Thin black line by Pent Ghelsburg
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves suggestive content. You have been warned.
The dotted line… stares at you. Its emboldened black line is equally bit brazenly blank. "SIGN HERE" it commands you and yet…you stare at it still. The single-page document seems simple enough. Yet…you know it's too good to be true. You need the money badly. Work has not been kind with its hours and yet your mind toils still. Just what are you about to get yourself into…You sign reluctantly as the signature spot seems to guide your pen despite any hesitation you might have had. Yet the deed is done…and you stare at it still as if regretting it immediately.
Risa is Freshly out of her 30s, one cook of many at the 5-star restaurant on Ramer street. The restaurant was well known for its variety of dishes. A place where Pokemon could come to relax and take a load off after work. Yet, Risa is not one of those fortunate people. The young cook works the pressure cooker as she was well known for her skill in frying and baking. Yet even despite her skills in the culinary arts, it was never enough.
As a Reshiram the Pokemon always had an appetite for as long as she could imagine. A tall lady to be sure, but not one too would be identified as overweight. It didn't bother her much. Her stomach often spoke to her, or so she thought. Of the untold treasures of delicacies of life…of things she had not tried and that perhaps she should. She was always willing to indulge her desire, and it began to become a problem.
At work, Risa was known for taking scraps for herself. Always ask the other chefs in the kitchen for leftovers. Most of them didn't mind, especially at first. The requests continued for years, eventually growing more frequent and even braver. She had worked there for over a year when things got out of hand and she was warned. However, the warning was not enough and she continued even still.
Risa could not sate her appetite and so she was warned a second time. Her boss stated that "If she continued her pay would be docked." Risa lessened her requests for a time, turning to her scraps to keep under the radar. However, her appetite would not have it. She again returned to asking just about every chef in the establishment and they had been warned against her advances. So…again she was reported and her hours were cut as a result.
The Reshiram sighed as her boss yelled at her. The woman had enough of being berated by the Oinkologne who seemed to take great pride in the fact he could yell and not have anyone get on his case about it. Such was the benefit of being the top Pokemon at the establishment. Risa stepped out of the office as she had been told to leave for the day and to watch her actions going forward.
Some of the coworkers shook their heads at her as she made her way past them. Risa kept her head low and continued walking out of the kitchen. The Reshiram could have sworn even the customers were staring at her as she made her way out of the restaurant and into the street. She stepped outside and stopped for a moment, noticing that it was still daylight outside.
Being in the kitchen all day meant she didn't get to see daylight very often on the weekdays. Risa took a deep breath and began walking. She peered up toward the sky and saw that it was relatively clear out. Suddenly she walked into a wall because she wasn't paying much attention. The woman fell to her behind, her large tail providing some cushion from the otherwise awkward situation.
Risa picked herself up and brushed off the work pants she was wearing. She straightened up her posture, feeling rather silly about the fact she walked straight into a wall. Before she was about to walk away from it she noticed a small piece of paper that had haphazardly been affixed to the wall with naught but a piece of duct tape. The thing had been weathered by the light rain showers they had over the past few days.
It was difficult to read where it was hanging so she tore it down before looking at it closer.
"Looking for medical trial patients to try out new treatments. All trial participants will be compensated for their time. Make Hundreds of Poke Dollars in Half the time it takes at regular jobs!"
Contact information and an address were provided below the snippet of information. She picked her phone up out of her pocket and began dialing the number. After a few rings, a voicemail recording was prompted.
"Thanks for calling Trial Technicians. If you are calling about the opportunity, please proceed to the address on the flier. We look forward to seeing you soon."
Risa hung up the call since she knew what had to be done. She lived too close from paycheck to paycheck and didn't have much savings. Besides, she couldn't go without purchasing her beloved treats and she wasn't about to cut corners to make a budget work. She snorted as she began to walk down the sidewalk of the street. She knew where the place was as the place where she worked in a small suburb of Goldenrod.
Foot traffic was light today so she didn't have to worry much about working her way around other Pokemon. The Reshiram made her way through the alleys to save as much time as possible. She wasn't certain what time it was and didn't want to catch the place when it was closing. Risa began walking more hastily as she made her way across several blocks of cobblestone-packed streets with only a few carriages slowing her progress.
When she arrived at the building in question, she found naught but an office building. She looked at the place a moment. The structure resembled a single-floor office building. A sign was hung overtop the entrance that had "Trial Technicians" scribbled in very poor handwriting on the front of it. Risa hesitated a moment before making slow yet methodical steps to the inside of it.
Pushing the door open, the hinges on the entrance squeaked loudly. The inside of the building was poorly lit with but 2 overhead lighting fixtures providing lighting to the dark lobby in front of her. A small wooden desk with nothing but a metal bell sat at the desk. She looked behind her and the door had shut by itself, making it even darker inside.
Risa pushed forward after another few seconds of just standing there. Each step she took resounded in echoing through the chamber of the room. After reaching the table, she looked overtop of it. A small wooden chair was pushed in it but there were no signs of a Pokemon that was in charge of the station. She reached out and pushed the pin on the bell.
A chirpy ding pined through the room, reverberating and making the sound more omnipresent than it would have been otherwise. After a few moments of waiting, no one seemed to come for her. She dinged the bell again, this time a deeper and much more church-bell-like sound thumped through the room. The thicker tone of the call made the few windows in the structure rumble and chatter.
The Reshiram waited a few more moments before turning around. Risa began walking away as if intending to leave.
"Oh my, is that a new patient I spy?" An unfamiliar yet high-pitched voice called through the room.
Risa looked behind her, certain that someone had finally appeared at the desk to help her. Yet when she looked, no one was there and the spot was just as vacant as before.
"Looking for little old me? Perhaps you should look ahead and see…" The mysterious voice sounded again.
The woman looked all around her and saw no signs of whoever it was that was talking to her.
The Reshiram called out. "Look…I'm not here to play jokes. I'm here about the flier looking for volunteers for a medical trial."
"Ohoho! No jokes here. I only hope you too are sincere…" The voice continued to mock her from wherever it was originating.
Risa tapped her foot on the floor. "I'm losing patience…Can you at least turn more lights on so I can see you?"
"Indeed. Of Lights you Need and so shall I seed…" A loud thump could be heard following the voice.
Suddenly light filled the room. Risa's eyes took a second to adjust to the sudden change in the amount of light around her. When her vision was no longer blurred, she looked around. The wooden table and chair were nowhere to be seen. Instead a room of pristine white tiles with a metallic examination table at the center of it. A huge lamp overheard beaming even more light onto the reflective platform beneath it.
Risa took a deep breath as the place seemed to smell much more like rubbing alcohol now. Machines laid scattered about the room. Many of which the woman had never seen before. A Mr. Mime stood next to what appeared to be a medical tray table on wheels.
"And how should I designate you, oh patient of mine?" The Mr. Mime began to walk closer wearing what seemed to be only an oversized lab coat.
Risa held out but a single hand to keep his distance from her. "You will do well to not touch me. You may call me Risa."
"Ohohoho~ Such a fiery response. Shall I put out the flame or stoke the furnace?" The clown pokemon rippled his fingers against each other.
The Reshiram rolled her eyes. "I'm just here for the medical trial. Is this for real or is it a sham?"
"It's most certainly not a ruse. Come right this way, my muse." The unnamed doctor motioned his hand forward so she would follow him.
Risa walked toward him until they were at the wall. She was much bigger than he was, enough that she could straight up see over his head without issue. He soon pulled out a piece of paper from his lab coat. Drawing in front of him, she could see the paper was but a torn and tattered scrap with some writing on it, much in the same black felt pen that
the sign of the building had on it.
"This is but a standard doctor-patient agreement. Sign here and we can begin the treatment…" He held out the paper, having to put weight on both sides of it so it didn't roll up as it had been stored for some time.
The woman looked at the paper. There wasn't much written and what was written was rather blurry. The only part of it that was even remotely legible was the portion that said in bold letters to "SIGN HERE".
"Just what am I signing here?' She asked as she didn't want to be getting in over his head.
The man looked into her eyes. His dark red eyes seemed to transfix her. She could not gaze away. They were transcendent. The longer she looked at it the more she became obsessed with it. Within moments the doubt in her mind began to wash away. He had not said a word and yet she was confident nothing would go awry. She took the pen from the table and scribbled a large X on the line. The deed was done and the deal was sealed.
The moment she did he released the paper. The thing crumbled up without issue and dissolved into many tiny pieces.
"Come right this way my dear…" The Mr. Mime offered his hand to her.
Risa did not seem dissuaded by it despite her earlier complaint about being touched. She grabbed his hand and allowed herself to be led forward toward the metallic table. The surface was but a few steps away. Once they were close enough to it, the doctor eased her so that she sat down upright on it. The man put on some nylon gloves, the elastic slapping against his hands with a loud pop.
"This won't take long…Imagine a flavor you adore and I'll not deliver it wrong." The Mr. Mime tapped his feet on the floor as if waiting impatiently.
Risa began imagining her favorite flavors. There were so many of them. She adored all foods, no matter the sort. Her mouth began to water at the thought of tasting something...anything. It mattered not the flavor.
"Oh…a woman of fine taste. A delicacy indeed…a banquet, for which I make haste."
The doctor snapped his finger and a small purple vial appeared in his hand. He popped off the lid of it and poured it out onto his palm. A single pill matching the color of the vial spilled from within. He held out his hand for her to take it. Without even a single second of hesitation, she snatched it from within and popped the thing into her mouth.
"Such a willing and eager patient. Money well spent…" The Mr. Mime reached into his other pocket and pulled out a wad of cash to give to her.
Risa was completely transfixed by the taste of the pill. It was like nothing she had ever tasted before. A veritable variety of foods swirled in her mouth, tantalizing her taste buds. The flavor remained but for a few moments and when it was gone her appetite for more only increased.
"More…" She said under her breath as if still transfixed by whatever spell he had cast on her.
The doctor seemed puzzled with a whimsical look on his face. "Hmm? But there is only one. Everything is said and done…"
"But…I am hungry for more…" Risa said as her appetite had been tempted with but a taste of what it wanted.
The Mr. Mime scratched his head. "I have nothing more to offer you. Instead, I request you to report anything new…"
Yet before he could finish the statement, Risa snatched the funds from his other hand and pushed him to the side. She wanted naught but to eat. He was merely getting in the way of her innate desire to sate her appetite. She quickened her pace to the outside, finding herself outside of a small hospital building. It mattered not to her now as she saw a nearby street salesman and quickly made her way over to them.
Fortunately for her, there was no one else in line and she was able to make her way to the front. A brown and black Salamndit greeted her once she was under the metal awning of the street vendor's venue.
"Welcome, what can I do for you?" She said with a meek tone to her voice.
The Reshiram in front of her was far larger than herself and its shadow loomed over her. The Salazzle began to shake a bit as if intimated.
Risa stared him down. "I'll take a falafel…"
The lizard reached and lifted a metallic lid that covered a heating tray where the food was kept warm. He took out a single falafel and handed one to her. The woman greedily took it from him and gobbled it up in mere seconds. Her stomach grumbled as if it wanted more, loud enough so that the smaller Pokemon could hear it. Her body seemingly rose above him ever larger. The Salazzle rubbed his eyes as if he believed he was imagining things.
"Another…" She commanded, still without having paid for the first.
Yet he did not question the matter. Instead of reaching into the tray again, he pulled out another. He willingly handed it to her without protest. Risa snatched it away once again and gobbled it up in one fell swoop. Some saliva escaped from her mouth. Her chef's apron became increasingly tight on her form as she seemed to enlarge in front of his eyes. Her head soon pinged against the awning that overlooked them.
"Another…" She bellowed in a seemingly lower voice.
He hesitated before responding. "But you haven't paid…"
She quickly reached into her pocket to pull out the funds that were given to her by the doctor only moments ago. The Salazzle looked at it for a moment. Very rarely did someone offer him that much cash and he couldn't help but stutter. It looked like several hundred Poke dollars at least. He hesitated before reaching in to grab that money.
Risa took that as a sign of acknowledgment. She assumed that the amount would have been enough to buy her whatever stock was available. The man used his other hand to open the lid of the tray.
"Go on and help yourself, I will make more later. Thank you for your business." The man bowed deeply, certain she wouldn't take everything.
The Reshiram reached into the tray, not expecting to find much. Yet when she put her hand inside she found that the storage area felt to be rather full. She gripped her claw and grasped whatever falafels she could in her hand. Risa didn't keep her hand in for long, the combination of her desire and the internal heat of the storage area meant she didn't linger long.
She withdrew her hand and in it, there were about five full-size falafels. Her mouth began to water, saliva pouring out from her lips and dripping down the length of her chin. The Salazzle watched as she began to plow each one of them into her snout, one after the other. Her hunger was unabated and seemed undeterred by the amount of food in which she was consuming.
The taste lasted on her tongue for only mere moments. It no longer tantalized her taste buds. She had become immune to any taste the small meal offered. Within moments of consuming the first, she quickly inhaled a second. The small lizard in front of her watched in amazement as she gorged through falafel after falafel with no signs of slowing down.
Her body began to expand ever so slowly in front of him. He watched as she seemingly grew right before his eyes. Her body looming before her head pushed against the metal awning of the little street serving station. Despite the weight of the stand, it buckled a bit before recoiling back. The stand pegs pinged loudly as they hit the floor once again.
She continued her feast, taking yet another falafel from her horde of small rolled goods. She took but two bites of it before the entire thing was gone. Quickly reaching in for the other two, eating them in one fell swoop. Her body continued to grow and enlarge ever further as the lizard quickly grabbed the money before running away in fear. He had no idea what was going on but it was evident that he wanted nothing to do with the situation as it presented itself.
Risa had finished the meal she had taken for herself. Her hunger had been sated for the time being. She looked around and noticed things looked different. The Reshiram realized she could see clearly over the awning of the food cart where she had taken the falafels from. She continued to gauge her situation, panning her head around in a full 360-degree motion.
Risa finally realized something was off. Her apron was stressed against her form, and the thin thread of the fabric that kept the smock fastened to her had loosened. It appeared she was larger. She had always been on the taller side of things but this was like nothing else she had experienced before. The young woman couldn't help but smirk as she snarled to herself in glee.
The pokemon licked her lips. The lingering aftertaste of the falafels remained. The sauce was very much engrained into her fur from the amount of it she had consumed. She looked over back at the little food cart. The metal lid that kept the food fresh and warm was still open. She considered for a moment going back to eat more of the delicacies. After all…she paid for it…she told herself silently.
She walked back over to the little food stand and looked at it for a moment. The Reshiram reached out to depress the levers on the side that operated the awning but her fingers were too bulky to fit into the small space that operated it. Instead, she tried forcing the thing to fold. The little metal bars were easily bent when she applied a little muscle to them.
The awning collapsed to the front of it, resulting in a loud bang as the metal sheet hit the metal surface below. Some Pokemon looked her way as the sound attracted some attention. Most of them were too far away to notice her apparent large size so none of them confronted the issue and simply ignored her instead. Risa folded the awning back in reverse over the top, giving her access to the food cart.
She reached down and began fiddling with the opening that was still apparent at the top of the food cart. Her hand barely fit inside the little space but she was able to force it through with a little effort. Taking as much of the falafels
into her hand as she could she soon delivered it back out into her hand. She took a deep whiff of the smell, enjoying the aroma of it for a moment.
Soon her appetite returned to her. Her stomach growled once again, reminding her of her insatiable appetite. Risa took two of them and immediately stuffed them into her maw. No longer were the goods warm, they had very much lost whatever lukewarm heat the cart had maintained for them. However, she simply didn't care. She swallowed the things whole, without even bothering to chew on the meals.
Her body began to rise again, growing even larger once the two falafels hit her gut. Her stomach rumbled loudly as if it was ever more empty. She rubbed it eagerly as she felt the energy inside of her churn and warm her entire form. She felt antsy but the glutinous desire to consume was very real within her person. The little falafels were no longer sating her desire for food and so she decided to look for food elsewhere.
She began to walk away from the food stand and groaned. Her legs creaked and ached with each stride she took. Yet the pain was not enough to stop her. Risa was a stubborn Reshiram who did not let simple bodily woes stand between her and the love of food that was inherent within her persona. She gritted her teeth, looking at the buildings realizing that she could see the bottom of the roof without craning her neck.
She licked her lips at the thought of being the biggest Pokemon in town. Pride billowed within her at the thought of it. A smile crept across her face as she began salivating with desire. Walking down the street attracted her some attention. Nearby Pokemon began to notice her more readily now. Each of them ran to the sight of her as she walked past them. But that didn't bother her and she carried on even despite it.
Eventually, she made her way to the central park of the city. Risa had to bend down to fit under the arch leading into the park. She could hear children laughing and playing somewhere in the distance. The constant pushing of air against her face as she walked forward brushed her fur back against her body. Suddenly she smelt the faint aroma of what seemed to be a barbecue.
Now inside the park, she had to keep a slight bend in her back to keep from hitting her head in the branches of the canopy of the trees. Some of the bird Pokemon that were perching in the trees scattered as the hunch in her back rustled the branches, rousing them from their idle state. Continuing forward, she watched her feet carefully so that she didn't step on anything under her longer strides.
She picked up the pace and began to walk in the direction of where she believed the smell was coming from. Risa passed by some children who couldn't help but stare at her as she strode by. Their constant gaze did not deter her, though one of them screamed and ran. The Reshiram rolled her eyes and continued walking towards some she saw rising in the distance.
It didn't take much longer before she arrived at the picnic area of the park. It was a denser wooded area and so it was a bit darker in this area of the park. The smell of the barbeque was even more intense as it tantalized the inside of her nostrils. Her stomach rumbled again, making her even more eager to find the source of the smell. She soon approached a small wooden pavilion where a family of Pokemon was sitting together.
She kneeled to look underneath. Sure enough, the family hadn't noticed her until she popped her head there. The mother looked on at her, staring at her and clutching the nearest child to her position.
"What do you want…?" The Blastoise woman was fairly bulky and not one to back down out of maternal instincts.
Risa hesitated to answer for a moment. "Your food smells mighty good…I was wondering if you might share some?"
"Oh? Is that all? I mean we do have a lot for just the three of us. What do you think, honey?" She asked her husband just to make sure it was good with him.
He shrugged. "You will need to wait until it's done."
The Reshiram's stomach growled again, this time more audibly. She sat down on her bum to take the weight off her legs. She placed her hand on her stomach as if to ease the tension she was dealing with. The Squirtle child clutching against the mother pointed at Risa.
"Wow, she's big!" He remarked, chirping happily.
The mother covered his mouth. "Hush, child. Sorry about that."
"It's alright, he's just curious. I am big for my species." Risa didn't seem bothered by the issue.
The family began some small talk while waiting for the food. It didn't take much longer for the food to be ready. Once it was the mother got up from where she standing to tend to the grill which was still visibly smoking from the cooking food within. The female Blastoise covered her face as the smoke escaped from within and billowed over her face.
Once it had cleared she served up grilled kale to each of them. Risa looked at the offering. It wasn't often that she ate green and wasn't entirely expecting a vegetarian dish. Though after she thought about it for a second, it didn't seem unreasonable considering they were turtles. The Reshiram took the somewhat overcooked greenery and smelt it.
It smelt better than she thought, resembling spices and some sort of dressing that had likely been slathered overtop of it. She took it into her mouth and began chomping on it. It was chewy and had a slight crunch to it. Upon first taste, it was much better than she realized. Her body did not swell however and her appetite had sated for what seemed like the first time all day.
"How was it?" The woman who had given her the dish asked.
Risa smiled and nodded. "It was good. Thanks for sharing with me."
"Most certainly. We would never turn down a Pokemon in need." She bowed her head deeply and showed deference to the bigger Pokemon despite not knowing her.
The Reshiram slowly picked herself up. "Well, I'll leave you and your family be. Have a nice day. Thanks again."
Risa clamored to her hind legs as she stood up, wobbling a bit. The family of Blastoise and Squirtle waved to her as she made her exit from the Pavillion. She waved back before exiting the pavilion area. She began thinking to herself. Perhaps this has all been a mistake, she thought to herself. The thoughts of the incident at work began to run through her head.
Risa had always taken pride in being a chef and had allowed her gluttony to get the better of her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wondered if it could all be made better. She wasn't one to let things go under the radar for too long. The young woman decided that the next day she would make it up to her boss and coworkers by making them a cake.
The rest of that night she spent baking the confectionery. She made her boss's favorite, red velvet, and hoped that the rest of the team. Her body slowly returned to normal that night. Her growing form had given way with the return of a more normal appetite. She had finally learned to control the desire, no longer just giving in and instead trying to better herself.
The next day she reported to work as normal and gave the cake to the crew and her boss before the opening of the restaurant. She promised that it wouldn't happen again and they took her word for it, even going as far as giving her a forgiving hug to make up for the whole ordeal. After all, she was one of the more popular chefs. The boss told her in private, that she could still have leftovers if she wanted but do not expect them regularly. And to that she declined…telling the Oinkologne that she didn't want to travel that path again and to that, they smiled, convinced that she had turned a new leaf.
