Natalia looked at the Hive badge in her hand with a small smile. That was two badges down now, it seemed like things were going rather smoothly. So hadn't run into any problems because she wasn't home, no one knew her here, it was a fresh start. It felt kind of nice, and she almost felt herself returning to the carefree girl of her youth. She stopped walking and frowned however. Something was wrong. Something was still missing... But what...? Before she could contemplate the idea any more, an angry yell came from Kurt's house. Confused, she walked over and slowly opened the door, not liking what she found inside. Kurt was pinned up against the wall by his throat, being choked by some punk. "F-Fey!" Kurt choked out. In one swift movement, Natalia jumped up behind the boy, gave him a sharp blow to the head, and knocked him out cold. He grunted from surprise and slumped to the floor, releasing Kurt from his grasp. The old Pokeball maker gasped and leaned against the wall, continuing to drink in the crisp wonderful air. "Fey, thank you thank you thank you..." He wheezed, glaring at Kane and shaking his head. "I think he was a part of that Void bunch; he was looking for you." Natalia glanced down at the culprit, taking a better look, and the staggering back in surprise. "Oh... Oh no..." She shook slightly, looking him over again to make sure. "That's... That's my friend Kane..." She muttered in horror and awe. "Oh... So he was telling the truth..." Kurt said, ashamed at his mistrust. "No, no it's fine, I would have been suspicious too... But this isn't good." She said, somewhat panicking. "It's alright, I'm sure he'll wake up eventually." Kurt reassured her. However, Natalia wasn't worried about Kane, she knew he would be fine, instead she found herself torn again between her best friend, and needing to escape any memory of her past life. She couldn't have Kane tagging along, if they were caught then he would be thrown in jail with her or worse. Plus the two of them together was all too obvious for anyone who knew Natalia or Kane. There were too many factors here, and it hurt in more ways than one. "Kurt... Do me a favor and hide for a few days. I'll call you when the coast is clear." She suggested, standing and hoisting Kanes limp body over her shoulder. "Wh-what?" Kurt asked, astonished. "I cant have him here, I can't have him following me, and I can't have him knowing where I am, much less following me. I don't want him coming after you for information again." She said numbly, thinking hard. "Okay... If you say so. I won't push you for information you don't want to give." Kurt said reluctantly, and beginning to pack his things. Natalia took a sheet of paper and a pencil, scrawling a note quickly and exiting the house and heading towards the slowpoke well. Carefully, she climbed down, Kane's body in tow, and walked deep into the heart of the well. Once she felt that she was deep enough she set Kane down as gently as possible, laying the note down on a nearby rock. Then, she stood there, frozen in time. Oh how she wanted to talk to him, hug him, catch up on what Pokemon they each had, how Zander was doing... But she couldn't. Not now. She knelt down in front of him, on the verge of tears. He had come so far looking for her, but he didn't know that Natalia could no longer exist for both of their sakes. She had to be Fey now, and Fey didn't know who Kane was. Hesitating for a split second, she decided that, for now, she could be Natalia again. She wrapped her arms around him, squeezing tight, and kissed his cheek. She missed him so much, and she knew she would regret giving in later, but she never really got to say goodbye... After a few more seconds, she let go, and headed out, never looking back.
When Natalia reached the Pokemon center, Eve was waiting for her near the front, twitching her tail irritably. 'I can't believe you.' She huffed, and Natalie looked rather bewildered. "Im... Sorry? I fail to see what I've done wrong here..." She stated truthfully. 'You're really just going to run away from him like that? You aren't going to stay with him? You can't be serious. That boy has been looking all over creation for you and you know it.' Eve seemed to scold, standing up and walking past Natalia without looking at her. "Eve! Don't you dare guilt me into this! Or have you completely forgotten why we even came here?" Natalia tried to defend herself, but Eve continued to ignore her. At least she seemed back to her old self. 'Yes yes I know very well why we came here, but I don't see why Kane can't come with us. You think you're saving him but you're the only thing he has going for him right now.' She said, telepathy sounding more sad. "Well he needs to learn to live without me. I ruined everything and aim not taking him down with me. He still has a chance Eve... I'm not going to ruin that too." She said sadly. As true as her words may have been, they still hurt. She glanced down at the floor and sighed. 'Then why didn't you leave me?' Eve asked, sounding ominous. "What? Why would I leave you?!" Natalia asked, taken a back. 'You're trying to escape your past aren't you? Why not leave me? I would say I'm a pretty big factor. Don't I have a better future without you too? It's the same logic.' She explained, sharp, wise eyes pricing Natalia's. "Eve, you're different... You're a Pokemon, not a person. If I'm caught, and tried, and thrown in jail, they will just release you into the wild. If I'm caught with Kane, he will be thrown in jail too. You don't have a different future either way, it's either I release all of you now, or release you later... I want to keep some of my friends at least...It's hard enough letting Kane go... I can't... I don't know what I'd do without you too." She said sadly sinking slowly to the ground. Eve gave a small sigh of pity and circled her trainer, rubbing her cheeks up against her. 'There there dear... I'm sorry for being frustrated... I just can't understand your logic... If I feel the same way Kane does then he wouldn't care if he was put in jail for the rest of his life as long as he got to travel with you... Plus I doubt that even if you two were discovered that anyone could catch you.' She chuckled halfheartedly. Natalia gave a weak smile and nodded. "You may be right... But I just... I don't want to... I don't know Eve...!" She rubbed her temples and stared at the floor. "I don't know what the future holds, I don't know what I'm going to do, I don't know what's best! I just-!" Grace suddenly waddled out from Eves room and tapped Natalia on the shoulder. Natalia had left her there to watch over the Espeon while she went to get her gym badge. Now she was more thankful for what she did, she probably wouldn't have been able to handle the Arriados with Grace in her arms. Natalia turned and picked the baby Pokemon up and tucked the blanket, Grace chirping happily in response. 'Come come... Let's go dear.' Eve suggested, ushering Natalia out the door.
The Ilex forest wasn't as bad as the first time through, since Natalia had wondered all over it trying to find Grace she had gotten a good feel for it. However, she hadn't expected to see the strange Kimono girl near the end. She walked around too and fro, looking rather lost; mumbling to herself. "Kimono Gil, kimono girl... Lost and all alone... Poor girl lost in the dark Ilex forest..." She said in a singsong tone, twirling slightly at the end. "Excuse me ma'am..." Natalia said quietly, and the woman stopped to look at her. "Didn't I SE you in Violet City...?" She asked, and the woman looked at her inquisitively. "Oooh no, I don't think so. You must be imagining~" The strange kimono dancer suggested with a giggle, twirling again. "But I am lost, could you show me out of this forest?" Natalia was sure that this girl had been in Violet city, but she did seem a little different than the last. Maybe Kimono dancers were just a common sight in this region and she had to get used to it. "Sure miss, we were just on our way out as well." Natalia said with a small, somewhat forced smile. Grace suddenly began to chirp and squirm, jumping out of Natalia's arms and onto the ground, seeming to want to lead the way. "Oh~ Will you help me little one?" The woman asked with a pleased smile. Grace chirped affirmatively and began to head forward, pointing to the exit and chirping some more. "Oh! What a smart Pokemon! Thank you little one~" The woman said appreciatively and made her way to the end of the forest. Grace waddled back over to Natalia, who gladly picked her up and cuddled her. "You're such a sweet girl..." She giggled, nuzzling the Togepi, and heading towards the exit as well. Route 34 was surprisingly beautiful. Lots of grass, fresh water, the smell of rain. Lovely by all of Natalia's standards. Before she could enjoy the scene any more however, her phone rang; It was Kurt. She answered, though somewhat worried, to see why he was calling so soon. Apparently, he had escaped well, hiding away for a bit, but he realized he forgot his medication, and had to make his way back to the house. He reassured her that everything was fine and he was okay, but he called because a note had been left by Kane on the door, most likely in response to her own. It read;
Either you're more closely involved than you'd like me to think, or you're just nosy. If the latter is the case, then you should stay out of my life. If it's the former, then I'm afraid trouble will find me anywhere. May as well have it serve a purpose. -Kane
Natalia sighed and thanked Kurt for the information, suggesting that he remained in hiding for one more day but that should be enough. However, as soon as she closed the phone, she realized that this note meant that Kane was awake, and could be moving through Ilex right at that moment. Sure he wasn't as familiar with it as she was, but that didn't mean he wasn't close. Quickly she ran to the nearest building she could find and calmly made her way inside. An old woman sat on the other side of the room behind a counter. "Hello dearie~ How can I help you?" She asked kindly. "Oh um... Sorry ma'am, I didn't read the sign outside... What is this place...?" Natalia asked, walking up to the counter, feeling bad and willing to buy something in compensation for probably getting the lady's' hopes up. "Ha! Oh my dear sweet girl, this is just a small Pokemon daycare center run by my husband and I for Pokemon like that little baby you have in your arms there." She smiled at Grace warmly, making little notices and waving her finger around as Grace tried to grab it. "O-oh! What a nice establishment...!" Natalia said with a forced smile. It really was nice but she didn't want to leave her Pokemon here, she preferred to have them with her, but she didn't want to waste the lady's time. However, the daycare woman simply smiled up at her. "You're one of those trainers who likes to raise Pokemon yourself aren't you? I can tell you're conflicted at the moment." She chuckled. "Is it that obvious?" Natalia asked, relaxing a bit and laughing. "You don't owe me anything dear, good company is just as nice." The woman reassured her, making Natalia feel much better. "Could I hold her for a bit? She's such a cute little thing~ What's her name?" She asked, motioning to Grace. Natalia nodded and set Grace down on the counter, letting her waddle over and play with the woman. "Grace... Her name is Grace." Natalia said quietly. "Oh, I see~ What a lovely name. And who is that behind you hmm? She's much older than this one." The woman asked, looking over at Eve. "That's Eve, my Espeon. You're right, she's been with me much longer." Natalia suggested with a smile. "Eve eh? I like your nicknames, they are fitting and pretty, not a lot of trainers put so much thought into their names. Anyways, I've kept you long enough dear, go ahead and make your way into Goldenrod, that's where you want to be, not this old place." The woman chuckled, and Natalia nodded, thankful for the woman's kindness. "Oh, and in case you ever change your mind..." The woman put a number into Natalia's PTS. "Give us a call. We'll be happy to take care of your Pokemon. Now go on, go on your adventure." She smiled, waving Natalia off. "Th-thank you ma'am!" She said happily, walking out.
