Magikarp Future Stocks (Lay the Very Best - Chapter 431)

After Morgan's dazzling display, they knew staying at the Casino a moment longer wasn't a good idea. So they got out of there and swung by the Arcade to pick up Dani and Sparky. Which hadn't been easy, because Odile was still going strong, but throwing Odile's own partners at her gave Brandy just enough time to scoop up Dani and Sparky.

Literally scooped up in Dani's case, Calcine ended up princess-carrying her. It was hard to say which of them was more delighted; Calcine teased gently while Dani blushed and tried to explain herself.

Sparky, on the other hand, was buzzing with energy. She bounced on her heels as they followed Morgan to a place she'd set up for everyone. Brandy hadn't asked how she'd done that. The night was almost over, and there was a bed out there somewhere with Brandy's name on it.

"You should've seen us!" Sparky crowed, talking loud enough that anyone within two blocks could hear. "Dani and I did so good! I got hold of those hips and made them work, but at a slow enough pace that it really dragged out the best noises. Odile didn't know what hit her. She was smothering Dani with kisses."

Her story checked out. Odile's purple lipstick was all over Dani. From head to toe.  

"We were going to beat her."

"But?" Brandy asked, a little curious what went wrong. Wren was likely to get Cursed Body eventually; it'd be good to know how to beat it.

"I made some uhhhh ... noises," Dani said, draping her head over Calcine's bicep so she could look at Brandy upside down, pigtails bouncing as they walked. "And Sparky got worked up."

"In my defence, I really wanted to hear more of those noises." Sparky said, "Dani wanted a pounding, and Odile wanted it slow. That's impossible to focus on."

"Which is why Trainers exist," Brandy said.

"I thought they existed to put their thighs around my head." Sparky shrugged. "But I guess they do this too."

Brandy looked to Calcine for support, but Calcine was just smiling happily at the antics of everyone. Being able to concentrate when emotions ran hot was meant to be a human thing, and right now, Calcine was enjoying the warm fuzzies.

Well, Brandy had never been the usual kind of Trainer. She could enjoy the warm fuzzies with them.

"You did great," Brandy said, tugging Sparky's cheek, the skin fizzling under her fingertips. "We don't have a lot of Soft Moves on this team; we're pretty high impact. You did great considering."

"What's a Soft Move?" Dani said quietly. "Like a hug?"

"A move that affects the mind or senses, not the body," Morgan said, "We're going to see someone who's very good at them."

"Aw," Dani sighed. "Well, that's nice too."

"Dani," Brandy asked, "Do you want a hug?"

Dani blinked and then nodded, her pigtails bobbing. Calcine adjusted her hold, and Brandy stepped in to wrap her arms around them both. Dani melted into the hug, a soft sigh escaping her that made Brandy's chest ache, but in a good way.

"You want to learn some Soft Moves?"

"Magikarp can't learn moves." Dani huffed. "We're simple ladies."

"I've seen your skin shimmer with water now and then," Brandy said into the hug. "And you are in this team, there's nobody simple in this team."

"We're all confounding creatures", Morgan smirked. "Dani might be right, but I've been thinking of a way to cheat."

"You can't cheat the laws of the universe", Brandy said, knowing immediately she'd said the wrong thing. Morgan looked absolutely delighted at the idea.

"I don't think I can learn," Dani said, "But it would be fun to try? If I ever become a Gyrados, I could be the first huggable one!"

Cute as her enthusiasm was, Brandy couldn't help but smile. She tried to imagine Dani as a Gyarados, enormous yet still somehow full of her usual bashful energy, and it just didn't work at all. Gyarardos were infamous ladykillers, worse even than Mercury, and it took a powerful woman to keep one in line. Dani might be a ladykiller, but it was because her mouth was so good she made them melt.

Then again, weren't all Magikarp cuties like Dani? How did one become a Gyarados exactly?

Fenny would know. Brandy's mom had a Shiny Gyarados as one of the Pokémon she studied in her lab. Maybe seeing her parents could be helpful and not cripplingly embarrassing?

Brandy could dream.

"I know an expert, we'll ask her." Brandy said, "Be warned, she's going to be thrilled to meet you."

"Oh no?" Dani said, clearly unsure why this was something to worry about. "I'll be on my guard."

"You're doing great, Dani," Brandy smiled. "Good job with Odile."

"We didn't beat her."

"I wasn't even there! It'd have been amazing if you had. You got really close and you did beat Sassy, which was pretty incredible."

Dani blushed, but she couldn't disagree. She had beaten the giant Phantump with only a little guidance from Brandy and even managed to get her to help. She had every right to be proud.

"I'll do my best," Dani said, "Though after some rest. I am worn out."

Sparky cackled and blew Dani a kiss. "I wore you out."

"Yeah," Dani said, "You really did. Woof. Big."

That was the cue for the talk to descend into talking about Dani's butt and Sparky's dick, both things Brandy was more than happy to talk the fine details of. It helped make the walking brisk and easy, and it wasn't long before they finally arrived at a huge building that looked wildly out of place for the end of such a chaotic night. Massive glass windows glowed with warm light, and polished stone columns framed a set of ornate double doors.

"Morgan," she asked slowly, "who do you know, exactly? Because this looks like the kind of place that belongs to someone insanely rich."

"I didn't actually ask how rich she was," Morgan said, "I guess she might be slightly wealthy."

"I feel like I'm committing a crime just looking at this thing," Sparky whistled. "Cool."

"No getting us kicked out," Morgan warned, giving Sparky a playful glare. She straightened her hat, brushed her feathers down, and squared her shoulders. Whoever waited inside, she was enough to make Morgan want to tackle her at her best.

It was a weird feeling knowing you've missed something important. Brandy was used to being fully in her partners' lives, but Morgan was a Flying Type, and they did love to wander away for a while. Seeing Morgan act nervous, even just a little, stirred a strange mix in Brandy's chest. A flicker of disappointment that Morgan hadn't shared this, and a spark of excitement to meet whoever could make Morgan want to puff herself up. Whoever they were, Brandy thought, they had to be something special.

It took them a good while to get up the lift. Because Sparky immediately pressed every single button when they got in.