Chapter Ten – Like Clockwork

"You know, we need to set some ground rules," Nate announced the following morning from where he currently sat on his sofa. I woke him up earlier than he expected, and apparently he wasn't the least bit a morning person. This amused me greatly considering the fact that he usually looked like he rolled out of bed, what with his hair and all. Apparently this was his trademark. "First off… it should be at least ten before we get on the road. Secondly, you can't keep this super grouchy attitude up. I'll be miserable."

I rolled my eyes, watching as he downed his second cup of coffee. The light of the television flickered in his tired eyes, half-opened as he placed his mug back on the coffee table. The sun barely peeked in through the closed curtains, just now rising into the sky. I had to admit, this was a little early even for me.

Still, I couldn't believe that he thought that we needed to set some ground rules, and that he would be the one who was miserable, when I had invited him to tag along with me. Sure, this was his house—his really nice house with two guest rooms, a bathroom with a hot tub, and a high-definition television larger than my kitchen table—but he was coming with me. He didn't have to volunteer himself for this.

Despite this, I had to admit that he was, at the very least, helpful due to his familiarity with this region. Even though I didn't have the slightest clue where in the world to turn in regards to May's latest hint, Nate was quick with an answer.

"That's obvious," he sighed at me once I finally gave in and let him see the letter. "'The clock keeps ticking along. They say not to break tradition here and build up their walls too tall.' Clearly she's talking about Lacunosa Town. They're obsessed with their traditions and refuse to give any of them up."

Lacunosa Town? I had never even heard of it before. How did May pick that as a spot to hide her letter? What was the significance of this place?

"Why?"

"There's a legend there that says that long ago, a monster arrived on the outskirts of their village and terrorized the people at night. People and Pokémon would vanish all the time, and they were said to have been eaten by the monster. So, the elders of the town decreed that they would build a wall to protect everyone, and no one was allowed to leave their homes at night." Nate laughed darkly, and though it was clear that he didn't believe the legend, he certainly enjoyed it. "Of course, when I asked some of the villagers about it, they told me they didn't believe that legend for a second. They still follow their traditions, though. They're too scared to change."

It did seem, then, that Lacunosa was the town of which May wrote in her clue. There was no way that I, in a million years, would have gotten a clue like that, so I had to be at least a little grateful to Nate. I didn't particularly like it—and it really didn't help my attitude any—but having Nate around could actually turn out to be a good thing.

I just wouldn't ever let him know it.

"To what grouchy attitude are you referring?" I asked as I bit into a piece of toast, the only food that he had in his house—despite all of his luxuries, apparently he didn't place much importance on actually living. According to him, he was fine with just a cup (or two or three or ten) of coffee in the morning, and they made him all of his meals at the studio in the afternoon and night.

"I've seen you smile. I know you can do it," Nate responded, completely ignoring the main point of my question. "Didn't you have fun at the tournament at the PWT? And, what, did you feel guilty about it or something?"

A piece of the crust of my toast dropped to the ground, and though Nate eyed it, neither of us made a motion to pick it up. "Not guilty," I muttered in between bites, more crumbs dropping to his beige-colored carpet.

"Aha, I see." Nate finally stood up from the couch and scooped the crumbs up from the ground, and he dumped them into his empty coffee mug. "You just don't think that you have a right to be happy while May is making a fool of herself in front of audiences everywhere, is that it? If you ask me, that's a load of bullshit."

I raised my eyebrows at his language, but he just picked up his coffee mug and shrugged at me before disappearing into the kitchen. Helpful, I reminded myself angrily, disappearing down the hallway to go wash my face off in the bathroom. Helpful, but he's still a pain in my ass.

But even I could admit that he was far more perceptive than most people probably gave him credit for, even as the Champion and hero of Unova. Even without ever seeing any of his movies, I had a feeling that he always played the same type of role: a brawny hero, far stronger physically than he was wise. Really, though, that seemed very uncharacteristic of him. He was, in actuality, far wiser than he was strong.

And I didn't deny that he was right. May was out there making herself look like a villain, when really she was still the hero here. She could say that it was me, that I was the one with the brilliant scheme to donate to charity. But it was all her—she just set it up so it looked like me. And even if I told everyone that she was lying, no one would believe me, anyway.

It wasn't that I didn't want to be happy. I did. Who didn't want to be happy? And I really did have a great time battling at the PWT during the past few days. That was the happiest I had been in a long time. Clearly I was capable of being happy. It was just a different thing altogether to actually stay happy during this trial.

And why should I be happy that May was making herself into a monster?

I had just splashed water on my face—and all over the bathroom floor, not the least bit in a graceful manner like on those commercials that I occasionally saw on television—when Nate shouted, "Uh, Steven… you might want to come look at the news!"

Grabbing one of his hand towels, I patted my face dry as I walked back out to the living room, where Nate had returned to his spot on the couch. He gestured to the screen, and I stood beside where he sat to watch the screen.

The screen was split down the middle, a woman on the right and a man on the left. The woman was in the middle of talking about something with a very somber expression, and the man in the frame beside her kept nodding.

"—very mixed opinions about the film, isn't that right, Mark?" the woman finished, and the man—Mark, apparently—nodded yet again.

"That's right, Diana. Some fans of Hoenn's missing Champion are in an outrage over the way that she was portrayed in the film. According to the president of the Pokémon Fan Club in Hoenn, 'It is entirely inappropriate for that film to have been shown. It is disrespectful to our missing Champion, and it portrays her in a way that does not reflect her true character. May has been, and always will be, an advocate for Pokémon and people alike.'"

The words flashed on the screen as Mark spoke, a small picture of May to the side. It was the same picture always shown whenever they talked about May, and I rolled my eyes. So, news about the movie had already gotten out to Hoenn, had it? No doubt Stu was planning on sending it to the rest of the country for everyone to see.

"Others are impressed by the message that the film shows and by the fact that all of the proceeds from the movie go to charity. A message from Mr. Stu Deeoh says that all of the money collected will go to the Soup Kitchens throughout the country and to Pokémon Palace. Steven Stone, May's predecessor, apparently arranged for these donations to happen," Mark continued, and I sat down beside Nate at the sound of my name.

A picture of me with Stu at last night's premier now showed on the screen, a completely candid shot in which I looked completely and utterly confused. That was surprisingly accurate. It must have been taken right after Stu pulled me up onto the podium with him. I could see Nate's mop of hair sticking out from the sea of people in front of us.

But with that one picture—with that one mention of my name—my cover was completely blown.

The video of Mark and Diana returned to the screen, and the woman had abandoned her somber expression for a smile worthy of a news anchor. "Well, one thing is for certain, Mark. I think people are going to be flocking to see this movie once it premiers in the other regions next week. The proceeds go to a great cause, and there is certainly mystery surrounding the accuracy of the footage. A lot of people are going to show up for this movie."

"You're absolutely correct, and that just helps those charities out a lot more. So, I would say, if you have the chance to go, definitely go. It is going—"

The television faded to black, and I jumped in surprise. Nate lowered the remote back onto the coffee table, and in a moment of panic I grabbed his shirt in one hand and curled my other into a fist. His eyes were wide for a moment, but as I realized what I was doing, as clarity set back in, I let him go and put my hands back on my lap.

"Sorry," I said, and though I expected Nate to get up or maybe consider punching me before I could take a swing at him, he just smiled.

"I thought when it came on that it was a good idea to let you know, but I guess it wasn't," he replied cheerfully, and I nodded. "You probably need as few references to May as possible, and I don't really think that was helpful."

The sudden burst of music made us both jump, and we both glanced around desperately for the source. When I pulled my PokéNav from my pocket and saw that it was my phone ringing—and noticed who was calling—I nearly threw it against the wall. But then I remembered that this wasn't actually my house.

"Sir?" I said upon answering the phone, rising from the couch and walking into the kitchen.

"Stone!" Jameson's voice boomed in the speaker, and I held it away from my ear. He certainly didn't waste any time. "What did I specifically tell you, Stone? What did I ask you not to do that you clearly did anyway?"

"Yes, sir, I know, but—"

"You look very suspicious right now, Steven, very suspicious. All of a sudden this video with 'never-before-seen' footage of May turns up in Unova, and right when it shows up, Steven Stone is there, too! And not only that—the movie apparently shows that May is not the philanthropist that everyone thought she was. So, what happens? Steven Stone sends all the proceeds to charities."

"Yes, but—"

"Stone, you need to return to Hoenn right this minute."

I sighed, sitting down at Nate's kitchen table. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Jameson. I realize that it probably looks really bad for me. I admit that I did leave Hoenn against your orders, but there were extenuating circumstances—the details of which I cannot divulge—that forced me to leave. And I was sort of forced into the whole donation thing…"

"I cannot keep taking your word," Jameson warned me, and I held my breath for a moment. I knew it looked suspicious, but what was I supposed to do? Turn around and quit now? Like Nate said, I had already broken half the rules of this game—of this life—so what was stopping me from breaking the rest? It was time to go full force.

So, I lowered the PokéNav from my ear and clicked it off, hanging up on the chief. It was only after it was too late that thoughts of regret passed through my mind. Shit, did I really just do that? Jameson had been giving me the benefit of the doubt up until this point, but there was no turning back now.

Unless I found May, there was no way that I prove my innocence at this point. I just had to keep going.

"Congratulations," I told Nate as I walked out of the kitchen and back into his living room. I waved my PokéNav at him, a stupid grin on my face. "You are now about to travel with a fugitive."

"What the hell did you do?" Nate demanded, although it wasn't so desperate to sound afraid. He sounded more amused than anything, as if he sort of expected that I would be some kind of criminal. His faith in me was astounding. "Oh, wait, let me guess. You're probably being targeted as May's kidnapper or something." When I nodded, he laughed, jumping off the couch. "This is like a bad soap opera."

"I wish. Unfortunately, I don't know how long I'll be able to evade the law. The police chief believes me… at least, I think he does. But I have a feeling that other people are starting to piece some of the evidence together that points towards me, and there's only so much that Jameson can ignore." I turned the PokéNav between my fingers, waiting for Jameson to call back. Part of me hoped he would, but I had a feeling our conversation was done.

"Then I guess we better get this show on the road."

Nate managed to get his act together and get moving, and within the hour we were soaring on our Pokémon towards Lacunosa. It was actually nice to not have to talk with him while we flew, but he had been a good distraction from everything else going on. But I kept catching his eye every now and again, and judging by the way he kept looking at me, his eyes a little glazed over, it was obvious that he was worried about everything.

Deep down, I really wanted to hate Nate, seeing as how much he reminded me of May. He was the one who said that I needed as few references to May as possible, but he was a walking and talking reference. Maybe he wasn't as perceptive as I thought if he hadn't realized that yet.

Darkness seemed to be our only problem as we flew. Lacunosa was on the other side of the region, a day-long journey. Even though we left early in the morning, the sun had already begun to set on us as we neared the town. If the stories were true and these villagers really did stick to their traditions, then no one would be happy about us visiting the town at night.

The journey had been too long to push our Pokémon any harder, though, and, in fact, both my Skarmory and Nate's Braviary slowed down as they reached their limits. We dropped in altitude, but just as we sunk through the sky, I could see the massive square outline of the wall, a town hidden in the darkness in between. We had no choice but to go there now, even as the moon completely overtook the sun.

We landed in the middle of the street—at least, I thought we did. Even though it was probably only seven o'clock or so, all of the lights had been extinguished along the road. None of the homes had any lights on, or, if they did, the curtains were strong barriers and did not let any light sneak through the cracks. The only light Nate and I had now was the natural light of the moon, not quite strong enough to help us find somewhere to go.

And certainly not strong enough to allow us to search blindly for a letter hidden somewhere in this town.

"Now what?" I asked Nate, and it was actually nice to have someone to whom I could ask that now. Somehow, being at the end of a road seemed a little better when I wasn't alone. But, judging by Nate's blank expression, he clearly held no answers for me. So, maybe it wasn't any better being with someone now.

"Well, they completely shut the town down at night. We might be able to get into the Pokémon Center or something, though," Nate suggested, and I nodded. That was good enough for me. I was used to staying in Centers at night from my days as a traveling trainer, and I was sure that—even though Nate appeared to live a life of luxury now—he was not unfamiliar with it, either.

"That sounds—"

"Hey," a voice hissed through the night, one that did not belong to myself nor to Nate. We glanced at each other before searching for the owner of the voice in the darkness. My eyes had adjusted enough that the forms of building rose in the moonlight, and I could see a face peek through the black of an open door.

Nate and I walked towards him, not because it was a particularly wise idea but because we really didn't have any other choice. He had seen us, we had seen him, and in the halcyon night, I didn't think he was going to cause any trouble. And judging by his rather petrified expression, he was clearly more scared of us than we were of him.

"What are you doing out in the streets at this time of night?" the man demanded, and Nate and I exchanged looks again. This time of night? Seven? "It is illegal to wander the streets at night, young men. Though, it appears you must be travelers… why don't you come in? I can give you a place to stay for the night if you'd like."

I held up my hands to refuse, but Nate shouted, "Sure! Thanks a bunch!" before I could say anything. I narrowed my eyes at him, but he was already walking in through the doorway.

The house was as dark inside as it had been outside, and I felt a bit of panic as the door clicked shut behind us. I could hear the man struggling for a moment, and a light eventually flickered on. The first thing I noticed was that the window curtains were not curtains at all, but panels of solid plaster that fit perfectly over the frame. No wonder we couldn't see any light from the houses.

The room itself was nice, though. I imagined that through the years of living within the same families and homes, most of the people of Lacunosa had built up a pretty hefty fortune. The décor of the house was not simple; it was a little ostentatious despite the muted colors and open spaces, with a fine leather sofa and massive television even bigger than Nate's. Even though Lacunosa stuck to traditions, they were clearly not above keeping up with technology.

"Hey!" the man exclaimed in a hissing whisper. "I saw you on the news earlier today!"

"Oh," I said, and he was clearly disappointed that my reaction to this was not better. "Fancy that."

Nate chuckled quietly from the other side of the room where he was looking at the biggest computer monitor I had ever seen. The man who invited us into his home, however, didn't look particularly concerned that Nate was poking around the room. He was scrutinizing me, his eyes hard on mine.

"By any chance…" he began slowly, rubbing his stubbly chin. "You wouldn't be the Adventurer, would you?"

Author's Note: I think this is the beginning of a beautiful bromance. (Nate is a little puppy that just wants to play, and Steven is the older dog who just doesn't want to put up with that crap.)