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"Hm?"
Zane blinks, looks at his bedside table, and spots a notification on his phone for a text message he received.
The Zoroark rolls his eyes as he finishes buttoning his deep purple long-sleeved bartender’s jacket – Not an easy feat with three-fingered hands with long claws – And once that’s done, he checks the message. It’s from Shift, the local scientist Flygon.
-Hey, Zane! Could you stop by the lab real quick?
Groaning softly, he quickly types back a reply.
-I’m about to go to work; got an early night tonight. What is it?
Zane rolls his cuffs back and neatly slips a folded handkerchief into his jacket pocket before he hears another buzz.
-Something I think will help you out a lot. It'll be real quick, I promise!
The Zoroark rolls his eyes as he thinks about how this really isn’t the best time to try something new, but after a moment, he sighs, shaking his head. He knows the Flygon will just keep bugging him – Literally – So he begrudgingly responds.
-Fine, I’ll be there in ten minutes.
Before he can even put his phone down, he gets Shift's message back.
-Awesome! See you then!
Zane can't help but smile a bit – He knows Shift only wants to help, and even when things aren’t exactly convenient for him, he can’t bring himself to tell the Flygon no. Perhaps it’s because, as Prince, he ought to encourage Shift’s attempts to do good for the population… Or more likely, he just has a soft spot for the silly scientist. He chuckles, quickly attaching his collar-tie before stepping in front of the mirror for a once-over.
The six-foot-four Zoroark’s azure eyes look over his reflection, and he brushes down a spot of his nightfall-colored fur sticking up. The highlights in his dark lilac hair and tail, as well as his claws, eyeliner markings, and the corners of his lips all glow turquoise; a bit dimmer than usual as he hasn’t had his dinner yet, but he doesn’t worry about it – He can get something to eat at the bar when he starts his shift. His claws comb through his thick, waist-length hair and then the fur of his long, poofy tail, adjusting the mauve bead in it, then he straightens his jacket and tucks in his dark twilight chest-fluff before aligning the white and aquamarine tie fastened around his neck. His paunchy belly sticks out beneath his jacket as it always does, and Zane chuckles as he pokes himself in the navel, sticking his glowing turquoise tongue out at nobody – He may tease Shift for being a dork, but deep down, he knows full well he is one as well.
Once he's satisfied with his appearance, Zane grabs his phone and sets off, leaving his area of the palace and stepping outside in the cool dusk air. A gentle breeze blows by; the scent of autumn is quite soothing to the prince, and he takes a deep breath before heading along the road into town. He’s focused right now, and anyone who greets him receives a curt nod or a quick “Hey there” in acknowledgment, but nothing more right now. He pauses for a moment when he reaches his bar, quickly explaining to the staff that he’ll be delayed a little as he unlocks the door to let them inside, before he continues along the road until he approaches the town laboratory. He shakes his head softly, then opens the door, stepping inside.
The Zoroark blinks as he takes in the sight – He feels like the lab’s layout completely changes every time he visits. Tables and workstations are set up haphazardly; he can see at least seven or eight notebooks opened and five different tables each with burners running, not to mention several other tables with stuff set up; he can’t tell what’s active and what simply hasn’t been cleaned up yet. He’s grateful he has his bartender job and didn’t have to become the Flygon’s assistant – There’s no way he’d be able to keep up with this chaos!
Speaking of the Flygon, Zane hears a clink from the far corner, and he spots the huge bug working on yet another project, apparently unaware of his visitor’s presence. The Zoroark approaches, carefully walking between the tables, before stopping a short distance away from the scientist focused on his work.
Shift stands a bit over ten feet tall and is wearing his usual lab coat and favorite sea-green scarf, and unlike the Zoroark, whose fast metabolism keeps him relatively slim aside from his paunchy belly, the Flygon looks as though he’s never lost a pound in his life – That belly and rump together are about as wide as Zane is tall! He’s focusing on his notes, his beady pupils peering through the sky-blue, egg-shaped external lenses of his insect eyes and the secondary lenses of his rectangular, teal-framed glasses. With his shirt unbuttoned to make room for that tummy, Zane sees the steel-blue scaly skin of Shift’s soft body, as well as the jet-blue spots where the scales are a bit thicker – The Flygon’s head, haunches, and toes all have this darker color. His fat tail sways softly; seven bands of alternating ash-grey and jet-blue run from butt to tip, where three large diamond-shaped scales fan out; jet-blue framed by dark smokey-grey. Out the back of his lab coat stick Shift’s two massive insectoid wings, also diamond-shaped and jet-blue, this time bordered by the same ashy-grey of his tail. Zane finds it impressive these wings can support every last pound of the Flygon’s bulk – All known laws of aviation, and all that – But he doesn’t bother questioning it; he’s not the scientist, after all! When Shift, well, shifts in his seat, the Zoroark spots as that scarf moves and reveals his name tag, making him chuckle softly and finally speak up with a single word.
"Dork."
The Flygon jumps in surprise as he hears the Zoroark’s voice, the reflex knocking over a (thankfully empty) beaker, which Zane quickly catches. “Careful, buddy!”
Shift awkwardly chuckles, muttering "Whoops, sorry…" before standing up and smiling widely. "But thanks for coming!"
Zane nods. “So, what did you want me for?"
Beaming brightly, the Flygon replies "Oh, right! Yeah! I created a tonic that should be a really big help to you!”
He turns, nearly whacking Zane with his tail, who yelps “Hey, watch it!” before asking “What kind of help, exactly?”
Shift looks around the assorted tables and experiments, his eyes narrowing. “Ah… It’s one of these… Uh…”
Zane's eyes narrow. "…you forgot which table it is?"
The Flygon doesn't respond, instead checking the different projects, muttering to himself. "No, that's the hair tonic… That's the fertilizer… That's my, uh… Ahem" He blushes suddenly, prompting the Zoroark to raise an eyebrow, but Shift soon smiles. "Aha! Here we go!"
He picks up a beaker full of a liquid the same color and consistency as orange paint, and in his excitement to turn around to show Zane, his tail knocks over the setup for the fertilizer! They both wince at the sound of crashing glass and spilling liquids – Thankfully, this experiment didn’t have an open flame. “Oops, heh…”
Zane tilts his head. "Shouldn't you clean that up so you don't, you know, step on broken glass?"
Shift shrugs. "I'll get it later – Right now, I want to show you this!"
He hands the beaker to the Zoroark, who looks at it with skeptical curiosity, swirling the fluid around a bit as he comments. "You still haven't said what it is or how it's supposed to help me."
"Oh! Right! So I made this tonic just for you to help you out, and-"
"Shift, how is it supposed to help me?” Zane asks, a bit more firmly. This is the third time he’s asked, and he still hasn’t received a straight answer. He knows Shift is easily distracted, plus he sometimes likes to save details for dramatic effect, but right now, the Zoroark wants to get this over with so he can get to work and have some dinner. He takes a deep breath before continuing in a more level tone. “I’m sorry – Please, just tell me exactly what this does before I take it.”
Shift blinks, taken aback a little by the insistent question, and he nods, nervously straightening his lab coat. "Right, uh… Sorry… It's a bit hard to explain." He thinks for a moment, trying to put the intended effect into words. "Basically… I designed it to help you fill a void inside you, so to speak."
Zane just stares for a few seconds, before he looks at the beaker, then back to Shift again. "Uh… What?"
The Flygon nods, before sheepishly admitting "I… Don't really know how to describe its effects. That's why I was kinda being vague, heheh…"
"Shift, what kind of a void do you think I need filling?” Zane asks, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“I uh…" Shift fidgets a touch. "I didn't know what to say, really… It's just supposed to help you feel better, like a good mood! And the tests I ran say it should make you feel fulfilled, too!"
The Zoroark again swirls the liquid, commenting "I mean, I could just have a drink for that, but I suppose I don't see any harm in- Wait…" He looks up at Shift again, tilting his head. "What do you mean by 'Should' and 'Supposed to'? I thought you tested everything you make?"
The Flygon chuckles awkwardly as Zane calls this out, and he nods. "I-I usually do, but… This is crafted specifically for you and you alone. I tried a bit, but it has no effect on anyone else except you, Zane. All I could do was run simulations and see what should happen, but… I'll have no way to know for sure until you try it."
Zane takes in everything Shift says, regarding the fluid some more. It's quite a risk to try something that hasn't been tested practically, and he does wonder if there might be side effects, but as he looks back at Shift, he shrugs softly. He knows Shift wouldn't deliberately make something that would hurt anyone and that he's certainly taken every measure he could to ensure no harm would come to him. Besides… He chuckles softly to himself, knowing full well he’s unable to resist Shift’s eager and excited look, and he finally relents with a nod. “Alright… I’ll try it.”
Shift beams broadly. “Oh! I uh… Awesome!” He rubs the back of his neck, chuckling awkwardly. “I actually didn’t expect you would, heh… But I’m happy you want to!” Stepping closer to the Zoroark, Shift holds his hands together eagerly. "Right! Just drink it, and it ought to work in a minute!"
Taking one last look at the beaker, Zane takes a deep breath, then he opens his glowing mouth and pours the tonic in, gulping it down. It’s thick but smooth, and it has an unusual citrus flavor he can’t quite place. He feels the liquid settle in his belly, which rumbles softly as it fills a bit, and he sighs softly and tilts his head.
The Flygon watches closely, asking "Well… Do you feel anything yet?"
Zane shakes his head. "Not really, no… Certainly don't feel any more fulfilled or like there's a void being filled… Was I supposed to eat first?"
Shift's eyes narrow. "No, that didn't factor into any different results with the simulations… Hmm…"
Shrugging, the Zoroark suggests "I mean, you did say it'd take a minute; maybe it just hasn't started yet."
Shift leans down, evidently trying to figure out what’s going on by examining Zane up close. He looks over the well-dressed Zoroark, as though hoping the answer would appear on his fur; failing that, he quietly lets out a “Hmm…” and gently pokes Zane in the navel – Making him yelp "Gah!" in surprise, before chuckling. "You goober; I don't think that'll work as an 'on' button; I think we just have to-"
The Flygon continues his examination for a bit longer, asking "Have to what?" after Zane cuts off – But he gets no reply. Shift leans up, repeating “Have to what, Zane?” only to trail off as he gets a look at the Zoroark’s face.
Zane’s expression has gone almost completely blank, his eyes staring blankly ahead. He's not moving at all – Not even blinking.
"Zane?"
Shift waves his hand in front of the Zoroark's face, trying to get a reaction – And thankfully, after a few seconds, Zane turns to face the Flygon. Shift breathes a sigh of relief, until he notices something.
Zane’s eyes have narrowed intently, focused firmly on Shift. He twitches softly.
"Uh… Zane..? Are you-"
In one quick motion, the Zoroark grabs Shift's head, gripping firmly, prompting an “Ack! Zane!” from the Flygon. Shift can only watch as Zane pulls him close and opens his mouth wide, revealing the glowing fleshy inside of his maw, before he nomfs on his face.
“Mhhf!” The Flygon makes a muffled noise, startled by the sudden movement, blushing as he gets a good look inside the Prince’s mouth. Sharp teeth cradle his skull, though they don’t bite down even to hold him – The Zoroark’s paws are strong enough for that. Shift feels the tongue below licking him, the bumpy papillae dragging against his chin and neck, while he peers ahead through his glasses past the dangling uvula and into the rippling gullet, eager for food.
Which, Shift realizes, is him.
Instead of feeling scared or struggling to pull free, though, the Flygon just blushes deeply at the prospect of feeding the Zoroark; it’s a chance to explore and research his unique digestive anatomy – And he can’t deny, the warm squish of soft flesh feels quite nice!
Zane, meanwhile, seems to be running on some sort of autopilot; despite the quite literally massive difference in their sizes, he proceeds to shove Shift’s head deeper into his mouth before taking a deep, powerful swallow, cramming the Flygon’s bespectacled face and head into his esophagus! His neck bulges out as he starts his meal, and it’s only going to get wider from here.
Shift realizes this as well, and though he shivers as his head is squeezed by the squishy esophageal walls, he speaks up through his fluster. “Uh, Zane? Are you gonna… Be able to get me down?"
He gets no response from the Zoroark, who simply swallows again, working down the Flygon's neck. Rippling tugs of the glowing esophageal flesh guide him along, inching towards those shoulders. He doesn’t even stop to take off Shift’s scarf, simply taking it into his mouth and swallowing it along with his prey’s shoulders. It's here, though, that Zane starts to slow down, as the Flygon's cross-section grows wider and wider.
But he shows no signs of stopping.
Shift wriggles a little, his blush deepening as he spots the snug ring of muscle just ahead, indicating he's reached the bottom of the Zoroark's gullet. With another gulp, his snout presses against the sphincter, which opens and lets him begin to enter that glowing stomach beyond. The Flygon lets out a soft huff as he takes in the sight of those folded, springy walls rolling in idle contractions, and he can't help but chuckle as he sees the last traces of the orange fluid at the base of Zane's stomach being taken through the pyloric sphincter deeper into the Zoroark's system.
Zane's grip tightens as he opens his jaws wider, shoving the Flygon deeper, using his paws to hold down his large wings. Again, he doesn't bother removing his prey's lab coat, opting to just swallow it along with the rest of Shift. At this point, though, his swallows only advance a few inches at a time; the wide body of the Flygon proving to be a challenge for Zane – But one he fully intends to see through!
Shift makes a startled noise as the Zoroark pulls them both down somewhat horizontally, enabling him to continue by pushing himself forward with his hindpaws and swallowing similar to a snake; less actively pulling Shift inside, and instead pushing himself over the Flygon's fat body! Shift's face soon pushes into the base of the stomach, beginning to stretch out the predatory Zoroark's belly – A distinct imprint of a Flygon's bespectacled face bulging out on that tummy. A moment later, Shift feels a faint Pop! from Zane's neck; while the Zoroark's body is perfectly capable of stretching to accommodate such a massive meal, it seems his buttoned collar-tie couldn't take it and snapped clean off!
If Zane even noticed, he certainly isn't showing it; he continues to push forward, working the Flygon deeper and deeper inside him. He huffs through his nose as he smushes that fat stomach as compactly as he can, cramming it into his stretched-wide mouth and down his greedy gullet. Shift begins to curl inside the glowing chamber as more and more of him is fed into it, and he finds himself wishing he had a notebook to write down everything he’s seeing, hearing, and feeling! “Ah well, I hope I can remember it when I’m back out of here…” he mutters to himself.
A sudden intrusion at his navel makes Shift tense, yelping "Wah!" as he feels Zane's warm tongue probing his belly button! His initial surprise turns to squirmy giggles as that wet muscle continues to swirl around in here – Shift is quite ticklish!
These tickles continue for a few seconds before Zane resumes devouring the Flygon; despite how bottom-heavy Shift is, the Zoroark just keeps jamming him further along – He's got more than half of him down already, and his clouded mind is determined to get all of him inside his belly!
As Shift feels his haunches entering Zane’s gullet, he suddenly becomes aware of a tightness in the belly; it’s struggling to stretch any further. But the Zoroark either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care his belly isn’t expanding, and Shift grows concerned. He doesn’t want Zane to quite literally split open! Shift has medical training, but he doubts even he could heal the Zoroark from something like that…
Zane, still apparently unaware of any problems, grabs Shift by the legs, and with much effort, manages to hoist the fat bottom of the Flygon skyward as he sits back on the ground, now letting gravity help finish Shift off. But he can't make any more progress – The Flygon is stuck! His belly won't expand any further, even as he tries forcibly cramming that butt and tail into his gullet!
Shift's worry grows further, but just before he can attempt to pull himself from Zane's body, he hears a few noises on the other side of the belly walls.
pop… pop… pop… PING!
All at once, he drops about a foot and a half into the stomach as it suddenly expands, and he realizes what happened – It wasn't Zane's belly that hit its limit; it was his jacket! But when the buttons give way, the tummy finally has room to stretch further, letting him resume his descent! Even within the stomach, Shift hears the sound of glass shattering; evidently, that last button fired off at one of his beakers – Thankfully empty, going by the lack of any kind of splattering sounds.
With the obstacle of his jacket no longer hindering his progress, Zane gulps much more rapidly, ready to finish his meal. His paws squish the Flygon’s huge butt to compact it as much as he can, eagerly swallowing him down, and after a few more pushes, the Zoroark takes Shift’s hindpaws into his mouth, dragging his tongue along them – Eliciting a few more squirms and giggles from his prey! But they too enter his gullet, and Zane slurps the fat tail nice and smoothly like a gigantic noodle. His jaws close around the tri-scaled tip, licking each of the diamond-shaped plates, before he takes one last swallow, sending Shift all the way down into that insanely bloated belly!
As soon as the last of the Flygon squishes into his stomach, Zane huffs and pants, flumping onto his back with a groan – Then he blinks and shakes his head with a shudder, clarity returning to him just as suddenly as it left. “Wha… Huh… Ohh…”
Hearing his voice, Shift speaks up. "Uh… Zane? Are you there?"
The Zoroark looks up at his absolutely massive belly, blinking in shock at the sight. "What the… Shift? Are you… In there?"
Shift chuckles awkwardly. "Yeah, heh… You kinda… Ate me after drinking that tonic." He giggles quietly. "Are you alright? I mean… Aside from the full belly?"
Zane reaches up with his paws, rubbing his bulging gut, amazed he managed to somehow cram the entire form of the Flygon inside himself… And he has a realization, laughing softly. "I'm fine, yeah, and… Well, I say your tonic worked!"
The Flygon tilts his head. "What do you mean?"
Laughing, the Zoroark gives his belly a squeeze. "I definitely feel fulfilled and happy… And you're certainly filling a void, aren't you?"
It takes Shift a second, but once he gets it, he laughs too. "Heh, I suppose you're right! Unorthodox, but a success all the same!"
Zane sits up, then groans as he pulls himself up to standing, barely able to move with his gargantuan stomach, before he chuckles awkwardly. "Mmh… I don't think I'm getting you out of there, though… I don't even know how I got you down in the first place!" Patting his belly, he asks "Remind me – Which potion is your Reviver one?"
The Flygon thinks for a moment, before responding "The dark teal one – Matches my glasses."
Focusing his glow, the Zoroark scans around, soon spotting a vial not too far away. He stumbles his way over, then picks up the glass container and swallows it down, where Shift unseals it and gulps the fluid within.
Just in time, too, as Zane’s belly groans and squeezes, kneading firmly against its catch! The Zoroark’s eyes widen, just before he lets out a big BRRRRP! Chuckling sheepishly, he mutters. “Excuse me, heh… Looks like you’re going to be my dinner tonight.”
Shift giggles from within, responding “It’s alright! I had the potion, so I’ll come back. I uh… I guess you’re free to go, since the tonic was a success in some way! I’ll write down the notes when I revive, heh…”
Zane tries walking again, but only makes it to the main entrance before collapsing on his rump. "Nnhf… I don't think I'm going anywhere with this much bulk. Gonna have to let you digest a bit before I can go to the bar…"
The Flygon shivers as he hears the word 'digest'; the stomach doing exactly that as it continues to squeeze, kneading warm fluids against his body. Already, he notices he can't feel the tip of his tail, and a gentle tingle spreads through his entire body – It's akin to being sat close to a fire; not painful at all! But Shift knows full well what that tingle means, and he huffs cutely. "Mhhf… I uh… I bet my office chair will be… Better than the lab floor, you know…"
Taking a deep breath, the Zoroark stumbles to his paws and ambles to the Flygon's chair – For him, it feels like sitting on a bench! He pats his tummy as it visibly contracts, softening the prey inside, and as Zane settles, he sends his coworker a text:
-Something came up; won't be in till later. Run the place for me please.
Putting his phone away, the Zoroark just smiles, rubbing his belly as it processes the Flygon, feeling as Shift’s little movements eventually fall still, before his body softens. It’s a relatively quick process, considering how massive of a meal he was; Zane’s metabolism is quite fast, and he’s able to watch over the next several minutes as his belly contracts, reducing in size as more and more of the former Flygon dissolves away.
He pats his belly one last time before standing up, chuckling and telling his stomach “Heh… As much as I’d like to stay, I really ought to change and get to work. Talk to you soon!” He stretches, then leaves the lab, heading up the road to the palace so he can grab another fancy jacket to wear!
----------
Two hours later, Zane is hard at work, impressing the patrons with his mixology skills while carrying on casual conversations with them. One of his regulars, a Lucario, greets him with a smile. "Hey, Zane! You look a lot happier than I've seen you in a while!"
The Zoroark chuckles and nods. "Heh, I definitely feel happier! Suppose you could say, a void in me has been filled…"
The Lucario smiles. "That's good! And it looks like you've had something good to eat too, huh?" They motion to his belly, making Zane laugh.
"I mean, hey, nothing beats a nice meal from a friend!" He pats his belly – Then quickly turns his head as he suddenly lets out a BRRRAAAP! A green scarf and white lab coat, completely soaked and slimy, fly out of his mouth and land on an empty barstool, making him chuckle. "Pardon me – Sometimes the meal wants to hang around, heh…" Muttering to himself, he muses "I'll have to get that cleaned and returned after work…"
He coughs as he feels something in his throat, before spitting up two last objects – The scientist's glasses and his nametag. They land neatly on top of the pile, and Zane smirks, rolling his eyes softly.
"Dork."
