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The Cruise: Li Xue

by Havoc

"Novelty is the great parent of pleasure."

• Robert South

******

Coumarine City, situated in the northern coastal region of Kalos, has always been a destination for anyone who was looking for a seaside getaway and a bit of fun. With its clear skies, mild and sunny atmosphere, and green landscapes surrounded by sparkling blue ocean, the area has a lot to offer travelers, no matter what their idea of enjoyment might be. People coming from the west, where Shalour City was, were treated to sprawling ranch lands and ocean-view roads on the way on. Those arriving from the southernly situated Lumiose Badlands, on the other hand, had the pleasure of having their long trek through the windy, hot desert rewarded by cool, breezy sea air and a lovely, scenic trip by cable car down to the waterfront.

For some, however, the trip down the cable car was less pleasant than for others. Josh, fresh-faced and a week shy of his eighteenth birthday, had the displeasure of handling luggage for not just himself, but_three_ other people as well. About the best he could say for the cable car ride was that he didn't have to carry the luggage so much as make sure it didn't pop open and spill, but this small blessing was overshadowed by the knowledge that once they reached the bottom, he'd have to carry it all over again. Sighing as the cable car began the long, but not long enough, journey down towards the dockside area of the city, Josh brushed a hand back through his short black hair and looked out of the window. The view outside was spectacular, he had to admit, and the late morning sunlight sparkling off of the ocean below dazzled his brown eyes.

"Come on, Josh, buck up!"

Josh turned his head back to the interior of the cable car. The voice had come from his oldest brother, Tom, sitting in the chair directly across from him. He was twenty-two years old, and like Josh he had black hair and brown eyes, but he was a few inches taller and a little thicker around the middle. Also like Josh, he was dressed in loose, light, colorful clothes which were perfect for the summer weather. Seated right next to him was a pokémon, Tom's favorite, a slender, busty Lopunny named Camelia. He prized her particularly for her shiny coloration, which gave her slightly darker fur on her body and pink fluff on her ears, wrists, and eyebrows, rather than the customary cream. Right now she was as unclothed as she always was, though she did wear a pearl necklace around her neck, the largest of which was not actually a pearl but a sparkling sphere of Lopunnite. She had her arm looped into Tom's, and was leaning her body against him with her head rested on his shoulder.

"Buck up?" Josh asked. "What do I have to be happy about? You invited me along this year on your trip for the first time, which was great, but all the way from Lumiose City you've made me carry the luggage, and I don't see the point of me even coming since I don't even have any pokémon of my own, yet."

Every year, around about this time, Josh's brothers went off on a cruise together which departed from Coumarine City, made a slow journey to Azure Bay, and returned just over three days later. It had started four years ago when Tom had turned eighteen, and he had taken the trip alone. The next year, his second-oldest brother, Jon, had turned eighteen and had joined him. One year after that, the third-oldest, Robby, had joined the group for the trip. Now, two years later, even though Josh hadn't quite reached his eighteenth year, they had decided they'd let him come along anyway. He had been excited at first. This was a very special kind of voyage, after all. The ship, the S.S. Charmant, was a pleasure cruise in every sense of the word. Open only to pokémon trainers, the _Charmant_quite openly advertised itself as the pinnacle of Kalos' sexual tourism industry. Trainers who were sexually active with their pokémon were encouraged to bring their favorites and spend the journey enjoying themselves, swapping partners and even experimenting with some of the quite exotic species that the cruise line provided.

Josh had just gotten his trainer's license, and it had dawned on him that the trip wasn't going to be much fun for him if he didn't have any pokémon to bring along. But in the end, the draw of something new had won out and he'd agreed to come. The price of admission hadn't been cheap. The tickets were hard to come by and could cost quite a lot, but his brothers had pooled their savings from the year and had sprung for his pass for him. They were calling it an early birthday present, and their generosity would have made it kind of shitty of him to turn down the invitation.

"Relax, Josh." This came from Jon, who was sitting beside Josh along with his Sylveon, Akiko. Jon, twenty-one, broke up the pattern of the brothers by sporting blue eyes with his black hair. He was shorter than Josh but more muscular. In addition to being a trainer, he also was involved heavily in Pokémon Contests, and it showed through Akiko. The Sylveon was immaculately brushed and her pink and white coat gleamed. She wore a powder-blue collar around her neck, and she was curled up in a ball next to Jon, apparently asleep. One of her feelers was curled around Jon's waist, holding on tightly as she snoozed. "It's not all about the sex, you know. There's plenty of other stuff to do on the ship, and you get a great view of the whole northern coast from the deck. You're gonna have a great time."

"And, hey, there's always next year," the third brother, Robby, piped up. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of pokémon of your own to bring along between now and then." He was standing at the back of the cable car while he watched the view from behind. He was the tallest of all of them, just over six feet, and he was slender with blonde hair and black eyes. He was accompanied by Li Xue, his Lucario. She was the only pokémon the brothers had who routinely wore clothes, and today she was dressed in a black gi. Open at the neck, the gi revealed the tightly bound white ribbons of cloth that she wore around her breasts, along with the spike that protruded from between them. It was the same outfit that she typically wore when traveling with her trainer.

She was also the only of the three pokémon who could talk, though she was a girl of few words. "Not likely," Li Xue said. She was seated on the end of the row of seats that Josh was sitting in, her eyes turned down towards her lap where she was holding a book. "Too weak." She glanced up at Josh, her red eyes looking disdainfully at him. "Dull aura."

Robby turned away from the window and smirked at Li Xue. "Come on, Li, be nice," he lightly admonished her. "This is a vacation, not one of your training sessions."

Rolling her eyes, Li Xue closed her book while keeping a thumb in her place. "Very well. I'm sorry." She offered Josh a small bow from where she was seated. Then she opened her book again and looked back at her lap. "But it's true."

Josh turned away from her, and he tried not to show how much her scorn bothered him. He had harbored a bit of a crush on the Lucario for quite some time now, but she had never thought that much of him. She seemed to have eyes only for his brother Robby.

But come to think of it, Josh had been rather taken with most of his brothers' pokémon at one time or another. When he thought about it, it was hard not to be attracted to the softness and shy nature of Akiko. The Sylveon was quiet but friendly, and she was one of the few pokémon that her brothers had who didn't seem to mind him. Since she was a show pokémon, she stayed home a lot when Jon was out training his other pokémon, so Josh had become fairly well-acquainted with her. Though certainly not as well "acquainted" as his brother and she were. Then there was Camelia, who also was friendly to Josh, but in more of a motherly sort of way than with Akiko. Josh harbored no illusions about Camelia. She was way out of his league and they both knew it. Even guys who weren't particularly attracted to pokémon couldn't help turning their heads when the shiny Lopunny walked by. Her appearance fooled a lot of trainers, because they couldn't seem to believe that such a perfectly feminine pokémon could be a serious threat in a battle, but Camelia was a battling pokémon through and through. She was, in fact, his eldest brother Tom's main pokémon for fighting with, especially when he decided to unleash her mega-evolved form. That necklace she wore wasn't just for show, after all.

All too soon, the ride down on the cable car was over. Luckily for Josh, on this end of the line they had some trolleys available for schlepping luggage. While his brothers and their pokémon disembarked the cable car and congregated, all looking excited about the trip, he started the laborious task of transferring their bags to the trolley. He consoled himself with the fact that he wouldn't have to juggle five bags by hand anymore. Josh was just relieved that Camelia and Akiko didn't have bags of their own, since they didn't keep all that much in the way of clothing. While he was handling the baggage, he was approached from behind, and he turned to see Li Xue. The Lucario was holding her hard-bodied suitcase in one hand.

"Uh...I was about to get that," Josh said. He put his own bag and one of his brothers' on the trolley, and then held out a hand to take hers. But instead she walked right past him and put it on the trolley herself.

"Don't drop it again," she said to him, a frown on her pointed face. She gestured at the corner of the suitcase, where the glossy finish was almost imperceptibly marred by a minuscule scuff, the result of Josh fumbling it at the top of the cable car line. "Clumsy." She turned her back on him and walked off to stand by Robby's side.

Josh stared after her. "Bitch..." Even after being treated that way by her for most of his life, he still found that it wounded him when she was so cold. She'd been brought into the family home as a Riolu when he was about eight years old, having been Robby's first pokémon, and one would think that she might have at least developed one or two friendly feelings towards him.

Once all of the bags were loaded up, they all started walking towards the dock where the S.S. _Charmant_was waiting for all of her passengers, with Josh bringing up the rear pushing the heavy trolley. When the ship was in view, he did have to admit that it was impressive, and that perhaps the voyage wouldn't be so bad after all. The cruise ship, though not as big as the massive liners that could be ridden in Kanto or Hoenn, was bigger than any boat Josh had seen with his own eyes. At about two hundred meters long and forty meters high, not including the two funnels, it was easily the largest ship in the harbor. Painted in peaceful colors of white and oceanic blue, with black bars around the funnels, it was also a beautiful sight to see. They joined the steady stream of people and pokémon walking up the ramps to the lowest outside deck of the ship, where a trio of smartly suited crewmen were checking tickets and welcoming them aboard.

"Alright!" Tom said, clapping his hands together as they passed through the ticket station and began walking along the deck. "Let's get settled in our cabin, and then it's time for some fun, yeah?" They all agreed to that, and they made their way towards the midsection of the ship. The elder brothers had arranged for a suite different from the one they usually took, since they needed a fourth room to accommodate their youngest sibling.

The suite they had procured was definitely on the high end of luxurious, once they got inside and Josh could see it. The front door opened up directly onto the outer deck, and inside it was huge as far as oceanliner accommodations went. The cabin had a central living area furnished with couches and tables, and a stocked bar. Though none of the brothers or pokémon drank much, that was still a pleasant thing to have. Four doors led off from the living room, behind which would be their individual rooms. Josh had a look inside his, and he was impressed with what he saw. A large bed, a few armchairs, and a private if somewhat small bathroom with a glassed-in shower.

"So, what are we doing now?" Josh asked, once everyone had gotten settled in. They were all sitting on the couches in the living room. He was still getting used to the rocking motions of the ship, even though it hadn't quite gotten underway yet. "It's not quite lunchtime yet, but I'm getting kind of hungry."

"Food sounds good to me...," Robby said, scratching his chin. "But I'm not quite ready yet. I was gonna have a walk around the ship. There's a crazy good arcade down on one of the lower decks that I've been looking forward to since we left home." Li Xue rolled her eyes at his words. Robby was a video game freak in addition to his love of pokémon training, but she was decidedly not enamored with the activity.

"Yeah, I'm not quite ready to eat, either," Tom agreed. "But I could use a swim. I think me and Camelia will go check out the pool on the top deck. Catch some sun, have a quick dip...Sounds like a great idea to me." The Lopunny churled her agreement and cuddled up to him.

Jon grinned. "You always do that. Mix it up a little, man." He chuckled. "I think I'll take Akiko down to the spa below this deck." He touched a finger to one of the Sylveon's ears, teasing her fur. "She could use a good grooming. My pretty girl deserves to be as beautiful as she can be." Akiko waved her feelers, smiling and nodding her head.

"Well, where does that leave me?" Josh said, his voice taking on a disappointed tone. After all that talk of having a great cruise together, his brothers were about to just up and ditch him. He had been hoping they'd show him around the ship, not just leave him to his own devices.

Robby thought for a minute. "I've got an idea. Since we're all gonna do our own thing, how about you and Li Xue hang out for the day?"

"What?" Li Xue and Josh both said at the same time. They looked at each other with less than enthused expressions on their faces. The Lucario absolutely loathed the idea, and Josh wasn't that excited about spending time with a pokémon who was pretty much constantly abusive to him.

"Yeah, why not?" Robby said. "Li doesn't care for the arcade, and you don't know what all this ship has to offer. I'm sure she wouldn't mind showing you around. And I'd appreciate you taking care of her for me."

Li Xue gave her trainer a withering stare, but finally she shrugged and gave a little "tsk" between her teeth. "Fine," she said, with the tone of a prisoner going off for their execution. "I need to change." She glanced at Josh, rolling her eyes again as she stood up from the couch. "I can't wait." She marched off in a huff and disappeared into her and Robby's room, and she closed the door none too gently behind her.

Robby smirked a little. "Hey, don't let her get to you," he said to Josh. "I know she seems gruff, but it's only for the afternoon. You're doing me a huge favor, bro."

"Whatever you say..."

******

Josh took another sip of the tropical-flavored drink he was currently enjoying. The S.S. _Charmant_boasted several lounges where one could relax and enjoy a beverage, and this one had an outdoor patio that looked over the rear of the ship. Josh was seated at one of the tables on the patio, enjoying the sight of the slow, lazy trail that the ship was making through the water. If he squinted, he could just make out the fuzzy blur of Coumarine City's skyline. The breeze was really refreshing, and the sunlight felt nice on his face. After hauling around luggage for the whole morning, this was exactly what he needed.

"So...Are we going to do anything?"

He turned his head. Sitting across from him at the table was Li Xue, and her red eyes were boring into him like drill bits. The Lucario had been a long time changing, and Josh's brothers and their pokémon had left the suite by the time she had emerged from the room. When she had come out, she was wearing a black Chinese-style dress decorated with gold stitched patterns, and she'd gathered her aura sensors behind her head with a gold band wrapped around them. The dress was immaculately tailored to fit the contours of her body perfectly, and it had an opening on the front through which the spike on her chest protruded, which also afforded a glimpse of her cleavage, though she had not foregone her usual chest wrappings. They were, however, black to match her dress this time. Though Li Xue paid them no mind, she was earning herself quite a few appreciative glances from trainers and pokémon alike. She had a cup of green tea on the table in front of her, which was almost completely untouched.

Josh swallowed the sip of his drink. "What do you mean? We're doing something right now." He gestured to the table to emphasize his point, and then waved a hand out at the view over the water.

"No." Li Xue leaned back in her chair, and she crossed her arms tersely over her chest. "We're not. We're drinking. And sitting. And staring at the water. We're not even talking." In contrast to her assertion, Josh privately thought that it was the longest number of words he'd ever heard the pokémon string together.

"Oh...uh..." Josh put his drink down and sat forward in his chair. "Well, what do you want to talk about?"

"Nothing, with you," Li Xue immediately said. She looked away from him, and the displeasure was evident on her face. It was obvious that she was mad at him for what he was realizing was what she perceived as his lack of imagination, and she also seemed more than a little peeved at Robby for abandoning her to Josh. Josh had to remind himself that this was as much a vacation for the pokémon as it was for the humans, and Li Xue had probably been looking forward to this cruise all year.

Josh cast around for something to say. As he glanced around the patio of the cafe, he took note of all the different kinds of people and pokémon who were there. Some of the people were clearly foreign, and there were a number of pokémon he had never seen outside of photographs. "So...uh...lotta people from all over come on this cruise, huh?"

Li Xue looked back at him. For a moment, she looked as though she was going to ignore his attempt at conversation, but then she sighed and lifted her cup. "Yes. Many people. Many pokémon." She drank and then put the cup down again. "Big variety."

"Uh-huh," Josh said with a nod. "Must be interesting, meeting so many people from different parts of the world."

The Lucario shrugged, and she looked back out at the water again.

This is going nowhere..., Josh thought to himself. He decided to try a different tactic. "So, if this isn't your style, what do you like to do on this cruise? I mean, I know you've been twice, so I bet you have things you like to do."

She seemed to think it over for a few minutes, and then she slowly nodded. "Well...Yes." She uncrossed her arms. "A few things."

"So, why don't we go do something you like? I've never been on this cruise, so I don't really know what all there is to do. If you'd be more happy doing your own thing, I'll tag along. I don't mind being the follower."

The Lucario narrowed her eyes, and she stared at him for a few minutes, appraising his sincerity. "Fine." She got up from her chair and smoothed down her dress. "Follow."

As he got up to leave, Josh felt a little wave of anxiety pass through him. "Uh...Just asking, but...This isn't gonna be, like...some weird fetish club on the ship, is it?" He knew what this cruise was all about, but he also knew Li Xue's personality. She was domineering, cool, and often overbearing. And he'd just had visions of her thing being leather, whips, and spiky collars.

Li Xue shook her head. "Fear not." For a moment Josh thought he even saw a little bit of a smirk on her face. "Can be a virgin as long as you want."

"I'm not...," Josh began to say, but then he remembered that Li Xue was an expert at reading the auras of both people and pokémon. If he was going to lie to her, she would know right away. So, instead, he just clamped down on his protest and muttered back to her. "Shut up..."

This time he definitely heard her give a derisive little snicker.

******

For all his fears, Josh found himself a little surprised at where Li Xue led him. When they left the cafe, they went directly to the stairs leading to the lower decks of the ship. When he thought they were going to get off, at the main deck, she continued walking down. They went down five more flights of stairs until they arrived at the lowest deck that passengers could still access. They met hardly any trainers or pokémon down here. Li Xue showed him down a long hallway once they exited the staircase, until they came to a set of nondescript wooden double doors. A single crewman was standing by the door, and once he consulted his passenger manifest and determined that, no, they were not stowaways or anything, he allowed them inside.

Josh braced himself as the doors opened, anticipating thumping techno music, neon lights, and guys in zipper masks, but instead he was greeted by dim, pleasant lighting, a lightly smoky, fragrant atmosphere, and music from stringed instruments. The largish room seemed to be a private restaurant of some sort, with low tables surrounded by soft pillow chairs. Some of the tables had hookahs placed in the center, which were the source of the smoke and fragrance in the air. There was also a bar along one wall. Along the far wall, in front of all of the tables, was a stage upon which sat a string quartet playing the music. The centerpiece of the stage was a gorgeous, nude female Gardevoir, who was swaying with the music and singing. The enchanting part of her singing was that it was both vocal and telepathic. At the same time that Josh heard her melodic voice, her voice was also inside of his head. It made for a very ethereal, dreamlike song. And, of course, her appearance only enhanced the experience. Josh felt his face warming very much as he took in the sight of her body.

"So...this is where you like to go?" he murmured to Li Xue.

"Yes." The Lucario was watching the Gardevoir as well, and Josh saw a faint smile on her face. "Come." She weaved her way around the tables until they reached an empty one, quite near the stage, with a tall purple crystal hookah in the center. Li Xue sat down on one of the pillows and Josh followed suit. It was very soft and comfortable.

"It's nice in here," he said honestly. Josh looked up at the stage, and he watched the Gardevoir as she swayed and sang. Her eyes opened, and she caught Josh's eye for a moment. She winked at him, somewhat invitingly, and Josh blushed deeply. He thought he heard a little giggle in his head, just under the music. Then he saw the Gardevoir turn her eyes to Li Xue, and they flashed in recognition and seemed to sparkle. One of the Gardevoir's hands waved slightly in a brief wave. The Lucario offered a nod in return, a slight smile on her own face as well.

After a few minutes, a waiter came up to them. He started to place menus on the table, but Li Xue waved him off. "Unnecessary." She glanced at Josh. "Let me." Then she turned to the waiter. "Meat skewers. Kelpsy salad. Hondew wine. But the wine first. Thank you." The waiter nodded, and he moved away from the table to take her order to the kitchen.

Josh looked around the restaurant, taking in the atmosphere. He was very surprised that Li Xue would go for this sort of thing. At home, she was active and athletic, devoting nearly all of her time to training with Robby and on her own. Finding out that she liked quiet music and smoking hookah was like finding out that the sky was actually red, or that water could catch on fire. "I never would have thought you'd take me someplace like this, when I asked you to show me what you like to do here."

Li Xue shrugged. "You don't know much." She picked up a long match from a dish on the table and struck it, and she raised the flaming tip to the hookah. The coals in the bowl at the top crackled and sparked, before settling into a dull red glow. She lifted one of the thin hoses that came out of the hookah and held the nozzle between her lips, and she inhaled deeply. The Lucario held the smoke in her lungs for several long seconds, and then she breathed the whispy, white smoke out through her nostrils. The scent of the smoke was heavy and fruity. Li Xue picked up another tube and offered it to Josh. "Try."

"Um...Okay." He took the hose from Li Xue and placed the end of it in his mouth. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly inhaled through the tube. He had been expecting it to be harsh and to set him coughing, since he had never tried anything like this before, but he was surprised to find that the smoke was warm and mild. The flavor of it filled his nostrils and mouth, and all in all it was pleasant. He followed Li Xue's lead, eventually exhaling the smoke in a thick cloud that surrounded his head. "That's not bad at all."

"Very relaxing," Li Xue agreed.

The waiter returned with the bottle of wine that Li Xue had ordered, and a pair of flute glasses. He used a corkscrew to extract the stopper and poured a glass for each of them, and he gave a short bow as he again departed, leaving the bottle behind. Josh examined the wine in his glass. It was sparkly, like champagne, but had a light green color like the Hondew berries from which it was made. He lifted up the glass and took an experimental sip. Though dry and not as sweet as he had been expecting, he could clearly taste the melon-like flavor of the berries and found it quite good. Li Xue drank as well, obviously relishing the flavor of the wine.

"So...uh...I have a question," Josh said. He got a glance from Li Xue, but no objection, so he assumed that he was alright to go on. He looked at the Gardevoir on stage. She had her eyes closed again, and seemed to be concentrating on her singing once more. "When we sat down, the singer looked at you. Do you two know each other?"

"We have met," Li Xue said. "On the cruise."

"She smiled at you," Josh said. He was curious, and he couldn't help but ask. "This cruise, I mean...Have you and her ever...you know..."

The Lucario raised an eyebrow at him. She was surprised that he would venture to ask a question like that. He wondered if she was even going to answer him, but a moment later she gave a short nod. "Once. Last year. Robby and I together."

Josh's face heated up considerably at that. He already thought that Li Xue was attractive, and of course he didn't have to use his imagination at all to know what the Gardevoir had to offer. Knowing that his brother and Li Xue had engaged in a threesome with the Gardevoir was interesting information, to say the least. He couldn't help imagining something of what it would have been like. Mostly, though, he just imagined Li Xue and the Gardevoir, alone, his brother absent. He had never seen Li Xue unclothed, but his mind did the undressing for him. He could just picture them entwined with one another, on a bed...or even on the stage or among the pillows of the restaurant. It wasn't that much further of a step to imagine himself taking the place of his brother in the trio.

"Your aura," Li Xue mumbled into her wine glass. Josh was jolted out of the fantasy, the music and smoky scent of the restaurant coming back to him in a rush. "Usually dull blue. Now very orange and red. What are you thinking of?"

"Nothing," Josh quickly lied. He focused on the stage, not wishing to meet Li Xue's eyes just now. He knew that she knew he was lying, but she didn't make anything of it. The human didn't want to think about what she would do to him if she knew he had been fantasizing about her.

He was saved by the arrival of the waiter with their food. Josh had forgotten just how hungry he'd been until the platter was set down in front of him, but the food smelled wonderful. In the center of the platter was a dish on which were laid six long wooden skewers of meat chunks. There were two bowls of salad, one for each of them, made with chopped field greens and sliced strips of Kelpsy berry, with a little pitcher of some sort of oily, herbed dressing to go with them. He was instantly ravenous when he looked at the spread. Li Xue topped off both of their wine glasses, which spelled the end of the bottle, but the waiter was ready with a second without even being asked.

They both began to eat, and Josh was not sorry that Li Xue hadn't allowed the waiter to let them look over the menu. The meat was cooked perfectly, not too well done but not quite rare, and it just fell apart when they placed it in their mouths. The salad was flavorful as well, the greens crisp and the berry strips tender, and the dressing gave it that finishing touch that made it sublime. Combined with the ambiance and the music, the meal was as good as any that Josh had ever had.

Once the food was gone and the dishes cleared away, Li Xue relit the hookah and they smoked together, sipping the rest of their wine and allowing the meal to settle. Josh noticed that the Lucario seemed entranced by the Gardevoir, scarcely able to take her eyes off of her. He wondered if Li Xue was thinking about another go at her. He hadn't ever considered that she would be attracted to other women, but maybe it was more of a "what happens on the cruise stays on the cruise" sort of thing for her.

Perhaps it was the wine making his tongue a bit looser than it normally would have been, but Josh found himself asking another question. "Li Xue, how come you don't like me?"

Li Xue turned away from the stage, her eyes a bit wide as curls of smoke emerged from her nose. "What?"

"Why don't you like me?" The human set his part of the pipe down on the table, crossing his legs and sitting up straight as he looked across the table at the Lucario. He could see he had caught her unawares with the question. "You like Robby, obviously. You don't seem to mind Tom or Jon. You get along with all of my brothers' pokémon. But you're always so cold to me. You always criticize me and whenever I've tried to be friendly you always have some sort of snide remark to make."

The Lucario blinked, and she slowly put down her hookah hose. "You think I don't like you?"

"It's obvious. I'm surprised you've even been able to stand me this afternoon." He looked away. "I mean, don't get me wrong. This was nice...I mean..." He found the next part a little hard to say. "I've always kind of had a crush on you..."

"I know."

"So why are you always such a jerk?" Josh prompted her. "I know I'm not as tough as Robby, or as cool as Tom, or as fashionable as Jon. But I've never been anything but nice to you, and you're always such a bitch!"

Li Xue blinked again, and Josh knew that he'd gone a little far with that last comment. But it was the first time he'd ever voiced anything like this to her, and the resentment had been building for quite some time now. The Lucario looked back at the stage for a moment, and then she picked up her wine glass and downed the rest of it. Setting it back on the table with a quiet clink, she gazed back at Josh.

"I like you," she said simply.

Now it was Josh's turn to blink in confusion. "You do? Well, then...why...?"

"How could I not like you?" Li Xue asked, as she rolled her eyes. "You're my mate's brother. You're like family to me. Of course I like you." She shook her head and picked up her hookah pipe, taking a long pull on it. "You must know there's a difference between being critical and being hateful. I don't hate you. I just see you as the way you are. And I know you can be better. That's all."

Josh leaned back where he sat. "Well you have a funny way of showing it."

"Call it 'tough love'," Li Xue said. She puffed on the hookah again, and then for the first time since Josh could ever remember, she gave him a cool but genuine smile. "You think I'm a bitch, hm?"

He lifted a hand, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I guess so...yeah," he said. He even managed to chuckle a little. "At least, that's what I've always thought. But don't tell Robby I said that about you. He'd probably punch me in the jaw."

Li Xue laughed quietly, little puffs of fragrant smoke coming from her mouth. "I will tell him," she said. "He will agree." She watched Josh carefully, and now he thought he saw a little twinkle of admiration in her eyes. "You are more honest than I expected. Aura not so dull anymore." It was the warmest compliment he had ever heard her give to him. Or to anyone except Robby, really.

"Thanks...I think."

The Lucario put her pipe down again, and she gave one more look at the stage before turning back to Josh. "One other thing I enjoy on this cruise. Would you like to see?"

"Uh, sure," Josh said. He got up from his pillow, putting his empty wine glass down on the table. "Where are we going now?"

"Back to the cabin."

"The cabin? What's there to do in the cabin?" Then he saw the way that Li Xue was looking at him now, and he felt warmth rising in his cheeks. "Oh..."

******

Li Xue's tongue maneuvered it's way expertly around Josh's mouth, following every contour of his lips and twisting sensuously with his own. He had never experienced anything like that before. He'd kissed a girl once before in his life, but she had been a human and neither of them had really known what they were doing, so he hadn't considered it anything special. The Lucario, on the other hand, seemed to be very experienced in the matter, and her tongue was wildly different than a human girl's. It was broad, and slick, and long, and when she slipped it all the way into his mouth it filled it nearly completely. The taste of her canine lips was an experience all its own, as well. They were dry and rubbery, but warm and inviting all the same.

She had taken him back to the suite that Josh was sharing with his brothers. Nobody else had been there when they returned; they must have all still been out enjoying the ship, though the sun was quickly setting by now. The solitude was a lucky thing, because Li Xue had pushed herself upon him almost as soon as the door closed behind them. She'd coaxed him down onto the largest couch in the living room, and they'd kissed long and leisurely for quite a while, as the Lucario showed him how she liked it. She was a fan of having her neck kissed and nibbled on, and Josh had gladly obliged. Once he had gotten the hang of how to do it right, Li Xue was breathing hard and wagging her short, crooked tail. Eventually, they migrated to Josh's room in the suite, where she currently had him pressed up against the wall.

Li Xue broke away from him with a gasp. Her paws were pressed tightly against Josh's chest, and her short fingers bunched up his shirt. "These have to go." She started undoing the buttons of his summer shirt, working her way down until it was open, and then she dragged it roughly off of his shoulder and threw it aside. "Undo my dress." She began tugging on the zipper of his shorts.

Josh reached for the front of the Lucario's oriental dress, where it was held closed by a vertical row of polished wooden toggles. They were a little difficult to manage, but he got them open just as she unfastened the button at the waistband of his shorts. Her dress fell down at the same time that she pushed down his shorts and underwear, and she yipped as his cock sprang up and bumped her lower belly. Now he was standing completely naked, and she had nothing on apart from the black wrappings around her chest.

She looked down, taking an eyeful of his cock. Josh thought himself only average at best, though he didn't have much reference to go on, but Li Xue seemed to find it appealing enough. She reached down and took his cock in her hand. He bit his lip as the soft fur of her palm rubbed against the sensitive bare skin. She gripped him, rubbing her fingers up and down his length. He had been thoroughly hard ever since he figured out her intentions in bringing him back to the cabin, and he felt like he was on a hair trigger right now. As he palm circled around the head of his human cock, he let out a low groan.

"Oh, no, no...," Li Xue growled. She squeezed his cock, making him give a gasp. "Not yet. You are better than that." She released her hold on him and took a step back. "I will do this part."

The Lucario turned away from him, reaching around her back and finding the end of the wrap around her breasts. She pulled it free and began to unwrap the long, wide black bandages. As Josh watched her, he got the idea that she was being deliberately slow about it, teasing him with the gradually-revealing view of the creamy fur around her midsection. His cock was throbbing as he waited impatiently for her to finish, but she kept at her slow pace, occasionally looking over her shoulder with a smirk at the increasingly desperate expression on his face.

Finally, just as Li Xue pulled away the last wrap of the bandage, Josh couldn't wait any longer. He stepped forward behind her and wrapped his arms around her from the rear, his hands immediately going for her freed breasts. She gave a low moan as he cupped them and squeezed them tightly. Her tits were small and firm, filling his hands in a satisfyingly perfect way. The black cloth wrappings fell from her paws as she tilted her head to the side, and he kissed her right at her collarbone. One of her hands came up to his head, her fingers digging into his thick brown hair.

Li Xue let out a growl. "You sneak up behind me, hm?" Josh was taken by surprise as the Lucario suddenly pushed back with her powerful legs, knocking him backwards and breaking his balance. He fell back onto his bed, and Li Xue quickly spun around and came down on top of him. She straddled his waist, and her blazing red eyes looked down at him, almost seeming to glow in the dimming light of the room. "I like that. But this is my time to teach. You will do as I instruct, yes?"

He had to take a moment to catch his breath, having had it knocked out of him by her sudden maneuver. "Wh-Whatever you say." His hands had found their way to her hips all by themselves. His cock was pressed up against her, resting along the silkily furred area between her thighs. Josh could feel so much warmth there, and she was slick with arousal as well.

"Good." Li Xue slid forward, taking the warmth with her. Josh groaned a little in dismay at the loss of the pleasant sensation, but he soon had something else to occupy his thoughts. When the Lucario reached his head, she spread her legs wide in front of his eyes. He was treated to the sight of her delicate, canine sex. Her dark, roundly triangular lips were puffy and slick with arousal. The scent of her was something out of this world. It was strong and musky, with just a hint of spice and sweetness both. With her legs spread, Josh could just glimpse the dark color giving way to soft pink inside.

"Wow...," he breathed. His hands came up and he placed them on her rump, just under her tail. He slid them up her sides, rubbing his palms along her soft blue-and-black fur. Li Xue arched her back as he stroked her, and she sighed a little, but a pleasant one instead of her usual sigh of exasperation.

She looked down at him, and he stared back into her eyes. "Lick," she commanded, softly but forcefully. She slid herself forward and lifted up, and sat directly on hid face, pressing her pussy against his mouth.

Josh had little choice but to obey her. Tentatively, not really sure what he was doing, he slid his tongue out and touched it to her swollen lips. Her taste was incredible. He had heard a lot of things about the way a pussy tasted. Some guys at his school had said it tasted like old coins, while others had recalled the taste of sour milk. Most of them spoke of it as something they had to just get through in order to get to "the good stuff". He was starting to realize that they were idiots. Li Xue tasted wonderful, better than the wine they'd had with their late lunch. He tightened his hands on her back, and they slid back down to her ass as he slipped his tongue just inside her passage.

The Lucario shuddered, and she hunched over him. "That's good," she praised him. She pressed down harder with her hips, her tail wagging even harder. "Deeper..."

He obeyed her without hesitation, and he lifted his head to give himself the extra inch, sliding his tongue further into her body. She growled with the added pleasure as his tongue reached the more sensitive areas of her sex, on the inside where the feelings were even greater. He ran his tongue around her slick walls, gathering more of her flavor on his taste buds. She was just as spicy and sweet as her scent had suggested, and the essence of her permeated his senses. He could feel that he was as hard as a rock. He had wanted her for most of the time he'd known her, and finally having her was like giving a glass of water to a man dying of thirst.

She sat on his face for a good, long while, letting him have his fill of her. Li Xue's voice teased his ears as she made little growls and whimpers, encouraging him as he grew more confident with his oral work. He could feel her pussy clenching around his tongue, strong muscles inside seeming to draw it deeper. Just as he was starting to feel his mouth getting sore, she let out a sharp gasp and lifted up quickly. He felt the muscles of her rear tensing and trembling, and he opened his eyes to see her with a paw lifted to her mouth, her teeth clamped down around a finger as her face screwed up. He felt a thrill rising up in his chest as he realized that he had made her cum. He was oddly proud about that.

"Oh, yes...," Li Xue hissed through her clenched predatory teeth. She arched her back more sharply than ever, hugging her arms around herself as she twisted to one side. Soon she relaxed, sitting back on his chest as she let out a long breath of satisfaction. Then her eyes cracked open again, and she looked down at him with a wide grin on her face. "Not bad for your first time."

"Not bad?" Josh repeated. He smirked. "It looked like I did better than 'not bad'. You were frozen for a minute there."

"Don't get conceited," the Lucario admonished him, waving a paw in front of his face sternly. She reached behind herself then and touched a finger to his cock, tracing it up and down his length. Josh bit back a groan. He had grown even more aroused while he was tending to the female's need. "Hm...I think you've done well enough, though. You've earned this. Try not to cum right away."

"What do you...oh, fuck," Josh gasped. Quicker than he would have thought possible, Li Xue moved back along his body and impaled herself fully on his erect member. In an instant he was all the way inside the canine pokémon. She was tighter than he had expected, and his cock seemed to be quite the snug fit indeed. Li Xue's paws splayed on his stomach, and his hands grabbed her hips as he strained to hold back from cumming right away. He had great difficulty with that, but his valiant efforts paid off and he managed to tamp the immense pleasure down before it overwhelmed him.

Li Xue grinned wider, gyrating her hips back and forth in an almost torturing manner. "Good boy," she whispered to him. She lowered herself down, her breasts pressing against his chest, though she took care not to rest her weight fully on him, lest she injure him with her chest spike. "Now's the time when you show me you're a man and not just a kid. I don't like timid males."

Josh took his cue from her, recognizing that she was giving him the opportunity to take some control from her. He squeezed his hands tightly on her ass. This part, at least, he had a pretty good idea of exactly what to do. Holding on to her, he began to thrust in and out of her body. The slickness brought about by his oral work made it quite easy, even with how tight she was. His cock glided along her passage like a hot knife through butter. They both voiced their pleasure together, her rough growl competing with his deep moans as he fucked her quick and hard.

The Lucario wrapped her arms underneath and around him, her paws clasping at his shoulder blades. She was rocking back into him with every inward thrust he made, driving him deeper into her than he could have done on his own. He was bottoming out in her every time before long, and she yipped loudly whenever the tip of his cock bumped up against her womb. He would have worried he was hurting her if he hadn't known how tough a girl she was. She took him well, and began to give back some of the force just as well as she was receiving.

The human wasn't sure how much longer he would last with her. This was his first time with any female, and it made it so much better that it was one he had fantasized about for years. Li Xue was amazing. She knew exactly what to do to drive him crazy, as she rolled her hips along with his thrusting, twisting herself every which way to make his cock ache for release.

She seemed to sense how close he was, for she tilted her head close to his ear. "You can do it, now," she said, her breath tickling his earlobe. Li Xue flicked her tongue out to lick at him, and then she nipped his ear lightly. "That's an order, boy. I want every. Last. Drop."

Josh groaned loudly when he heard her say that. He lifted his head and shoulders up from the bed, and pressed his face into the side of Li Xue's neck. She gasped as he touched his lips to her, sucking at her neck as his cock drove into her once more. He clutched at her as his balls tightened up, and his member began to pulse as his cum erupted inside of her. She shuddered along with him as he came, previously unimaginable pleasure radiating through his body from his groin as he pumped the Lucario full of his human seed. Her warmth seemed to increase, and she murmured her delight as he continued thrusting through his orgasm, making her still-overly-sensitive pussy clench at him.

He finally took a breath as the last of his cum squirted inside of her, and his body suddenly felt as weak and shaky as though he'd just run a marathon. Josh let himself rest back on the bed, but Li Xue remained upright, perched on his body with his cock still firmly nestled between her legs. She was looking down at him with satiation on her face, and he looked back at her with gratitude and no small amount of rekindled affection.

"So...Do I pass?" Josh asked her. "Am I a man, or still just a kid?"

"Hmmm..." Li Xue tapped her chin thoughtfully, and her eyes turned up to the ceiling as she considered. "I think we can say you're a man. Just barely. Maybe." She snickered, and then she leaned down and kissed him firmly on the lips. "Robby will be back soon. I should get cleaned up." She lifted herself off of him, letting his cock slide slowly out of her pussy. As she got down from the bed, he was treated to the very appealing sight of some of his cum leaking out and streaking the insides of her thighs.

"Hey, uh...," Josh said, just before she walked out of the door with her clothing in her arms. "Li Xue, will we ever...?" He left the rest of the question unsaid.

Li Xue paused, and she looked back over her shoulder at him. Then she quirked a smile, her expression softer than usual. "Maybe next year." Though the words were noncommittal, her tone was one of promise. She vanished out of the room, and he heard the door to the room she was sharing with Robby open and close quietly.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out gradually, Josh crossed his feet at the ankles. He looked up at the ceiling, and a smile made its way across his face. Maybe this cruise would turn out to be something special, after all.