Forbidden Snack

"Hey Leon, just so you know I won't be home tonight because work's making me go to this meeting in some other city. I can't bring Cyra with me so I left (1/2)

"her in her ball in my room. She should be fine in there because Im coming back tmrw but if u want to let her out thats ok too just dont let her burn anything :)"

Leon typed back shortly, "ok have a safe trip!" The fox turned the lock to his apartment and headed inside. Always nice to have the place to himself, even if it was just for a little while. He flopped onto the couch first, idly browsing his phone for a little while. Just scrolling to scroll, at least until a certain thought intruded into his mind. One he had thought before. He put down his phone and glanced towards his roommate's room. The door was closed, but he wasn't here. So...

He got up and stepped down the hall, knocking on it just in case he was still there. But he wasn't. So Leon took the liberty of opening it up and taking a look. It was a pretty simply furnished room with a bed, a desk with computer, drawers, and little more. A framed photo of what he was fairly sure was a fennekin. Although he knew that Cyra wasn't a fennekin anymore. Not a delphox yet, either... he couldn't remember what that middle stage was called. His attention turned to the red and white ball sitting on the desk.

It was the first time he had ever been left alone with a pokémon. Well, to be specific, a pokéball. Not that there was any reason for it; he simply wasn't a trainer and neither was his immediate family. If pokémon were around him, they were simply free-roaming usually. Not like this. He stared down at the ball, his own distorted reflection meeting him on the red top. He watched as he licked his chops. He really shouldn't be considering this. It wasn't even his pokéball. Not to mention, there was a pokémon inside!

But it was a thought that always flickered through his head whenever he saw a pokéball. It really, really looked like a snack. He knew it was metal or plastic, but they were so colorful. Whether it was the simple red and white ones or that sweet-looking pink and yellow one he saw once or anywhere in-between, he always thought about it. How it might feel to put one in his mouth. How it would feel to swallow it, the ball sliding down his throat. How it would sit in his stomach.

It would've been more reasonable to just buy one from the store and try it sometime to satisfy his curiosity. But Leon always felt too awkward to go into one and buy a ball for that. Not that anyone would really know, it was all just his own head. So he never did. The thought never bothered him before, but now, with the opportunity freely presenting itself, he felt its full strength. He was really curious, and this might be the only chance he'd get. He picked the pokéball up off its pedestal.

Lighter than he expected. Which he guessed made sense, since you're supposed to be able to throw one. He weighed it in his hand and then tossed it up in the air for his own amusement. Although when he caught it, it occurred to him he should be careful. He didn't want to accidentally release Cyra; that would be awkward. I wonder if she can see me, he thought. Hopefully not. He couldn't remember what it was like inside a pokéball for them... Were they tiny? Or light? I guess it doesn't matter as long as she doesn't know.

Even if she did, she'd have a hard time miming out what happened to her trainer. He took the ball back to the living room, placing it on the coffee table. Then he went and poured himself a glass of water, for safety. Sitting down on the couch, he stared at his phone (in case of an emergency), his water, and his roommate's pokéball. With a deep breath, he decided he was ready, or as ready as he was ever going to be.

Once again, Leon picked up the pokéball. He gave it a sniff, even though he knew it didn't smell like anything. His maw opened next-- drooling some, to his own surprise-- and he dragged his tongue across the ball. It tasted slightly warmer than he expected, closer to metal than plastic. Not exactly appetizing, though he wasn't turned away either. Now for the next part. He swallowed nervously and then opened his mouth wide, lifting the ball to meet it.

It brushed against the tips of his fangs first. With how uncomfortable that felt, he tried to open up more, though that was uncomfortable in its own way. Eventually, he managed to get his teeth around the height of it. He looked like a roast with an apple. Somehow, he felt more ridiculous than before. His tongue explored the underside of the ball now, no different from the rest of it. But it felt more real now, sitting in his mouth.

Slowly, he used his tongue to shift it towards the back of his throat. The fox's breathing became shallower until it was replaced by a choke. No turning back now.

He swallowed, hard. The bulge in his throat was visible immediately, with the ball's white bottom disappearing down. Regret was starting to worm its way past the intrusive thought, but too late for that. GLK. Feeling the indented edges of the ball's middle scrape against the walls of his gullet was not part of the experience he had imagined. He knew it was large and would feel like swallowing a rock, but he thought it'd be more satisfying. Instead, he was uncomfortable and worried about suffocating like this.

GLRK... He had to get it down. He should've practiced. Another straining contraction of muscle brought it to the middle of his throat, free from his mouth. Leon felt lightheaded as the image of his roommate finding him dead with a pokéball-shaped bulge in his throat flickered through his mind. He certainly couldn't let that happen. He mustered up the strength for one more HLLLGK.

With that, the ball slid just deep enough to let his airway open again. He took as deep a breath as he could manage with it still in his throat, clarity rushing back to him. He placed his paw on his neck, feeling the very distinct orb sitting above his collarbone. The fascination returned now that he could breathe. This forbidden snack was just moments away from vanishing. Despite how large it was, he'd managed it.

After a moment more of savoring the feeling, he swallowed for the last time. The ball passed behind his collarbone and then vanished entirely. It felt achingly hard as it passed by, but once it was gone, oh so satisfying. He let his tongue loll out, relaxing back against the couch. After just a few seconds more, he felt it plop on into his stomach. It sat lightly in there, but very much noticeably. At least, by feeling. From the outside, not very visible at all unless he sucked his stomach in. Still, he gingerly rubbed over it and said aloud, "Right where you belong at last..."

He couldn't believe he had actually done it. It was a fantasy for the longest time, but now he really had a pokéball sitting in his stomach. He stood up slowly, chuckling from the odd feeling of it rolling around as he did. Nobody would believe him if they didn't see it for themselves-- hell, he could hardly believe it. He glanced down at his phone, realizing he should've documented it. For posterity. Maybe someone would get a kick out of seeing it. He sure would. Maybe he'd have to try it again sometime?

For now, he entertained himself by walking around, feeling it rock back and forth. Despite being lightweight, it certainly felt like a rock in his gut with how firm it was. It was a ticklish feeling, causing some quiet giggles as he prodded himself. The thought then crossed his mind: Would it be okay with stomach acid? The ball seemed plenty durable, but he suddenly worried about paint damage being noticed. He sighed, patting his stomach where it was. "Well, time to get you out!" Then there was a click.

Leon froze, his hand still pressing down. Like he'd stepped on a landmine and death was imminent. That was definitely the pokéball, he knew. And he knew what was going to come next if he didn't think of something. Still clutching his gut, he hurried back over to his phone, searching up "howto cancel openjng ball". From what he could see, this wasn't a topic explored very much. After a minute of that, he just stood there staring at his phone, his mind running through scenarios of varying realism. Did he have to go to a pokémon center? A hospital? Was he going to explode?

Ba-ding!

Sam (roomie)

"Btw if you let her out and she's good she can have a puff from the box on the counter :) Thanks again"

A jolt went through Leon's body as soon as the sound hit his ears, and his other hand let go for a second. That was all it needed. He heard the sound of the ball opening beneath layers of flesh, and then the bright light inside his stomach. He didn't even have enough time to process that before his flesh very suddenly expanded.

The motion was so quick and violent, he thought certainly he was going to die. He choked and stumbled backwards onto the couch, dropping his phone in the process. He sat back, just staring right at the new mound sitting in his lap. It splayed across his legs, covering them entirely. His fur was thin from how spread out it was on his belly, revealing pink flesh from under creamy orange. Most distinctly, his belly was distended in all sorts of wrong, specific ways. And then it started to move.

"Brai...?" The pokémon inside his stomach shifted around, clearly confused by its new prison. Leon covered his mouth, swallowing down his discomfort. Coming from inside, he could see her paws exploring the walls in curiosity. The sight was almost as bad as the feeling. His mind was devoid of any thought besides panic and some prayer that she wouldn't move too much. Maybe if he was quiet she would go to sleep, or something?

Cyra was smarter than he gave her credit. She figured out quickly this was someone's stomach, she just didn't know whose. Her moves became more aggressive, intentionally trying to promote nausea and pain. "Owowowow!" Leon cried out, clutching his gut as he doubled over. "Stop stop stop..." he begged, and graciously, she did. "Thank you... Uuuhgh..." She had recognized her trainer's roommate's voice, but now she was even more confused.

He didn't know what to say or do. He obviously couldn't do nothing, but what could he do? He felt her shifting slightly under him, something that was nauseating on its own. He ended up just saying, "Um, if you can understand me... you're in my stomach. So please be gentle."

She didn't move, but she did talk up a storm. He didn't understand her even remotely, but it sounded confused and probably annoyed. He replied, "There was... an accident. Yeah! Um... I don't know how to get you out..." She certainly wasn't going to fit up the way she came in. "...Can you find your ball in there?" He struggled to contain the wave of nausea that followed as she shifted around searching. The reply that followed from her sounded negative; either she couldn't or it didn't work.

"Great." He sighed, leaning back on the couch. His stomach growled under his hands. It was annoyed at being so overly full, he was sure. After a minute of staring at the ceiling, he felt Cyra prod him from inside. "Ow, ow, okay, okay, I'll... try to figure out something..." His hand went for his pocket, only to find it empty. He leaned to the side, spotting his phone on the floor between the table and the couch. He groaned loudly. "Of course it would be in the most annoying spot."

He slowly stood up. The braixen in his belly was startled by the movement, but stayed still to avoid causing him too much trouble. Then he started to kneel down, his gut being caught between the sofa and table. "Sorry, sorry," he said as Cyra started to complain about the new pressure. After a few moments of effort, he was able to snag his phone off the ground.

Now what? Well, for starters, he replied to his roommate as if everything was normal. Once that was settled, he opened a search bar. Then he stared at it blankly. What was he even supposed to search? "get thing out of stomach." A lot of these options seemed like they would only work if she was still in the ball. He really didn't want to go to a hospital. Hell, if he went outside like this, he expected to end up in a police station. He decided to at least go try the very basic solution.

Walking to the bathroom was a chore with a belly full of braixen, it turned out. Even with her trying to not move, he could still feel it swaying and sloshing with each step. Though if he was lucky, the nausea would actually be useful. He got to the bathroom and bent over the tub, taking a deep breath. This was going to really suck.

He jabbed two fingers into the back of his throat. The effect was immediate and simple, he started to heave. He gagged and retched, nothing coming out but an excess of saliva. Eventually, he did feel something bubble up in his stomach. He mentally readied himself for an entire pokémon to come up. And then: Huuuuuuorrrup. The belch echoed in the basin, reflecting the scent of bile and fire fox back up at him. He groaned, laying his head against the edge of the tub.

After a few more moments to gather himself, he got back up. He looked down at his rather distinctly shaped belly and muttered to himself, "What am I going to do...?" Cyra piped up, making a series of inquisitive-sounding noises. "Sorry Cyra, that didn't work." Annoyed noises. "Yeah, yeah, I know..." This was turning into a fiasco. He had to get her out before his roommate got back. And he had to do it himself, somehow. What else was there...?

He walked over to the mirror and opened it up to take a look inside their medicine cabinet. There were a lot of basics: Medicine for fever, for coughing, for pain, and for pokémon as well. Some stuff that would help with nausea, but not actually getting anything out. He considered it, but there was a different remedy he preferred when his tummy was upset. Back to the kitchen he went, to crack open a can of ginger ale. He took a long sip and let out a sigh of relief. Always hit the spot!

The moment was ruined by a sharp jab and the barks of one very angry braixen. He leaned against the counter and moaned before finally saying, "Sorry, sorry, I kinda forgot you were in there for a sec." He stood back up, once again taking in his belly. He just couldn't believe it, still. A whole pokémon in there. The fire-type added an extra level of warmth and radiance to it, something he could feel as he rubbed his hand across it. "Heh... you know, it's almost like I'm about to lay an egg." Braixen noises. "Oh you know, that's a funny thought, I'm a fox, and I've got a pokémon fox in me! Too bad I can't tell anyone about this."

Cyra really wasn't finding any of this very funny. She was trapped in a stomach, and here he was drinking soda and laughing. Some part of her was even annoyed at her trainer now, for picking out such a stupid roommate. Who swallows a pokéball?? Well, she had had enough. There were acids stinging at her paws, and no longer would she suffer these disgusting conditions. She didn't really want to kill anybody, but if this was going to be the only way... She huffed, flames licking from the edges of her mouth.

Leon felt the spike in temperature immediately. He froze up and said, "Uh, Cyra, what are you doing in there?" A single, matter-of-fact 'Brai' in response. "W-Wait, you can't just... I can't handle something like that! Please just wait, we'll figure something out!" But with no further response, he knew fire was coming within seconds. His eyes darted to the soda in his hand, then the glass of water he left on the table, and he made a snap decision.

He rushed over to the sink, turning on the faucet full blast and sticking his head under it. He swallowed water as fast as he could, repeated glugs pouring more and more into his stomach to suppress the fire. Cyra's flames came out as a smoky cough as she became drenched, water rapidly filling up. She started making a lot of loud noises in there that Leon couldn't really hear over the sound of water rushing down his throat. She started to struggle too, but the water filling her cage made her movements slow and weak.

After half a minute, Leon stopped, needing air. He gasped deeply, feeling the oxygen rushing back to him, and then the extra heavy weight in his gut. He looked down. No burning hole in him, which was a good sign. But his belly had also become somewhat rounder, bloated by all the water now in there. It just made the sloshing feel worse when he moved, but it was better than dying. He just sighed. "Sorry Cyra, but I promise I'll figure something out! I just need to lay down for a little while..."

He waddled over to the couch, very slowly and gently laying himself across it. The braixen inside him had been barely keeping her muzzle above water, and now that free space shifted dramatically. The new space was hardly enough without immense effort, something she indicated by thrashing around as much as she could. The feeling was mild to Leon, so he just rubbed his gut and told her, "Look, I'll try again after a nap... Just hold tight, okay?" Her movements slowed, which he took as understanding. "Great." And with that, he drifted off to sleep.

*/^\*

It was night when Leon woke up again. He groggily checked his phone and groaned when he saw the time. "Ugh, need to stop evening napping..." He looked down at his belly. Still distended. He sighed, hoping it had been some sort of nightmare. With a pat he asked it, "How are you doing in there Cyra?"

He expected annoyed braixen sounds, but got nothing. "Cyra?" He rubbed his eyes, getting a clearer look at it. While his gut was still abnormally large, it was not as large as before. "Oh shit," he said under his breath. He sat up immediately and swung his legs off the couch, the jerky movement prompting a hearty buuuooOOOoorrph from within. "Cyra?" He asked again, this time more actively prodding his stomach. Where before he could feel both her and the water separately, now it felt like some sort of thick, sludgy mixture.

He put his hands on his head and looked around the room. "Ohhhhhh shittttt!!" Was all he could think to say on the matter. He didn't realize... the whole situation had been so insane to begin with, he didn't even begin to consider that his stomach could handle digesting a whole pokémon. A flicker of worry about how fattening she would be passed through his head, but he shook it away. There were definitely more pressing matters, like what to tell his roommate.

Leon stood up, an unsettlingly easier task now. He once again stared at the search bar blankly, with no idea what to look up. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck... Um..." '24/7 pokemon csnters near me'. They're all 24/7, idiot. 'self-servixe pokemon center near me'. That was more like it. There was one not too far away from him. Hopefully no one would be out at this time of night to see him attempt this. He headed over to the door, donning a hoodie that he was able to easily pull over his potbelly.

The trek to the kiosk was unnerving. He worried that somehow, someone would notice telltale signs of what he had done. He was constantly looking around, as if his roommate would manifest out of the ether, or maybe a police officer of some kind. But there was no one. His trip was really quite peaceful in fact, if not for the anxiety of what he'd done sitting heavily in his gut.

When he got to the machine, he just stared at it. It had a small interface and six divots where he assumed pokéballs would go. After some finagling, he figured out how to get the machine ready to heal. He looked around to make sure the coast was clear. Then Leon pulled up his hoodie, lifting his belly and dropping it onto the platform. After a moment, an error sound. 'Invalid object in slot,' it said.

He groaned aloud until it turned into a shout. He really wanted that to work somehow. Now what? After pacing in place, he realized he could feel some solid objects in his stomach, still. With some prodding he could roughly tell they were: A couple of roundish objects, hopefully one of them being her ball. There was a long bone, or maybe a stick? He was not looking forward to how that would feel going up his throat.

Leon scanned his surroundings for a vending machine, eventually spotting it some distance away. He hurried over to it, still nervous about being watched, despite no one being out there. At the vending machine he got himself another can of soda, this time with different intentions. He cracked it open and immediately started to chug it, as fast as he could manage.

He stopped when it was about halfway, wanting to ration it in case he needed more. Then he sloshed his gut around with his free hand, attempting to stir up the fizzy drink. After a few moments, he got what he wanted: Up came a huuuUUAAAARRRrrrp, ejecting something out of his throat and onto the ground. It clattered on the concrete and he grimaced when he realized what it was. While Cyra's skull was remarkably clean, it was really not something he wanted to keep around. He punted it into a nearby alleyway and flinched when he heard it smash into or against something.

Another chug of soda, finishing it this time. After a moment of shaking, he felt it. BooooOOOURR--HGLK?! Something caught up in his throat, but he could feel it close enough. He reached into his mouth and carefully pulled out... a stick. Well, he was happy it wasn't another bone. Memory came to him of Cyra waving that around from time to time. His roomie had believed she was going to be a great witch pokémon... At least, before ending up as fox fat.

Leon groaned and bought another soda. This time for sure. He was feeling sick of the sweet burning carbonation as it went down again, but he took solace in knowing this was the last time. He slammed the entire can. It took hardly any stirring at all this time. In moments, a hearty belch ejected the pokéball that started all of this onto the ground.

He actually laughed in relief, finally seeing that again. Picking it up off the ground, he could see that it had some liquid in it, a yellow slurry. He quickly shook it out and then closed the ball. It looked almost good as new, besides the wetness. And now for his last hope: He ran back over to the self-service pokémon center. The ball fit perfectly in a slot, and then he attempted to run the healing process again. There was a hopeful smile on his face up until it made that same error sound as before. This time, 'No pokémon detected in ball, please try again.'

He did, but it wasn't like it was a momentary scanner lapse. He knew the real issue: that pokémon was far beyond revival. The majority of her was busy swirling into his intestines. He picked the ball back up, staring at his dull reflection in its red top. Cursing his stupidity in letting his stomach do this, he started the walk home.

"Okay... I can just say... she ran away. No, why would she do that? She was... kidnapped! Maybe I should break a window or something to really sell it..." All this and more bounced around in his head. He was starting to feel nervous, not just from the literal heavy weight in his middle. He'd never had reason to fake a crime like this... he'd never committed a crime before. At least, not something so serious. He internally apologized to Cyra and his roommate, but now he had to think of himself. He couldn't go to jail just because he accidentally digested his roommate's pokémon. He looked at her old ball in his hand one last time. Then he tossed it into the closest garbage can.

*/^\*

After getting home, Leon waited a couple hours before smashing his roommate's window from outside. Then a short delay before reporting it. His roommate didn't learn until several hours after that. There was a brief investigation at the apartment itself, but then resources were reallocated to simply finding the missing pokémon. Apparently Cyra's species, braixens, are pretty rare. So theft was somewhat common, but they felt confident she could be found. Nobody but Leon noticed the smug, satisfied gurgle his stomach let out at the time.

The day after that, Leon found himself staring at his reflection in the mirror. Crystal clear this time, he could see just what was left of her. It apparently wasn't as noticeable as he felt it was, but Cyra's remains (what hadn't gone down the pipes) had started to settle across his body. His cheeks were fuller, some new flab hanging from his arms and legs. A muffin top had manifested, not to mention the squishy paunch his middle sported. His clothes certainly felt tighter all around.

In his eyes, some guilt to be sure. He had felt bad when he read and saw his roommate's reaction to everything. But that was swiftly being overtaken by relief, realizing he'd gotten away with it. Or at least, he felt like he did. And he got that one intrusive thought out of his head, swallowing the pokéball. There was only one real issue left: A new thought itching at his mind. The desire to do all of this again.