I figured that updating only one chapter a week would make it drag on for too long...

Have another chapter, because I'm sure someone likes it...

That, and, I'm now manually editing it via the FF-net manager.

4. Outside

"Alright, and we're done here." The morning ritual of Nurse Joy seeing to my fore leg became less of a chore, and more of a routine. "Everything seems right on track. Feel free to move around a bit, try walking on it, but only walk. Don't run." She was trying to sound intimidating, but it just didn't come through in her voice. "The last thing you want is to re-open that wound and cause you to stay here for another few days."

That certainly got my attention. "When am I to be released?" I asked, watching the Lucario's eyes light up as usual.

"Shay said he'd come by at around three, but even then you need to choose your pokéball."

"When is three?"

Nurse Joy was almost taken aback from my comment, shaking her head once before focusing back on me. "One thing you will learn quickly amongst us is the concept of time. Three is early afternoon, so if you have chosen a ball before midday, then you'll be free to go."

I glanced back at the two orbs once more, their presence almost taunting me into surrendering my freedom. "How do I choose one?"

"Well, since Shay at least turned them on, all you have to do is tap one of them, and it will take you in. But don't fight it, I understand it's your instinct to avoid capture, but if you break free by force, then you'll destroy the pokéball." Nurse Joy paused and glanced back at the Lucario. "Any suggestions?"

"It's an odd sensation." Lucario spoke, her voice quite soothing when she's not threatening me. "Being held within a pokéball for the first time. It's hard to explain, and every pokémon that I've spoken to experiences it differently. Just don't panic, you'll know when you can free yourself."

"How will I know?"

"You'll know, trust me. If you want to free yourself again, just wish to be out, and it'll happen."

I opened my maw to ask more, before Joy started up again. "I think the safest way to ensure the capture succeeds is to just try and sleep. That's what we get our expectant mothers to do when their eggs hatch." She fell into a small fit of giggles at that, I just looked at her with confusion.

"Is that everything then?" I asked, sitting down once more. "I can walk around this room now though?"

"Oh, yes! Certainly." Joy reached towards the wall that connected with my bed, causing it to shift and slowly lower towards the ground. "This should mean that you don't have to jump up so high." I glanced over the edge, noticing the floor much closer than before. "There. Feel free to walk around the room as much as you like. Just be careful walking around the halls, as there are a lot of trainers around who would like nothing more than to take you."

"You let pokémon stealing trainers inside?"

"Not intentionally, but it is not my position to judge. If their pokémon are injured, I do everything in my power to heal them. What happens outside these walls is none of my concern. A pokémon is a pokémon, misguided trainer or not. Unless they try to harm anyone inside the centre, that's when Lucario here starts defending pokémon."

"So is Shay one of them?"

"One of who? Misgui- No, and that is something I made sure of myself. When Shay came in carrying you in his arms I had a lot of questions for him." Joy kneeled down so she was back to being eye-level with me. "If it weren't for his history I wouldn't of even given him a second thought when it came to taking care of you. I haven't seen an Absol with a trainer for years, let alone a wild one. At least I now know how to approach one if another miraculously comes along."

I recoiled slightly, if it weren't for his history? "So you're trusting me with him after he lost almost all of his pokémon?"

"That wasn't a point in his favour, but he works in a different industry now, so the threat to your life is nonexistent."

I growled for a moment. "So that means I won't battle again?"

That gave Nurse Joy pause, glancing back to Lucario who only nodded in return. "I don't know, Shay has already completed his Sinnoh gym challenge, he might consider doing so again to compete in the Sinnoh League, but I don't know. You'll have to ask him that."

I suppose I can't fault her for not knowing that. "Just one more question. Why am I so special? Why not other pokémon who live up on the mountain?"

"That one, I can answer. It's because every other species of pokémon who live on the mountain can be found elsewhere in Sinnoh, and simply relocated up there after an adjustment period. But Absol are so rare in Sinnoh that your kind only live atop the mountain." Nurse Joy stood upright, playing with one of the loops in her hair as she did so. "Of course, we could send word to Hoenn, Unova or Kalos. But in Sinnoh, Absol have adapted to survive the cold. So until there is no hope left, we'll keep trying with as many Ditto we can get." Joy walked back to the entrance of the room. "Is there anything else?" I shook my head, then looked back at the Lucario, who was now eye-level with me. "Excellent. Chansey should be in with breakfast shortly. And please, take it easy on that leg."

Before I even had time to stand, a cart stopped outside the door and a Chansey waddled in with a bowl in each arm. A cheery greeting later and once more I was left alone to my food.

I dragged the food bowl towards the back side of the bed, between the two pokéballs left for me. I don't know why Shay let me choose. It's not like I really wanted to, nor would it matter to me because I wouldn't see them from the inside.

Could I see what colour the ball was from the inside?

I guess there was only one way to find out.

Continuing to eat my food, I glanced between the different coloured orbs. I finished the rest of the food in the bowl and stood up, stretching out my hind legs for the first time in what felt like eternity. I stepped down off the side of the bed, inspecting the dark sphere further. It looked nice, I guess. But there were too many different colours. The black sort of shifted to grey when directly in the sunlight. The red stripes were bordered by yellow and white. It just looked like a mess.

But the white ball. It was plain, it was simple. It matched my fur perfectly and the crimson stripe matched my eyes. It really did fit, and would-

Do…

It would do.

I paced around the bed slowly, reminding my limbs how to walk after such a long time off my paws. I still couldn't leave my right foreleg on the ground for long, and it couldn't support much weight. But my fur had grown back enough to hide the gash and my claws were beginning to grow back. Who knows, after several more days I would be back to how I used to look. That would be a good day indeed.

I walked in circles for a while, pacing back and forth, occasionally stretching my limbs as each one remembered how to function. Eventually, my right foreleg began to ache, and remembering Nurse Joy's warning I stepped back onto the bed. The last thing I wanted to do was spend an even longer time trapped in here.

Instead I get to start the rest of my life trapped in there. I thought, staring at the white orb.

Thinking of anything else I'd want to do, I tried to see through to the outside world again, spotting nothing but a cloudless sky. It would be a beautiful day outside.

I couldn't wait to feel the sun again.

Sitting back down, I gave myself a once over, cleaning my fur and straightening out any clumped fur knots. That would take me a while.

And it felt like a while. Or at least I thought it did. The sky certainly didn't look any darker when I finished. And those two orbs wouldn't stop staring at me. I sighed heavily, having run out of things to occupy myself with before the inevitable.

The moment I became a trainer's pokémon.

I stepped up to the unblemished surface, staring at it as I would a combatant. "Just tap it, don't panic, and wait." I said to myself quietly. "Just tap it, don't panic, and wait." I repeated, reaching forward with my injured paw. "Just tap it." I pressed down on the top of the orb and pulled my paw back, wedging my eyes shut in anticipation.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Nothing? It didn't work! I opened my eyes to see the white orb sitting slightly crooked against the bed. Why didn't it work? All they said I had to do was-

I paused for a moment. No, that wasn't how Nion entered his. He poked it with his nose. Would I have to do that too?

I took a deep breath. Alright, let's try again.

Pushing my head forward, I scooted closer to the sphere. Putting myself into a prone position, I pressed onto the top of the sphere with my nose, only for the pokéball to spring open and envelop me in the bright red energy. I stared into the impossibly black recesses of the white ball, only to be sucked inside with a cry of shock.

Everything was dark. Like it was the middle of the night during the coldest season, yet it felt like I was sitting beside a roaring fire, like my father used to make. I never learned that skill, not that I'd need it-

Focus!

As Nion had described, I felt pressed upon from every direction, it took all my willpower to not fight against it, I went to stretch my left foreleg out, only to feel like I tore through whatever was holding me in place.

Don't panic.

It was pitch black, darker than the heaviest storms, warmer than the noonday sun, tighter than being covered in a pile of snow. I wedged my eyes shut, curling into the tightest ball I could.

And I tried to sleep. Remembering Nurse Joy's recommendation I tried to ignore any sensation that flew across me with no passing thought. Just, rest. And it's the better of two evils.

I felt the world shake around me, the pitch black of the night surrounding me. There was a flash of light across my eyes. Was it all a dream? Was I just asleep through a disastrous storm? No, I would've felt it, I would've-

Another light shake, and the light returned. I stared at the source of the light, finding the light almost blinding.

"I can't believe she wants to come with me." I heard a voice, Shay. The huma- My… My trainer's…

"I don't know why you sound so surprised." Nurse Joy's shrill tone pierced through the darkness. "She wanted to know as much as she could about you earlier today."

"Really?" He questioned, as my view spun around and stared at Shay's face. "I hope she likes the name I chose for her."

That was it! I wasn't dreaming, everything had just begun. I had to get out. I didn't want to be here!

"I can't believe she's in here. I expected her to hate the thing." Shay must've been holding my ball, as I spun around again, this time staring at Nion standing on the ground.

"Well, Lucario here tried to explain how it felt earlier, but I gave her the advice I give all newly hatched pokémon. Sleep through it."

"Oh, so you mean she might be asleep?"

"Not anymore." I heard Lucario say. "We can hear everything inside a pokéball."

"Oh," I pulled myself towards the opening, desperately trying to remember how Lucario said to release myself. "Then I might just let her out now." My view spun around quickly, facing several other humans in a long room. "Come on out Luyo."

My vision was blocked for a moment as I scrambled towards the opening. He better not be-

A bright flash later, and I found myself sprawled across the cold floor. It felt like I was laying on a patch of ice! I skittered to my feet, failing to find purchase on my claw-less foreleg.

Nion and Lucario both chuckled lightly, as both humans looked worried that I'd hurt myself further. "How are you feeling Luyo?" Shay asked.

Luyo? "Who's Luyo?" I asked, glancing to the Lucario, whose eyes weren't glowing for once.

"You are." Nion spoke, stepping towards me slowly. "That's what Shay named you, at least."

"Don't I get a say in the matter?"

"I never got a say in mine. And probably any other pokémon you ask too." Nion sat down and glanced back towards the Lucario, nodding at her. I watched the Lucario's eyes glow once more. "Is it time to go Shay?"

He nodded once and pointed towards the exit to outside. "It certainly is. Just remember to take it easy."

"Wait, Don't I get a say in my-" I glanced back at the Lucario to see her eyes lacking the familiar blue glow.

"Nope, you don't. Good luck Luyo, and we hope your visits here are infrequent." A devilish smirk wrapped across her. Leaving me to growl in response, before following Nion outside.

I heard a faint goodbye from Nurse Joy as I stepped out onto the hard grey stone outside.

Thankfully the sun was still high in the sky, I turned my face skyward enjoying the immense warmth washing across my form. It was good to be outside again. But that sun was more pleasurable than a freshly caught meal.

"Are you coming Luyo?" Shay asked, I growled at the name, pulling my gaze back to the ground, finding Shay and Nion several steps ahead of me. "We've got to go about three blocks to get home, so it won't take us long. If you get tired, just ask and I'll give you a rest in the ball."

I walked as strongly as I could up to the two, glaring at Shay as I did. "No way am I going back in there."

"But you would've been in there for almost four hours according to Nuse Joy." Nion said, starting to walk beside me as I continued on. "It mustn't have been that bad, was it?"

"I fell asleep because it was the best advice they gave me. Lucario said almost nothing when it came to what it's like inside them. And your description was hardly useful." I felt the pain of each step shoot through my right foreleg. "But trying to get out was impossible. I didn't stay there by choice."

"And you didn't think of testing what it felt like on the other ball?"

"I didn't want to be trapped with that stupid multicolour mess attached to me."

Nion chuckled a bit. "Apparently each ball feels different on the inside, so unless Shay left you with a regular pokéball, I couldn't tell you what it would be like."

"Will I be spending much time inside the ball?"

"Unless you do something Shay doesn't like, you'll never see it again." I let out a sigh of relief. "Unless he goes on holiday again, in which case they don't allow pokémon out inside planes." I wanted to question what planes were, but refused to think about being trapped inside one of those balls again.

Nion stopped walking as we neared the edge of the grey stone, giving way to a darker ground with white lines on it. I watched as what I could only describe as metal boxes flew past the three of us. Eventually, they stopped just before one of the white lines, as Nion started walking forward again. I hobbled forward, skipping a few steps to catch up with the Luxray again.

My foreleg was aching with every step, I haven't felt as much pain from just walking since the battle against that trainer's Rhydon. At least my hind legs were pain free. Thankfully.

We walked along in silence, Nion beside me with Shay watching over the two of us. Several times there were humans who'd stared at me, one shorter woman in particular had to rub her eyes before tugging at another human and pointing at me.

I was starting to believe everything Nurse Joy had told me in only the short walk we'd been taking.

After walking across another piece of black path, and turning around a corner did I finally give out. I slowed my pace, limping along on my three good legs, until coming to a stop in the shade of a narrow path between two particularly large pillars.

"Luyo? Are you alright?" Shay asked, kneeling down before me reaching into the pouch around his back, pulling out the pure white ball I'd been stuck in earlier. "I can put you-"

"No!" I shouted, coming close to swiping at his hand if only to maintain my balance and keep Nion from threatening me again. "Just give me some time." I said out of ignorance that he couldn't understand me.

Shay remained before me, and put away the ball as if he understood my objections. "Well, the sooner we get home, the sooner you can rest. Would it be okay for me to carry you?"

I glanced up at Shay, then back to Nion as he'd sat down beside his trainer.

Our trainer.

"How much further to go is it?" I asked Nion, Shay immediately turning to face the Luxray.

"Not far. We have to cross the road twice down there," Nion motioned in the direction we were heading. "Then maybe another minute or two walking."

I groaned at the thought. Nurse Joy's talk on human conventions rearing it's head back once more. "Alright, fine. Let's get this over with." I pushed myself back to a standing position, doing everything to keep the weight off my foreleg. As I hopped around Shay and back down the path, I noticed Nion limping slightly, although his hind leg was no longer bandaged. "Why are you limping?" I asked him, trying to divert my attention from my own injury.

"Because when you fell, I caught you." Nion said almost proudly, removing any grimace from his visage at the thought. "Falling that far onto solid stone would've certainly killed you, so I leapt up to catch you, only to misjudge the landing, and smash my leg against the stone." His grin fading almost immediately upon his next painful step. "Nurse Joy said it should've healed by now, but I haven't taken it easy the past week. Gotta keep training."

The way he said it gave me pause. "How long has it been?"

"Since what?"

"Since the mountain? Since you attacked me?"

We reached the cross of the black paths, I enjoyed the rest, short though it would be. "It's been nine days since then. I don't know how Shay got you down the mountain, or how you survived the ordeal itself." We started walking again across to the other side, stopping immediately.

Nine days? It's been nine sunsets since they found me? How had I been asleep for that long? I pushed myself onwards, growling in pain as I remained beside Nion. Eventually Nion slowed his pace, entering one of the many identical human-made pillars surrounding us.

"Come on Luyo, this is it, we're home."

Yay! She gets a name!

See you next week for another pair of chapters...