Step On Up! Taking All Bets! (Lay the Very Best - Chapter 430)

After Odile's arcade, the Casino seems almost subdued. It's hard to compete with the space warping of a Trick Room. It was still full of people being very horny and betting a lot of their dignity, but it felt almost quaint now compared to getting body pressed by an eight-foot-tall Hex Maniac with an obsession with making ladies come their brains out. 

Damn. Odile really did need better advertising; all these troublemakers should be battering down her doors for a chance to get some correction.

Morgan walked in with her head high and her tail flicking, determination rolling off her, and cutting a path through the crowds for them. Brandy couldn't help but admire how hot she was when she had a mission, and from the heat in Calcine's stare, she clearly wasn't the only one who liked it.

"Oh, sweethearts," a voice as cheerfully fizzy as champagne called out. "You came back."

The same woman who'd greeted them last time caught Morgan's hands and steered her in a circle to rejoin Brandy and Calcine. Her outfit was truly something, like wet ink splashed onto her skin, with glitter sprinkled throughout to accentuate her alluring curves. She took off her velvet top hat and twirled it, her long black hair cascading behind her. 

It was oddly familiar to Brandy. There was something rehearsed in the tilt of her head, the perfect timing of her laughs, the way her eyes flicked to make sure she had their attention and saw her shine. Yet every gesture was too genuine to be hollow; Delia loved this act. Her peppy attitude wasn't false; it was just theatrical. It was a subtle distinction to catch, but Brandy had known Morgan long enough to recognize when confidence was genuine and when it was something practiced until it became a truth. 

"Did you miss me?" Delia said, raising Morgan's hand for a kiss. "Rosa misses you. She had some very nice things to say about Brandy, but she's had to take a breather, so if you've come for her, you'll have to wait. I'm sure we can find you someone almost as pretty until then!"

"We came for Vivienne," Morgan says, voice even. "I've got a message for her."

Delia puts a gloved hand to Morgan's chest, "I know it seems unfair she's banned you from trying again, but it's her gym, her rules." Her grin widens, and she spins the hat on her finger, catches it, and tilts it back onto her head. "Maybe if you get enough gold tokens, you could ask her for another shot. She does have to grant any wish if you've a handful."

Calcine crossed her arms, biceps drawing an appreciative glance from Delia. "Would she tell us who the Gym Leader actually is here?"

Delia's mouth makes a small O. "Honey! Vivienne's the wonderful star of this operation, and we wouldn't have it any other way. She draws in the best crowds."

Her gaze slides across them, settling on the cut of Calcine's stomach, the sweep of Morgan's hips, and on Brandy's own curvy waist, and Delia licked her lips. Delia was almost shameless in her appreciation of them, and it felt good, but also, Calcine was right. This was a Dark Gym, where impulses ran wild. A gym leader this shameless made sense, and she had picked them out right away both times. 

Suspicious. 

"You explained the rules to us, you made sure we heard the other route when we lost." Brandy said, "And you've got a lot of style."

"Oh, hush," Delia batted a hand at Brandy. "I heard you let your partners take charge, Brandy. You should understand that a Pokémon can be on top."

That was basically an admission. Delia was the Gym Leader, but she just wasn't Gym Leading. At least not directly. Now Brandy really wanted to talk with her; she sounded like she'd have a lot of good advice to give. There were lots of women who let their Pokémon partners take charge in a relationship, but a Gym Leader? That was new. Just another way Spikemuth was strange. 

"When did the last Gym Leader retire?" Brandy asked, taking a shot in the dark.

"Just a year back," Delia replied smoothly, "She's Professor Autumn now! You'd have loved her; she barely used her Pokémon. She'd grab a trainer, pin them up against a wall, and tell them to survive." 

Now that sounded like the old guard of Spikemuth from what Brandy had seen. Rora and Odile were definitely the wall-pressing sort. The Gym was the heart of any big community; if even the Gym had changed, no wonder a lot of the older ladies felt like their city had left them behind. 

"Show us to Vivienne," Morgan said, cutting in her red eyes, glowing as she stared Delia down. "I've words for her."

Delia's head tilted. The top hat slid rakishly across her head. "Demanding. I love that."

Delia turned on her heel with a flutter of her card dress and a sway of her hips. "Right this way, you future high rollers."

They moved through the tables, and everything felt like it had gotten out of control. A Houndoom woman in a leather corset let her partner run cards along her horns as they wagered kisses instead of coins. A trio of women tangled over a game of blackjack, the loser shedding a layer of clothing each round with the help of an Umbreon dealer's flexible tail. At another table, a dark-haired woman kissed a Sneasel's claws for luck before rolling dice across their joined palms.

Everywhere Brandy looked, the air hummed with the pulse of games that were more about touch and thrill than chance. The laughter deepened into moans as she took it all in, spotting games that had turned openly erotic. A woman sprawled back against the table while a chunky Indeedee straddled her lap, feeding her chips between deep kisses. At another table, a group of women was tangled in a game that had become more about who broke first, clearly moaning as a cute Goodra stuck them all together, the gluey center of the group.

Brandy's pulse quickened, drawn to the spectacle despite herself. She took a step to detour, and a firm drag of Calcine's boot scraped over her skin. The sharp touch cut through the fog, reminding her where she was. Brandy exhaled hard; she'd almost lost her head and left the group there, and it didn't feel like it was her fault. Something was up with this Casino, and it wanted to distract them.

Taking Calcine and Morgan's hands, Brandy used her partners as an anchor to her emotions. Delia looked at their held hands and licked her bottom lip as if something tasted good. The look she gave Brandy was downright filthy, lingering on her thighs, then roving up to the hem of her shorts and over her body all the way to Brandy's throat. Not meeting Brandy's eyes, so it was clear she was admiring her body.

"You're staring," Brandy called her out.

"How could I not? You're all gorgeous." Her gaze flickers to Calcine and Morgan, running down their bodies as well. "You sure you want to see Vivi right now? What could be more important than having some fun with me?"

Morgan doesn't take the bait. "I have a challenge to give her."

"Mmm." Her voice lowered just a little, a purr that slid over Brandy's skin. "That's her thing, sweetheart, not yours."

Delia led them forward through the crowd to Vivienne's throne of casino chips. The chips gleamed under the house age lights, stacked high enough that Vivienne's wings lay over the edge of her throne and across the pile. The Honchkrow gave a low, smug caw as the group approached.

"Back again, Morgan?" the Honchkrow crooned, voice slick with amusement. "You really don't know when to quit, do you? You want another lesson in humility, or are you just here to gamble what's left of your pride?"

Morgan ignored the jibe and strode forward, boots echoing off the marble until she was standing before Vivienne's throne. Then she kept going, stepping up onto the mound of chips as if it were a staircase built for her, a few scattering beneath her heel with each step. Vivienne leans back, amused, letting Morgan come closer until she's towering above her.

"Climb all you like, you're still short."

Morgan planted one foot on the armrest and the other pressed down on Vivienne's chest, feeling the rise and fall beneath her sole. Vivienne gasped, wings rustling to try to push her off, but Morgan grabbed her hands and pinned her wings down. Their faces were inches apart now, Vivienne's shocked face meeting Morgan's blazing eyes.

"I'm going to rob your casino." Morgan said, "Tomorrow. I'm taking a badge, and there's nothing you can do about it.

For a heartbeat, sound dropped away and the lights dimmed. Brandy felt the weight of silence press in like the air had been sucked from the room. The laughter froze in open mouths, dice hung mid-roll, and the scent of perfume turned metallic. A chill crawled up her spine as every light seemed to flicker at once, showing just for a blink that half of the tables were empty. Then everything snapped back, sound slamming into place, lights flaring too bright. The Casino started up again as if nothing had happened, but Brandy had seen that.

Something was really fucking with them.

"Rob the Casino. Oh, that's silly," Delia said warmly. "Why would she let you do that?"

"You got me fucking good, Vivi," Morgan said, almost kissing the Honchkrow with how close she was. "I admit it. You absolutely made a fool of me."

"Is it bad I'm turned on?" Vivi grinned. "Your competitive side was always your best quality."

"Oh, I know you're turned on. You were always insuffurable in victory. Well, I can't beat your challenge, so I'm setting my own. Tomorrow, I am going to rob this Casino. I've got a plan. I've got a team. I am going to steal a Dark Badge and pin it to Brandy myself."  

"And why would I let this happen?" Vivi said. "I could just tell you to get lost."

"Go on then, tell me I can't do it", Morgan said, eyes burning bright red. "Tell me you can't beat my trick, so you're stopping me from playing the game."

Vivi's smirk deepened, her feathers rustling with excitement. "Oh, I'll accept, darling. I wouldn't miss the show. But when you lose, there'll be a punishment, and I have plans for that ass of yours."

"Whatever punishment you want," Morgan said, her voice hushed as she raked claws up Vivienne's side. "You can do anything to me. You've always wanted that, haven't you? A piece of my ass."

Vivi's smirk deepened, feathers fluffing as her gaze drifted downward with deliberate appreciation. "Tight, firm," she said with a hungry growl. "For such a small thing, it's got a lot of quality. Don't you all agree?"

Calcine nodded. "It is a nice butt."

Brandy, still a bit fuzzy-headed from seeing the casino half empty, also nodded. "Yeah, it's a pretty amazing ass."

Morgan rolled her eyes, though the corner of her mouth twitched. "Glad we're all in agreement."

She stepped off Vivi's chest, wiggling her hips as she slid back down the pile of casino tokens. "Admire it, because that's the best you'll get. I'm robbing your Casino. Tomorrow, and you can't stop me."

"Delia," Vivi asked, "You want in on this?"

"Oh, I wouldn't miss it," Delia purred, biting her lip as color rose to her cheeks. The sparkle in her eyes had turned molten, and Brandy caught the faint tremble of excitement that didn't match the playful tone.

Vivienne might be the loud threat, and the Casino had its mysteries, but when it came to the heist, Delia was going to be the real danger, and Brandy had the feeling it was going to be her job to deal with that.