I quickly found out that Chloe hadn’t been exaggerating. Every once in a while she’d have me curl up at her feet at the end of her bed, or let me help dress her in the morning, but I found that she never rested and barely slept, and the instant I’d placed a kiss on each of her shoes I was back in my Ball, dangling from her neck and swaying with each thrilling, sonorous step she took.
I saw so many places and people over those next several days. We visited Professor Sycamore, and when I watched him greet Chloe with the same sort of look in his eyes that I’d seen in the eyes of several others and give soft, lingering kiss to her extended hand, I began to wonder if she’d trained him as well, or perhaps just overwhelmed him with her own natural charms. Chloe was equally capable of both, but it seemed to matter little. He informed her that participation in the Census had been nearly universal, and the extreme majority of those who hadn’t participated had been seen and cataloged by his new devices.
I stared through the translucent plastic at the luminescent tablet that he slid across the table towards Chloe, and it was much like I expected: A larger, more expansive Pokedex-styled indexing of every person in Kalos, complete with images, vital statistics, locations, and sortable in numerous different ways. . As Chloe quickly scrolled through the lists I caught sight of a very few entries that had a tiny icon off to the side of the person’s name, and though it took me a brief moment to realize what it was, it should have been obvious from the beginning.
A Flare Ball. Those people had already been caught.
“And they’re all linked?” Chloe questioned, smiling above me with a glee that was only somewhat restrained.
“Oh yes,” Sycamore replied. “Any changes to one will be reflected in the central database here, and all of the devices will check for updates automatically at frequent regular intervals.” He was obviously quite proud of his work, and I watched him eagerly page through the device and demonstrate how well all of its features were working. It was almost like he was more in love with his work than with Chloe herself, and while I couldn’t imagine that being a common occurrence, knowing what I did of the Professor, it was certainly a possibility when it came to him. I was still staring at him and trying to figure it out when Chloe turned away, causing him to vanish behind the massive wall of her jacket as we left him behind.
The next stop we made had me wanting to leap out of my Ball with delight. I vaguely recognized Brigette, the woman who had recently created the Pokemon Bank, seated in the shadow of this tremendous computer terminal, but my friend Trevor was with there right alongside her, tapping away at the keyboard! It felt like an eternity since I’d seen him and I tried my best to call out to him, but I was just so tiny. They both greeted Chloe warmly, and once they’d all exchanged pleasantries I was about to try calling out to Trevor one more time, but the increasingly familiar, sharp sounds of approaching stilettos drew my attention away, and the instant I saw those massive red heels and tight jeans clinging to every curve of the perfectly sculpted, slender legs beneath them, getting someone to notice me became the last thing I wanted to happen.
“Madame Leader!” the woman purred enthusiastically, striding directly toward us. I’d been so frightened when we were the same size, and to see her moving towards me like this, when I was so helpless and small…
“Helen,” Chloe replied somewhat noncommittally, though I was lost in darkness for a moment as she returned the woman’s light embrace and air kisses.
“I figured you’d be making the rounds and checking up on us at some point,” Her smile was as dangerous as ever, and that hunger in her eyes was all the more terrifying now that she was a hundred times my size. She moved across in front of the other two, trailing her fingertips along Brigette’s cheek as she slipped around to her side. “Have a seat,” Helen offered, and Brigette took the hint, popping up from her chair and sliding it over to Chloe, even holding it still as she daintily settled back in it.
“I’m sure you have some questions. I could go for some tea while we talk, though.” Brigette was immediately at attention, clearly used to these requests. “Four sugars for the Leader as well,” she instructed the woman with that same startlingly sultry voice while moving around to Trevor. Her fingers snapped once and she immediately had my friend’s attention, and all it took was he pointing at the ground for him to slide from his chair.
“We both like things sweet,” she declared while settling back into the suddenly unoccupied chair and draping her legs over Trevor’s shoulders, leaving him to flush a deep and telling red as she stretched out a hand to tousle his hair.
I stared in shock at my friend’s predicament, trapped between this terrifying woman’s legs, but as I watched the way he slowly turned his head and nuzzled against her thigh, then started to sweetly stroke her calf while she continued to play with his hair, I began to understand.
“I learned quite a bit from Cassius,” Helen began. “Pretty smart guy, and he was such a fighter, too…” she trailed off slightly and let out a little sigh as Brigette returned with their tea. “You know I prefer my playmates full-sized, but I’m starting to figure out some things to do with the little ones, too. He told me everything he could before I finished using him up.”
Trevor was hers. He and Brigette probably both were trained by her from the way it looked, but the way she talked about Cassius… I’d seen some frightening things since become Chloe’s companion, but I didn’t even want to imagine what she’d done with him. Still, they both seemed happy, just like me, so was it really my place to judge or fear for him?
“I wish he hadn’t been so stubborn,” Chloe sighed as she took a little sip of her tea. “Cassius was a brilliant man for all his faults, it would have been nice to keep him around.”
“Mm, that’s true,” Helen responded while raking her nails along Trevor’s scalp, drawing a little pleasurable sigh from him. “You’ll have to let me have a difficult one every once in a while; I forgot how exciting a challenge can be. As for the work, though, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Briggy and my little boy here are doing just fine.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Chloe replied, but before she could continue Helen interjected what seemed like a sudden consideration.
“You know, she’s not doing anything right now. You want to put your feet up?”
Brigette blinked a few times, looking between the two women and trying to figure out what they were talking about, but Chloe waved away the suggestion with another little sigh. “That’s quite alright, I’d rather she get back to work.”
“I just know how you’re always happier with someone underfoot,” Helen muttered before looking over at the confused woman and giving her a little shrug. That seemed enough to allow Brigette to scamper away, and I thought I saw her let out a long breath, like she was somehow relieved as she left, but I quickly lost her in the maze of machinery. “I’ll try anything once, especially with a beauty like you, but I think we both know that it wasn’t quite my scene.”
Chloe’s brow furrowed slightly and she seemed about to chastise Helen somewhat, but the other woman quickly continued. “Briggy’s pretty much a genius, though. What she lacks in her ability to dress herself she more than makes up for with her technical skills. Once this is all over I’ll get her a few outfits, but for now she and this little guy…” she patted his cheek, a little too roughly to be a truly affectionate gesture, “they’ve got everything working perfectly, just like you wanted.”
“Oh?” Chloe raised an eyebrow, her faintly amused grin broadening to a slightly more earnest smile.”
“Tell her,” Helen softly commanded, giving the back of Trevor’s head a little shove before he started to speak.
"All of the Balls are tied to a singular storage system," he began in that soft and timid voice of his, or at least it seemed exceptionally timid while he was sitting at Helen' feet. She stroked his hair with her fingertips while he spoke, growing more confident the further he got into his explanation. "With Brigette's help we've been able to make the system accessible from any of the indexing devices Professor Sycamore' created for us."
"What is it you've been calling then?" Helen interjected, sinking her fingers into his hair and gently pulling his head back so she could lean over and look at him.
"Peopledexes," he muttered with a sheepish grin.
"Peopledexes!" Helen exclaimed amidst a burst of laughter that somehow seemed thoroughly condescending. "So freakin' cute," she sighed, mussing his hair again.
Chloe remained vaguely amused throughout this entire exchange, though I still felt somewhat uncomfortable as I continued to watch the three of them interacting.
"Anyhow, the storage can be accessed directly through the Peopledex for anyone given access, and the boxes can be individually secured for different user accounts, similar to the Pokebank. We were able to incorporate elements of the Global Trade System in order to transfer ownership as well."
Transfer ownership? It sounded so harsh to hear people talked about like that, but that's exactly what I did when trading Pokemon. Besides, these were just technical details we were discussing.
"I hope you've done some testing," Chloe noted while taking a little longer sip of her tea. How were her lips so perfect? I let myself stare at them... at her for a while as the conversation continued.
"Oh, of course," Helen murmured with another of those throaty purrs. "A few friends and I passed Briggy around the other evening and rather... tested her limits. It was a tough night for her, I think, but she stayed the same lovely little docile darling all night long."
There was silence for a moment, Trevor bowing his head and blushing all the more while I stayed focused on Chloe, watching her delighted smile and slow, understanding nod. Her delight, beautiful as it was, disturbed me enough that I let myself turn away, though my eyes didn't wander past Chloe's immense and immaculate body, instead settling on her slowly bobbing foot. Another moment passed as I watched her luxurious shoe lazily moving through the air before Helen's predatory voice broke the silence.
"Who is it you've got there on your necklace?" My heart seized in my chest as I looked up to see her huge, bright blue eyes squinting at me, trying to make me out behind the translucent plastic of my little Ball. "Are we wearing the little ones now? I missed that trend, but I can see how it might be fun."
"It's Lucy," Chloe replied with ease, much to my horror. Helen continued to narrow her eyes and lean forward until she added, "From the elevator," which brought a little laugh from the devilish woman as she hopped up from her chair, leaving Trevor behind as she became instantly fascinated with me.
"We should try her out in the system," Helen suggested, leaning down in front of Chloe and slipping her fingers underneath me, lifting me towards her elated face with the tinkling of numerous slender silver chain links all around me. Her grin was so huge and her eyes so big that I felt she was moments away from swallowing me whole, and when she spoke again I couldn't resist flattening myself agains the curved plastic behind me, trying to get as far away as possible.
"I know how much Chloe loves to watch her girls crawling around and licking her shoes. I bet you've got quite the little tongue." I twisted my head back and forth, shuddering under her hungry, menacing stare until Chloe reached up and wrapped her fingers around my chain, lazily pulling me back from Helen's grasp.
"I think your tests sound like they've been sufficient," Chloe declared with that same warm, confident calm that she always seemed to possess. She rose to her feet to emphasize the finality of her statement, and Helen gave me a little smirk and a wave of her fingers before she stood up straight as well. "Just make sure your little friend puts.just as much effort into filling out his 'Peopledex' as he did his Pokedex, hmm?"
"He'll do us proud," she declared, glancing over her shoulder at Trevor still sitting patiently on the floor. "I can keep whatever he catches, right?"
Chloe shook her head and laughed. "Goodbye, Helen," but the other woman only gave her another of those devilish grins before she turned away. Chloe and consequently I both watched her go, hips swaying and heavy shoes clacking against the ground with each seductive step. As she passed by Trevor she gave a little sharp snap of her fingers behind her, and at that my friend swiftly hopped up and followed after her, leaving us to watch until she vanished around a corner.
I could only assume she was enjoying the view, because even I could understand that there was some appeal there despite the overwhelming discomfort I felt during every moment I spent in her presence. Either way, once she was gone, so were we.
From there we made a few more visits and received a few more technical explanations. The only other thing I saw that was interesting at all was a cute little model house that seemed to be one of thousands that had been produced. The girl showing it off, Megan as I found out during the mostly one-sided conversation, was exuberant and enthusiastic with huge black buckled boots and long hair that was somehow even blacker. She wore a blazing red jumper and a tremendous pile of bracelets and necklaces, rattling and clinking with every excited gesture she made while showing off the features of the tiny home.
"I'm so so happy that you let me work on this," she bubbled, lifting the roof of the little home with ease to further show off the insides. "I used to be like, crazy with dolls when I was little so this has been pretty much the coolest work I've ever done in my life. Anyhow, the rooms are completely modular so you can piece them together a bunch of different ways, but we've been able to make a few hundred so far and should have a couple hundred more every week until you guys think you've got enough."
Chloe did her the courtesy of leaning over and peeking in the structure, and Megan quickly took notice of me, crouching down and starting to look me with this fascinated smile as her huge eyes grew even bigger. "Are they really going to be that tiny?" she whispered while carefully poking my Ball.
"Mhmm," Chloe replied, but before she could take take a step back Megan sprung back up into the air, clapping her hands together with delight.
"Let's have her try it out!" she suggested with even more excitement than she'd already shown. I'd been through enough that I'd grown very comfortable and secure in my little plastic container, dangling about Chloe's chest, so I was both surprised and a little scared when she gave a little shrug and acquiesced.
"Sure, why not?" she muttered while pressing the release on my Ball and inviting Megan to reach in and grab me, which she did without hesitation, my little squeal of protest not slowing her eager fingers from wrapping around my tiny body.
It was only a short distance to the table that Megan's model was sitting on, but I still collapsed in a heap on its surface when she dropped me in front of the little box.
"Go on, little girl!" she called to me with the same tone that a child would use with her newborn kitten. "Go on, pop inside and tell us what you think!"
I eventually pulled myself together and got up, and during the process in found the colossal Megan's enthusiasm hard to resist. I slipped through the doorway and into the structure, wandering through and taking in what sights it had to offer. Aside from a few smaller boxes and very plain surfaces that I imagined must be what would pass for tables and seating within the rudimentary structure, there really wasn’t much else save for a little hose in one wall and a hole in one of the corners rooms, which I guessed were for some sort of water service and waste removal.
I turned slowly around in the middle of the structure, shaking my head as I thought about people living in a place like this, and not just a few people, but everyone. Every single person outside of Team Flare in all of Kalos was going to live in these ugly, bare shoeboxes. Not even shoeboxes, they were significantly smaller than…
I shrieked and fell to the floor as the roof ripped away to reveal Megan’s huge, beaming grin absolutely filling the sky. “Whaddaya think, sweetie?” she asked, clearly quite eager to hear my thoughts. As warm and joyful as she seemed to be, there seemed to be a distinct possibility that she might not be completely stable. I clearly remembered the feel of her fingers wrapped around my body and found myself thinking about how easily they could just squeeze a little harder and smear me across her skin, or about those absurdly tall platform boots and if she enjoyed any of the same hobbies Chloe did in her free time. I was absolutely afraid to disappoint her, but in the end I had to speak my mind.
“It’s… it’s just…” I began, and she leaned in closer, her smile fading the faintest bit.
“It’s just, you know… really sparse. Like, it’s so bare.”
I held my breath for a brief moment, but Megan quickly let out a little giggle, which let me let out my sigh of relief. “Well, of course it is, little lady. Once our little guests move in, they’ll want to decorate and furnish their own home. Wouldn’t you? So once they’ve started making progress on paying off their home, they can start buying other little things too, if they want.”
I was beyond confused now. “...Paying?” I managed to spit out, and again Megan simply laughed and nodded.
“Oh, of course! You didn’t think we could provide all of these services for free, did you? Obviously they won’t be needing real money anymore, so some consideration will be given for what their bank balances can contribute to Team Flare at the time of relocation, but after that it will be up to the Governess of each town to give jobs to her tiny people and arrange for compensation. Eventually we’ll have, like, a marketplace or something, and after everyone gets sort of settled I might even set up some sort of exchange for trade between our tiny towns, too.”
Megan’s head moved away when she was done speaking, and I saw Chloe’s heavenly face above where it had been, smiling down at me through the open ceiling. “Megan is in charge of housing, development and economics for us. It’s a very big job, since she’s pretty much building the entire society from scratch, but her tireless enthusiasm for her work has left me quite impressed.”
I couldn’t see her from where I stood, but I heard her let out a soft “Awwwwww!” at Chloe’s very notable praise. Of course Megan was enthusiastic for her work. It was one big crazy game to her. She was what, maybe seventeen? And all of the details for the futures of thousands was being left entirely up to her.
“My tinies are going to be so, so happy,” Megan began to tell Chloe for the plans for her own town. “There’s going to be a mailman and teachers and a policeman, and then off course I’ll have to have a couple of crooks for him to catch but it won’t be anything serious, they’ll just spend a night in jail or whatever and then go back to do whatever they were going to do the next day. I even have some little outfits started for them, want to see?”
“That’s quite alright,” Chloe politely declined the invitation with a smile, and I was immensely thankful that her hand was reaching down through the roof of the little model home. The more I heard about Megan’s plans, the more queasy I started to get, and it was only when I was back in my Ball, hanging from Chloe’s neck and swaying at the end of my chain in time with her rhythmic steps as we headed out through the door.
I was starting to get an idea of what the future of Kalos was going to look like, and a lot of what I’d seen was thoroughly disturbing. Megan already saw the people as barely more than a bunch of exciting new toys, and Helen seemed to think of everyone she met as some sort of object for her pleasure. I shuddered to think what she’d do with a whole town full of helpless playthings, and then there was Malva. I still didn’t quite understand her, but she certainly didn’t seem to place a very high value on the lives of those around her, tiny or otherwise. Was she going to be one of those Governesses, too?
At least here in my Ball, staring up at my beautiful Chloe, I knew I was safe. She was the only one I could trust, and when it came down to it, she was the one who was in charge of everything. As long as she was in control I was pretty sure that everything would work out. It couldn’t be easy managing so many diverse personalities and guiding them towards a common goal, but if anyone could do it it would certainly be her. She’d keep them in line, and everything would fall into place.
I looked up at her brilliant red hair swirling in the breeze, and at her calm smile and the focused, forward stare of her piercing green eyes. With Chloe in control, everything was going to be fine.