It was pouring since morning and Elwin hated the rain.

Hate would be too strong of a word, but it didn't help that the rain flared up his asthma, leaving him very uncomfortable and at worst, making him doubt whether he was going to make it. Living in Vermilion City didn't help, either. Elwin suspected that the highly humid weather was making his condition worse. Regardless, it was beyond his control. His father was a construction worker and his mother was a Pokemon beautician. However, Elwin chose to not become a Pokemon trainer or beautician, partly owing to his condition. Instead, he was studying to earn a degree in computer science and help the world with his knowledge. However, his parents often looked down at him for having such an unusual ambition. He never let them get into his head.

Today was not Elwin's lucky day. The rain refused to stop even when evening approached and without warning, there was a power outage, making him almost jump out of his bed. Power outages was very rare; when that happened it usually meant something went seriously wrong. Thankfully, it wasn't fully dark yet. Elwin got out of his bed and tried to locate a candle or two. His parents won't be home tonight. That shouldn't be a problem, at the age of sixteen, he was practically a grown-up . He would be fine by himself. Setting up the candle on his table, he tried to figure out what to do in the dim light. Studying in this light was hard, so he took out his handheld console instead and decided to play video games until either the electricity returned or it was dinner time.

Elwin was playing an old-school RPG where four heroes worked together to save the world. It was cliched, but for some reason he enjoyed such a simple plot and the idea of going on adventures with friends – or making new ones along the way. The world was complicated for a handheld RPG released on an old console, and there was no definitive map. It was easy to get lost. Elwin was trying to figure out where to go next without getting wiped out when his attention was interrupted by a tapping sound. Elwin put the game down. Was he hearing things? As he tried to focus, he unmistakably heard the tapping sound again. It sounded like it was made using something softer than human hands. Paws? Could it be a Pokemon? Elwin wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Stray Pokemon could be seeking shelter in such a harsh weather. It would be too rude to turn it down. Elwin got down from the bed, grabbed the candle and made his way towards the front door. He peeked out of the adjacent window. True to his suspicions, it was indeed a Pokemon. A Braixen.

The poor Fire-type was trying to shield itself from the torrent by squeezing tightly against the door, which provided some cover. It tapped on the door again. Elwin made the decision. Fire Pokemon were known to even die when exposed to very high levels of water. He wasn't going to let that happen. He quickly opened the door. "Come in!" Elwin reached out the arm that wasn't holding the candle, trying to sound non-threatening. The creature's eyes lit up, surprised. It didn't seem like it was actually expecting to be welcomed inside the house.

With a shivering body, the Pokemon slowly made it's way inside, briefly looking at the human to make sure that it wasn't being tricked. Seemed like it could trust the human, his eyes seemed friendly. Elwin closed the door. There were faint red lights of dusk among the clouds, but it looked like they were about to go out. He turned his attention to his new guest. "Well, hello. Are you alright?" he said out loud, hoping the Pokemon would understand him. This species wasn't native to Kanto, as far as he knew. It must have come to this place onboard the ship. Where was it's trainer? To his surprise, the Pokemon seemed to understand him fine, as it nodded and let out it's identifying cry "Braie!" before shaking it's body, getting the carpet wet. Elwin found the gesture cute. He could worry about the wet carpet later.

"So you are not in a bad shape, huh? You know, you're actually quite beautiful." Elwin meant those words. Flattering others wasn't one of his traits. He wasn't around many Pokemon before, but the Braixen was quite easily the most beautiful one he had come across; despite it's fur being dampened by the rain, the Pokemon still looked majestic. Elwin kneeled down, trying to match the Pokemon's height, who was pretty short compared to him. "Let me get a towel so you can dry up," Elwin offered. The Braixen shook it's head. It won't be necessary, it's own heat would be enough as long as it was shielded from the rain. "No towels, huh?" Elwin asked. Did all it need was a shelter? Either way, he should make sure his guest got everything it needed and was actually alright. His mom had a Pokedex. It could be useful to him now. He motioned the Pokemon to follow him. To his delight, it obeyed.

Elwin sat in his bedroom with his guest and the Pokedex in his hand, studying the information gathered there. He nodded as he kept reading, drawing the curious gaze of the Braixen and an occasional yip. Elwin turned his attention to the Braixen and smiled. "Okay girl, this thing here says you should be okay now. You don't have a trainer anymore, do you? It says here you lost contact with your trainer two months ago. Then you're free to stay with us; or free to leave once the rain stops, it's up to you. Or I can help you find your trainer if you wish." Elwin tried to assure her, although he preferred that the Pokemon would decline the offer to leave. He was already getting attached to this beauty. On the other hand, he had no idea how to properly raise Pokemon and his mom specialized in Pokemon beauty and appeal. While this one surely didn't lack appeal in Elwin's eyes, he wasn't sure whether his mom would be able to help him about raising Pokemon, either. He could worry about that later. For now, he had things he could take care of by himself.

"You must be hungry. What kind of food do you eat? I have Pokeblocks, but they don't fill you up, do they?" Elwin was talking to the Braixen, whose gaze indicated that she understood him, but couldn't speak her mind out loud. Instead, the Pokemon grabbed Elwin's right hand with it's white paws and softly shook her head to let him know she really didn't need anything. She was just grateful to have a place to stay. Elwin saw through her humbleness. "Oh, stop protesting! You're my guest now. By the way, I can touch you, right? You're tugging my hand and all." Elwin tried to understand her opinion. He didn't like the idea of scaring his guest. He didn't like it himself when someone tried to touch him without permission, he was sure this Pokemon wouldn't, either. The Braixen responded by nodding. Elwin took that as an affirmative. It was surprising to both of them how fast they were beginning to understand each other. Elwin smiled and patted her on the head. The fur was no longer damp. Seems like she didn't really need a towel, after all. The Braixen softly growled, sounding happy. Seeking shelter at this home was a good idea. Her instincts didn't lie.

Elwin studied the Braixen that sat in front of him on the bed, cross-legged, imitating him. She kept declining food, including rice, biscuits, even berries. Elwin finally gave up, not wanting to force anything on his guest. So now the two were sitting on the bed, in the dim light, trying to establish proper communication. "Say, do you have a nickname? Anything your trainer gave you?" Elwin asked. The Braixen shook her head. "Okay, since you haven't decided if you're staying with me yet, I can't give you one, either. Please don't take it personally. I care for you already." Elwin smiled assuringly.

The Braixen smiled back. She was starting to like this human. Maybe all humans weren't the same. As long as this human wasn't like her former trainer, that would be enough for her.

"I'm Elwin, by the way." he finally introduced himself properly.

The Braixen responded by grabbing his hand. Seemed like it was her way of showing appreciation. "Did you get lost? That is rare, most trainers can track down their Pokemon with modern technology." Elwin tried to make sense of things. The Braixen shook her head again. "Did you... run away?" Elwin became slightly concerned. Pokemon usually run away only when their trainers treat them poorly. Was this girl okay inside?

This time the Braixen took a while to respond, before slowly nodding. The gleaming brightness in her eyes was suddenly replaced with a darker aura. "Did he hurt you?" Elwin didn't want to sound mean or dismissive, but he needed to find out if she needed any help. Again, the Braixen sadly nodded, slightly tightening her grip on Elwin's hand. "I'm sorry." Elwin whispered, "Tomorrow I'll take you to a Pokemon Center. They will fix you up in no time, you'll see!" Elwin tried to cheer her up. After all, she didn't look significantly injured. It definitely wasn't anything very serious.

His speech had an unexpected effect on the Pokemon, as she climbed down from the bed and slowly made her way towards a corner, which was beyond the illumination of the candle. Elwin became really concerned at this point as he tried to think of all the ways trainers could hurt their Pokemon. Beating them up for failure, denying food, refusing to put them back in their Poke Balls, exposing them to elements their species couldn't deal with, the list went on and on. But all of them would have left signs of serious physical injuries, which wasn't apparent on this one. What could it be?

Another thing crossed his mind. Being someone who was into computers, he often spent a great deal of time on the network, learning both useful and useless information. He came across forums about people who engaged in romantic and sexual relationships with Pokemon. He had no problems with it, as long as the Pokemon in question had human-like intelligence and was capable of giving clear consent and no force was involved. Could it be...

Elwin took a long, deep breath, trying to collect his thoughts as he slowly made his way towards the Braixen, who was sitting in the corner, staring at the ground. He hesitated before speaking to her again, as it was a really sensitive matter. But he finally mastered the courage to speak up, "Look, Braixen, I think I understand what happened. But you have to trust me, okay? I'll never hurt you or force anything on you. And one day, I'll track down that bad person and teach him a lesson." He felt his own eyes tearing up as he spoke those words. How heartless someone would have to be to force themselves upon this weak but beautiful creature?

His words seemed to have a profound effect on this creature as she leaped from her shielded position and onto Elwin, who narrowly managed to retain his balance. The Braixen then broke down sobbing, her body heating up even more than what was usual for her species. Elwin wasn't sure if it would be okay to touch her after what he figured out, even if he meant no harm. It seemed unnecessary at this point, as the Braixen hugged him tightly. She really did sense no harm from this human beforehand, and his words solidified her beliefs. She chose to trust him.

Eventually, the two broke their gesture of trust and sat down on the floor, staring at each other. The Braixen seemed a little embarrassed for pouncing on the human like that. What if he didn't like being touched either? But Elwin didn't mind, rather he felt happy that the poor Pokemon chose to trust him enough to touch him that closely. He smiled to lighten up the situation, "See? You're safe with me. Nobody will hurt you, I promise you that." At this, the Braixen took a hold of his hand again and squeezed it, as if asking for confirmation. "I promise." he said again.

After almost half-an-hour of chit-chatting in now a mostly understandable language, the new friends were tired. Despite that, the Braixen was starting to get attached to Elwin. Everything about him emitted an aura of innocence and hinted towards an open heart. He took everything lightly, took her opinions seriously and most importantly, treated her with respect. One afternoon wasn't usually enough to judge someone, but to someone like her who had only seen the bad side of humanity, Elwin was like a being of pure positive and soothing energy to her. Eventually she found herself cuddling up close to him, leaning her head on his chest as he told her a story he had read as a child:

"And then, the Dragonite roared, 'Who hath come to take away the princess?' Then the valiant knight shouted, 'I come in peace! I will not take away the princess by force, rather, I wish you to consider your actions again. We hope one day you will have a change of your heart and return the princess to her rightful place!"

The Braixen looked at Elwin with wide eyes. She wanted to ask what happened afterwards, but Elwin scratched his head, breaking the immersion. "Sorry girl, I forgot the exact details, but I remember that the Dragonite understood the consequences of his actions and respectfully returned the princess to her kingdom a few days later. Then everyone rejoiced and the princess and the knight got married."

The Braixen still had many questions she wanted to ask, but the language barrier played a card of irony on them. Instead, she loudly yawned. She was so busy listening to the tale that she forgot how tired she was. But she still wanted to spend more time with her new friend, provided that he didn't mind, of course. Elwin looked at her, "If you're sleepy you're more than welcome to share my bed. As you see, I can't make you sleep on the floor. You're my guest, after all." he finished his sentence with a chuckle. The Braixen took a few moments to consider the option. Sure, this human wouldn't try anything strange, if he wanted to, he could've already done. No harm in sharing a bed with him, right? But there was another problem she didn't want to admit. She was starting to feel attracted to this human already.

Maybe it was conditioning; after being forced to mate with her former trainer, it was only natural for her body to crave the contact of another human male. She wasn't sure why that happened, Elwin would probably be able to explain it, he seemed quite intelligent to her. However, it was entirely different this time. For the first time, her body actually craved sensual touches from a human; or rather, this human called Elwin. With her former trainer, it was always forced, he didn't care whether she wanted it or not. If she resisted, his other Pokemon would beat her into submission or she would be denied food for days.

Before she knew it, she wrapped her arms around Elwin's neck, pulling him closer. "H-Hey, what are you doing, girl? Are you really that happy to be around me? I guess we'll be staying together, then! Welcome to your new home!" Elwin winked, making her more tense. Surely, she wasn't forcing herself on him, she was just trying to drop hints in her own way. Maybe she needed to be a little more aggressive to let him know that she liked him. She proceeded to stick out her tongue and slowly lick his ears, coating it with saliva. Elwin blushed at her actions. Did the Braixen take that serious of a liking to him, so soon? However, it didn't seem unusual to him. She was showing affections in the only way she was used to. To be honest, Elwin wasn't feeling indifferent to her. The second thing he thought when he saw her was that she was beautiful, the first thought being she needed to be saved.

Elwin decided to softly respond to her actions. After all, he had no intentions of forcing himself on her; but if she liked him, they could engage in mutual bonding. If two creatures wanted each other sincerely, there was nothing more pure than it. He finally decided to make his move by stroking her white furs on the face. She let out a pleasant growl, permitting him to continue what he was doing. He continued petting her, earning soft moans and yips from her in the process. This human was so different. He saved her without questioning. He offered her food and a place to stay and he was so gentle and caring in his ways of petting her. Her former trainer was always rough. Would it be so wrong for her to pay him back? To show him that she wanted to truly belong to him from now on?

Slowly, she moved her lips away from his ears and moved it towards his face. After a brief moment of eye contact that felt like an eternity, the two were engaged in a gentle, face-to-face kiss. There was no bestial lust in it, only the assurance that they were going to be together. Things escalated soon as the Braixen pushed him on the ground. For the first time in her life, she was on top of her partner, and said partner was someone she wanted to be inside her. Elwin smiled and nodded, not breaking eye contact. He was lonely too, after having broken up with his girlfriend several months ago and devoting himself to computer science.

"Does that twig in your tail always stay in place? I hope it doesn't accidentally fall off and light the house on fire!" he joked, trying to lighten up the tension slightly. The Braixen grinned, enjoying his joke. Not only he was a kind person but one with a sense of humor, too? What else could a lonely and heartbroken female like her want?

This was it. She was going to become his tonight and for the future to come. She leaned closer and the couple engaged in another kiss, this one lasting much longer and using up more force, each of them trying to gain entry to the other's mouth. Elwin won and salvaged his victory by tasting the unusually warm corners of her mouth and touching her fangs, causing her to shudder from pleasure. This was all new to her. Elwin had his fair share of sensual play with his former girlfriend, but the Braixen's different anatomy was thrilling to explore. Their kiss finally came to an end when the couple ran out of breath, leaving a trail of saliva as a mark of their exploration. Elwin stared at her ruby-colored eyes, fully admiring their beauty. His other body parts were demanding attention too, namely his manhood. It was poking his partner through his pants. When she realized this, she giggled, causing Elwin to blush.

"Should I take these barriers off?" he asked, causing her to growl demandingly. "Fine, fine, don't burn them off!" With that, he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his somewhat skinny but fit body. He was by no means muscular, partly owing to his asthma, but looked attractive nonetheless. He then lifted his partner up slightly so he could unzip his pants, finally freeing his manhood from the tight grip. The Braixen didn't care what it looked like or how large it was; it was his partner's and thus perfect for her. She was already drooling at the thought of having an actual mate and couldn't wait to make him hers, her femalehood agreeing with her mind by dripping fluids. She looked at Elwin questioningly, asking for permission with her eyes.

"Go ahead, I'm all yours." he smiled, blushing. He grabbed her arms to give her better support as she lowered herself onto him, letting out a long, muffled moan as her partner entered her. Elwin moaned as well, this was his first time in months experiencing something like this, and his partner was a lot more warm than he was used to from his past experiences. "Ready when you are, Braixen." Elwin signaled her. She nodded and placed her arms on his chest. Slowly, Elwin grabbed her hips, lifting her upwards and then down to his manhood again, earning another yip from her, this one louder than before. She drooled out of the corner of her mouth, urging him to continue. It didn't take long before a rhythm was established, the couple slowly gaining speed before breaking into frantic motions of lovemaking. However, the Braixen had other plans. She applied some resistance and in the brief moment, seized control of his arms, removing them from her hips and pinning him down, taking control of motions. With the remnant of her strength, she began riding him in rapid thrusts, causing both of them to pant as they reached their peaks. "I'm close, Braixen!" Elwin grunted. She was close too, but didn't have the chance to alert him as she came down on him one final time before her femalehood clenched down on his member, hard and splattered his pants and parts of his crotch with her fluids. It was enough for Elwin to growl and empty himself inside his lover, filling her up and causing some of his seed to drip out of her, adding to the mixture.

The next few moments were just Braixen lying atop Elwin, spent and panting, some of her drool coating his mouth without either of them paying attention to it. Elwin buried his face against her neck, trying to find as well as provide the best comfort he could in their spent status. "Hey, Braixen, may I call you 'Starlight'? You'll be the the star in my life that shines eternally." he whispered as he passed out. The Braixen growled happily. The name had a much deeper meaning, huh? Of course she was 'Starlight' from now on. His Starlight. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep on top him as well. She had everything she wanted. She was happy.

Eight Years Later

"Sir, can you please ask someone to cover my shift today?" Elwin requested his admin at the server department of Silph Co. over his Xtransceiver.

"That can be arranged, but is everything okay, Elwin? We've never seen you take a day off during the two years you've been working here." the admin sounded concerned.

"Thank you, sir. I'll tell you everything later!" with that, Elwin laughed and hung up the call before looking at Starlight, now a glorious Delphox. She was wearing a flower crown he had made for her regarding today's special occasion.

"Ready, Starlight?" he reached out his right arm towards her.

"Always ready for you, my love." she spoke out telepathically and took his hand into her left paw.

Leaving the house, the couple walked up to the port, paw in hand. Some sailors cast them a funny look, but they couldn't care the slightest.

They stared into each others' eyes.

"I take you as my one and only mate, Starlight. I will take care of you until death separates us." Elwin said in a low, yet firm voice.

"I take you as my one and only mate, Elwin. I will protect you until death separates us." Starlight spoke in her soothing voice to his mind.

From that moment, their fates were sealed together.