabulary. I don’t know… anything! What about Blue… he was the first person I remember ever being nice to me, or trusting me… I let him down… I’m so… a-ashamed. I should have n-noticed; I-I could h-have saved h-him!!” The sadness that I had been holding in since the previous day burst from me before I could stop it, causing my stuttering as I tried had not to cry. “WHY!! Why me? Why Blue? Why is this happening to me?!... Sirius… t-thank you f-for being here for m-me.”

I could feel my shoulders shaking as my eyes began to feel wet. Not really knowing why I was feeling this way I decided to just follow my instincts, a wail wrenching its way from my throat. I suppose this was sadness and before I knew it, I was crying pitifully into my hands, the tears dripping down onto the dry sand. At first it was only a trickle but then it got worse until the stream of salty tears dripping from my eyes resembled something akin to a waterfall, blinding me. Sirius simply sat beside me, rubbing my leg with his head as I let out all the emotions I had bottled up inside.

I cried for about ten whole minutes, thinking about how my life had been so monumentally fucked. When I was finally finished, I wiped my face with the back of my hand and sniffed hard. Then I took a deep breath and stood up from the covered beach beneath me a little shakily, but standing tall and strong once fully upright. Deciding it would be best to continue with my plan, I mentally went over what I was to do. Go to Hoenn, check. Find allies to assist me, check. Optional: Destroy any Jade faction presence in Hoenn if at all possible, check. So, I was ready…

"Well the ferry leaves in…" I check my watch, "about one hour so how about we go wait at the docks?" I asked.

"That is acceptable," Sirius replied seriously.

I laughed at his stoic choice of words and led him to where the ferry was supposed to be, along the beach and at a concrete harbor. It was a relatively small vessel compared to the others around it but I thought that it was the best one there, in terms of appearance. There was a guard stationed at the stairs leading to the deck and I walked up to him making sure that my tail was still hidden around my waist. To onlookers it would appear as though I was just wearing a belt. The guard looked my up and down as I approached and I immediately knew him as being the bored and lonely type. I was disgusted at his lack of manners, though I kept this hidden. I turned on my cute voice and walked up to the guard.

"Hi mister, can Sirius and I go on the ferry please?" I asked sweetly.

I could almost see the guard shiver as he glanced at me. Though it wasn't one of fear...

"Ticket please..." he drawled.

I flashed my ticket to him and climbed up the steps with Sirius at my heels. We looked to the ticket to find our room number and walked in once we were there. It was a simple room with a small bathroom next to the bed. It was a single thing and there was a basket next to my bed for Sirius to sleep in. I quickly searched the bathroom and realized that I didn't know what most of the things there were for. I sighed and flopped onto the bed, letting my tail flop out. Sirius yawned loudly and went back to sleep as I stared at the ceiling blankly. I fiddled with the end of my tail and decided to get back to sleep. I undressed in the bathroom and looked myself over in the large mirror. For an unfathomable reason I just couldn't look away and was compelled to stare at myself. I remembered what that kind man had told me about sexual actions and I remembered something known as masturbation. It sounded exciting... My tail was around my waist again and I let it slowly unfurl itself from my curvy form. My eyes traveled slowly up the mirror starting at my feet with their black toenails, traveling up my calves and thighs, up to my stomach where I briefly touched the circular scar that was now fading, to my large sized breasts and then to my face. Even I had to admit to myself that I was hot! I tip-toed back into the main room and crawled onto the bed and under the quilt. Time for another sleep... or so I thought.

0o0o0o0o0o0

After ten minutes of staring at the ceiling I realized that someone had stuck of wad of chewing gum in the corner and I was really bored. I just couldn't get back to sleep for some reason! I shifted from position to position and every time I moved there was a strange tingling sensation around my body. I absently scratched my thigh and went back to lying face-up with my face to the ceiling. My tail moved on it's own as I was so bored and a shiver ran up my spine as it brushed past my... other parts. It felt good so I did it again, harder. Another shiver ran up my spine and I moaned as a warm feeling spread around my person. I then experimented with myself by moving my hand down to my nether region and slowly stroking my opening. A wave of ecstasy rushed over me and I almost cried out but held it in. Luckily the windows were blacked out so no one could see in otherwise it would've been embarrassing to no end. I pushed my legs wider apart and pushed my fingers into the folds of flesh and my hips bucked involuntarily as I moaned in pleasure. My fingers were becoming increasingly wet and I licked them experimentally. It tasted good and I let the liquid run over my tongue as I sucked my fingers clean. I repeated this maneuver until I decided to try something new. I moved my tail around and carefully slid it into my vagina. A fresh wave of excitement burst from the pit of my stomach and I started to push my tail in and out. This time I couldn't help it and I cried out in pleasure. Luckily it wasn't enough to wake Sirius but I wasn't going to push it so I reluctantly sucked the liquid off the end of my tail and flopped back onto my pillow with a sigh. I felt tired now so I pulled the quilt up to my chin and fell asleep almost instantly.

Half an hour later...

I leaned against the railing of the Seagallop 7 as it commenced its shakedown cruise. Basically it was sailing out for a ten minute check of all it's systems. I, being one of the only people on board, was enjoying the view as land slowly faded into the horizon. The ship was small but it was the fastest ship in the port. Not even a mad Sharpedo could catch us now. I then noticed the guard from before was watching me again. Trying to be friendly I waved slightly and received a spiteful look in return. I blinked and turned back to the ocean to resume my blank gaze. Unfortunately my sensitive hearing wasn't able to pick up the footsteps over the roar of the waves until it was too late...

"Time for a dive," the guard muttered as he pushed me over the railing.

I spun twice through the air before plunging into the ocean depths. The guard laughed to himself and wandered off to report back to the HQ. But out of sight, a shadow moved from a doorway and launched over the side of the boat. If someone had been watching then they would have seen a bright flash of silver before the thing plunged into the water with me. The guard continued obliviously and wandered into the cabins section.

I watched in despair as the light from the surface slowly faded away. I tried to move but I couldn't create enough motion to make myself buoyant. My lungs were starting to shrink from oxygen deprivation. My eyes were kept open for as long as I could keep them in case someone came to rescue me but then I remembered Sirius' words. "They will try to kill you." This was what he meant... Just before my eyes closed I heard a loud splash and I lost consciousness.

0o0o0o0o0o0

I opened my eyes and coughed the seawater out of my lungs. I felt sick and vomited on the sand next to me while I felt a presence above me. As soon as I was able to clear my head I was on my feet with raised fists but unfortunately my head spun and I fell on my ass. In front of me was a teenage girl, about 17 years old, with shiny silver hair. I felt my stomach flutter when I laid my eyes on her. She was quite beautiful in my opinion but I kept it to myself. Her silver hair came to her waist and seemed to be ethereal; it was so shiny and smooth.

"Hi?" I said uncertainly.

The girl finally looked at me and I saw that her eyes were a fascinating grey color. She looked a bit depressed though so her eyes weren't that bright. But if she were happy they'd probably be glowing. She was a little taller than me even though she was sitting like myself and she looked like an angel from the bible that the nice guy showed me. She wore clothes like my own, a blue t-shirt (not so revealing) that was so short it revealed her stomach, a white leather jacket, and a pair of white jeans. She also had white leather boots.

"Well you're awake then? My name's Mariko Tsunami and I'm a Water-type trainer," the girl said. "I saw that guy push you into the sea so I jumped in after you."

"I'm Gray and I suppose that I'm a Fire-type trainer," Gray replied. "And thanks... for saving my life."

Mariko winced as if she'd been slapped and gave me a hard stare that I was sure could freeze lava. She then gave me an appraising look that would've earned a guy a broken jaw but I found myself staring right back at her. She caught my stare and held it until I had to look away. She grinned when she saw my blush and scooted a little closer to me. I don't know why and probably will never know but this girl made me feel a way that no one I'd met could make me feel. It was almost like how I felt back in my room but more subtle and less intense. I shifted uncomfortably and lay down next to Mariko. She kept looking at me and I was sure she glanced at my ass once or twice. Then I realized it... I was soaking wet and Sirius wasn't with me.

"Where's Sirius!" I exclaimed loudly sitting back up.

"What? Who's Sirius?" Mariko asked in confusion.

"My Houndoom! He's still on that ship! I need to get him back!" I replied in a panic.

Mariko smiled and pointed. I followed her point and saw the Seagallop 7 returning in the distance. On the prow of the small vessel was a dark, low figure that I recognized instantly. I ran along the beach, sand getting kicked up in my wake, to get to the harbor. I ran as fast as I could and saw the harbor approaching too quickly to be plausible. I ground my boots into the concrete, sparks flying from under them, to stop before I fell into the water again. The ship had just beaten me and was lowering the boarding ramp. Sirius was there waiting and I ran on board to embrace him. He yipped happily and licked my cheek while I almost cried in relief. Mariko slowly followed us up and stood in the background while Sirius and I were reunited. I stood awkwardly and turned to Mariko, scratching the back of my head.

"So... Now what?" I asked.

"Well since you don't know the rules much, in other words you're a newbie, I'll go with you and show you how to get things done," Mariko replied.

I immediately thought dirty thoughts that included Mariko and myself on a bed. I discarded those thoughts with a shudder and moved them to what Mariko had actually meant.

"What do I need done?" I asked in confusion.

"Well if you're a trainer you might want to go on the Hoenn Gym Challenge," Mariko said.

"I'm no trainer. Sirius follows me because he wants to!" I replied indignantly.

"What? Then you must be a powerful trainer to have a wild Houndoom follow you!" Mariko exclaimed in amazement.

"Do I need to repeat myself? I'm NOT a trainer!" I declared loudly.

Mariko finally noticed what I said and fell into silence. I began to feel that I had upset her and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me in confusion and I smiled at her. She smiled a little back and I broke the ice. I needed a human friend...

"Hey why don't we go to my room. I don't like crowds," I said pointing.

Mariko looked down to the docks and saw that trainers were now boarding the ship. She shrugged and followed me to my simple yet cozy room. I sat on the bed, Sirius sat in his basket, and Mariko observed the room before sitting at the other end of the bed. Now it was the afternoon and me and Mariko talked and laughed with each other for hours. Then we moved onto family. Mariko explained how her entire family was murdered by a raving psycho who had no regard for human life. At first I was skeptical until she trailed off and burst out crying. This was technically the first time I had someone cry near me and I was at a loss for what to do. She was lying on her side away from me on my bed, in tears, so I shuffled closer and slowly rubbed her back. She hiccupped twice and rolled over so that she was now lying on my lap, still crying. I knew about loss for I didn't even remember my parents let alone my real name. I knew what it felt like so I sympathized for Mariko as she let out her grief. Cautiously I began to stroke her hair and was amazed at how smooth and soft it was. It was like touching silk, just like that pink silk thong I saw in the clothes shop. Mariko seemed to calm down slightly as I comforted her and she just lay on my lap, breathing deeply. I was about to ask if she was better but I realized with a jolt that she had fallen asleep... on top of me. I sighed and lay back carefully so that my head was at the other side of the bed. The next twenty minutes were spent carefully inching my way up so that my head was on the pillow at the top of my bed. By now Mariko was deeply asleep and was clutching onto me tightly. She started whimpering and I thought that she was in pain but I remembered the nightmares I had while in that tank and knew that her dreams wouldn't hurt her. Mariko was at my side and her head lay on my chest and my breathing seemed to relax her for soon she stopped whimpering and snuggled into me. Her left arm was wrapped around my waist and her head hadn't moved. I also noticed that our legs were locked together and felt myself go warmer inside. I felt as though I had no worries in the world and relaxed in my position. Soon sleep claimed me once more and for once I welcomed it.

0o0o0o0o0o0

I woke up and felt a lot lighter than I had when I'd fallen asleep. I sat up and opened my eyes, hurting them in the bright light from the now open windows. I immediately felt the lack of weight and almost panicked when I found that Mariko was missing. 'Where's Mariko…? She was so warm,' I thought. I changed those thoughts to ones of concern and looked around the room twice to make sure she just wasn't sitting in a corner but she wasn't there. I stood and thanked the lord that I had been dressed when I had fallen asleep. I strode to the door, flung it open and walked into the long corridor. I used my practiced gaze to scan left to right but Mariko wasn't in there either. I chose a direction to search in and took off to the left. I just hoped she was alright...

Mariko slowly walked out of the bathroom, her gleaming silver hair slightly damp from the wash she had given it in the bathroom. She was wearing only a long towel and closed the windows. She turned to face the bed and dropped the towel in shock. Gray was missing! Sirius looked up, whimpered in fright and hid his face again. Mariko quickly dried herself, dressed in her clothes again and left the room. She glanced from left to right and decided to go right first to begin her search. 'Where'd Gray go? I wanted to sleep for another hour...' she thought mischievously. She began to walk down the corridor, away from her friend and towards danger as she passed a shadowed part of the corridor. A pair of large hands came out of the shadows and grabbed her, covering her mouth. Mariko struggled in vain as she was dragged into the darkness.

I had spent half an hour searching for my friend but with no success. I had been back in my room about three times and I was just leaving it again to search for the fourth time. This time though, I went right instead of left and followed a turn-off. It led me to the galley and I looked around the kitchen area, stealing a few nuts from a tray, for Mariko. She wasn't in here either but I heard a voice from up ahead. As I strained my ears I noticed that something was familiar with the voice. And not in a good way... I crept closer and saw a door that was ajar marked 'Freezer Room'. I hadn't been in there and there were voices from inside. I listened to the one talking.

"Where is she, you stupid bitch!" came a gruff male voice.

I scowled when I realized that it was the same voice from the guy who'd shoved me overboard. I was about to go in when there was a reply.

"I-I don't k-know for fuck sake!" said a shaky, feminine voice.

I drew in a quick breath when I heard Mariko's voice but stayed cool. Now I was mad. No one called my friend a bitch like that. I reached for the handle and pulled on it. The door didn't budge. I looked at the hinges and groaned quietly when I spotted the ice that coated them. I'd never get in now...

"Ahhhh!"

Mariko's scream cut through the haze in my mind and I lashed out at the door with my right foot. The ice shattered like glass and the door swung open to admit entrance. Unaware of the risks I walked straight in. Inside I saw a bound Mariko hanging from a meat hook and the guard who let me on the boat. He must've been the one to push me overboard to kill me. I growled at him and he stepped back when he spotted me. Apparently Mariko's scream had been enough to cover the sound of the door opening. Then he calmed himself and laughed shortly.

"Look if it isn't Gray come to rescue her girlfriend!" he sneered.

I held my shock in and scowled hard at him.

"Let her go you bastard!" I exclaimed angrily.

"G-Gray?" Mariko moaned.

"I'm here Mariko. Just stay calm," I told her gently.

I turned back to the bastard in front of me and I felt hatred well up inside of myself like black oil. It covered all rational and logical judgment until only my feral instincts were showing. I used my long fingernails to close a hand around his throat and lift him bodily from the floor. He went slightly white but managed to keep himself from crying out in pain as my nails cut into his neck. I laughed in his face and squeezed tighter.

"Are you gonna let her go now?" I asked.

"No. I'm killing you both!" he exclaimed.

His hand whipped forward before I could stop it and a metal rod was pushed into my stomach. I didn't feel anything at first but then the electrical shock came and I fell to the ground screaming and twitching as my muscles contracted. The guy just laughed at my vain attempts to get up and poked Mariko with the rod. She screamed and shook in pain as she too was shocked by it. My anger was now near bursting point and I felt myself get up slowly. The guy stopped and looked at me in fright. My nails were growing longer and my tail swished from behind my back. My skin went a darker shade of orange and white horns burst from my forehead and curved back over my skull. I was becoming more like a Houndoom as my condition reacted to my anger! When the growing stopped I opened my now red eyes and glared at the pathetic man before me. He whimpered and dropped the rod but I took two steps to him and swiftly crushed his skull with an elbow strike to the head. I cut Mariko loose with my sharp nails and I snapped out of my anger thing when I heard a ringing. It was coming from the dead guy's jacket pocket. I looked at the guy and a black aura surrounded both of us. His eyes opened but they were a pure black color. He pulled the phone from his jacket and answered it.

"Hello?" his voice was distorted slightly.

"Is the girl taken care of?" I could hear what the guy heard.

"Yes. But I'm wounded. I can't make it back," the animated guy replied. I seemed to be controlling his corpse somehow.

"Oh well. At least you got the job done. Out," the voice at the other end of the phone stated.

The line went dead and the black glow ceased. The guy's body crumpled once more and I gasped in amazement. I had actually controlled his dead body and now his boss or whoever that was thought I was now dead. At least they wouldn't be after me anymore! Then I remembered the unconscious Mariko and I spun round. She was still on the floor so I picked her up and carried her in my arms to my room. I lay her on my bed gently and ran back to the freezer room. The blood on the floor was easily explained but i grabbed the guy's body and flung it off the side of the ship when no one was looking. It was very risky but I pulled it off quite well. Now me and Mariko were free to do what we wanted. All I wanted right now was to go to my room and make sure my friend was okay. At least Sirius was with her...

0o0o0o0o0o0

When Mariko woke up I hugged her tightly. She jumped in surprise but returned the hug gently. I silently cried tears of relief and was surprised to see that my tears mixed with someone else's. I pulled away from the crying Mariko and wiped at her tears.

"What's the matter?" I asked. "You should be glad you're okay!"

"It's just that I can't stay with you. You're a poke-morph and people are trying to kill you! I was kidnapped and tortured for you and I'm afraid it'll happen again..." Mariko trailed off sadly.

I felt a fresh wave of tears exit my eyes and I hugged Mariko again. She felt fragile and warm in my arms and I wanted nothing more than to protect her.

"I swear... nothing like this will happen again. I will protect you no matter what! You knew I was a morph yet you were willing to save me twice now and show me how to be a trainer. No one has been this nice to me and I would like nothing more than to stay with you. I will keep you safe I promise," I vowed to my friend.

Mariko moved back and gave me her best smile. Luckily when my anger faded so did the strange alterations to me. Unfortunately I still had my tail and bone-like appendages and orange skin but I was used to it by now. Besides Mariko wouldn't like a girl with horns would she? Mariko leaned towards me and kissed me sweetly on the cheek before lying back on my bed again and falling asleep. I felt warm again and smiled myself.

"Thank you..." I whispered.

End of chapter. Read and review please or else Gray will attack you in the night!

Gray: I eat babies!