The beeping of an alarm clock stirs a young woman from her sleep.

Hazel blinks her eyes open and resists the urge to close them right back up in a practiced routine. She stares up at the ceiling until enough lucidity finds its way to her after a moment or two to move.

With something between a groan and a yawn, she stretches out where she lays in bed as far as she can between the headboard and footboard on opposite ends of her twin sized mattress. Then, she finally sits up and turns toward the side of the bed and the rest of the bedroom.

"Pix! Vulpix!" a little red-orange fluffball a bit larger than a lap dog squeaks at her from the floor.

"Good morning to you, too, Ashe," Hazel says affectionately as her Vulpix runs in a small circle over the rug in the middle of the room, "Excited as ever for breakfast, cutiepie?"

The trainer hums to herself as she opens the bedroom door and strolls down the hall with the small fox running about. Ashe alternates between weaving through Hazel's legs and attempting to find an opportunity to nuzzle them while in motion and scurrying ahead toward the kitchen only to stop and wait for his trainer to catch up.

Far from a fighter of the type always seen battling on TV, Ashe is truly just a companion, but the life of a house pet is one that suits him well. There's nothing the little fox loves more than his trainer, though food takes a close second place.

"I have another work trip coming up before too terribly long," she says with a hint of regret in her voice as the pair make it downstairs and approach the kitchen together, "I'm sorry I'm away from home so much, Ashe."

The news is routine by now to the Vulpix, and though it's disappointing to hear, he remains cheerful in anticipation of his breakfast. At least he'll have a bit more time with her first.

Hazel opens up a cabinet, deliberately high enough to be firmly out of reach to her pet, "I keep asking, but the only hotels they'll cover for the trip have a no Pokemon policy."

The unfortunate reality of her otherwise very enjoyable and well-paying career is that it comes with a lot of travel. A lot of travel means a lot of time away from her pint-sized companion. Still, it's so lucrative for a woman as young as she is, she would be crazy to give it up.

Ashe watches the colorful, tantalizingly flavored food pour into his bowl. A well-used automatic food dispenser is attached, currently turned off and empty.

"You're so sweet, Ashe," Hazel muses out loud as the Vulpix bounces a bit in excitement and eagerly digs in, "I just hope you aren't getting lonely left alone so often."

She watches in silent, fond adoration for a moment or two while Ashe chows down on the contents of his food bowl.

"I have to go get ready for work. Enjoy your breakfast, Ashey" she calls her companion Pokemon by an affectionate pet name and moves to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Though Ashe is quick to finish his meal and loves every bite, he does finish it with a sigh if not a small belch just after.

"Pix..."

He's used to his time away from his trainer by now, but is always sad to see her go. He decides he'll just have to appreciate what time he can get with her before her upcoming trip, whenever it may be.

He's waiting by the door when Hazel finishes her morning routine and approaches to slip on her shoes. The trainer smiles as she remembers how the Vulpix used to hop into or try to hide her shoes to keep her from putting them on and leaving when he was just a kit.

Ashe knows better by now, though, and so he only takes the opportunity to nuzzle against his trainer's leg before she leaves.

The display is enough to earn him a few precious extra seconds of affection. Hazel crouches down to pet him and coo soft, affectionate nothings at him for a doting moment or two before she finally walks through the door.

"I'll see you tonight, buddy," she says on her way out, "Be good while I'm at work!"

And with that, a long shift stands between the reunion of the two.

On her way home from work much later in the day, Hazel is pondering her pet's potential loneliness once more when she notices a flyer stapled to the side of a utility pole.

SHINX KITTENS FOR ADOPTION

Cute, well behaved, get along well with other mons

Give one a good home today!

It has an address printed just below that. Hazel considers it for a moment then quickly turns around and hurries off toward the listed locale.

A local cafe has the kittens kept in a box inside. A small sign next to it states they're up for adoption and requests that any potential trainers inquire about them at the counter.

Hazel glances over her shoulder at the man working the till. She'll speak to him in a moment, but for just right now, she leans over the box and peeks inside.

Dozens of beady little eyes look back up at her. A Shinx can still get to be quite large, especially if they mature before evolving, but the kittens in question are absolutely tiny. They must be very young.

Her mouth falls open as the sheer cuteness of the bumbling creatures peering up at her curiously and tumbling over each other entrances her. To call them precious would be an immense understatement.

One in particular seems to call out to her. A playful little Shinx bats at a sibling's tail and pauses to brace itself for a light tail bonk in on the head in response before taking another playful swing. It pauses its behavior to look up at Hazel and is startled by another thwack from its sibling's tail in its moment of distraction.

"Lumi..." Hazel whispers the name of what she knows will be her new companion.

She turns to move to the counter.

Ashe is woken from a nap by the sound of the door opening. Were he not snoozing, he'd have already been waiting atop the welcome mat for several minutes if not longer, given the stop his owner had made on the way home.

The Vulpix trots up eagerly to the entryway, glad to see his owner again. What he isn't expecting however, is to be greeted by a new friend as well.

"Hiiiii, Ashey," Hazel calls in a sing song voice as she enters and uses a heel to close the door behind her.

"Pix! Vulpix!" Ashe states his surprise and curiosity in words his owner can't hear.

"Awwwwwwww," his trainer dotes, "Lookie here, I got you a new friend, so you won't be lonely while I'm away!"

The trainer bends over and places the newly adopted kitten gently on the ground.

"Shinx!" it calls, as far as the trainer is concerned.

To Ashe, it sounds more like a long, high-pitched 'Haiiiiii!'

The Shinx kitten is hardly half Ashe's size, but regardless, she trots up to him to sniff him and meet her new friend. Still quite surprised, Ashe sniffs back to get to know this newcomer.

"This is Lumi," Hazel explains while the pair inspect one another, "They had some Shinx kittens for adoption, and she was just so sweet. I thought she might be good to keep you company while I'm gone for my next trip."

By the time Hazel has finished speaking, Ashe has already been won over by the kitten. Lumi has found at least three ways to play with Ashe's tails already, and while Ashe looks back at her, she pokes her head up through them as though peering out of a bush and lets out an adorable squeak.

How could Ashe possibly not love his new friend?

The two Pokemon tumble over each other in play, and Hazel's heart shines seeing how the pair get along. She watches for a while, occasionally reaching in to pet one of them, to which Lumi tends to bat playfully at her fingers, much to her trainer's adoration.

"Oh, you two," she says lovingly, "You're going to tear my heart in two being this cute when I have to leave tomorrow."

Ashe nearly jumps at the news. He knew Hazel would be leaving soon, but tomorrow is much earlier than he'd anticipated.

"Pix! Vulpix!" he attempts to plead for any more time to stay with her before she has to go, though he already knows the schedule isn't hers to determine.

"Cutie~ Yes, I'll feed you," the trainer misunderstands, "I need to be going early tomorrow morning, so I won't be up much longer."

Ashe simply watches and lets out a small sigh as his owner reaches for his food.

Lumi meanwhile is rolling around on the floor.

The older Pokemon can't help but feel protective of her in a way, almost like an older sibling. It's an awfully short time to form a bond, and yet he can't help but love the new kitten.

Both are roused to attention by the sound of food pouring into their now shared bowl. It's a reasonable portion more than normal to ensure they both get their fill.

"Make sure you two share," Hazel commands before standing up and stepping back.

She observes as the pair hurry over. Lumi, despite her smaller size, makes quite the mess in shoving her face into the food bowl. Ashe, meanwhile ultimately ends up on cleanup duty eating the spilled food off the floor. Lumi nearly eats more of it than Ashe does, but they both end up satisfied.

"I'm so glad you two are getting along," the trainer coos, "I was worried with Lumi around I might have to hire a sitter."

Hazel lets out a yawn.

"Just thinking about how early I'll be going tomorrow... Gee, I might need to get to bed now," she thinks out loud, "You two be good! I'll see you in the morning."

With that, she gives one last gentle petting to both of them and heads to her bedroom.

Ashe watches his trainer go then turns to Lumi.

"So... Want me to show you around the house?" he prompts.

"Oh? Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Lumi practically bounces up and down at the prospect.

Ashe smiles at the kitten's energy and leads the way.

Together, the pair explore every room of the humble home. The food and water bowls, already pointed out and enjoyed, need no introduction, but there's plenty more to show.

"The couch. This place is so comfy. Hazel likes to pet me while watching TV here."

Lumi pokes her head between the cushions and bumbles around trying to poke her nose under the footrest.

"The filing cabinet. I don't actually know what this is for, but Hazel puts a lot of paper in it and doesn't like when someone messes with it. Whatever you do, don't tip it over."

Ashe has to drag Lumi away from gnawing on drawer handles out of fear that despite her small size, she may find a way to do just that.

"And here's the bathroom. All the big stuff isn't that important, except the bath. You will learn to hate the bath," Ashe says as Lumi tries to clamber up the side of the toilet, finds her nose positioned next to the seam between the bowl and lid, and tumbles down retching and gagging from the smells picked up by her sensitive nose.

Ashe nudges Lumi with his snout to help her back up, "And now, pay close attention."

Lumi seems to physically vibrate with barely constrained energy as she stares intently at Ashe. The Vulpix is pretty sure she emitted a spark or two.

"This here," Ashe motions to a large, low, open container, "is the litterbox. This is where we go to relieve ourselves."

Lumi stares starry eyed as she has at every nook and cranny of her new pet life.

"Make sure to always use it, okay?"

"Okay!" Lumi nods intensely and goes back to bouncing around the room.

"Good!" Ashe smiles and watches her a moment longer.

It's a short while before their tour concludes and they move to the bedroom to join their trainer for the night. Both fuzzy little forms curl up with her wherever they find room to snuggle in, and though Hazel is already fast asleep, she seems to silently smile and grow warmer with the pair snuggled up.

Ashe nearly wakes her with how much he nuzzles into her sleeping body. He makes the most of the short remaining while.

Come another morning, it's not the easiest thing in the world for Hazel to get herself out of bed. For Ashe, it seems even harder. The Vulpix silently debates trying to remain curled up on his owner's chest to buy time, but his choice is made for him when Hazel picks him up, gives him a few gentle pets, and moves him out of the way to sit up.

Lumi meanwhile drags half a plastic egg that must've been from a previous tenant's Easter celebration years back out from under the bed and pokes her nose curiously into it.

"Oh, goodness," Hazel yawns and stretches, "Morning, you two."

After a moment, she adds, "Guess it's time to say goodbye again, huh?"

The trainer runs her fingers gently over the top of Ashe's head, "But I've had these trips before, and I'll see you again before too long."

She stands and gently removes the plastic egg shell from Lumi's possession to toss in the trash, "And hey, Ashey, you have a friend now!"

"Shinx!" Lumi squeaks indignantly before being given reparations in the form of gentle affection with a finger against her soft, fluffy face.

Hazel rubs the sleep out of her eyes and moves to the bathroom to brush her teeth, flanked by both of her beloved companions.

The morning routine seems to fly by all too quickly, like the sand draining unstoppably from an hourglass. Hazel is sure to eat breakfast to prepare her for the trip. She then makes sure the automatic food and water dispensers are set up with more than enough for the pair and are running smoothly. All the while, the duo of pets vie for what affection she's able to grant them while going through the motions of preparing herself to leave.

"I guess this is goodbye for now, cuties," she finally says while standing dressed and ready with her suitcase at the door, "I'll see you both again soon, okay? Be good while I'm gone!"

"Vulpix! Pix!"

"Shinx! Shinx!"

The two call their goodbyes, and their trainer finally steps out and closes the door behind her.

Ashe has known this feeling plenty of times before, but the sinking emptiness he's normally left with is now abated by something else.

"Let's play! Let's play!" his new companion tackles him to minimal effect, owing to their difference in size.

Ashe smiles, in spite of the circumstances. He certainly does feel less lonely.

Ever energetic, Lumi doesn't give Ashe a moment to stop and appreciate having company for once. One blink from the Vulpix, and the new kitten is off finding trouble somewhere already. The sound of rustling from the kitchen alerts him to Lumi's exploration of the cupboards, which he puts a decisive stop to as soon as he reaches her.

Lumi simply mewls and giggles to herself while Ashe hauls her away by the scruff and puts her down to warn her not to knock things over and get into places like that. Lumi nods enthusiastically, though she doesn't seem to fully understand the lesson.

While there's certainly plenty of time to play, 'wrestling' despite Ashe of course letting Lumi win despite her smaller size, chasing each others' tails about, and smacking each other playfully with their paws, Ashe can hardly keep up with practically babysitting the Shinx.

Not long after the cupboard incident, the Vulpix is dragging the kitten away from the closet, which he isn't even sure how she managed to open the door to. Then it's a careful guarding of the pantry to prevent her making a real mess.

The rambunctious kitten certainly is a lot to handle and a bit magnetized to trouble, but with her big beady eyes and the clear place of innocent curiosity it comes from, Ashe can't find it in him to really be upset. He loves his new friend.

At the very least, she does seem to be trying to behave and get along. Even if she doesn't have the intuition for what not to get into, Ashe has yet to have to tell her twice.

By midday, Ashe is already finding himself a bit tired out, especially with the early waking that morning. It's difficult to get Lumi tired to any extent, but after devising the strategy of letting her play with his tails while only applying minimal energy to wave them around and keep her occupied, he finally manages to close some of that gap.

It's at least enough to curl up together nice and cozy for a midday nap.

Larger fox curled up with smaller kitten, the duo drift off to a light, brief, cozy sleep.

It's made a bit briefer and a bit less cozy by Lumi nudging him awake well before he can say he's truly rested.

"Hey what's that big spinny thing up there?" she asks her question of such importance she needed to wake her friend for.

"Huh? Oh, that's the ceiling fan. It keeps the living room cool," Ashe replies.

"Woah... Can you ride it?" there's a starstruck earnesty in Lumi's voice that splits Ashe between fawning over her in adoration and laughing hysterically at the thought of the kitten spinning around from it.

Considering if anyone might find a way to do that, it'd be Lumi, however, he is sure to give a very soft but firm, "No. No, you cannot," with a wide smile.

"What about that green thing?" Lumi asks.

"What green thing?"

"By the big light hole!"

"The window?"

"Ohhhh, is that what they're called? I always wondered."

Ashe laughs slightly.

"What's the green thing in front of it?"

"The plant? You've seen a plant before, haven't you?" Ashe asks earnestly.

"Ohhhhhhh, yeah, I think so," the Shinx replies before rolling over onto her back then onto her front again and onward across the ground.

Ashe stands from his napping spot and strolls to follow her, just to keep her out of trouble. He won't be getting too much rest today, at the very least.

Still, it's nice to have her around. It's infinitely better than the lonely boredom he's usually left with. He gets lost for a moment in the warmth of this new companionship.

"Hey, wait a minute!" he's broken out of his trance when he has to stop said companion from gnawing on the TV remote.

By the time the Sun hangs low in the sky and Lumi is finally all tuckered out, Ashe is utterly exhausted. The kitten trots toward the pet bed in the corner of Hazel's bedroom with a smile and a light-footed gait. Ashe can hardly keep his eyes open to trudge after her.

He silently hopes tomorrow she might be a bit more acclimated and a bit less of a handful. But for now, all he can really think about is sleep.

That's when the rattling of a jackhammer sounds in his ears. Construction, right outside. He'd have been startled if he were more awake.

Lumi snoozes soundly. The little kitten is unbothered by all the noise, having lived all her short life thus far waiting to be adopted in the bustling city center. Ashe, on the other hand...

The Vulpix decides that with Lumi all tired out for the night, he'll sleep in his Pokeball, which sits idly on Hazel's nightstand. Complete peace and quiet is what he needs right now, after all, and even if he slept through the construction, Lumi would surely wake him otherwise.

He hops up on the bed then carefully steps onto the nightstand. He's always careful about this maneuver and mindful of anything left on it, so Hazel has never set a rule against it. Tonight, though, Hazel wouldn't be here to tell him off even if it were forbidden, and there's nothing else left on the nightstand that's particularly loose anyway.

Ashe nudges the button on his Pokeball with his nose, and with the sound of energy and a brief flash, he vanishes into it for a comfortable night's rest.

Through the night, however, construction continues. The hammering outside grows louder and closer as the workers near the side of the building the Pokemon call home.

The windows rattle just slightly, and vibrations quake the entire building just the slightest amount. Lumi remains unbothered, and few objects are so loose as to be liable to fall from that alone. One particular round object, however, is certainly disturbed from its location.

Ashe's Pokeball rocks slightly. Then it rolls a bit. After only a moment longer, it tumbles to the ground and comes to a stop right in front of the pet bed where Lumi snoozes soundly. Despite the disturbance, the ball shields Ashe from feeling or hearing any of it at all.

For the remainder of the night, neither wake.

The Sun has only just begun to peek up above the horizon when the little Shinx kit wakes. Lumi blinks her eyes open, steps halfway out of bed, and leans forward into a big, long stretch.

Following a soft, high-pitched little grunt, Lumi concludes the extent of her morning routine and moves to step further forward.

That's when her paw nudges a little round object that draws her attention.

Ashe's Pokeball sits idly on the ground where it'd fallen during the night. Lumi, of course, isn't terribly familiar with the concept of them. Sure, she's seen plenty even with how young she still is, being carried all over by every trainer she's glanced in and out of the cafe she was adopted from, but what they actually do remains a mystery to the kitten.

Naturally, her first assumption is that it's a toy. What else could be so important that just about everyone walks around with six of them, and what else would Ashe leave for her to entertain herself with when she wakes?

The question of where Ashe actually is, of course, hardly crosses Lumi's mind.

TWACK ROLLL

She's much too busy knocking the Pokeball around with her paw to follow that curious thought.

It rolls a short distance over the floor, and Lumi follows. She crouches down just behind it, then a paw comes down in front and knocks it back toward herself. The ball bounces off her chest, and another clumsy paw meant to stop its motion comes down in the wrong spot and instead flings it far forward.

FWIP ROLLLLLLL

The electrical buzz of feline impulses guide Lumi along a delightful and playful dance, which she continues without another thought by pouncing toward the fleeing toy.

TUMBLE OMPH

Unsteady paws hit the ground awkwardly. Lumi stumbles, and though she catches the ball in her maw, her momentum carries her further than that. A full faceplant stuffs the ball all the way into her now very stretched mouth.

FWUMP GULP

The back half of Lumi's body follows after the front half and sails over her. The kitten ends up rolling forward over herself and coming to a stop sat on her butt a bit confused but delighted by the experience.

The tumbling Shinx looks around for the ball she'd been playing with, though, and she can't find it.

SCHLRRRK SLOSH

The moving bulge in her throat leads her to realize that in all the excitement, she'd accidentally swallowed the ball. It slides down to splash into her stomach, where it lands as a pronounced, rounded belly bump swaying as it settles in front of her.

"Awwwww... I was having fun!" Lumi pouts about the accidentally swallowed object.

Her big, beady eyes look downward, and she pokes and prods at the round bulge with a paw, missing the fun playtime she had with it outside her body just before.

CLICK

In this motion, she finds the large button on the Pokeball's front.

BZZZZZZZWWWWWWWTTTTT SLOSH SQUIRM GLRRRFGGH SPLASH

Lumi's belly was a bit big for her size before, but now, it suddenly bloats out to be substantially larger than the rest of her. It's the size of her playmate, Ashe, in fact!

"Wha— Hey! Where am— Huh?" Ashe babbles in confusion as he's suddenly awoken in his release into Lumi's gut.

The utterly massive gut, at least for a kitten like Lumi, is overwhelming to the Shinx. It's a huge lug attached to her front that squirms and wriggles and most of all feels so, so amazing. Ashe flails about in a confused panic, splashing about the slick moisture of residual digestive fluids lining the stomach he's now trapped in, and the sensations are unimaginable to the kitten.

Novel and pleasurable, intense and intriguing, so strange but so, so good. It's a feeling Lumi immediately can't get enough of. She lets out a gleeful little mewl.

"It's so slimy in here! And hot, and— Lumi? Lumi what happened, am I— Is this your stomach!?" the Vulpix cries out.

Lumi can't help but giggle. She doesn't really know how Ashe got in there, but she's certainly enjoying it. It's fun, and Ashe certainly seemed to love playing fun games with her yesterday, so the natural conclusion the Shinx comes to is that this must be a game, too.

"Hey! Lumi— Lumi answer me!" Ashe begins to regain his composure, "Let me out of here!"

"Hehe, I like this game already!" the Shinx kitten says happily in response.

She tumbles forward onto her tummy and kneads her paws on it. A tiny little purr escapes her while Ashe squirms harder at the weird pokings and proddings over his body.

"Lumi, can you hear me? Help! I said I want out!" the Vulpix shouts.

"I'm not gonna let you win that easy, silly!" Lumi replies innocently.

She can only imagine Ashe really wants to win if he's begging to be let out like that and trying to squirm his way to freedom already. It feels good for her, so it must feel good for him, too.

Ashe is pressed in on from all sides by the wet, slimy walls of Lumi's stomach. There's not much in way of acid in it yet, but the looming thought of what the organ he's trapped in is for already makes him quiver.

Of course, the acids trickle in further throughout the morning. Drops of sickly green fluid drip onto Ashe's face and run down his muzzle into the small, threatening pool below as Lumi struggles to pull herself into the living room with the entirety of Ashe's body stuck squarely between her four legs.

The tiny puddle has turned to a respectable and concerning pool that manages a depth similar to the thickness of Ashe's front leg by the time Lumi makes it to the patch of carpet between the couch and coffee table. This hastens Ashe's frantic pleas for freedom, but Lumi is too busy enjoying the feeling of it and making very pathetic attempts to make her way onto the couch with her giant tummy to have an ear for any of it.

"Lumi! You have to let me out, you weren't supposed to eat me! This isn't how you win the game! Lumi!" he makes useless protests.

SLOSH GLRRGLE SPLASH SLURSH

Acids splash around the Vulpix while Lumi finally manages to awkwardly claw her way up onto the couch via deft ninja maneuvers so ridiculous and clumsy that only a very mischievous kitten could even dream of them. Careful yet clumsy paw placements on the couch and table gradually allow her to shimmy her way up and get cozy in what she's already decided as her favorite spot.

DRIP DRIP SPLRSH SLOSH GWRG

Warm drops of digestive fluid continue to land on Ashe's body and stream down his sides. Enticed to panic, the Vulpix cries out. He squirms harder and pleas with his innocent captor.

"Lumi, I can't— I can't be in here, you have to let me out!" he yells desperately.

"Hehe, but you're in there right now, silly!" Lumi replies with an affectionate lick over the top of her tummy.

Ever determined to win, Lumi thinks how proud Hazel would surely be if she came home to find Lumi had bested Ashe in their game so much that he was still trapped inside when she stepped through the door to greet them.

Daydreaming of her trainer's response, the Shinx kitten lazes about on the couch. She continues to idly play with her belly as time ticks on, and Ashe whimpers helplessly while kneading paws rub the soft lining of his prison from the outside.

SLORSH GROAN GWURGG

The horrified Vulpix silently runs through his situation in his head. He tries to convince himself that Lumi couldn't possibly digest him. He's too big. She's too small. But then, he's still trapped inside, and the kitten's stomach is certainly holding him.

The acids approach halfway up his body. The guts around him let out only occasional gurgles and groans, not yet setting in to work on their meal. It's hard to deny the reality of his situation, but Ashe clings onto what hope he can manage.

Still, it'd certainly be better to get out as soon as possible.

Ashe contemplates explaining how digestion works to Lumi and the danger he's truly in inside of her, but then she's so innocent. He doesn't want to scare or upset his new friend, even when a couple small tingles are felt at his flank.

"Lumi, listen— If you let me out, I can, uh... I'll play with you more! And you can have some treats, I know were some are. Anything you want, just let me out, please!" Ashe pleads.

"But we're already playing, silly!" Lumi replies simply with a smile, "And I'm not hungry right now."

She lowers her head onto her tummy and purrs as she rests curled up with it. The kitten remains blissfully unaware of the reality of Ashe's situation inside of her.

Time marches on. Day turns to night. When it starts to grow dark, Lumi slinks gracefully off the couch.

FLOP SLOSH SPLASH GURRGLE

"Ouch! Umph!" cries the Vulpix inside the cushion of a tummy she flops onto and tumbles a couple times over when she hits the floor.

Lumi simply squirms her way contentedly toward the bedroom again with limbs slowly adjusting to working around such a massive tummy. She reaches her cozy kitty bed within and curls up inside.

The kitten doesn't pay much mind to where Ashe gets situated beneath her as she cozies up to her big belly. She falls asleep quickly and peacefully with her neck tucked over the trapped form of Ashe's body.

Ashe is forced to sleep as well. There's nothing else he can do inside the Shinx kitten's belly, and he's certainly worn himself out struggling. He expends the last bit of energy he can muster to wriggle enough to coerce the walls of his prison into accommodating the most comfortable position he can manage in his predicament with his head safely above the waterline of digestive fluids.

Though the situation is dreadful and his looming fate horrifying, Ashe's sleeping bag of sorts is admittedly somewhat cozy. The white noise of stomach sounds drowns out the remaining construction noises from outside that manage to avoid being completely muffled by the warm tummy's walls. It'd be an almost pleasant sound if it didn't remind Ashe of what's likely to happen to him if he isn't able to convince Lumi to spit him up.

The last thought that passes through his head before he drifts off to sleepy dreams is the question of whether Lumi even could spit him up if she tried. It's a question that given any more lucidity would be panic inducing.

Ashe finally falls asleep, however, and the panic is left for the next morning.

When dawn arrives, Ashe is the first to wake this time around.

"ACK—! Cough! Hurk!" he's awoken sputtering and coughing up stomach juices after a slight shift in position and the rising of the surrounding fluids dips his snout beneath the surface of the digestive fluid.

Lumi, somehow, manages to sleep through all the fussing and flailing and hacking and squirming as Ashe struggles to reorient himself and clear his lungs and throat. She does, however, roll over in her sleep.

SLOSH SPLASH GWRRRG

Ashe is dunked back below and lets out a yelp that gets cut off by the warm fluids entering his maw again. It's a similar struggle the second time to get himself situated and his lungs and throat cleared.

When he's finally better situated and able to think more clearly, he takes in his surroundings, which consist of only the constricting organ he's trapped in and his own body.

The stomach acid has pooled to a greater, more threatening depth than before. It's a bit awkward keeping his neck out of it in general. What's more, the slight tingling he'd felt the previous day has spread all over his body. It's a distinctive feeling that covers his entire form, as if enveloped in TV static.

The immediate thought he jumps to for consoling himself in his peril is that the tingles are all the little kitten's acids can do to his much larger body. Before he can truly convince himself of this and find comfort, however, Lumi wakes up.

With an innocent little high-pitched grumble, the kitten uprights herself and stretches into her giant yoga ball of a belly.

SLOSH SPLASH SPLURSH GWRRRGGLE GLURGGGG GROANNNN

Beginning to grow practiced in keeping his head above the fluid level, Ashe handles this a bit better than the tossing and turning before. What he can't handle so easily is the sounds of Lumi's stomach kicking into gear now that she's awake.

Loud gurgles surround the Vulpix, and he can't ignore the fact that the kitten's stomach is clearly ready to set in upon him the same way it would any other piece of food.

"Gooooood morning!" Lumi says with a giddy, playful excitement before the full extent of the horrible string of realizations can fully set in on Ashe.

He can only respond by panickedly thrashing and letting out sharp, wordless yowls of terror.

"That upset I'm winning?" the kitten teases her prey innocently, "Don't be such a sore loser, silly, it's just a game! A fun game!"

GURRRRRGGGGLE GLRRRRFFFGHHHHHH GROANNNNNN SLOSH

The loud workings of Lumi's gut continue while she makes her way to the living room. Full of energy from spending all of yesterday playing lightly on the couch and generally being restful, the Shinx plays with the handful of toys left out.

SLOSH SLURSH GWRRRGGGGLE GLORP

Of course, given the circumstances, Lumi's ability to chase her toys around is quite diminished. Ever whimsical, however, she enjoys the fun new opportunities her belly brings, even if said opportunities are mainly rolling over top of it and faceplanting into the rug.

Ashe, with his body tossed about and shoved repeatedly beneath the pool of gastric fluids, finds it all considerably less amusing, especially given the growing intensity of that dreadful tingling sensation that indicates the onset of digestion.

GLRRRGGGGLE GLORPGH SLOSH SLURSH GWRRRFFFG

Lumi bats little plastic Rattatas around and tumbles over herself, giggling with an eager glee the whole while. Ashe, however, grows more frantic. The last strand of doubt snaps when he notices a tuft of fur dislodge from his body. It's impossible to deny or ignore the inevitable fact that he's being digested by his new playmate.

Like a broken record spun by the churning wheel of panic, similar stuttering pleas continue to pour out from the Vulpix, just the same as they have before, but with a bit more desperation. To Lumi, there's no difference. Ashe is just being a sore loser who keeps getting upset he can't win their little game.

The blabbering pleas are brushed off without a further thought by the innocent pred, and she plays with her toys and her big, sloshy belly well past Noon.

GWRRRGGGGLE SLURSH GLRRRRGGGGGGGG

The constant tingling of his body as Lumi's gut threatens a gurgly demise has only continued to inspire panic in the Vulpix. Ashe looks for more avenues to try to talk his way out of the situation.

"L-Lumi, listen, if you don't let me out of here— then you're grounded! Hazel left me in charge! I can do that!" Ashe threatens, "You'll be stuck in our room and not get any treats!"

Despite his very limited ability to enforce any authority he may have from within his playmate's belly, Ashe's words do make Lumi pause for a moment.

Lumi, however, is a bit of a rebellious little kitten. If anything, disobeying the authority Ashe is meant to have thrills her.

"Mmmm, no, how about you're grounded instead? In my tummy," she says playfully, "It's not nice to threaten to punish me just for winning a game, you know."

Ashe whimpers and groans. The acids continue to lap at his sides. His pursuit of freedom feels hopeless.

GURRRRGGGGGLE SLOSH SPLASH GLORG

Complacency is punished by panic, however. Ashe is drawn from his helpless resignation as soon as it sets in when he notices his soft, orange fur floating around him in the pool of acid. The Vulpix's soft fluff has begun to fall out.

Ashe is utterly mortified.

"Wait, wait, Lumi please, it— Lumi, you can't do this to me, I— Lumi, I don't want to—... I d-don't—" he still can't quite bring himself to admit his mortal peril to his friend, despite the gravity of the situation. His mouth just won't obey his mind if his heart has anything to say about it.

The Shinx remains unaware of what's happening in her belly. As far as she's concerned, the panicked Vulpix is just taking 'losing their game' very, very poorly. Still, the utter desperation does stir sympathy.

GWRRRGGLE GROANNNNN GLORP

"Poor Ashey, it's okay. It's just a game!" Lumi leans into her belly in an effort to comfort Ashe, but it's not an especially comforting gesture when it only puts pressure over the Vulpix's body and threatens to plunge his head again beneath the sloshy stomach fluids he's forced to stew in.

SLOSH GLRRRRGGGGG CHURRRRRRRN

With Ashe still only babbling desperate pleas in response, Lumi decides to try cheering him up the way her momma always did to her. She puts her paws on her belly and makes a vague, clumsy attempt to tickle Ashe through it.

This, of course, is ineffectual in calming Ashe's nerves. In fact, it only causes more of his fur to be tugged off in clumps and slough into the acid pool around him. It makes Ashe's panicked babbles easy to interpret as tickled laughter through the muffling layer of flesh between the two, however. Lumi's sure she's doing a perfectly good job comforting her friend.

GURRRRRRGLE SPLASH SLORSH GROANNNNN

Eventually, through the attempted tickling, the strokes of Lumi's paws rub a bit too hard on a patch of Ashe's bare skin. Worn thin by the acids, the first couple drops of blood spill out to cloud the acidic pool.

Ashe goes silent as he stares at the little puff of red swirling with his own fallen out fur in his acid bath.

GLORP GLRRRRRFGHHHH SLURSH GWRRRG

Lumi notices his silence and stops. For a moment, there isn't a sound but the gurgling of her gut and the sloshing of fluids inside.

"There we go!" Lumi finally breaks the silence, "All cheered up!"

Ashe, in shock, does not protest.

"Now that you're feeling better, our game can continue!" comes the kitten's excited voice.

Lumi is pleased by the lack of opposition to her assertion.

The rest of the night before bed goes by in a hazy blur. Lumi continues to play with her belly and enjoy what she still perceives as an innocent game between the two of them. Under what is truthfully a brutal assault, the stunned Ashe can only reflexively make efforts to steady himself and minimize the progression of his own continued digestion.

It's almost a shock to the Vulpix when his prison begins moving back toward their bedroom. It's not like he has any way to keep track of time from where he's been confined. Sunlight is something he fears he may never see again.

A sleepy Lumi, tuckered out from a long day of play, finally flops down into her bed and is near instantly sound asleep.

Much to Ashe's horror, the kitten's body lands squarely where it needs to be to push his head down into the acids. It takes all his strength and far more movement than he's comfortable with to finally prop himself up in a position where he can lay and rest with his nose over the surface.

He's not sure if Lumi's fallen asleep yet, but he's far too afraid of compromising his precarious situation to struggle or attempt to bargain with her.

All he can do is remain there, utterly still, and eventually be taken by sleep.

No more comfortable when he wakes, Ashe is brought into consciousness by a feeling all over his acid-soaked body. He's itching badly.

All across the Vulpix's now entirely bare skin, irritation runs rampant. Little stings dot his body, and itching surrounds him like a swarm of flies. He whimpers and whines in his sudden suffering that drags him promptly from slumber to agonized lucidity.

His range of motion is limited as a quadruped. It's limited further by the tight confines of Lumi's groaning gut. What's truly trapped him in place, however, is the gastric fluid itself. Especially with how Lumi is situated in her sleep, he doesn't have much leeway to move without inadvertently dunking his head beneath the stuff.

He briefly considers drowning as a somehow less horrible way out. Survival instincts are stronger than any desire he may have to alleviate his own anguish, however. Even in the undeniable face of a slow and painful death, which even if he escaped now he likely wouldn't be able to circumvent, Ashe does what he can to grasp for his own survival.

Right now, all he can do is keep himself still and hope Lumi will bore of their so-called game when she wakes up.

GURRRRGGGLE SLORSH GROANNNNNNN

It's a horrible but indeterminate chunk of time later when Lumi finally rouses from sleep. Inside, there's no way for Ashe to begin to figure out how long it's taken. It's certainly been long enough.

"Lumi, I really think... You should really let me out! It's not good for me in here!" he cries to his slowly waking friend.

SPLASH SLOSH GWRRRGGGGG

Lumi stretches over top of her belly and inadvertently dunks Ashe beneath the surface. All the little pains and itches grow monstrously painful for a moment in all the motion and disturbance. When his head surfaces, Ashe coughs then lets out several heavy sobs.

"Ashey?" Lumi shakes the tiredness out of her head and looks down at her belly, "Ashey don't cry, it's okay."

A caring but misguided paw rubs over Lumi's tummy and brings with it a deep, sweeping pain, "It's just a game, okay?"

Ashe chokes on air trying to find any response. At the same time, he uses his new position to subconsciously reach a paw to scratch an itch at his chest.

SLOUGH SLOSH CHURRRN

He goes silent when he feels the bit of himself his claws touch effortlessly pull away and fall into the gut he's stewing in. Wide eyes stare down in silent terror at the little chunk of flesh dissolving away into nothing in the acid bath.

Any attempt to scratch those awful itches is immediately out of the equation.

Lumi meanwhile decides she's still sleepy. She's played with the same toys a lot lately, and so she rolls over top of her own belly and flops onto her side rather than pursue her usual play routine. She lazily reaches past her head to bat at a stray toy that's landed in her bed's vicinity while her eyes slowly close and reopen in the struggle between more rest and more play.

SLORSH GURRRGGLE GROANNNNNNN SPLASH

Ashe, of course, is not enjoying his morning at all. The brief roll over of the innocent feline jostles him in his gastric cage and forces him to scramble to upright himself and situate his head outside the stomach acid. Each motion in his bid to keep above the fluid line brings a fresh surge of pain and irritation to his gradually melting body.

The pair's lethargic dance of agony and innocence continues well into the morning. The third or fourth time Lumi wakes up, however, she does decide to finally get out of bed and enjoy herself.

GRWWWWWWWLLLLL

At the same time, Ashe hears the growling of his own stomach for once. It's almost as loud as the one he's trapped in. He hasn't eaten in days, after all, since he was unintentionally devoured.

Food is the least of his concerns really, but regardless he manages to get out a low, "So hungry..." before he's disrupted by Lumi getting to her feet.

GROAANNN SPLOOSH GLRRRGGGGLE GLORP

"What was that?" Lumi says to the writhing mass of agonized playmate that drags along the ground as she walks, "Hungry? Oh, let me get you something! We can share!"

Cheerfully, Lumi drags her tummy to the kitchen. She looks up at the towering kitchen fixtures. Her little feline body is surrounded by the mountainous pantry and fridge, and steps she forward between them.

Ashe grumbles and groans quietly while the kitten who's devoured him reaches her maw toward the handle of a low cabinet.

"I know you told me to stay out of here, buuuuuuuuuut..." Lumi pulls the cabinet door open with a small struggle and drags her gut inside.

The lip between the cabinet's opening and the floor scrapes on her tummy as she does. It's insignificant to Lumi, but to Ashe it causes him to wince and stifle a yelp. 

Lumi trudges forward toward a bottle of berries that she'd noticed having a loose lid when she first began to explore the house days ago.

POP

Without too much effort, the lid is fully undone, and Lumi reaches her little Shinx paws up for it.

TUMBLE SCATTER

Rather than pull her up, however, the kitten drags the jar back down.

"Umph!" she lets out a squeaky sound while Ashe is forced to continue to endure the painful jostling inside Lumi's stomach.

A delicious avalanche of all types of berries pours out over Lumi and scatters about the cabinet and the kitchen floor. Lumi gazes around at the mess she's made with a bit of concern but also a mischievous awe.

"I'll clean it up later, don't worry, Ashey!" Lumi makes her solemn vow to eat all the berries she can manage once she feels hungry again. She certainly isn't much now with Ashe filling her belly. She leans forward to an Oran Berry.

NOM CRUNCH MUNCH GULP SPLAT

Chewed up, saliva-soaked berry mush is deposited promptly into Lumi's waiting gut. Ashe, of course, is facing toward the Shinx's behind. The berry slaps uselessly against his flank, and even if he could reach it, it certainly isn't in an appetizing state.

The periphery of his haunted stare sees the mush slowly melt away around him, and Ashe knows it's really only a matter of time before he ends up the same way.

He opens his mouth to try one more desperate plea. Maybe, just maybe he could still get out.

SLOSH GLURRGGGLE GLORP SPLASH

Content with having fed her playmate, Lumi backs out of the cabinet. Ashe feels the swishing pool of gut juices splash over his head, and his attempted plea is cut off before he can even begin to voice it.

Lumi gently nudges the cabinet closed again with her cute little nose and then moves to head to the living room. It's a short walk, and by now she's gotten fairly used to stumbling about over her big, Ashe-filled belly.

Her usual daytime activities resume at the start of the afternoon. She prods and plays with her belly while messing around with the usual set of toys. Through her youthfully energetic activity, though, she does notice her playmate being even less responsive than usual.

"Ashey? Hey, Ashey!" she says while poking her tummy gently.

The Vulpix cries out in response, "Please, just let me out of here."

Lumi is surprised Ashe is still pouting about losing their game. She hadn't taken him to be such a competitive Pokemon on their first day together.

"If it makes you feel better, Ashey, we can consider the score even. This can be... the start of round two!" Lumi replies happily with a big smile, "Don't give up, you get a second chance to win!"

The Vulpix is not receiving any meaningful second chance where he's situated now, with his entire body itching or starting to burn and his skin wearing thinner and thinner in the caustic pit he's trapped in.

Lumi stumbles back a bit while she yaps idly about considering changing the rules so her friend won't feel so bummed out, and in doing so her paw lands squarely on the power button of a TV remote that'd tumbled to the ground during the kitten's climb to the couch days prior.

ZZZZWIT

"And now... the weather!"

Lumi jumps a bit and turns to see the sleek, black face of the TV now illuminated with the moving shapes of people, all surrounded in fantastical moving colors. Her eyes sparkle in awe at the television where weird blobs of color Lumi doesn't understand scroll across a big picture that looks like a map. Someone stands to the side and points this way and that while seemingly dictating the day's weather, and the little Shinx struggles to wrap her head around it.

"We're expecting a high of sixty this week, but it'll be heating up soon, folks, especially if Sunny Day continues to see so much use in local battling leagues."

For a short while, Lumi just stares in wonder while Ashe remains in unchanging torment inside of her. The Shinx eventually decides she can't quite see well enough and that the floor isn't a comfy enough spot to sit and watch.

She turns toward the couch.

GURRRRRGLE SWAY GROANNNNN SLOSH SPLASH SWING

A practiced set of clumsy yet somehow effective paw placements hoist Lumi up toward the couch cushions. All the while, Ashe dangles helplessly below. His body sways around with Lumi's big belly, and the acids slosh back and forth over him. Each motion of the fluid feels as though it wears his skin thinner. He struggles to process the horrifying despair of his approaching demise.

The Vulpix doesn't know how much time he has left.

SLORSH GLRRRRRSHHH GWRRURRRRRGGGGLE FWUMP

Regardless, Lumi manages her way onto the couch and flops down on top of her gut. She curls up as cozy as she can manage and stares at the wonderful box of sounds and pictures that's oh so exciting to her. The kitten can't help but wonder how they fit the people in there, but she hopes they're proud of her for winning her game.

Ashe meanwhile whimpers and plays the dangerous game of trying to apply enough pressure to the most irritated portions of skin that the sting stops the itching but the touch of his paw doesn't physically damage it any further. The hardest part might be pinpointing where to try it, given how much every inch of his body has been damaged and reddened by the slow process of digestion.

Lumi, for once, isn't playing any particular game, save for the one she's convinced she's winning by keeping Ashe inside of her. Her gaze is transfixed on the television screen and its fantastical snippets of sports and celebrities and other things she doesn't really understand but is amazed by all the same.

Her awestruck stare stays fixed firmly in place.

The day creeps slowly by the pair of Pokemon. Late night shows are no less fascinating to the innocent kitten, though her wonder can only keep her awake so long. Few things can come between a kitten and sleep, especially when it's a kitten this cozy in her favorite spot with her best friend as close as can be.

GURRRRRRGGGGGLE GLORP GWRRRFGHHH GROAN

Ashe isn't sure when exactly Lumi falls asleep, but at some point between all the itching and terror and sickening dread of his approaching, slow demise, he does notice the kitten more or less limp where she rests over top of him.

Despite everything, he hopes she's having pleasant dreams. And he hopes that what he's experiencing now could somehow just be a nightmare.

He can't really pinch himself with his paws, but he's fairly certain it wouldn't work to wake him if he could. If this is a dream, pain isn't a catalyst for waking.

GLORRRGGGHHHHH GWRRRRRGGGGGGG GLURRRGGGGLE CHURRRRN

Misery aside, there is one thing Ashe can be grateful for: Lumi fell asleep still on the couch.

He's not sure if his deteriorating body could survive her flopping onto him again.

The Vulpix never tries to sleep, and he doesn't really notice when he does start drifting off. Frankly, he might think he were dying if he did. Eventually, he's unconscious alongside Lumi, and the night passes for them both.

GROANNNNN GWRRRRGGGGGLE GLRRRFFFFGGGGHHHH

Last one to sleep, first one to rise.

Ashe wakes back up at some indeterminate point to find himself bleeding profusely into the digestive fluid surrounding him. The sight startles him to lucidity as complete as is possible under the circumstances, and though it'd been getting harder and harder to fight, now he wakes the innocent pred around him by thrashing in panic.

Lumi groans as her eyes slowly open. She looks down at her squirming belly and prods it with a paw.

"Ashey?" a sleepy voice asks with curiosity and concern.

GURRRGGGLE GLRRRGGGG SLOSH GROANNNN

Ashe frantically flails his limbs about inside. His skin is peeling off. His skin is peeling off, and he can't do anything about it. Truthfully, all his fighting is making it considerably worse, but in this moment that doesn't matter.

He screams and wails and fights violently while the confused Lumi is rocked lightly from her position on her belly by the force inside. She's amazed that the shape of Ashe inside her seems to be slowly shrinking somehow, and Ashe is horrified seeing little pieces of himself peel or slough away and lose shape in the acid bath he's immersed in.

GWRRRFGGGHHHH GURRRGGGGGGG CHURRRRRN SLOSH

"Whatcha doin' in there, Ashey?" Lumi prods a little more, which certainly doesn't help Ashe's panic.

Ashe can't even choke out a word to try to explain what's happening to him or to plea one last time for help. His thrashing carries on until the loss of blood and the destruction of the very muscle he fights with renders him unable to struggle any longer.

Watching his skin fall away and the muscle beneath slowly melt, Ashe can only stare in anguish and groan inaudibly.

Lumi can tell something's happening in her belly. Ashe has gone still, and the shape he makes is growing smaller. Something dawns on her... Ashe must be a magician! How else could he have gotten in there in the first place?

GURRRRGGGGGLE GLORRRPHHHGGGHHHH CHURRRRRRRN

Lumi cheers with glee, "Wow, I didn't realize you could do magic! Is this a disappearing act, are you getting out now?"

SNAP

Ashe doesn't reply. He convulses slightly as one of his worn ribs cracks under the pressure of the stomach around him.

"Why didn't you just do that sooner?" Lumi asks, "Wait! You were trying to make it more dramatic weren't you! Sorry Ashe, I didn't realize you were doing a magic show."

GURRRGGGGGLE CRACK GROANN GLRRRPHHHGHH

Ashe lets out a gargling groan of pain, but mingled with all the sounds of Lumi's stomach, it fails to reach the feline's ears.

The Vulpix's muscle continues to erode, and the acids seep deeper into his body.

GLORPH GURRGGGGG CRUNCH CHURRRRRRN

By Noon, Ashe's insides have loosened and begun to spill out into the stomach acids around him. Lumi's innocent stare remains glued to her belly.

Ashe tries to scream at the sight of his organs being decidedly outside of his body and his viscera turning into a homogenized paste, but some part of himself required to do so isn't working anymore.

Lumi keeps her sparkling eyes trained on Ashe's dwindling form throughout the day while Ashe dies slowly inside of her.

GWRRRFFFGHHHH GLRRRPH GURRRGGGGGLE

It isn't long before little solid remains below Ashe's shoulders aside from bone. Even then, many of those are broken by now. The head and neck he'd constantly fought to keep above the gastric fluid aren't digesting nearly as quickly as a result of their reduced exposure.

CRACK

He's wondering how he hasn't exsanguinated or lost any of his most vital organs when something in his neck finally gives. All at once, everything stops. His body finally going still completely isn't even something Lumi notices at first with how limp he's been already.

GURRRGGGGGLE GLRRRFFFGHHHHHH

Eventually, she does realize that the mass of mush inside of her is no longer moving at all. It isn't even really shaped much like a Vulpix anymore. She goes quiet for a moment.

"...Bravo! Wow! That was great!" she cheers with excitement.

Surely, then, the disappearing act has concluded. Ashe must have used Substitute to replace himself with... some mushy thing. Whatever odd decoy it may be, she's impressed with Ashe's ability to escape in this way.

"Well, I guess you really did win, Ashey," she looks up and calls around the room, wondering when her playmate is going to pop out and declare victory in their game, "but I still had a lot of fun!"

GRWWWWWWWL GROOOANNNNNNN GLRRRRFFFGHHHHHHH CHURRRRRRN

Ashe, of course, does not pop out of some unseen hiding place to reveal his trick. He's a foul soup in Lumi's gut of bone and churned flesh that's currently pumping into her intestines. Lumi, however, simply assumes he's waiting for the right moment.

And that is how she spends the rest of her day. She drags about her belly of molten Vulpix mush, pondering how Ashe's magic act ends, and amuses herself with varying toys that are now thoroughly scattered about their home from her repeat unattended playtime.

GLORGHH CHURN GLORRPGHHHH GWRRRGGGGG

When the Sun finally dips low in the sky, she drags her now more manageable gut with her to bed.

"Bet you're gonna show up mysteriously tomorrow to surprise me," she says with a bit of a smirk into the empty room, "Nighty night, Ashey~"

Comfortable, warm, and feeling very satisfied with the digestion of her meal, not that she yet realizes it, she falls into wonderful, peaceful dreams and thinks about the other games she and Ashe could play together tomorrow.

The night passes peacefully for the sleepy kitten and her belly full of molten playmate mulch.

GWRRRRGLLLLL GLRRRP

The Moon makes its solemn trek across the sky while Lumi's guts greedily swallow more and more of the bone and nutrient slurry from her stomach. Pulsing organic tubes stretch out with the stuff as all that's left of Ashe pumps gradually through the Shinx's intestines.

The dutiful processing of Ashe's body continues throughout the night in a ceaseless churning.

GROANNNN GWRRRGLLLE

By sunrise, there isn't more than half of Ashe's total body mass left in her stomach itself. The first hunger pang Lumi has had in days is what stirs her from her slumber.

Despite this, and uncharacteristically so for any hungry kitten, food is not the first thing on Lumi's mind when her little eyes slowly creep open and she begins to groom her fur for the day. Her first conscious thoughts of the morning are of excitement to see Ashe and curiosity at how his funny trick was performed.

GWRRRFGH GLORP

With her fur only half fixed and the impatient feline too focused on her 'magician' friend, Lumi hops up and begins eagerly looking around the room.

"Ashe?" she calls as she pokes her head under the bed and around furniture to anywhere a Vulpix could possibly hide, "Ashe, where'd you go?"

Despite her confused tone and clear bafflement at the trick, Ashe doesn't pop out of any hidden compartment or sneaky hiding place to reveal himself and his clever rouse. It should be the perfect moment to make the reveal happen!

SGLRRRSH GROANNNN

Of course, what's left of Ashe is swaying in Lumi's gut while she examines the room. Blatant imprints of the Vulpix's bones poke out in the somewhat leaner bulge. Lumi slowly starts to realize Ashe isn't about to pop out at her to show off his magician skills.

"Ohhhh, wait," Lumi stops looking and stands up, "If Ashey disappeared, he probably disappeared to somewhere else! Maybe he went to... see Hazel! I want to see our trainer, too. He should've brought me along."

The feline's tummy, with skull and femur jostling against each other mixed into the slurry within, does not speak a word to correct her.

Without any further hesitation, the kitten, still leaving a bit of her fur that she's now forgotten about grooming ruffled from that night's sleep, moves to the kitchen now. In lieu of touching the food bowl full of adequate but not exceptionally appealing pokechow, Lumi strolls past it to the spilled berries that remain on the ground.

The food bowl's automatic dispenser beeps defiantly, presently confused and locked up from the uneaten pokechow leaving no room to dispense anything more. Lumi doesn't pay it any mind.

NOM

The kitten leans forward to grab a mouthful of sweet, delicious berry. She's being so good, cleaning up after herself, clearly.

OMPH NOMF

And she chases down a couple more. The chasing down turns literal, too, when she bumps one with her swaying pendulum of a belly and has to run after it to devour it.

It's a mixture of eating and play for Lumi's breakfast, and she's certainly enjoying it. With a substantial portion of Ashe moving through her intestines and absent from her stomach, Lumi feels just hungry enough to clean up every last berry she'd spilled a while prior.

She continues to ignore the jammed machine trying to dispense the food she's actually intended to eat and stumbles her way into the living room. Her belly is far more manageable in size than it has been in a long while, but even with it less in the way than usual, her movements are a bit clumsy.

The TV is still running from when Lumi had accidentally clicked it on long before. The illustrious glow and pretty, moving colors, not to mention the sounds and voices it produces, remain ever alluring to the curious kitten, even if the novelty has gradually begun to wear off, as novelty inevitably does.

Still, with the combined distracting forces of the television and the scattered toys that Lumi has abruptly decided she's actually very interested in again, the day is spent joyfully for Lumi.

GRWWLLLL GLRRPHGH SGLRRRGHHH

The kitten's intestines proceed in their ceaseless duty to pump the dissolved body of Lumi's playmate through themselves and gradually absorb the precious nutrients from within. Throughout the day, the noisy guts churn on while Lumi chases her toys about and repeatedly finds herself abruptly enraptured by the TV mid-bound, resultantly crashing into playful tumbles over herself.

Across the entire living room, she chases her toys and rolls over her now more modest belly.

GURRRGGGGLE GLRRRFFGHHHH

The playful little one certainly keeps herself occupied until eventually, the Sun once again begins to settle toward its nightly dip below the horizon.

Lumi dives into a pile of toys and scatters them. On impact, they splash across the room, for which the kitten's giant belly certainly adds to the force of it with its mass.

The kitten eyes a plastic Rattata that has become one of her favorite toys and chases after it while it careens toward the living room floor. She stops short and lets it clatter to the ground without her when she feels something in her throat.

"Ack! Bwack! Ack-hleghlph!" Lumi hacks for a moment as the odd lump works its way up her esophagus.

SPLATCH

Finally, the kitten coughs up a large, suspiciously orange hairball directly onto the carpet. Though the fur comprising it is singed by stomach acids, it retains the bright, warm coloration common among many fire types.

Lumi stares at the ball of her playmate's fur, oblivious to its implications, and she sniffs it once.

"Euck!" she mewls and steps away.

And that's the extent to which she ponders it. She resumes her pursuit of her toys, and her belly sways beneath her with each motion. The easily distracted little Shinx hasn't even noticed the bulge gradually working its way toward her backside or the fact that it's considerably smaller than it was that morning.

She still has yet to piece together that the hard object she occasionally feels in there is Ashe's skull, picked clean of all the muscle and tissue that once covered it and formed his face.

By the time she's finally tuckered herself out, it's well and truly dark outside. The somewhat coincidental alignment of Lumi's energy levels with the length of the day, aided by her body's internal clock, is all that keeps her going to bed on time with Ashe not weighing in on the matter.

GLRRPGH SLRGHH SWAY

She looks up from her toys toward the bedroom, which has abruptly become oh so appealing, and she waddles her way down the hall. Tired paws slink into the bedroom with a belly packed full of Ashe's remains between them, and Lumi clambers into her bed.

GWRGG GLRRP

The peaceful, sleepy kitty flops over onto her side, comfy as can be in the soft, warm fabric, and she hopes that wherever Ashe went, she'll see him again soon.

Lumi drifts off to sleep once more.

GWRRRFFGGHHHH GLRRRRRNNMMGHHHFFFFF

Peaceful dreams dance in Lumi's head while the rest of her is busy draining and absorbing the rest of the nutrients from Ashe's body. The molten Vulpix slag is continually processed through the night into dense, coiling logs backed up deep into Lumi's bowels.

The firmer but still malleable bulge with the speckling of bone imprints now more solidified throughout shifts as the kitten moves about slightly in her sleep.

When she wakes for a new day, she's more comfortable than ever. Weirdly comfortable. As though her body itself were softer and more snug.

Lumi isn't the brightest kitten, and she doesn't quite place it herself, but one look at her would make plainly obvious the transformation that's occurred overnight. Lumi is a chunky little Shinx.

Though not quite disproportionate, her flank is far plumper than before. Pudgy little cheeks cushion the feline's lounging body, and her belly almost looks less than utterly unnatural in its still grotesquely bloated size, minus the vague shapes of bones poking out. With its reduced volume and Lumi's more generous figure, it's still obscenely bloated for the kitten but doesn't look nearly as out of place as before.

GRWWWWWLLLLLLL GROANNNNNN

But these changes aren't something Lumi is entirely privy to. She isn't the most observant, and right now, all that seems to matter is that she's very, very comfy.

She's comfy enough that she prepares to simply close her eyes back and return to her slumber. That decision, however, is promptly vetoed by her excessively packed bowels.

Reluctantly, Lumi is pulled slowly out of bed by the undeniable need to relieve herself. With something between a groan and a mewl, she gets up and begins her little trot across the house.

STEP STEP STEPPIE SWING SWAY GLRRRFGH

It feels like a monumental journey with the siren song of bed trying to hold her back and an early morning malaise not yet subsided, but nevertheless, Lumi makes it to the bathroom.

She steps through the open door and, with a bit more difficulty than she really expected, pulls herself and her dangling belly over the edge of the litter box.

"Umph, finally," she says quietly to herself as she squats down and lowers her head.

Lumi takes a breath and pushes.

FBLRRRRRR BLRRRFFFLLLRRRGHHTTTT PFRRRBLRRRFFFFTTTTT

The kitten's tailhole stretches out wide to grant passage to the massive brown flood trapped within. A dense coil erupts from Lumi's backside, and it crashes like a rogue wave into the coarse sands of the litter box. 

Speckled in the curled brown log is a plethora of tiny bones from paws and tails. When the first thick turd collapses into the litter, it reveals half a femur sticking out of the next foul brown mass.

The semisolid filth begins to pile up in several dense chunks when the flow abruptly stops. Lumi grunts and strains herself, but something hard is blocking her backdoor, and firmly so. The kitten brings a paw back to press on her dangling tummy, but the obstruction doesn't want to budge.

POP SPLAT PLORRRPFFFFT SLOUGH BLRRRFFFFTT

Finally, by shoving her belly against the ground to add pressure, Lumi manages to pass the thick, round object that is Ashe's skull. It lands on the disgusting pile then rolls forward to settle with the Vulpix's snout between Lumi's hind legs.

A bit of filth drips onto it as the pile continues to grow behind the Shinx. As soon as the obstruction is removed, the flow of feces continues, and a spattering of loose ribs are ejected to join the pile in another foul slew.

BLORRFFFTTTTT FLBRRGHRRRPHHTTTT PLRRRTCH

Ashe's pelvic girdle rides out of Lumi's behind on a flowing log, and it's followed by a mix of small bones from the Vulpix's numerous tails. All six of them have their thin bones scrambled together into a foul salad of mulched caudal parts.

POP POP SPLURTCH

In two quick pushes, the kitten passes two semi-circle halves of a Pokeball. The top half lands on the top of a femur that sticks upright from the pile and settles to a stop hanging there. The bottom portion lands unceremoniously in the steaming pile.

Lumi's gut gradually shrinks down as its contents are emptied out behind her into the litter box. Halfway through another hard push, the kitten turns her head to look behind her. Her big, innocent eyes land on the pile of shit and the vulpine bones mixed into it, and she finally makes the connection.

"Ooooooooooh..." she says before laughing, "You're so weird, Ashey! Why would you want to be my poop?"

FBLRRRRFFFFFFT BLORRTCH PFFRRRRRRRBLLRRRRT

She grunts and passes a couple of femurs out from her rear.

"Is that why you were so touchy? Silly Ashey, you were embarrassed about becoming my poop!" Lumi giggles about what she perceives as her playmate's ultimate desire, "Not to be judgy, but you do stink like this!"

Finally, with one last push, Lumi strains herself to gradually push out Ashe's spine. The largely unbroken string of vertebrae is wound into one long, unbroken log that bends and coils on top of the filthy, steaming pile.

FBLRRT TWHAP BLRRRFT

The end of the serpentine turd that contains Ashe's spine lands with a wet slap on the forehead of the Vulpix's skull. It's followed by one last spattering of half liquid shit that runs down it and over Ashe's cranium like an awful gravy.

Lumi sighs with relief.

SLOUGH POP

The massive pile towers behind the chubby Shinx kitten. Lumi's latest bowel movement is easily much larger than she is, and it steams and crackles quietly as it settles into itself under its own weight.

Lumi simply hums, turns a bit, and lifts up a leg.

FSHHHHSHHHHSHSSHHHHHHHHHH TRICKLE

She lets loose her bladder to spill onto the pile and join the disgusting heap of settling filth that Ashe has become. It's an awful topping to finish off the mess she's accidentally made of her unfortunate playmate.

KICK KICK THWISH

Then, she turns back around, kicks up litter behind her with her hind legs, and tosses the sandy substance over top of her mess.

She hops out of the litter box and smiles proudly. She's been a good kitten, using the litter box just as she was told. She stands happily for a moment, and her now empty belly still droops a bit below her. Digesting her friend has left her with a fair paunch to show for it.

The Shinx turns and looks at the mess she's made for a second. It's a foul heap topped with piss that still runs silently down the sides of it and is slowly soaked into the litter. Sprinkled over the whole mess now is the scattered litter Lumi had kicked up, and the half buried mess of Ashe's remains is rendered thoroughly foul.

"Blegh!" Lumi almost gags and turns away from the litter box, "You're gonna spoil my appetite, Ashe!"

GRWWWWWLLLL

The kitten darts off toward the kitchen. She's found herself quite hungry now, and her playmate certainly doesn't look too appealing to stick around with anymore.

The Shinx strolls away with her soft little flank jiggling lightly from each step.

A week and some change pass by. Somewhere far away, a trainer attends meetings and handles paperwork while in and out of a hotel room throughout each day. Still, with how busy her life is and how active her job keeps her, she routinely finds time to think about her sweet little Pokemon back home and look forward to seeing them again.

Today is finally the day she returns.

A car door slams shut outside. Lumi startles from her living room play time with a small jump. Not used to the routine of Hazel returning from her trips, Lumi doesn't realize what's happening right away.

Then the front door slides open, and Lumi's eyes light up.

"Shinx! Shinx!" as soon as Hazel steps through the door, a pair of bright little innocent eyes stare up at her with excitement.

"Goodness, you," the trainer says with a warm, pleasant tone, "I'm happy to see you, too, cutie~"

She raises an eyebrow, "Wow, you're a chunky little thing... I hope you haven't been eating all of poor Ashey's food!"

Lumi chatters up at her trainer excitedly, "Shinx!"

"Actually, now that I think about it... Where is Ashe?" Hazel looks back and forth through the entry hall.

She leans down to pet Lumi on her cute little head, "You didn't tire him out that badly, did you? He's always here to greet me as soon as I get back!"

She strolls to her bedroom, both to set down her luggage to likely be forgotten about and unpacked in at least a week's time and to check on her beloved orange companion. The pet bed where she'd expected to find a certain orange fuzzball, however, is empty.

"Goodness, where'd he go? He's never been that much of a troublemaker..." the trainer walks through the kitchen and toward the other end of the house.

Lumi follows innocently behind.

Still, the Vulpix is absent from the living room, though the TV has somehow been turned on, and Hazel notices a foul stench wafting from the bathroom.

It's always a bit foul when she gets back, but the litter does a good job controlling the odor. Still, she supposes there's double the Pokemon using it now. She decides to clean it up now then figure out where her pet has run off to after.

SPLAT

That's when she steps in something on the rug.

"Eugh, what is... Oh goodness, Lumi, did you cough up a hairball on the carpet?" Hazel looks down uneasily at her feet and pulls her toes out of the strangely orange bundle of fur on the ground.

The trainer gags a bit as she cleans it up, wipes off her foot, and makes a mental note to get some stain remover for the nasty spot left behind.

"I'm not sure what you'd even eat to cough up a hairball like that... Maybe a shiny Rattata got in here. Wouldn't that be something?" the trainer laughs a little before finally moving toward the bathroom.

Hazel screams when she steps through the door.

Waiting for her is the massive pile Ashe has been left in.

"Goodness! Did you— How did— Lumi!?" the exasperated trainer tries to make sense of things.

"I can't believe you— I—"

"Shinx! Prrrrrrrrrr" the kitten rubs her chunky face against the trainer's leg, and she looks down at Lumi with a look that's forcibly turned to adoration.

"Oh, you... Goodness," Hazel sighs and reaches for the litter scoop, "You're too damn cute to be mad at, you."

"Shinx!"

Shaking her head a little, Hazel carefully empties the filth, moving slowly so as not to get any of her deceased pet on herself.

It takes a bit longer than usual to clean everything up.

"Well," Hazel sits on the living room couch and looks down at her little Shinx companion.

She still can't help but smile, "C'mere, you."

Lumi mewls in adorable delight as her trainer lifts her onto the couch and holds her in her lap. Hazel pampers, pets, and plays with her precious Pokemon late into the night, and Lumi couldn't be happier.

"Maybe I should get you a friend before my next work trip."