Thankfully, neither Zoey nor 2B had possessed any desire to linger in Pewter City after they’d both gotten their Boulder Badges and had their date. This meant that they managed to escape the city, heading for Mt. Moon and the Route through it that led to Cerulean City, before Battlecast had picked up on 2B’s match. It was a full day journey, even if you set a brisk pace, and they weren’t in any particular hurry. Thus, they’d stopped for some light training before lunch and were now having a bit of rest while they ate said lunch.
Tentatively, Zoey decided it was a good time to bring up something else she’d wanted to ask about for a while. Part of her wanted to wait, so that 2B didn’t think she was dating her just to get what she wanted, but she honestly didn’t think her companion was likely to leap to that conclusion. Nor did Zoey have even the slightest intention of pressing the issue if the answer was in any way negative.
“Hey, do you mind if I ask you a bit about Aura? Ash didn’t really, you know, know anything. Other than some super basics. It seems so useful that it’s a little odd to me it isn’t more well known, actually.”
2B blinked, looking away from where she’d been pampering Vulpix by brushing her coat out. The little fox had been downright smug since its victory, rightfully so given that the Tyrunt she’d faced had been well beyond the level any First Badge fight should have featured. Though if the self-satisfied smugness and heightened ego didn’t wear off in a few more days, Zoey might have to caution 2B not to let it get to her starter’s head. Given that Jigglypuff existed, and Vulpix looked up to Jigglypuff greatly, it probably wouldn’t come to that.
“I don’t mind. Part of why Daisy is studying aura is that she agrees. Spreading carefully curated and correct knowledge of aura could help in many ways.”
A mild amount of relief flooded Zoey at that response. She hadn’t really considered that the reason Daisy Oak might be studying aura in the first place was to potentially spread awareness, but it made a sort of sense. Her grandfather was famous the world over for his study into the Bonds between pokémon and Trainer, and from a few things 2B had said before, at least some of how that Bond worked was likely aura related. If Zoey remembered correctly, proving that was the case had been one focus of Daisy’s research.
“Right, well…I suppose the big question is about who can learn it? I don’t really care about being able to punch out a raging Gyarados or something, but the much clearer communication you have with pokémon would be really nice.”
That comment got another nod and a small smile from 2B, farther relieving Zoey. There was a long pause as 2B seemed to be working out how to answer. Something that Zoey was more than willing to wait out.
“Everyone has aura. Everyone can learn. Not easily, but possible. I think most serious Trainers would have an easier time, as most of them have likely felt Aura Links with their companions and just not known what was happening.”
Zoey blinked at that, echoing the phrase as a question.
“Aura links?”
2B nodded, seeming to think it was obvious, but she also seemed to at least understand that Zoey was confused and looking for more information.
“Moments where you and your pokémon were perfectly in synch. Mega-evolution requires it, as do some pokémon evolutions. Those evolutions that are frequently called ‘Friendship’ based almost certainly actually require a frequent and stable Aura Link, where the pokémon and human’s aura are freely mixing.”
Huh. That…actually made sense out of the idea of ‘Friendship/Happiness Evolutions,’ at least if she was grasping this concept correctly. She’d always wondered how the heck that worked, even if it was proven to work. For that matter, she sort of thought she understood the state that 2B was describing. Almost all truly high-level Coordinators relied on a state like that, where they and their pokémon could practically read each others’ minds. It was something a lot of Coordinators had little rituals to help them with, to get in the right mindset. When she said as much, absentmindedly, to 2B, her companion perked up.
“Would you like to try? To see if it’s the same state?”
Zoey’s mind skipped for a second at that offer.
“Er, what do you mean, exactly? That I should try with Purugly so you can see…?”
2B shook her head in the negative.
“No. Humans can link Auras too. Daisy and I did so frequently when testing various concepts. If I establish an Aura Link with you, you’ll be able to feel what one is like, then compare it to what you feel with Purugly.”
Okay that…hadn’t been a possibility that had occurred to her. Zoey had been thinking of aura as a way to communicate with pokémon. Somehow, it had never occurred to her that it would work to connect people, as well. She supposed it made sense she hadn’t considered it before. After all, you could just talk to a person, whereas most wild pokémon didn’t understand the spoken word. It generally took years of being around Trainers for them to pick structured language up. Simple words or name association came quickly, just as it did for mundane animals. Being able to understand complex sentences took a lot longer, for those pokémon that managed it at all.
Well, except for Psychic Types, who were cheating cheaters who cheated.
“Um, sure? What do we need to do? It won’t hurt, will it?”
2B shook her head, then shifted Vulpix off her lap. The little fox pokémon huffed at that, but didn’t protest. Indeed, it looked a little interested. Did Vulpix understand enough to be curious? Possibly. She’d been raised around humans to some extent, and born to two Trainer pokémon, so it was probable Vulpix had a decent grasp of language. Even if it was practically unnecessary with her Trainer, since 2B was a natural at using aura to communicate.
They’d stopped in one of the semi-cleared fields along the edge of the route, but not one with any benches or other manmade anything. As such, they were both already seated on the ground, not really an issue or even something to think too hard on when they were both wearing the sort of made-for-Trainers clothing that scoffed at grass stains.
Probably in a Scottish accent.
Regardless of which accent their clothes spoke in the dark of the night, their current positioning on the ground made it quite easy for 2B to simply scoot around to face Zoey. In doing so, she shifted to sit cross-legged and held her hands out, palms up. Curious, but getting the idea easily enough, Zoey shifted to a similar position, but placed her hands palm down in each of 2B’s.
“What do we do no-”
Abruptly, as 2B’s hands began to lightly glow, Zoey’s eyes shot wide open. The sensation of her and 2B’s aura slowly intermingling was impossible to describe, but equally impossible to miss. It was the same feeling she got when she was the most ‘in synch’ with Purugly, but that was a faint echo of this. She was aware of the connection between her and 2B in a way that she’d never even imagined possible, able to feel the other girl’s calming presence and happiness at getting to share something.
Wait. She could feel 2B’s presence and get a general idea of what she was feeling? Did that mean 2B was getting the same thing from her? Only maybe more since 2B knew what she doing?! Abruptly, Zoey tried not to think about 2B’s gorgeous eyes, amazingly perky tits for their size, and the ass you just wanted to spend the whole day walking behind. Predictably, to literally anyone in the history of man or pokémon kind, trying not to think of something immediately brought it to mind.
Face immediately flushing red, even as she felt an amused reciprocation and the idea that 2B found both Zoey’s hair and breasts aesthetically pleasing return from the link, Zoey yelped and instinctively pulled her hands away. The connection broke and she immediately felt lesser for it, for just a few moments, before normalcy returned and she merely found herself sitting across from a slightly-smiling 2B. Zoey’s face absolutely refused to return to normal from its blush as 2B spoke in an entirely-too-level voice.
“Hmm, perhaps I failed to account for the fact Daisy already knew how to control her personal Aura and the emotions she fed into it? We can try some meditative exercises first, next time, if I didn’t frighten you off.”
Frighten her off?! No, all it did was leave her more than a little flushed, and possibly with slightly damp panties. Who knew that handholding could be so lewd?!
“Uh-um, no. No, that didn’t scare me off. It was, um…just a bit much? It was interesting, but those meditation exercises might be a good idea…”
2B nodded with a happy twitch upwards of her smile, becoming one of the most expressive that Zoey had ever seen out of the other girl. Damn it, now was not the time to be tempted to kiss her!
Of course, Zoey forgot that 2B still read aura to an extent, even when not connected so directly, and a moment later her mind blanked completely as 2B leaned in to peck her on the lips…
… … …
After the slight embarrassment of Zoey’s first close encounter with Aura Linking, they’d gathered up their things and moved on. There weren’t a lot of pokémon locally that either 2B or Zoey were interested in specifically looking for, with the only truly interesting ones tending to be rare enough that they’d jointly decided it wasn’t worth looking for them.
Shinx and Baltoy had very rarely been spotted in the area, for example. Yet neither were native to Kanto, had likely descended from released pokémon, and were extremely small in numbers as a result. While Zoey would have personally loved a Shinx for the upcoming Water Type gym, it wasn’t a strong enough desire to drive her to spend days looking for one. Not even if 2B’s aura abilities might have made it easier.
As a result, they’d pushed on and managed to reach the foot of Mt. Moon, or at least the point which the locals considered such, just as night fell.
Mt. Moon had its own dedicated pokémon center, for the very good reason that people coming out of the mountain after passing through it from Cerulean City were generally exhausted. Heading to Cerulean didn’t have the same issue, as the City was right up against the mountain. Pewter, on the other hand, was a full day’s walk from their side of the mountain, necessitating a place to rest and treat pokémon and Trainers alike that made it through the caves.
Said center wasn’t terribly large, however, and the issues with the logjam of Trainers milling around Pewter were only just starting to clear up. Neither of them had been surprised, as a result, to find that there had only been a single room left. Honestly, they’d been more surprised there were any rooms left, rather than that there was only the one.
Zoey had been a little concerned that 2B would take issue with sharing now that they were dating, even if it was a two-bed room. Thankfully, 2B seemed completely oblivious to there being any difference and hadn’t hesitated to take the room at all. Of course, that did mean that Zoey’s hormones were once against subjected to the sight of 2B’s version of nightwear. As the teddy that was ‘good for when sleeping with others’ reappeared, she somehow found she didn’t have any problem with that…
… … …
2B was as careful and quiet as she could be when she sat up, having waited until several minutes after Zoey’s breathing evened out. She only really needed roughly four hours of sleep a night, at most, but had discovered quickly that others grew concerned about that fact if she didn’t conceal it. Even Daisy had been that way until a thorough round of testing had proven that 2B legitimately just didn’t need as much sleep as a baseline human. Others, such as one of the older and kinder research assistants that Professor Oak kept on staff, had been harder to convince.
It was easier just to pretend she needed as much sleep as her new companion did.
Doubly so as she didn’t want Zoey to grow concerned she was slowing 2B down.
Traveling with a human was, after all, a far better way to learn about humans than traveling without one. That she was also rapidly coming to like Zoey, and thought that ‘dating’ her was enjoyable so far, only made her desire not to leave her behind stronger. Besides, there were a great many things she could do with her visor, the pokédex and pokégear it was linked too, and the spare hours of time.
Such as looking on the local, primitive version of the internet to attempt to see what ‘dating’ involved. Something she’d decided needed doing after wrestling with her knot of poorly understood feelings after their first date. She wasn’t completely ignorant, and she was aware that she was likely to have to filter out a great deal of porn in her attempts to find useful information. But she felt that Zoey deserved her trying to figure it out if she could. Including figuring out if she should offer to connect them again to better understand one another. 2B had found Zoey’s feelings of desire toward her quite complimentary, if somewhat expected, given that YoRHa Androids had been designed on idealized human templates.
For some reason, Zoey herself seemed embarrassed by revealing that information though. It was a curious issue and 2B wanted to see if there was a way to help the other girl through her obvious issues with intimacy. Perhaps exposure therapy? She did have a few nightwear options that were less concealing, which a blushing Daisy had insisted were only to be worn with a boy or girlfriend around. Zoey was her girlfriend now, though, so it might be a good solution.
She would need to try and fact check. As well as check the Common Sense Checklist. At worst, if she couldn’t figure it out, she could contact Daisy and ask, she supposed. But she’d really feel better about her progress if she could sort this out herself…
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A/N 1: Mwhwahahaha, I promised you Lewd Handholding at one point! I bet you thought I was exaggerating and leaning into the meme/trope! To be fair, originally I was ;-). But then I was hit with this idea and couldn't resist! 'Who knew handholding could be so LEWD?!'