Chapter 10

Black allowed himself a few minutes to relax with his team before returning them to their pokeballs. Even if the ERS was deactivated, it was a lot harder to spot one person sneaking around at night. He didn't want to wake up to an ambush, so he decided find some shelter. But first they had a few things to do.

The aim of the game was stealth, not inaccessibility. Before, when they had been worried about a possible repeat attack from the Herdier, Black had been concerned about being high enough off the ground that a pack of Herdier couldn't easily jump and snap at him with their powerful jaws. There was a small chance that the same group that had attacked had followed him; at least sleeping ib the tree minimized the chances of any other attack from the ground.

That was when they were trying to avoid Pokemon attacks. Now, they were trying to evade detection from some very determined humans and Pokemon specially trained for pursuit. While Black was rather confident his scent would blend in with the ash and smoke from the burned Gym's trail in the city, such a thing would stand out in the very flammable forests surrounding Striaton. He wouldn't be able to wear his outfit for much longer.

This is why he found the first source of water he could; a tiny stream that looked like it would dry up with a sponge. It was shallow enough so there was no chance of any Pokemon living in it, discounting something like an exceptionally tiny water type like an infantile Tympole.

He discarded Omondi's uniform, stripped off his regular clothing, and brought out his spare change of clothes from his pack. He then grabbed as much mud and grass as he could and spread it all over his body, covering himself up to his hair (that really was going to be a pain to wash out) and then did the same with his bag. He was not done yet, though. Grabbing his old outfit, he began ripping and tearing off large chunks until he was left with nothing but rags of his old shirt and pants. 'Sorry mom.'

Hands raw from the effort, he slung his pack over his shoulder once more and dropped the cloth into the river. He watched for a second as the current carried his ash-filled clothing away.

Reaching into his bag, he took out a familiar blue canister. This one was smaller than the one he'd used against the Herdier, but nonetheless it still packed quite the wallop.

Grabbing a sharp rock from the stream, Black slammed it into the repellant container. It began to leak spastically, and for a moment Black was worried the canister was going to burst in his face. He covered the canister with Omondi's uniform, letting the chemical seep into the fabric as much as he dared spend time on. Then he picked up the leaking Super Repel and threw it in the direction he came from as hard as he could. He followed the stream up about 100 yards, ventured away into the forest, and tied the uniform on a high branch in one of the tree.

Following this, Black returned to the stream and reapplied the mud treatment to any areas that needed it. He grabbed his pack, clumps of mud and grass falling to the ground with little wet 'plops', and then leapt across the stream and continued his trek deeper into the woods.

Black had no doubt that Striaton's local League forces would be pursuing him. They likely thought he would try and lay low for a while, possibly head somewhere familiar where he'd have the field advantage with knowledge of the land. And in truth, Black had considered it. He knew the areas between Accumula and Nuvema best, having done work there in the field for Juniper for years. He knew plenty of nooks and crannies in the various trees, all the out-of-the-way rest stops, and even knew of an almost hidden grotto where no human or Pokemon appeared.

It was the safe thing to do, they would reason, and they would be right. Hell, it was the smart thing to do.

And that is why Black didn't do it. The League knew him as some fresh meat trainer who got his license not even a month ago and had bumbled his way into something he really had no business dealing with. They also knew him as the guy who knocked out two League enforcers, a Gym Leader, and as aguy who helped set fire to a Gym building with nothing but a Grass type just as new to the training business as his greenhorn trainer. One of those seemed a lot more believable and that was the one they'd take stock in.

What the League didn't know was that- through Bianca- Black knew they had already contacted Professor Juniper. She had taught him everything he knew about trainer life. She also had her own stock of Pokemon for research purposes (you don't join the League without having at least one Pokemon, really), who could quite easily track one of the students she'd been educating and working with for years. Black wasn't going to underestimate the lead Unovan researcher just because she preferred books to battling.

Now, Black owed her a lot, more than he could likely ever repay right now, but he was not going to be shipped off to Liberty Island because he decided to trust her. The good Professor was on their payroll just as much as Chili had been, though he imagined she would at least be willing to hear him out, as little good as that would do with the media attention the situation had been given.

And it was this reasoning that led Black to choose their new destination: Wellspring Cave. It was well-known enough that he wouldn't be running blind into a foreign area, but it was also a remote enough location that it'd be a waste of resources to send anyone out that far without a definite trail.

First, he had to do his best to hide said trail in the first place. With any luck, any pursuers sent this way would catch the overpowering scent of the Repel container and the sprayed uniform, and then assume it was just some random trainer spending the night there. Someone would likely find the remains of his clothing spread out along down the stream. His current mud coating should help hide his own natural scent, at least for a little bit.

The forest was quiet as he made his way through it. He was off the usual paths Trainers took, not entirely common, but also not unusual enough that it would warrant a more thorough look-see. Again, Black was banking on the League assuming he'd follow the typical routes given his relative inexperience.

The night air was cool and fresh. Unfortunately, this had the side effect of making the protective layer of mud and grass even colder, which didn't improve his mood as he continued his trek. He'd need to find shelter for the night soon- hopefully somewhere not out in the open.

His prayers were answered as he found a large oak tree. It was tall, easily one of the taller trees in the forest that he'd seen so far. None of the lower branches would be able to support his weight to climb and the higher ones were just out of reach. Luckily, that was not what he was looking for.

At the base of the tree, there was a hole, barely large enough for him to pass through, but judging by the space he'd seen, easily hollow enough inside for him to at least fall asleep while sitting, which was the best he could hope for at this point. He didn't want to sleep out in the open, nor did he want to bother with finding a secure enough branch to rest in. Plus, the tree hollow itself would help hide him from view.

He shined a flashlight inside, hoping not to disturb any local Pokemon, but nothing responded. Satisfied, and feeling more than a little anxious to finally get some rest, Black dropped his bag through the entrance and went in feet first. It wasn't too tight a fit, fortunately, but it was uncomfortable and at one point he had to touch his face to the ground, the mud and grass crunching as he spread his cheek against the roots of the tree.

Once inside, he placed the bag against the inside of the trunk and sat down leaning against the interior. He kept directly beneath the entrance and out of sight, lest some passerby look inside and see a sleeping mud-caked teenager.

. . . maybe Inspector was rubbing off on him.

He sighed with relief as he finally let himself wind down.

Deciding to properly survey his surroundings, he grabbed his flashlight once more and turned it on. The far side of inside the tree was dark, with several stray roots protruding from the trunk. The ground smelled faintly mulchy, but was soft and had pieces of bark and leaves blown in from the entrance. There was a small little mushroom growing down from the top.

The walls were cold to the touch and moist from the gathering evening dew. The mud on his body had long since started crusting, but Black didn't mind too much because the sense of privacy was invaluable. All was silent in the hole, any sounds from outside muffled and barely noticeable.

He closed his eyes, and tried to banish thoughts of the day away. He was too tired, too battered and mentally strained to think hard on the changes his life had undergone in the last 24 hours.

However, sleep did not come. Even as he shifted and readjusted, trying in vain to find a more comfortable position for sleeping, Darkrai's embrace did not arrive. Eventually he just gave up and decided to try and remember the names of all the species of Pokemon he knew. Of course, this lead him to thinking of his team, which subsequently lead to him thinking about Xanatos' injuries and how they came about.

"Goddammit." Black moaned as he realized he was already thinking about it again. "I just want to sleep!"

He was still wired from earlier. Even if finding shelter for the night had done his fears wonders, he couldn't just stop his traitorous brain from focusing on them.

Realizing he wasn't going to get any sleep at the rate he was going, Black decided to be productive. He grabbed Candy's ball from his belt and released her. The little hollow briefly lit up as the release light of the pokeball deposited her opposite of Black.

"Boss?" asked Candy as she looked around. "What are we doing here, kika?"

"We're staying here for the night," hhe replied, running a dirty hand through his mud-encrusted hair. Maybe he should have rethought that idea a little bit. "I can't keep running all night, and I needed to get my bearings."

The Spray Pokemon nodded, though Black imagined she still didn't have a clear understanding of why they were running. Something he also intended to clear up with their talk.

"Back at the gym," he decided to cut to the chase, his tone stern, "the League officials said someone reported a stolen Panpour this morning. A stolen Panpour in a Luxury Ball, much like the one you brought to me the night we met."

"Ah," she grimaced, and looked away, "I did not think it would matter."

He sighed. Well, at least she wasn't being difficult about it. "We are now fugitives of the Unovan government, Candy. I don't think you know just how serious that is. If it had just been the ERS problem I think we could worked that out peacefully." The little Panpour shrank in on herself even further. He felt like a bastard, but he wanted to get his point across. "The theft of a Pokemon on top of that made me look way too suspicious though, especially since it was one I had no business owning considering how expensive Luxury Balls are."

Candy's eyes were glistening even as she shamefacedly avoided eye contact. "I'm sorry, boss Black."

Even her little speech tic was gone.

"Candy," he began, feeling more and more horrible as he asked this of her, "where did you come from?"

He didn't receive an answer right away. He didn't expect to. She just stayed there, sniffling quietly as she kneeled before him. He saw her clench her hands, whether in frustration or anger, he did not know.

Eventually she began to talk.

"I was born in a grey room," she said in the quietest voice he ever heard her use. "From the moment I Hatched to the time I was put in the ball, I only ever knew that room. I had food, water, and a comfortable tree." She stopped for a second. "I hated that tree, boss."

"The room was always grey. I never saw them send in the food or the water. It was always there when I woke up. I tried staying up a few times, hoping to see how it refreshed itself, but it only ever happened when I was asleep."

Black wanted to intervene but he refrained. Candy was clearly invested in the story.

"One day, I wake up and suddenly I'm not in the grey room anymore." Candy closed her eyes and sucked in a breath. "I'm somewhere different, somewhere smaller and rounder, but still comfortable. Then, I feel like I'm falling and suddenly I'm in front of a girl. She has yellow hair and she smells . . . like me. Lonely, that is."

The monkey paused, "I didn't know I was lonely until I met that girl, boss. I didn't like her very much though. She was mean. She tried to get me to do weird things, like dance or put on that stuff you humans have over your skin."

"Clothes?"

"Yeah, that," she said. "I didn't understand why. I tried to run away; there was so much to see and do now! The world wasn't that grey room anymore. It was so much larger! It was so much more!" The wonder in her voice was as beautiful as it was sad. "How did she not see that? I tried to convince her to go with me but she didn't listen." She paused, "Boss, humans don't like listening to Pokemon all that much, do they?"

"It's not that," Black said, even as he thought the exact opposite, "It's just . . ." he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"It's ok," Candy said. She gave him a toothless smile. "You're not like that. You're a good human."

Black wondered if she would really think that way forever. He decided he didn't want to think about it. "What happened to the girl? Was she your last trainer or something?"

"No," Candy shook her head. "She was my first."

His eyes widened minutely, even as he motioned for her to continue.

"We eventually got closer, but she started pulling away too." The monkey scratched her head in confusion. "She was colder, harder. Her father had a lot of people always around him all the time, they called him 'Boss'. He would always say they'd never be separated, that they were his family. . . it sounds weird now but I wish he had been my first trainer. Even if he didn't like me, I felt it inside of me, that when he said that, he meant it. Family above all, whether you love them or hate them."

Candy looked up and met Black's eyes, a sudden strength in them that gave him chills. "I thought he meant me too."

"I think of one of the men saw me and her fighting one day. I didn't feel like putting on whatever ridiculous thing she had picked for me that day, and she was upset because of it. The next day I was back in the grey room."

She took a heavy breath. "I thought it had all been a dream, boss. I really did."

Black's heart broke when he heard the hurt in her voice. "I don't even remember her name, boss."

He reached across and picked her up. She was mighty and powerful, she could do things he would never physically be able to do, but you don't need to be able to lift a mountain to hug someone, and that's what he did.

Candy did not cry. Black imagined she already shed her tears over this matter a long time ago, but she did cling tightly to him, even as he pretended not to notice the slight shakes that racked her body.

"Eventually, I woke up to another face again- an older man- and I thought I had a second chance. And then the same thing happened. They sent me back to the grey room."

Black closed his eyes, and counted to ten as he relaxed the fist he was making.

"This would continue over and over even as I tried harder and harder to do whatever they wanted. If I made a mistake, the grey room. If I disobeyed, the grey room. If I did nothing wrong, the grey room."

Candy pulled away from the hug. "And then, one day I meet a boy. He has green hair. I call him boss, and ask him what I can do to help him. And then he did the one thing I never expected him to: he listened."

'Green hair? No way. . .'

"He says I don't have to do a thing; that he'll take care of everything. I told him about the grey room. I begged, boss. I got on my knees and groveled." Candy scowled and looked down. "I just didn't want to go back."

Did this mean N could talk to Pokemon too? Or was Black looking too deep into Candy's story? He had to find out. "This last boy, what was his name? How old was he?"

Candy's expression turned curious. "I think he was young, boss. Definitely younger than you and all the big humans I've seen around that last city. And he had a weird name. Naturu? Nataral?"

"Natural?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Yes! That's it, kika!" Candy exclaimed, and Black smiled at the return of the verbal tic. "I think he was called Natural Har-something, but he asked to be called N! Kika! Do you know him, boss?"

"You could say that," He had just thought the kid was weird. Looks like there is more to the boy than met the eye.

"He was very nice!" Candy was clearly exuberant at the mention of N. "Before you he was the nicest human I've ever met!"

And then her expression became downcast again, "But he still didn't want me though."

Realization struck Black. "You were that bundle he was running across town with."

Candy nodded. "That's where I first saw you. When N had left me on the outskirts of town, I stayed hidden and watched as you talked with Brother Xanatos. I was so lucky! Two humans who can listen to me in one day."

Black already knew where she was going with this. "And so you grabbed your ball and decided to try your luck with the second weird human you ever met."

"All humans are weird, boss," Candy said, grinning slightly. "You're actually one of the only normal ones as far as I'm concerned, kika."

Black chuckled. He supposed that from her perspective that would be the case. Maybe he'd adopt that mentality, if only to cope with the insane situations he'd been finding himself in.

Candy suddenly looked nervous. "Are you...mad?" she asked carefully. Black heard the timbre of fear in her voice, and couldn't help but wonder if he really gave off the impression of someone who'd be angry over something like this.

"No, I'm not mad," he said, giving the Panpour a tired smile. "I should have looked into the Luxury Ball thing a little more. N could have thought a little bit more before just breaking the genetic lock and releasing you out into the wild; maybe gone to that parent of his who called in the theft this morning. Plus, it's not like you could have known what would happen."

"But still," the monkey insisted, "I am responsibl-"

He held up a hand, foreseeing another one of her "take things to the extreme" sessions. "I do not regret catching you, Candy. I know we've only met yesterday but you're a friend and a teammate. I couldn't have won today's Gym Battle without you." Admittedly, the victory seemed paltry compared to the rest of the day's events, but for a trainer as fresh as him it was impressive. Plus, it seemed to be the right thing to say considering her brightening expression.

Time for the coup de grace, "Are you saying you regret being part of the team?"

"What? No! Never, kika!" the little Panpour exclaimed. "I do not regret it! Kika! I am never evereverever going to regret joining your family! Kika! Kakika!"

Black was half-tempted to point out they weren't technically family, either literally or in the manner she was likely thinking (he didn't think he'd make a good mafioso). But he kept those thoughts to himself. Instead, he decided to interrupt her babbling of denials,

"Good." Black promptly shut her up with that line. "Now, leave the matters of responsibility to your boss here." He followed that with a quick pound to the chest and a smile full of confidence that he didn't feel.

He patted the ground next to him and gave her an expectant look. She joined him, a little hesitant until he put his hand on her head and scratched behind the ears. Almost immediately, she crooned and leaned in closer.

Yeah. It wouldn't hurt to let her believe them to be family. Just for now.

End Chapter 10

Author Notes: Slow chapter, but I felt it necessary for Candy's backstory. Black's got some questions for N now...