As you are no doubt aware at this point, this will llargely follow the plot of Black and White, but at the same time, due to a certain fox's actions, the way things follow that timeline will be quite different. So don't worry too much about just reading a story version of the game. Some events will also not appear, such as the enconter with Team Plasma in Pinwheel.
February 1st, 2019. 3:00 pm.
Logan and Ben had just left Nacrene and were heading towards the massive Pinwheel Forest. They had packed very thoroughly as it could take as much as a week to get through the place considering that there was very nasty weather expected over the next few days. As much as 18 inches of snow was expected. This shouldn't have been much of an issue for them. Zoroarks were often native to cold climates, and otters had well over half a million hairs per every square inch of their body. They had absolutely no trouble with cold weather. Which would prove incredibly useful as winter storm coulds were gathering overhead. The wind wasn't very powerful right now, just enough to make some noise and rustle some of the evergreen trees.
They walked in silence as they usually did. There weren't any trainers out with such bad weather in the forecast, and most Pokémon had bed down for the oncoming storm, so it was near silent. However, it was awkward silence, instead of the usual tense silence hey were used to. There used to be a tension between them, as though an argument was always just a couple words from being said. The fact that the feeling of a shouting contest was much more distant was encouraging to the lutrine. It seemed that he was finally starting to gain a certain amount of trust, if not respect, from the illusionist.
It was Ben who eventually broke the silence not long before they reached Pinwheel. "So, let me ask you something. Why were you so adamant about refusing the therapy that was offered to you by that Nurse?" It hadn't even been a conversation. Before they had checked out, she was gonna to ask if Logan would agree to therapy, but the moment she had said the word therapy, Logan immediately dug his heels in and repeatedly said no. He wasn't gonna have it. He wanted nothing to do with it.
"Because I don't want it. I've had therapy before, so I know what would happen. The therapist would ask me questions about my life, trying to gain my trust so I'll tell them my deepest darkest secrets." Well, that kinda was what happened even if his wording was on the derogatory side.
"Why did you have therapy before? Back when you still lived with your parents I assume?" Any information Ben could gather about his past could help him piece together the puzzle.
"I have autism. More specifically I have Aspergers Syndrome." Ben cut in.
"No kidding? Wow so do I." Aspergers was a high functioning form of autism. Some symptoms were standard with autistic people or anthros. Not wanting to be touched, willingly being a social outcast, strange ticks, those kinds of things. Some symptoms however, painted more of a clear picture on just what type of autism this was. A focus on certain topics or subjects, for Ben this was Pokémon, a general aptitude in math and science, and somewhat increased intelligence. The last one was why this was so often misdiagnosed. Autism was largely viewed as something only less intelligent people had. Reflected in what Logan said next.
"So we actually have something in common eh? Color me surprised. Anyways, back when I was still a Zorua, I was incredibly awkward socially. As a kit, I never wanted to be held. I only cried when hungry or needing a change. I was a really easy kit to care for, which I would make up for as I got older. In preschool, I was told I never wanted to talk to anyone, I just stood at the window watching the construction goin on outside. It was around this time that mom and dad knew something was wrong with me. I was taken to the doctor and diagnosed with ADHD. I was given some medication for it, and while it helped with that particular condition, it didn't explain everything about me. Once I entered grade school, I willingly made myself a social outcast. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I just wanted to be left to myself and ignored. For a large portion of grade school, I was. Some kids thought that I was cool/cute. To be fair, Zoruas are pretty much those two things. As I got into 4th and 5th grade, my social awkwardness, high grades, and being an anthro Pokémon bit me hard. I was harshly bullied. Verbally and physically. I was in fights nearly once a week, and because it was a group of kids who made me their target, I lost them all. I was never bloodied or badly bruised, but it was a pretty miserable life. Once I went to middle school, I elected to join a private Catholic School because the faculty there actually give a shit about the health and safety of their students. My unusual behavior continued, and it caught the attention of the school counselor, who was able to correctly diagnose me due to the fact that she had multiple kids with Aspergers. That's when I was given therapy. I never really said much. I tried to avoid the questions because I had learned not to trust people based on some of the people who bullied me when I was younger being a couple of the only people I had once considered friends. I went through middle school, and enrolled in high school where I became somewhat apathetic about school and life in general. Being different, in multiple obvious ways, had ruined most of my childhood. I was the stereotypical Dark Type. Cold and bitter. Then, finally I evolved. Life changed. I became happier. I saw the goodness in life. It was too late to save my youth though. I was 18 and about to graduate, so I maintained my distance from relationships, though most people said congrats when I evolved, which I did appreciate."
Ben whistled. "You know, I didn't ask for you life's story." He had said it in a joking manner.
"Well if I'm gonna be stuck with you I suppose you oughta know." At this time, they had reached the entrance to Pinwheel Forest, and the snow had begun falling hard.
"Well, thank you for sharing that with me. It can't be easy to relieve some of those tougher memories. Some wounds need more than time to heal. One more question. What's up with your mane? I thought maybe you just kept it short, but even in your coma your hair didn't change."
He gave a shrug. "Hell if I know. I had a normal tuft of head fur as a Zorua, but when I evolved, this is how my mane was. I really don't get it either." Ben shrugged one of his own shoulders as if to say, ok then.
Logan exhaled heavily out his snout as they stepped into the dark forest. Light was scarce, which Ben voiced. "Man, pretty dark in here. I know that the sun is behind clouds, but still. It's kinda hard to see." Logan, being a vulpine, had no such trouble. He had fantastic night vision. To him, it was no different than daylight.
The deeper they went into the forest, the harsher to weather got. The snowstorm had well and truly begun as snow was pouring down like rain from a monsoon. It wasn't a white out, but it wasn't that far off. You wouldn't think that the snow would get through the thick canopy of trees, but the winds had kicked up, and while mostly surrounded by tree trunks the wind was so bad to the two on the ground, up higher, the branches were rocking and swaying, which allowed snow that built up on said branches to fall to the ground. Now Logan was having a bit of trouble seeing too. After a little over an hour, with snow starting to pile up on the ground, Ben said it was time to set up camp.
Ben didn't bother trying to set up a fire. It was way too snowy. They just had some deli meat from the backpack, which they didn't have to worry about refrigerating in the winter due to the low temperatures. Logan managed to clear a whole pack of it, before burping in satisfaction. He liked chicken breast.
Ben got to work trying to set up camp as Logan left to take a look around on the off chance they were near any dangerous creatures. He saw a couple prints that seemed to belong to wild cats, no threat whatsoever, but no other meat eaters. When Logan returned, he saw Ben struggling to get the stakes into the frozen ground. Even with a hammer, the otter was having trouble. Logan walked over. "Allow me." Ben took a step back, and Logan just pushed on the top of the stakes. With his unbelievable Zoroark strength, he was able to push them in with relative ease. Ben thanked him and they crawled inside to sleep out the storm.
February 2nd, 2019. Midnight.
Ben woke up. He could tell from the wind still blowing, that the storm was still going on, but that wasn't why he had woken up. He was nice and cozy thanks to his super dense fur and sleeping bag, but next to him he could hear the rapid shaky breathing of a creature that was freezing. Without a large mane to act like a blanket, Logan was freezing while inactive.
"Logan?"
"Y-yes?" He sounded exhausted. Had he slept at all yet?
"You're freezing. Climb into my sleeping bag. It'll keep you warm if we share our body heat, especially in an enclosed object." Normally, Logan would've refused in an instant, but he had lost feeling in his fingers and toes, and was starting to lose feeling in his arms and legs. He crawled over and Ben scooted as far into the edge of the sleeping bag as he could while holding it open. Logan slid into it. Due to him being so tall, he had to curl up to keep from puncturing the bag with his toe claws. The end result was that he was spooning Ben, but he didn't care. He just wanted to be warm. Soon enough, his shivering stopped, and they both drifted off to sleep.
'This is cozy. Logan's fur is so soft. I get the feeling that this will happen more while we're here in Pinwheel. Though I don't mind. This will help us bond.' That was Ben's last thought before he lost consciousness.
