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Whatever you had just walked in on, you did not like it. Real or not, the image was still burned into your cortex for the rest of your life. You even walked back into the elevator, went to the first floor of the Rust Syndicate building, and then back up to Corbeau’s office to make sure what you saw was real. Yep, it was real!
There your “boyfriend” was, sleeping with “Miss Mega Stones” herself, on the couch that he had once held you so tenderly when he asked to start dating. Was there supposed to be anger? You were pretty sure there was supposed to be. Yep, there was the anger. It slowly burned through your veins as your face became redder and redder. They were too busy to even notice you as the door dinged, twice, announcing your arrival to the floor. Corbeau’s face only shaped into one of horror after you had walked up to them and stood over them with your arms crossed, staring down at his short, slimy, pathetic, bitch boy form. Nervous and shocked by your presence, you watched as he prematurely ejaculated inside Korrina, who was waving at you.
In a tight voice, you were gritting out your words, afraid that you were going to actually just break down or throw him out the window. Philippe was not even there; dumping him would probably be easy with the help of one of your Pokémon, and the distance to the ground from the rooftop was oh-so far.
“Afternoon dear!”
Corbeau was afraid, had he ever been this afraid before? That look on your face, he had only seen it directed at Urbain, being at the end of it was something he laughed about, and here he was now. There was no excuse, it was exactly what it looked like. He was sputtering, fumbling his words. How embarrassing. This was just some form of business partnership-negotiation-thing, surely you, his loving girlfriend would understand after he bought you something pretty! It had to work, you were simple, women and in general, most of his partners were simple. They only left because he never had time for them. Nothing else, definitely, totally, nothing else. Korrina responded before he could, as he watched the last bridge burn.
“Oh shit! It’s Corbeau’s errand girl! ‘Sup girlie?!”
Errand girl?! You had been running around with Korrina for quite some time now, mainly working on the distortion issue in Kalos. Most of the time she was amicable, she had a tendency to speak her mind and it was… It was something. Sometimes you got a kick out of it, other times you and Urbain had to hold her back or roll your eyes because what she said was so flagrantly disrespectful. This current situation fell into the latter category.
“I’m sorry, errand girl?!” You spat. “Don’t you mean, girlfriend?!”
Whatever color remained in that pasty man’s face drained immediately. Korrina looked confused, she looked at Corbeau, seeking answers.
“Wait, Corbeau, you have a girlfriend?”
The silence was deafening, you could hear a pin drop.
“Ah, I- no, of course not- I mean… yes- but no! But!-”
He was stammering, he knew that was not the right answer but he did not want to piss off the craziest lay he had in a while. Sacrifices had to be made here and there. You simply did not have time for him as of late with all the dimensional portals cropping up.
“Corbeau, are you actually fucking stupid?”
You leaned down to his eye level, he was in a trance as he looked at your overwhelming angry form. A goddess of war on the path of destruction with him being the ultimate target of her wrath.
SMACK!
His glasses were knocked off his face and onto the hard marble floor tiling. The lenses shattered from the force, and he held his cheek, shocked by the amount of pain it caused. He saw stars in his vision. He had expected that you were the one to hit him despite knowing you were a weak fighter, but it was actually Korrina who had now removed him from her body. Her face was also burning with hatred for him, hand still raised, ready to give another if necessary. Nervously, he saw the glance you cast her way. Was that a look of approval you gave? You still had yet to acknowledge Korrina, and depending on Corbeau’s answer, Lumiose could fall to shit for all you cared. Hell, you would be ready to die with it seeing that you could not leave for some ungodly reason.
“Corbeau…” you were giving him a measured tone, he could hear the anger scraping at the back of your throat, “you have two minutes, honestly less because I don’t even want to breathe your air, to explain what I just saw…” You paused, trying not to let your sanity snap.
“AFTER DAYS OF REASSURING ME THAT YOU WERE NOT SLEEPING TOGETHER AT ALL, OR THAT YOU TWO WEREN’T EVEN FRIENDS!!”
Trying to remain calm and look like he was unfazed, he slowly wiped the spittle that landed on his face.
“Kiddo-” You gave him another sharp glare, he skipped past it, “This is just for the company, think of it in the same way that Urbain would do anything for Hotel Z, hm? Korrina knew the details, and you were too, when there are urgent matters to attend to, we are merely associate-”
SMACK!
That slap was from you. He was not going to be able to silver tongue his way out of this. He needed you in his life, you had to know that, you would not leave him right? That would be unlike you.
“If I may interject,” Korrina spoke up, not really directing her words at you, more at the withering Corbeau, “I asked if this was okay, and you said yes because and I quote ‘We aren’t dating, she’s just a wildly strong asset to have in my arsenal, whereas you are the shining crown jewel of Kalos.’ Followed by an, ‘I’d love to have you by my side,’ so tell me, what’s happening?”
So Corbeau had not told Korrina that he was dating you. You felt stupid. You felt really stupid. His job was swindling and being conniving to gain a quick buck or secure a deal. All of his operations ran at any cost. Those Jacinthe parties that he went to were making a lot more sense. The way he spoke to her, sounded a lot like a brother-sister relationship before, and now you had to ask, who else was he sleeping with? Was he just sleeping with anyone that gave him an advantage? Love, attention, affection, loyalty, were all just little promises with no backing.
Being upset would not do anything anymore. That anger you felt, maybe it was a sad little spark of twisted hope that maybe this truly was not what it seemed to be. But it was, it was exactly what you thought it was. All the pieces fit together now, and the only thing you had to say was,
“Goodbye Corbeau… I don’t need your attention, don’t text me, don’t follow me, I’ll deal with everything without you.”
“W-Wait! Kiddo! P-Princess!!” He was scrambling to get up and reach you before you had gotten to the doors. Ah, fuck, were you really going? There was no way! There was no way!! The elevator doors clunk shut, and you had not even bothered to turn back to look at him.
Korrina just watched as you left. She really did not know that the two of you were dating. You deserved an actual apology, that was… just pathetic on his part, but mostly hers. Coming back to Lumiose might be the worst mistake she had ever made.
Korrina had not seen you for such a long time. She no longer held contact with Corbeau, and she had explained to Vinnie what occurred. He agreed that for the sake of Quasartico’s image, proceeding with Corbeau would not be beneficial for the future. All operations were forcefully handed back to Lady Jett, who switched to cooperating with Jacinthe. The portals kept disappearing, so clearly you were still out there saving the city, but whenever there was a meeting, you never attended, yet every update that came, you addressed. The physical evidence of such being left in your wake was the only proof of your existence in that dead city. Lebanne stated that your visits happened at night when you needed to get a rundown on current events, but when Korrina went to Hotel Richissme at night, you were never there. You were like a ghost. Eventually, she accepted the best apology she could possibly give was just not seeking you out at all, and if you really wanted someone to talk to, you would come at your own pace. That all changed when she was at a bar counter top, and guess who she saw sitting down the line, seven drinks down.
Corbeau was in deep denial. Everyone that worked for him was on edge. Grunts were commanded to stop using perfumes that reminded him of you, would dismiss people if they used words that you used frequently, they were even fired if they had a Pokémon that you had. Philippe had to walk on eggshells almost constantly, careful not to incur his boss’s wrath. His boss would mutter to himself incessantly how he did not need you, how he was doing fine, and how you would crawl back and accept his apology. You would come running back, begging for him to be in your life. He gave you so much. He bought you fineries that no other man could hope to afford for you. He gave you the best of everything, everything but himself. Your location was constantly being projected onto the holo map that now adorned his office. Quasartico had not removed the rest of their technology, noting that it was cheap to make, and it would be best for him to have a map for his operations. A parting gift. He was alone once more.
“Fuck!” He threw the expensive paper weight that he had at one of his many antique ceramic jars.
Korrina saw you sitting there, you looked so… A random man came up to you and you, bleary eyed, gave him a half-hearted smile. She watched you take his hand as he led you to the dancefloor, taking another gulp of her drink. Eyeing you from across the floor, you were wasted, waaaayyy too open and vulnerable. Was this where you were on the nights she did not see you at Hotel Richissme? Giggling, you sloppily waved the man off who was blushing and waving shyly back. It was amusing watching his friends that he was with earlier giving him a thumbs up and cheering for him. She did not mind that guy, it was the rest of the ones that were leering at a drunk girl who was down on their luck, that bothered her. Ah… guess this was what the world was like. A bleak outlook could not be helped after being two timed by someone who promised the world.
You were standing on the dance floor, wobbling. There were, like, who cares how many portals left that you needed to deal with? Those were all just problems for future you. The dashing man that had noticed you and seemingly kept tabs on you since you stepped foot in this magical city, swept you off your feet. Then, he fucking dropped you like you were nothing, leaving you like this. Any distraction that presented itself, anything you could do to drown your sorrow and misery, you snapped up, hungry for an opportunity to forget it all.
“Hey there! Wanna dance?” You heard another woman’s voice.
You nodded, a drunk smile still plastered on your face as you let the room spin for the night in her arms. She talked to you about random bullshit, told you fantastical things about the world and her travels, and then it was over. You told her whatever you thought would thrill her, bitched about the drama you had faced, and she listened. Then, she was gone into the night, the same way you would be, except you would be back the next evening, chasing another high.
All of your teammates were worried about you. Exhaustion was becoming more and more evident as the days went by. They knew you did not sleep well, but they did not know you let yourself waste away in your misery alone each night when you could afford to. As of late though, for some reason, that woman you danced with, she was a local too. For one reason or another, both of you suffered a broken heart, and at the very least, you could always dance over it. There were tears, sloppy stumbles, maybe even vomit, but day after day your comfort was right there. Soon you did not even go to get drunk, but whenever you were sober and dancing, you never heard her voice. You were afraid it was all just your imagination. There was an ever present sharp feeling of someone watching you, but that was just what it was like at a club for you in general. It was starting to intensify though, and it was concerning. Corbeau had indeed listened to your request to not contact you, but if it was his grunts just watching you, you would not be surprised. He was never good at swallowing his damn pride.
Tonight was not a night you wanted to be alone, even if it was just your imagination, you needed a friend, you downed more and more drinks until you were floating towards cloud nine.
“Evening gorgeous.”
“H-Heyyy~”
Toned arms wrapped around you, your friend was back once more. For some reason, you could not figure out why it happened, but you felt yourself let go and cry right there. Being a silent crier had its perks, with no one around you even questioning what was happening, or just not noticing. The woman simply put her hand on your back and rubbed it. You had done this for her before, and now it was just something you did for each other.
“I-” you choked out, “I- I don’t wanna be alone to-” pausing to hiccup, “t-to-tonight…”
“Heh, I get days like that too. I know that feeling all too well.”
“We-Well then, cantcha make sure that feelin’ do-doesn’t torment me tonight?”
There was no response at all, it was as if your friend had disappeared once more, but no, they were still holding you. Your vision was too blurry to see, but this woman was staring down at you with a soft and sad smile.
“Okay… I can take you home…”
That night you had, it was magical, only for you to wake up to an empty bed. The only proof you had that this was not a figment of your imagination, was the person shaped indent in the sheets, and the small “feel better, I had a fun time” note. At least there was the small indication that she wanted to see you again. Stuff was ramping up fast though, you did not have time to go to the bar as of late, but you hoped that she would still be there when you got back.
Corbeau still had not received any word from you. His men had been trailing you constantly, he could not bring himself to surveil you himself, but he desperately wanted to. Everything hurt. He needed you so badly. He knew he fucked up, fine he would admit it, but he had his reasons! Philippe was barely able to keep up with his boss’s manic behaviors as he deteriorated. He watched as his boss took woman after woman back to the office. Each one held an uncanny resemblance to you, and for some reason, he paid them more than he used to for their services, even giving them luxury goods. Soon it was not just the women, but the alcohol, the drugs, the smoking. All of those behaviors that you had told him to slow down on, they were back in full force.
Vice after vice, he took it all in. The toll was heavy, and on one sunny day, his debt was due. His right hand man had thankfully gotten to him in time, but his boss was on the ground vomiting and frothing, eyes rolled, blood pressure slow. His eyes closed.
With your permission, Korrina had started messaging you again. She was very goal focused, and you appreciated that she had kept you distracted from your actual life. Sometimes if there was nothing left to do, you let her accompany you to the bar you liked to frequent. Surprisingly she was a big fan of the bar too, stating they made the best brews. You had drank better, but it was cheap, easy, and there was someone that you liked to see there. But, you were not going to tell her that. Day by day, you slowly missed Corbeau less. Korrina, Urbain, Lida, Naveen, even that polite and reserved girl Ansha, brought new meaning to your life that you had thought was all gone forever.
Looking back on it, you knew that the woman was Korrina, not ready to acknowledge how perfect she was of a partner for you. Did this mean you had to thank Corbeau for introducing you to her? Here she was, laying so beautifully with you. Her moans were so damn sexy, and she gave as good as she received. Admittedly, you could see why Corbeau was so interested. She was a freak, a chaotic friend that would be your ride or die.
Later that day you both stood, over Corbeau’s hospital bed, visiting him as any good former employees would do, making sure he understood what he was in your life, in Korrina’s life. He was nothing. Both of you wished him well, and left, hand in hand. Back to your shared bedroom.
Maybe it was weird that you were here sharing a double-ended dildo with your previous love rival. Who cared though, especially when it felt so right. Her fingers intertwined with yours as you made out sloppily. Breasts pressing up into each other as you intermittently nipped at her collar and gave her small love bites, only for her to reciprocate. When she asked if she could use her mega stones on you, she laughed at your look of confusion and concern on your face. Then she replaced your expression with one of euphoria as she was pushing each one into your ass slowly. She cooed as you took one by one inside your tight ass, kissing you and whispering obscenities into your ears. Once they were all in, she ate you out, and you were screaming for her. On the days that you both determined that you were not enough for each other, you attended those infamous Jacinthe parties. Holy. Shit. You were living in a world without knowing such pleasures. Every night was a surprise, a wonderful little moment for you to treasure endlessly.
Over time, the amount of disturbances had slowed down to a reasonably low threat levels, meaning you could take some time to yourself and your girlfriend. She asked to visit her grandfather’s old tower, and you acquiesced. Corbeau never wanted to bring you anywhere, much less sightseeing or places he found important. Citing that he was always too busy, and if you really wanted to go, he would give you a list of addresses and a few grunts, or something. Well, here Korrina was, making time despite being the new guru, a gym leader, and carrying her weight in the hyper dimensional raids.
On the highest balcony, overlooking the serene, flourishing meadows and lakes, you watched the sun descend over the sky, lighting up the clouds with beautiful colors. She casually turned to you and asked you to try on a mega ring that she had gotten you. You said sure, and when she slid an elegant yet simple diamond ring onto your ring finger. You did not even have to ask what was happening. You were already screaming yes while jumping up and down. Korrina picked you up and spun you around, and your friends were behind the balcony doors silently cheering you on while preparing a small congratulations party. Even Jacinthe and Lebanne personally projected in, despite being in a tense meeting, promising the wildest bachelorette party. The cherry on top was probably Urbain getting the last laugh. Unbeknownst to you until later that evening, he had his Rotophone discreetly streaming the whole thing to Corbeau. You hoped that Corbeau was bitter.
Corbeau, who was now miserable and wallowing in his self-inflicted grief, sat at the very bar where you met your soul mate. Deep into his regret, he called for a couple more rounds as Philippe patted his back.
“Well, was it at least worth it boss?”
He shot Philippe a withering look until he realized that Philippe was being sincere.
“N-no. Not at all…”
He checked his Rotophone in his pocket, a small hope leaping in his heart when he heard it buzz. Nope, nothing important. His message to you begging to be forgiven? It was still left on read. He had sent that days ago. He sighed, staring into his glass of bourbon, readying to take another swig. He had learned nothing.