Nina could barely hold in her amusement at the Espeon walking ahead of her, her twin tails sashaying left and right in excitement while a cute little Togepi-patterned lanyard holding a debit card dangled from her neck.

  Espy was so excited to go shopping that she didn’t even bother to chastise her human for such unruly thoughts.

  “Let’s see here… According to the directory, Saphira’s Olivine store should be just around this corner.”

  And sure enough, it was hard to miss. A deep midnight blue storefront taking up three whole floors of real estate. Animated billboards adorned the front, showcasing the shop’s various products alongside their diverse lineup of models and ambassadors. One of the ads even featured Nina and Espy, much to the former’s embarrassment.

  “Look, Nina! That’s you!” Justin exclaimed, forcing the girl to clamp down on his Loudred mouth.

  “Damn you! Are you trying to call attention to us? I have half a mind to put on a mask already.” But it was too late, because Espy had gone ahead and entered the store without her, much to the confusion of the attendant standing by the entrance.

  Nina sighed and trudged along, the beautiful attendant greeting her with a radiant smile as she approached. “Welcome to Saphira Deluxe, Miss Jones. It’s such a pleasure to be graced by your presence today.”

  The girl chuckled at being recognised already. “Hi, don’t mind me. We’re just here to buy some stuff.”

  With a persistent smile, the woman bowed in affirmation. “Of course. Would you like me to show you some of our latest line of products? There are some specific items which I believe would be perfect for your esteemed Espeon. And additionally, I believe Madame Saphira is due to make a visit later in the day. I’m sure she would relish the opportunity to meet with you.”

  “Wait, Saphira’s coming by?” Nina looked towards the starstruck Kerry who was dazzled by the prospect of meeting yet another big name celebrity. While Justin seemed a little fidgety and lost amidst the colorful array of feminine beauty products.

  “Sure, why don’t you show us around.” Nina affirmed. “This place is so big that we don’t even know where to begin… And Justin, how about you head out and explore on your own. Kerry and I will call you when we’re ready to meet up again.”

  “Yup! You don’t have to tell me twice!” The boy jolted and promptly dashed out of the store, eliciting snickers from his friends.

  Saphira’s Olivine branch really was worthy of the flagship store moniker, with each of the three floors featuring different types of cosmetics. The first floor was mostly dedicated to human stuff which Nina and Kerry spent some time perusing.

  Nina mostly just picked up some of her regulars; a couple of lotions, lipbalm, sunscreen and stuff. Her past life as a male meant that she wasn’t a big fan of heavy make up.

  As a healthcare provider, Kerry’s needs were similarly modest, but the nurse girl did like to dress up on occasion. Not to mention the VIP discount afforded to them by Jasmine as well as the special rebates given to Nina as one of the store’s ambassadors. So she made sure to take full advantage and filled her basket with all sorts of limited edition items — some for herself and some as gifts for her mom, aunts and cousins.

  “This here is a lotion inspired by the Alcremie line.” The attendant chimed, showcasing a palish pink jar of cream dotted with black flakes to imitate the look of a strawberry. “Have a sniff, the smell is absolutely divine.”

  “Smells just like strawberry shortcake!” Kerry proclaimed.

  “Tastes like it too.” The woman added with a wink. “Owing to the all natural ingredients that go into its production, ensuring that it is absolutely safe for human skin.”

  “Hopefully there’s no actual Alcremies in there.” Nina joked, earning her a glare from Kerry.

  The attendant chuckled. “Well actually… As you well know, cream produced by an Alcremie is quite the delicacy. So yes, we do incorporate ethically sourced Alcremie cream in our products. However, if you’re referring to more morbid insinuations, I’m afraid we’ll have to disappoint your imagination, Miss Jones.”

  After leaving two full baskets at the register downstairs, the girls eventually made their way up the escalator to the second floor, where all the Pokemon related products began.

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  “So the second and third floor are all Pokemon products?” asked a flabbergasted Nina. “That’s kind of insane actually.”

  Their guide laughed. “Not at all, Miss Jones. If you consider the sheer variety of Pokemon in the world, we’re looking at eighteen Typings and hundreds of species. Each Pokemon has their own specific needs and each Pokemon deserves to look their very best. Beauty is a right, not a privilege, as Madame Saphira is so fond of saying.”

  Nina hummed. “I guess if you put it that way, two floors almost seem… inadequate.”

  “Exactly!” The woman exclaimed as they made their way over to Espy who had already filled up a whole basket full of goodies under the accompaniment of a fabulous looking Tsareena.

  With a well proportioned humanoid figure, Tsareena’s design was based on mangosteens — the queen of all fruit. And just like mangosteens, the Pokemon’s appendages were sheathed in deep purple rinds of glossy skin with a luscious green calyx of petals that formed her ‘hair’. Additionally, the Tsareena’s spherical head was a radiant pure white, as was her supple, segmented hips, akin to the flesh of a mangosteen.

  Both Nina and Kerry gasped at the sight of the glamorous Grass Type who greeted her guests with a regal curtsy, perfectly in line with her species’ queenly appearance. Tsareenas were not native to Indigo, so being able to see one was quite the treat. In fact, Nina distinctly recalled that they were pretty exclusive to Alola due to the region’s tropical nature.

  The glossy sheen on the Tsareena’s purple skin was basically a walking advertisement for how well-cared for the fruit Pokemon was, given they were liable to either rot or shrivel up under the harsh Johton weather. As one would expect from a member of Saphira’s beauty ‘collection’.

  The owner of the brand only caught Pokemon that lived up to her lofty sense of aesthetics and spared no expense in making sure they were well cared for by the appropriate experts. Such as that lazy vase of a Milotic they kept in the Cerulean Gym on her behalf.

  “Reeen~” The fruit Pokemon preened and approached Nina with what appeared to be a stylish looking paint roller in her dainty little hands. Except, with the way that Tsareena was holding it, one might even mistake it for being some sort of royal scepter.

  “Ahh… a good call, Rene,” said the human attendant when Nina looked to her for an explanation. “The product in your hand is a special grooming device that was recently developed for short furred Pokemon like Miss Espy. Why don’t you give it a go, Miss Jones? I guarantee you that Miss Espy would love you all the more for it.”

  With a shrug, Nina grabbed hold of the proffered device and began dragging it across Espy’s fuzzy back, tracing the contour of her princess’s taut musculature.

  “Essss~~” Espy shuddered and let out the most cathartic purr that Nina had ever heard her make. Then, instantly melted into a limp pile of pink fuzz on the ground, even willingly showing her belly so that her human could pamper her with the roller.

  The girl giggled. “Kind of feels like I’m cleaning an Espy-shaped carpet right now.”

  “Es!” The Espeon chided, but was too comfortable to do anything about it as she continued to purr in ecstasy, the rumbles transmitting all the way up to the handle that Nina was holding.

  “Gosh, I’ve never seen Espy in such a vulnerable state before. What sort of sorcery is this?”

  “I wanna try it too!” Kerry exclaimed as she eagerly grabbed hold of another sample from the Tsareena and released Lynxie to play with, already thinking about buying one for her unhatched Eevee egg.

  Both Rene the Tsareena and the human attendant chuckled at the precocious sight. “This patented Pokeroller will help to engage your furry friends in a light massage and relieve their strain, as well as preemptively pick up any loose fur they may have to help mitigate the hassle of sweeping your home of any sheddings — something that I’m sure many can relate to.”

  Nina nodded. “This kind of reminds me of those rollers that my dad uses to clean lint from his suits. Is this also similarly disposable?”

  The woman seemed to twitch a little at the girl’s keen observation. “Indeed, the outermost layer is covered in a light adhesive tape. So just rip it off and replace it with a new one once it becomes too saturated with fur. We also sell different textured rolls for a more deep-seated massage, if you’d like.”

  Nina nodded and dumped a few of the rollers into Espy’s basket. But ever the miser, she was already thinking about buying one of those cheaper lint rollers to see how they compare.

  After filling another couple of baskets full of Espy and Kerry’s items, they went back downstairs to make payment. Nina even had to remind Espy not to overstock on stuff that she might not be able to finish using in time. Because little did people know, cosmetics had an expiration date on them as well. In fact, for some products, it was even recommended that they be stored in a refrigerated environment once opened to avoid rapid deterioration.

  “Oh my… Little Nina, is that you?”

  As Nina was about to pay, she heard a sensual and smoky voice calling out to her from behind.

  “Madame Saphira! It’s great to see you again!”

  Glossy, lustrous ebony skin, perfectly angular yet delicate face and a crew cut dyed a vibrant blue, just like her name. Saphira was tall, one of the tallest people that Nina had ever met as evident by how the girl’s face only reached up to the woman’s hips when Saphira gently pulled her in for a hug.

  “You should have called ahead, darling~ And none of that ‘Madame’ nonsense. I’m your godmother now, Nina — family.”

  “I mean, I didn’t know you were in town. And wait, what do you mean you’re my godmother? When did that happen?”

  The woman chuckled, her husky voice like caramel in Nina’s ears. “Just two days ago actually. I made a visit to Misty in Cerulean and she asked if I wanted to adopt her baby.”

  Nina frowned in confusion. “But that’s Misty’s baby, not me? Pretty sure that makes you my god-aunt if anything.” If that was even a thing.

  “Oh pish~” Sapphire waved with her lanky fingers. “Details, details… If I’m going to adopt one goddaughter, then what’s another? And I see you have an adorable little friend with you here.”

  “Yup!” Nina stepped back a little and gestured towards the starstruck Kerry. “This is Kerry-Anne Joy, my best friend and journey buddy.”

  “I-It’s nice to meet you Madame Saphira. I’m a huge fan! Is it okay if I ask for an autograph?”

  The supermodel returned with a genial smile. “Of course, darling. Anything for Nina’s friend. In fact, why don’t the two of you join me for lunch? You can tell me about everything that you’ve seen in your travels while we eat. And don’t worry about paying, by the way.” Saphira turned to address her employee manning the cashier.

  “Pack everything up for my darlings here and put it on my account. It will not do for my goddaughter to go broke in my own house.” The woman proclaimed, much to Nina’s delight.

  “Thanks, godmother! You’re the best!” The girl exclaimed, already resolved to be pampered by her new sugarmama.

  Espy, though, groaned in frustration. She had been really looking forward to haughtily swiping her card into the cardreader. So Nina made a promise to let her pay for the hotel room later.