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Description
It was a truly glorious day in the Hoenn region. The temperature was just right sitting in the mid 30s with a slight breeze blowing in off the vast sea that cradled the island nation. As a result all of the beaches from Dewford Town to Lilycove City were flooded with tourists and locals alike out to enjoy the gorgeous weather that their island paradise had bestowed upon them.

On a remote section of beach to the south of Slateport City a brown haired man in his mid twenties sat under an umbrella relaxing while his Pokemon swam, roamed, or just relaxed on the beach. All of them seemed to be quite content with the weather and their surroundings as they used this time to calm their bodies and minds.

Sam Kellner sighed heavily as he looked up at the bright blue cloudless sky as the sounds of his friends surrounded him. It had been a long time since any of them had been to the ocean. Or even this close to civilation for that matter. That thought brought Sam's mind back to how he and his team had come to be here. Several months back he had threatened and robbed a corrupt politician and rich businessman in the Sinnoh region in order to save the life of his friends Honchkrow. As a result he had to flee to Hoenn to avoid both the authorities and bounty hunters.

Since then he had spent his time on the move staying in the forested and mountainous areas of central Hoenn as much as possible to avoid being seen. It had been hard on the entire team and despite Sam's best efforts he hadn't been able to give his Pokemon as much care as they really needed while roughing it. He had been able to switch out a couple of them with other teammates that were safely living at his uncles ranch in Johto but those instances had been few and far between and could only be done at the most remote of Pokemon centers. As a result he and his entire team had begun to suffer not only from fatigue but also various injuries that he had had to take care of himself. Including setting a broken bone in the wing of his Pidgeot that probably should have been done under anesthetic at a Pokemon center.

Sam had offered to send his entire team back to his uncle on several occasions so that it would just be him out there but his Pokemon had emphatically refused. They weren't going to leave their master to fend for himself no matter how difficult things got. They were a family and family always stuck together.

Now looking out at his Pokemon playing on the beach he was glad that they had talked him out of it. Sure he was a penniless fugitive on the run but so long as his Pokemon were happy and alright then he was fine too.

Sam glanced around the beach and watched his Sceptile Jake sparring with his Umbreon Ghost while his Golduck Tucker tried his best to put the moves on another trainers Marrill with little success. Farther down the beach he could see his Pidgeot Ace and his constant companion Shadow the Sneasel in the process of taking a short nap in the warm afternoon sun.

It brought a smile to his face to see them all so happy. Well almost all of them. Sam glanced over to his left where his Flygon Star was sitting with her feet in the water. She was just staring down and occasionally picking at the sand with her claws. The yellow scarf around her neck billowing in the salty air as she let out a noticeable sigh.

Sam continued to watch her for several minutes as she idly moved the sand around with her claws. It was obvious that she was depressed and frankly Sam could understand why. When she had agreed to be transferred he had promised her it would only be for a week or two. That had been two months ago. Sam felt incredibly guilty for having been unable to send her back to her mate and adopted son sooner but various run in's with bounty hunters and the police had forced him to stay far away from even the most remote of Pokemon centers.

“Damnit.” Sam muttered to himself as he watched her. There was nothing in the world he hated more than liars and frankly he felt like he had lied to Star. True it had been a matter of life or death but still he had broken his promise to send her back and that made him feel incredibly guilty.

He wished there was something he could do to try and cheer her up. Something to make up for not being able to send her home sooner. Something that would let her know that the team cared deeply about her and wanted her to be comfortable despite their current predicament.

Sam continued to watch Star idly soaking her feet in the surf for several more seconds before an idea came to him. He pondered it for a bit as a small smile came to his features.

“Yeah. Star would love that. So long as the others are willing to go along with it.” He glanced at her once more before abruptly standing and heading off in the direction of his other Pokemon. He would put a smile on Star's face.

......................

Star sighed loudly as she stared up at the sky. She hadn't felt this depressed since her mate Sean had almost died on an operating table back at the Azalea Town Pokemon center.

Her mate Sean the Dragonite was back at his uncle's ranch. The two hadn't seen each other in months and the separation was seriously beginning to wear on her. When she had agreed to be transferred from the ranch on one of the few occasions Sam had been able to she had thought it would only be for a few weeks. That had quickly turned into two and a half months with the two of them having only been able to talk infrequently.

She dug her feet into the soft sand and wiggled her toes. Unlike most Flygon Star's feet were not flat pads but were more like those of other Dragon types with three toes that each ended in a single white claw. As far as she knew this was an extreme rarity among her species and probably had something to do with her father being a Scyther and not having been born in the desert. Not that she minded being different. On the contrary she thought it only added to her beauty.

Star absolutely loved to be groomed and going to a Pokemon beauty parlor to get her claws trimmed and polished and her thick skin properly washed and exfoliated was one of her favorite pastimes. Unfortunately her current situation precluded such luxuries and she had been forced to bathe herself in whatever lake or river that the team was close to and hadn't had a chance to properly trim or polish her claws save for a nail file that Sam had which was totally inadequate for her.

Truth be told Star wasn't angry Sam for her current situation. It wasn't his fault. Well, it was but she stood by the choices he had made that had led to it and was willing to follow him no matter what. That being said it was still difficult being separated from Sean and not being able to properly care for herself.

She let out another deep breath as she laid back in the soft sand and closed her eyes. Best not to dwell on it she thought as she slowly drifted off to the sound of the crashing surf.

Star didn't know how long she was asleep but when she awoke she saw that the sun was starting to set off in the distance. As she looked around Star noticed that the majority of people and Pokemon who had previously been inhabiting the beach had retired back to their homes and hotels. She noted that this included her own team as well.

A pain of sadness shot through her as she lowered her head. None of her teammates or Sam had bothered to wake her up before they had gone back to the camp. They had just left her.

She wondered dejectedly whether or not to even go back to the camp when she spotted a familiar figure running towards her. It was Jake, the scarred Sceptile who was the de facto leader of the team and Sam's first Pokemon.

He waved to her as soon as he saw her and stopped a few meters away as Star stared at him.

“(Hey Star! I was just coming to get you up. Sam's making dinner and I know how much you love his berry soup!)” Jake said it with a hint of sarcasm. Sam was far from the best cook in the world and were it not for the fact that he were her master Star would have given him an earful about it.

Jake immediately noticed Star's sad expression and took another step towards her. “(Hey you okay?)”

Star just nodded. “(Yeah. Let's just go.)” She said somberly as the two of them started to make their way back.

Neither of them said a word until they reached the camp where Star was surprised to see that none of her teammates were crowded around the fire. Instead the camp seemed completely deserted and Star was just turning to ask Jake what was going on when suddenly Sam and the entire team jumped out from behind a small sand dune.

“Surprise Star!” They all cried as they crowded around her.

Star was taken aback and had no idea what was going on. It wasn't her hatching day and as far as she knew she hadn't done anything else that would warrant this kind of welcome from them all.

“(What...what's going on here!?)” Star asked in bewilderment as they all stood in front of her.

Despite not fully understanding what she had said Sam got the gist of it and approached.

“Star I know how hard it's been for you being separated from Sean these past few weeks. Especially seeing as how I'd originally promised you that it wouldn't take this long before I could get you back to him. So we all decided to do a little something to cheer you up.”

Sam indicated for her to follow him behind the dune where they had been waiting for her. To her amazement a heavy blanket had been laid out in the sand with scented candles placed around it along with a small but excellent selection of various skin creams and oils specially suited for dragon Pokemon like herself.

But what was most amazing was the large fruit basket sitting off to the side of the blanket with several sliced Sitrus and Pecha berries on it. Star's two favorites.

Star's mouth hung open in shock as Jake walked up behind her and gave her a sheepish grin. “(So I may have lied about the berry soup for dinner.)”

Tucker laughed.

“(That's the story you used to get her back here?! Why not just tell her that we'd be eating Garbador ass?)” Tucker laughed at his bad joke as the others just shook their heads as Sam took Star's claw in his hand and led her over to the blanket.

“We know that it can't make up for you being away from Sean but we thought that we'd at least try to cheer you up a little with a spa day. Or night now I suppose. So just relax and let us take care of you.”

Star continued to stare in shock for several seconds before a smile came to her face and she turned and hugged her trainer.

“(Oh master!! Thank you so much!!!)” She cried as tears of joy fell from her eyes. Her master, her teammates, they all cared for her so much it was almost overwhelming.

After a minute she let Sam go and laid down on the blanket. She looked at the creams and oils as she took a berry from the basket. “(Where did you get all of this stuff? I thought that we couldn't go into town for anything?)” No one said anything for a second before Tucker butted in again.

“(That would be my doing my beautiful Star. You don't think I manage to keep my skin this supple and shiny without help do you? I have my own special stash of this stuff stored in my poke ball. Along with a couple of other items that I keep around for when the ladies are in short supply. If you catch my drift.)”

Jake groaned as he got down on his knees behind Star and began to gently massage her right wing with the oil as Sam did the same with her left wing.

“(Tucker she doesn't need to know about the contents of your poke ball. In fact I think that's information that we could all do without.)”

Tucker just rolled his eyes and went behind Star and knelt down by her feet. “(Hey Star how'd you feel about one of my famous massages?)” He punctuated this by cracking his flippers.

Star looked over her shoulder and stared at him. Despite how much of a horny moron he could be she knew that he would never try anything with her. Deep down the whole team knew that he was just a lonely Pokemon and didn't really mean any harm with his quips and flirtatious moves. He just wanted someone to love.

That and Sean would literally tear his head off if he did anything funny.

“(Go ahead Tucker. I heard great things from Venus about your massages.)”

Tucker's eyes immediately brightened at the mention of the compliment from his Ditto lover as he poured a generous amount of lotion onto his flippers and started to knead the tough skin of feet.

Star purred happily as she reached out and took another berry as Ace and Shadow got to work trimming her claws while Ghost worked on her tail.

She couldn't remember the last time that she had been this happy. All of her friends were doing their best to cheer her up in her hour of need and it made her feel amazingly loved.

They worked for the next hour massaging her skin and trimming her nails as Jake used his considerable knowledge of Pokemon anatomy to knead and work the muscles in her back.

Once they were all done Star just lay on the blanket in a state of complete and total bliss. She felt totally relaxed and at peace as she turned her head and looked at her friends.

“(Thank you.)” Was all she could say as the sound of the waves crashing on the beach and the aroma of the scented candles burning down helping to relax her even further.

The others lay around her. Some of them asleep and others starting to drift off as well. All of them feeling a sense of accomplishment at having cheered up their friend and teammate.

Sam lay down on the sand next to Star and took her clawed paw and held it as the two of them locked eyes.

“I hope that you enjoyed yourself tonight Star. When this is all finally over I promise that I'm going to give you a real spa day at that place you love in Goldenrod.”

Star looked over at her trainer as he continued to stare at her for several more seconds before letting out a deep sigh and continuing. “Star I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to send you back home. But I swear that I'm going to do everything I can to get you back as soon as possible.”

Star looked into her master's face and just smiled as she took her other claw and laid it over his hand.

“(I know that you will master. And you don't need to apologize. We're all a family and a family sticks together through the good times and the bad. We may all be in a very bad time right now but I know that you will lead us through it. I know this with all my heart master. And...)” Star stopped. She had forgotten for a second that he couldn't understand what she was saying. She blushed in embarrassment but Sam just smiled.

He hadn't been able to understand the words but the meaning had come through loud and clear as he squeezed her paws in a reassuring manner.

“Thanks Star. That really means a lot.” He patted her on the shoulder as he gently released her paw. “Sleep well Star.”

Star rolled over and stared at the sky as she drifted off into the first restful night's sleep she'd had in weeks.

Description
It was a truly glorious day in the Hoenn region. The temperature was just right sitting in the mid 30s with a slight breeze blowing in off the vast sea that cradled the island nation. As a result all of the beaches from Dewford Town to Lilycove City were flooded with tourists and locals alike out to enjoy the gorgeous weather that their island paradise had bestowed upon them.

On a remote section of beach to the south of Slateport City a brown haired man in his mid twenties sat under an umbrella relaxing while his Pokemon swam, roamed, or just relaxed on the beach. All of them seemed to be quite content with the weather and their surroundings as they used this time to calm their bodies and minds.

Sam Kellner sighed heavily as he looked up at the bright blue cloudless sky as the sounds of his friends surrounded him. It had been a long time since any of them had been to the ocean. Or even this close to civilation for that matter. That thought brought Sam's mind back to how he and his team had come to be here. Several months back he had threatened and robbed a corrupt politician and rich businessman in the Sinnoh region in order to save the life of his friends Honchkrow. As a result he had to flee to Hoenn to avoid both the authorities and bounty hunters.

Since then he had spent his time on the move staying in the forested and mountainous areas of central Hoenn as much as possible to avoid being seen. It had been hard on the entire team and despite Sam's best efforts he hadn't been able to give his Pokemon as much care as they really needed while roughing it. He had been able to switch out a couple of them with other teammates that were safely living at his uncles ranch in Johto but those instances had been few and far between and could only be done at the most remote of Pokemon centers. As a result he and his entire team had begun to suffer not only from fatigue but also various injuries that he had had to take care of himself. Including setting a broken bone in the wing of his Pidgeot that probably should have been done under anesthetic at a Pokemon center.

Sam had offered to send his entire team back to his uncle on several occasions so that it would just be him out there but his Pokemon had emphatically refused. They weren't going to leave their master to fend for himself no matter how difficult things got. They were a family and family always stuck together.

Now looking out at his Pokemon playing on the beach he was glad that they had talked him out of it. Sure he was a penniless fugitive on the run but so long as his Pokemon were happy and alright then he was fine too.

Sam glanced around the beach and watched his Sceptile Jake sparring with his Umbreon Ghost while his Golduck Tucker tried his best to put the moves on another trainers Marrill with little success. Farther down the beach he could see his Pidgeot Ace and his constant companion Shadow the Sneasel in the process of taking a short nap in the warm afternoon sun.

It brought a smile to his face to see them all so happy. Well almost all of them. Sam glanced over to his left where his Flygon Star was sitting with her feet in the water. She was just staring down and occasionally picking at the sand with her claws. The yellow scarf around her neck billowing in the salty air as she let out a noticeable sigh.

Sam continued to watch her for several minutes as she idly moved the sand around with her claws. It was obvious that she was depressed and frankly Sam could understand why. When she had agreed to be transferred he had promised her it would only be for a week or two. That had been two months ago. Sam felt incredibly guilty for having been unable to send her back to her mate and adopted son sooner but various run in's with bounty hunters and the police had forced him to stay far away from even the most remote of Pokemon centers.

“Damnit.” Sam muttered to himself as he watched her. There was nothing in the world he hated more than liars and frankly he felt like he had lied to Star. True it had been a matter of life or death but still he had broken his promise to send her back and that made him feel incredibly guilty.

He wished there was something he could do to try and cheer her up. Something to make up for not being able to send her home sooner. Something that would let her know that the team cared deeply about her and wanted her to be comfortable despite their current predicament.

Sam continued to watch Star idly soaking her feet in the surf for several more seconds before an idea came to him. He pondered it for a bit as a small smile came to his features.

“Yeah. Star would love that. So long as the others are willing to go along with it.” He glanced at her once more before abruptly standing and heading off in the direction of his other Pokemon. He would put a smile on Star's face.

......................

Star sighed loudly as she stared up at the sky. She hadn't felt this depressed since her mate Sean had almost died on an operating table back at the Azalea Town Pokemon center.

Her mate Sean the Dragonite was back at his uncle's ranch. The two hadn't seen each other in months and the separation was seriously beginning to wear on her. When she had agreed to be transferred from the ranch on one of the few occasions Sam had been able to she had thought it would only be for a few weeks. That had quickly turned into two and a half months with the two of them having only been able to talk infrequently.

She dug her feet into the soft sand and wiggled her toes. Unlike most Flygon Star's feet were not flat pads but were more like those of other Dragon types with three toes that each ended in a single white claw. As far as she knew this was an extreme rarity among her species and probably had something to do with her father being a Scyther and not having been born in the desert. Not that she minded being different. On the contrary she thought it only added to her beauty.

Star absolutely loved to be groomed and going to a Pokemon beauty parlor to get her claws trimmed and polished and her thick skin properly washed and exfoliated was one of her favorite pastimes. Unfortunately her current situation precluded such luxuries and she had been forced to bathe herself in whatever lake or river that the team was close to and hadn't had a chance to properly trim or polish her claws save for a nail file that Sam had which was totally inadequate for her.

Truth be told Star wasn't angry Sam for her current situation. It wasn't his fault. Well, it was but she stood by the choices he had made that had led to it and was willing to follow him no matter what. That being said it was still difficult being separated from Sean and not being able to properly care for herself.

She let out another deep breath as she laid back in the soft sand and closed her eyes. Best not to dwell on it she thought as she slowly drifted off to the sound of the crashing surf.

Star didn't know how long she was asleep but when she awoke she saw that the sun was starting to set off in the distance. As she looked around Star noticed that the majority of people and Pokemon who had previously been inhabiting the beach had retired back to their homes and hotels. She noted that this included her own team as well.

A pain of sadness shot through her as she lowered her head. None of her teammates or Sam had bothered to wake her up before they had gone back to the camp. They had just left her.

She wondered dejectedly whether or not to even go back to the camp when she spotted a familiar figure running towards her. It was Jake, the scarred Sceptile who was the de facto leader of the team and Sam's first Pokemon.

He waved to her as soon as he saw her and stopped a few meters away as Star stared at him.

“(Hey Star! I was just coming to get you up. Sam's making dinner and I know how much you love his berry soup!)” Jake said it with a hint of sarcasm. Sam was far from the best cook in the world and were it not for the fact that he were her master Star would have given him an earful about it.

Jake immediately noticed Star's sad expression and took another step towards her. “(Hey you okay?)”

Star just nodded. “(Yeah. Let's just go.)” She said somberly as the two of them started to make their way back.

Neither of them said a word until they reached the camp where Star was surprised to see that none of her teammates were crowded around the fire. Instead the camp seemed completely deserted and Star was just turning to ask Jake what was going on when suddenly Sam and the entire team jumped out from behind a small sand dune.

“Surprise Star!” They all cried as they crowded around her.

Star was taken aback and had no idea what was going on. It wasn't her hatching day and as far as she knew she hadn't done anything else that would warrant this kind of welcome from them all.

“(What...what's going on here!?)” Star asked in bewilderment as they all stood in front of her.

Despite not fully understanding what she had said Sam got the gist of it and approached.

“Star I know how hard it's been for you being separated from Sean these past few weeks. Especially seeing as how I'd originally promised you that it wouldn't take this long before I could get you back to him. So we all decided to do a little something to cheer you up.”

Sam indicated for her to follow him behind the dune where they had been waiting for her. To her amazement a heavy blanket had been laid out in the sand with scented candles placed around it along with a small but excellent selection of various skin creams and oils specially suited for dragon Pokemon like herself.

But what was most amazing was the large fruit basket sitting off to the side of the blanket with several sliced Sitrus and Pecha berries on it. Star's two favorites.

Star's mouth hung open in shock as Jake walked up behind her and gave her a sheepish grin. “(So I may have lied about the berry soup for dinner.)”

Tucker laughed.

“(That's the story you used to get her back here?! Why not just tell her that we'd be eating Garbador ass?)” Tucker laughed at his bad joke as the others just shook their heads as Sam took Star's claw in his hand and led her over to the blanket.

“We know that it can't make up for you being away from Sean but we thought that we'd at least try to cheer you up a little with a spa day. Or night now I suppose. So just relax and let us take care of you.”

Star continued to stare in shock for several seconds before a smile came to her face and she turned and hugged her trainer.

“(Oh master!! Thank you so much!!!)” She cried as tears of joy fell from her eyes. Her master, her teammates, they all cared for her so much it was almost overwhelming.

After a minute she let Sam go and laid down on the blanket. She looked at the creams and oils as she took a berry from the basket. “(Where did you get all of this stuff? I thought that we couldn't go into town for anything?)” No one said anything for a second before Tucker butted in again.

“(That would be my doing my beautiful Star. You don't think I manage to keep my skin this supple and shiny without help do you? I have my own special stash of this stuff stored in my poke ball. Along with a couple of other items that I keep around for when the ladies are in short supply. If you catch my drift.)”

Jake groaned as he got down on his knees behind Star and began to gently massage her right wing with the oil as Sam did the same with her left wing.

“(Tucker she doesn't need to know about the contents of your poke ball. In fact I think that's information that we could all do without.)”

Tucker just rolled his eyes and went behind Star and knelt down by her feet. “(Hey Star how'd you feel about one of my famous massages?)” He punctuated this by cracking his flippers.

Star looked over her shoulder and stared at him. Despite how much of a horny moron he could be she knew that he would never try anything with her. Deep down the whole team knew that he was just a lonely Pokemon and didn't really mean any harm with his quips and flirtatious moves. He just wanted someone to love.

That and Sean would literally tear his head off if he did anything funny.

“(Go ahead Tucker. I heard great things from Venus about your massages.)”

Tucker's eyes immediately brightened at the mention of the compliment from his Ditto lover as he poured a generous amount of lotion onto his flippers and started to knead the tough skin of feet.

Star purred happily as she reached out and took another berry as Ace and Shadow got to work trimming her claws while Ghost worked on her tail.

She couldn't remember the last time that she had been this happy. All of her friends were doing their best to cheer her up in her hour of need and it made her feel amazingly loved.

They worked for the next hour massaging her skin and trimming her nails as Jake used his considerable knowledge of Pokemon anatomy to knead and work the muscles in her back.

Once they were all done Star just lay on the blanket in a state of complete and total bliss. She felt totally relaxed and at peace as she turned her head and looked at her friends.

“(Thank you.)” Was all she could say as the sound of the waves crashing on the beach and the aroma of the scented candles burning down helping to relax her even further.

The others lay around her. Some of them asleep and others starting to drift off as well. All of them feeling a sense of accomplishment at having cheered up their friend and teammate.

Sam lay down on the sand next to Star and took her clawed paw and held it as the two of them locked eyes.

“I hope that you enjoyed yourself tonight Star. When this is all finally over I promise that I'm going to give you a real spa day at that place you love in Goldenrod.”

Star looked over at her trainer as he continued to stare at her for several more seconds before letting out a deep sigh and continuing. “Star I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to send you back home. But I swear that I'm going to do everything I can to get you back as soon as possible.”

Star looked into her master's face and just smiled as she took her other claw and laid it over his hand.

“(I know that you will master. And you don't need to apologize. We're all a family and a family sticks together through the good times and the bad. We may all be in a very bad time right now but I know that you will lead us through it. I know this with all my heart master. And...)” Star stopped. She had forgotten for a second that he couldn't understand what she was saying. She blushed in embarrassment but Sam just smiled.

He hadn't been able to understand the words but the meaning had come through loud and clear as he squeezed her paws in a reassuring manner.

“Thanks Star. That really means a lot.” He patted her on the shoulder as he gently released her paw. “Sleep well Star.”

Star rolled over and stared at the sky as she drifted off into the first restful night's sleep she'd had in weeks.