The pain in my broken leg didn't quite go away when I entered the Pokeball. Despite the fact that I no longer had a physical form, the pain lingered, a glowing area of discord in the energy matrix of the ball's interior. My scrapes and cuts were now below the threshold of sensation, so they did not bother me, but the break pulsated slowly on the edge of my consciousness and kept me from feeling truly at peace. I berated myself again and again for my stupidity and clumsiness. Maybe this human would keep his word, maybe not, but the fact was that the situation need not even have arisen. The idea that I was stupid and clumsy on top of my defectiveness did not improve my mood, nor did the realization that sooner or later this trainer and his Vulpix would discover the truth about me, and then I would have to start running again.

After what seemed an eternity, the world inside the Pokeball was flooded with pure white light. The dazzling warmth slid over me, enveloping me and caressing me gently. The injury disappeared, the matrix melding smoothly back together again. The relief was palpable, and I slipped almost immediately into a deep, dreamless sleep.

***

Somebody opened the Pokeball-- not quickly, as preparing for battle, but slowly and with great care. I splashed into being in a small yard, lined by a chainlink fence and covered with grass. The yard stood behind a small brick building with few windows on the sides that I could see. The entire complex seemed to be situated in the middle of a small, quiet town. Somewhere in the near distance, I could hear the steady din of waves crashing on a sandy shore.

"Good to see your leg's all better, Ponyta," said the woman who had released me from the ball. "I thought you might want to spend some time out here in the exercise yard. The trainer who brought you in is on an errand in town, but as soon as he gets back, you're free to go." She smiled. "The treatment did most of the job of healing your leg, but I'd advise you to go easy on it for a little while. No sense taking chances. Enjoy yourself, and if you need any help, just give a call."

"Pony," I said gratefully.

The nurse, who bore a striking resemblance to the ones I had seen at other Pokemon Centers, smiled again, then turned and returned to the building. I was left by myself. Either this particular Center wasn't very busy, or none of the other patients were out in the yard right now. The absence of companionship caused conflicting feelings inside me-- on the one hand, I longed for somebody to talk to; on the other hand, experience had demonstrated amply that talking to people tended to create more problems than it solved.

As if on cue, the door nudged open just a crack and the Vulpix I had met earlier darted out through the opening. She ran over to me and stopped, her tails swishing back and forth excitedly. ((You're out! Are you okay? How's your leg?))

((My leg... feels okay,)) I answered, hesitantly testing the limb in question. There was still a bit of tenderness, but it felt much better. ((Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your trainer?))

((He won't be gone more than thirty minutes. He just had to run to the Poke Mart to pick up some equipment that we forgot while we were here the last time. He agreed to let me stay here until they let you out, since the nurse said you were almost ready.))

I couldn't help but be touched. ((Thank you. You didn't have to do that.))

She inclined her head slightly in the Vulpix equivalent of a shrug. ((As long as we're going to be spending some time together, we should probably get to know each other better. What's your name?))

((I don't have one. They just call me Ponyta.))

((Oh. I see.)) She nodded. ((Some Pokemon don't have names. They're just called by their species. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that practice, although it can get confusing at times.))

Trying to shift the conversation away from the topic of me, I asked her, ((What about you? Did your trainer give you a name?))

((Ashley. That's my name.))

((Ashley.)) I rolled the name over on my tongue. It was a nice name, I thought. For some reason, it seemed to fit her perfectly, and I told her so. She seemed pleased.

((Um... Where do you come from? How did you end up in the woods? I know you said before you didn't want to talk about this... but I thought maybe now...))

((It's still something I'd rather not talk about,)) I answered.

Ashley seemed to take this in stride. ((I understand. We all have things we'd rather not talk about with anybody... even me, if you can believe that.)) I had no trouble believing it-- it seemed like there was more to Ashley than met the eye.

((Uh, changing the subject a little, what do you think you want to do after they let you out? If you don't mind the question.))

((I guess I don't,)) I answered. It was relatively innocous, I supposed. ((I think I'd prefer to just go back to the woods. I kind of enjoy the solitude. I should be fine there by myself... if I can manage to avoid falling over any more ledges.)) The last comment was not meant in a sarcastic way, but it doubtless came off as such.

((If you wanted to go back to the wild, we can find some places with Fire Pokemon. I'm sure transport could easily be arranged to Cinnabar, or Mt. Silver...))

((No!)) The words came out as a cry, and I hastily checked myself when Ashley gave me a puzzled look. ((I'm not really that social. Besides, I've lived here all my life. I'd rather not leave.))

((I can understand that. It's hard leaving somewhere where you've lived all your life.)) She looked wistful. ((There has to be a very important reason... something you're willing to venture into the unknown for.))

She seemed to be holding something back. ((Is there something you'd like to talk about?)) I asked, as gently as possible.

Her large eyes fixed on mine. ((Actually, I was just about to ask the same of you.))

I was trying to steer the conversation away from myself, you stupid fox! I immediately bit my tongue, thankful at least that I hadn't said the words aloud. After all, it wasn't her fault that she was concerned about me. It was just something I couldn't be bothered to deal with at this time. ((There... actually is... something I'd like to talk about... but I can't talk about it.)) The moment the last words had left my lips, I could have kicked myself for being so stupid. Could I have done a better job of sparking her concern?

((If you need someone to talk to, you can talk to me. I'm very good at keeping secrets.))

((Nobody's good enough to keep some secrets.))

She tilted her head. ((If you say so. But it's obvious that something's bothering you terribly, and I wish I could help.))

((Why? Why in the world should you care?))

((Because you seem nice. Besides, nobody should have to go through whatever it is you're going through.))

((How can you say that? You have no idea what my problems are.))

((True enough. How could I know what's wrong? Unless you'd tell me, which you won't.))

I raised my head and stared out, over the fence, to the wide streets lined with homes and shops. It was nearly midday, and the town seemed deserted. Here and there someone could be seen walking along the sidewalk. It occurred to me that this was the sort of place I might like to live. Here, it seemed, nobody cared who you were or where you came from. Everybody just minded their own business. At least, that was the sense I got from looking at the town.

((How do you know my problems aren't my own fault?)) I demanded.

She seemed a bit taken aback. ((Are they? Honestly?))

I mulled it over. ((Honestly... no.))

((Well, then.))

I didn't answer that right away, because I sensed that anything I said would only come closer to revealing things I wished to keep secret. Ashley didn't press me further, either. Perhaps she respected my feelings, or perhaps she was busy with feelings of her own. Perhaps. After a few minutes, she stirred from her sitting position and peered past my legs at something behind me. "He's coming back."

I turned and saw Ashley's trainer coming up the street with a package under one arm. When he saw us looking at him, he grinned and waved.

((He seems happy about something,)) I commented.

((So he does,)) agreed Ashley. ((We'll see if it's anything in particular.))

The human walked up to the fence and rested his parcel on the fence. "Hi there, you two. Good to see you up and about, Ponyta. I think I have some news that may interest you."

My ears pricked up at his words. ((News? What news?))

((Spill it,)) Ashley translated unneccesarily.

"Well, it seems there's a young lady in this area who's looking for a new Pokemon. Her previous pet, a Rapidash, died recently of complications related to old age, and her parents are looking for something to replace the loss. I found all this out when I ran into the girl in question. She was at the store with her mother when I went in."

((What type of Pokemon is she looking for?)) interjected the Vulpix.

He grinned. "Well, I might have asked her if she was interested in another horse-type Pokemon... don't worry, though, I didn't tell her about you. Not just yet, anyway. Oh, just so you know, she lives on a farm about ten minutes inland from town, and she's looking for a companion Pokemon. She's not into Pokemon battles or anything like that."

Ashley turned to me excitedly. ((Did you hear that? Maybe you could go live with her! It sounds like she might be really nice.))

I blinked. It sounded interesting, at the very least. The opportunity to live with someone who might never find out about my disability could be too good to pass up. But I couldn't forget that living in this area was an open invitation for Josh to hunt me down and reclaim me. From what I knew, the bay was only about an hour by road from Silverspring, and less as the Spearow flies.

"Oh yes, there might also be one other thing I heard at the store..."

The female Vulpix glared at her trainer. ((What's that? Stop keeping us in suspense.))

"Seems the owners of that Pokemon that escaped from Silverspring have called off the search. They decided it wasn't worth trying to find her and that they'd rather just get a new Pokemon. Typical rich snobs, if you ask me. So anyway, now the school is suing the family trying to recoup some rather hefty damages, and they're gearing up for some legal battles. Looks like it's going to be quite a while before anybody has time to think about a missing Ponyta." He winked broadly at me.

((Did you hear that?)) Ashley said. ((Now he won't come looking for you! You don't have to run anymore.))

I couldn't help but notice the fact that both Ashley and her trainer had apparently decided that I was, in fact, the escaped Ponyta. Of course, there was hardly any lack of evidence to support that conclusion. At any rate, I considered myself thankful that neither one of them felt the need to investigate that possibility to its fullest extent, and also that Josh hadn't revealed the source of my problems to the public. No doubt he and his father simply wished to dispose of the matter swiftly, lest their own actions come to light.

At any rate, this possibility seemed too good to dismiss out of hand. ((I suppose I'd be willing to meet this girl and see if I like her.))

The human smiled broadly when Ashley translated for him. "Great! I don't think you'll regret this. I left them back at the store, so why don't you go inside and wait in the lobby of the Center while I hop back down and fetch them. Be back in a few minutes."

***

The girl who walked through the front doors of the Pokemon Center several minutes later looked to be around fifteen years old. She was of medium height with short, chestnut-brown hair and brown eyes. The sense I got from her was one of opposites that somehow did not conflict, gentleness combined with a fierce passion. Her mother, who followed her in, was middle-aged and graying.

"Is this the Ponyta you told us about?" She walked towards me, stopping at arm's length. I stepped closer to her and sniffed her experimentally. She seemed likable. "You remind me of Skipper." She reached out and patted my neck gently.

((Was Skipper your Rapidash?)) I asked her.

She seemed slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I don't know Ponyta. I learned a bit of Rapidash from Skipper, but he evolved before I was born. Maybe if you come to live with us, you can teach me."

The idea of living with this girl was sounding better all the time. As the trainer had said, she didn't seem like the sort of person who cared about battles. The issue of Fire techniques might never come up.

The girl turned to her mother. "What do you think? Can we get her?"

The older woman frowned. "Well, yes, I suppose so, if it's all right with everybody." She turned to Ashley's trainer, who had entered behind them and now stood off to one side. "You say she's very well-behaved? She's not hard to control or anything?"

"Well, I've only known her for a little while," he admitted.

"But she seems nice enough, and my Vulpix assures me that she's extremely gentle. It seems she's had a bit of a hard life, but I suspect all she needs is someone to care about her and take good care of her." He smiled at me as he said it. I could tell he believed it.

"Well, I guess it would be okay then." The mother sighed.

"If you're sure it's what you want, dear."

"The important thing," pointed out the male trainer, "is whether or not she wants to come live with you. That's what we have to keep in mind."

All eyes turned to me. I didn't need anybody to translate my wishes for me. I had decided that I couldn't afford to pass up this opportunity. I nodded quickly.

"Great!" The girl ran over to me and threw her arms around my neck. "We're going to be so happy together. I just know it!"

"Here's her Pokeball," he said, handing the red-and-white ball to the mother. "Now, Ponyta, don't forget to keep in touch. I'll be sure to give your new family my phone number before we leave town, and if there's anything you need, just give us a call. Let us know how you're doing every now and then."

((You better not forget!)) emphasized Ashley. ((I'll be waiting to hear from you. And we'll be back to visit. You can count on it!))

I smiled. It was my first genuine smile in a long time.