Although the dark, roiling clouds overhead seemed to promise a downpour at any moment, it did not come, and after a journey of about seven hours (of which over an hour was spent resting) we arrived in sight of the somewhat larger town of Radjin. The last stretch of road toward the town took us over a steep, pine-covered ridge, and when we reached the top and beheld the lights glittering below in the dusk, Courtney heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank God," she said. I shared the sentiment heartily. There was still a little ways to go before we reached the town proper, but the going seemed much easier now that our objective was in sight.

The Radjin Pokemon Center, as the painted wooden sign outside proclaimed it to be, appeared to be a larger and more modern facility than that in either Tentacruel Bay or Nolvaring. Compared with the nighttime chill of the air outside, the blast of warm air that hit us as we pushed through the doors was like a touch of heaven. The lobby was empty except for the nurse on duty behind the desk and a small boy sitting in one of the chairs with a Sentret in his lap. He looked far too young to be a trainer, but a second glance showed that he did indeed have the standard issue Pokegear with him, and his jacket bore a scattering of badges. Most of them were from the Peninsula League, but I recognized the symbol of the Azalea Town Gym in Johto among them. I wondered where he had gotten it.

"Good evening," said the nurse as we approached the desk. "You're getting in rather late. I trust you didn't run into any misfortune along the way?"

"Nothing in particular, no."

The nurse glanced past Courtney to me. "Do you have any Pokemon that need attention?"

"No."

"I presume you're looking for someplace to spend the night, then?"

"That's right. Do you have any room left?"

"I'm sure we do, but let me see." The nurse turned a chart that had been sketched out on a dry-erase board to the left of the desk. "Hmm... All our individual rooms are full, but it looks like there should be plenty of space left in the common areas. Do you know how to get to them?"

Courtney shook her head.

"Go down the hallway to your left, take the first right, and go down the stairs. The attendants on duty down there will help you with anything you need."

"Thank you." Courtney nodded and smiled. "You've been very helpful. Thank you."

The nurse returned the smile. "It's our pleasure. Enjoy your stay."

At that moment, a brilliant lightning flash illuminated the street outside, followed almost immediately by a clap of thunder so loud it made the walls seem to shake and caused the humans in the room to jump. The Sentret sat bolt upright and looked around frantically, searching for the source of the noise. Its young owner began to stroke it softly, whispering soothing words in an effort to calm it down. Seconds later, a torrent of rain came crashing against the windows.

Courtney whistled softly. "I guess we got in here just in the nick of time."

((I guess we did,)) I agreed. The rain was not entirely unwelcome, as far as I was concerned. It might hinder our travel plans, but it made it equally unlikely that anyone would be out looking for us. Still, I was extremely glad to be on the inside looking out.

She grinned. "The important thing is that we did make it here, I guess. C'mon. Let's go take a look at where we'll be sleeping tonight."

The underground portion of the Pokemon Center turned out to be a network of clean but sparsely decorated rooms connected by a maze of hallways. Stepping off the stairs brought us to face a four-way intersection of hallways, with a rather plain wooden desk situated in the middle of the intersection. A young man was seated at the desk, leaning back in his chair and reading a paperback novel. He looked up at the sound of our footsteps. "Hello. Come to spend the night?"

"That's right," Courtney said, and I nodded my head for extra emphasis.

"As I'm sure the nurse told you, the bedrooms are all taken, so you'll have to sleep on one of the bunkbeds in the main room." He picked up a clipboard from the desk and held it out to Courtney. "Here. Write your name, the time and date, and the number and species of your Pokemon on this form, please."

Courtney accepted the clipboard and began filling out the sheet. The man raised a styrofoam coffee cup to his lips, took a sip, and winced visibly when he tasted the contents. "I heard thunder a little while ago. Did that storm finally get here?"

"Sure did."

"Weatherman was right for once." He gave a chuckle. "That's a beautiful Ponyta you have there. How many Pokemon do you have?"

"Just her," Courtney answered. She finished the form, capped the pen, and handed the clipboard back to the man. He accepted it without looking at it.

"Just her?" He seemed a little surprised. "Well, she looks pretty strong. I'll bet she fights like a whole team." He gave a laugh. "You heading towards Silverspring?"

"No, we're heading towards-- um." Courtney stopped and rubbed her forehead for a moment. "Um, we're heading the other way."

"Huh. I don't think I've seen anyone doing the League in reverse order for... gosh, it's been quite a while." He looked down at the clipboard in his hands for the first time, giving it a quick scan. "Well, everything seems to be in order. The trainer area is down that way"-- he pointed down one of the hallways--"and the Fire Pokemon area is down the other direction, all the way at the end of the hall."

Fire Pokemon? There were other Fire Pokemon here? In hindsight, it was nothing I should not have expected, but it was a possibility that I had never allowed to cross my mind, let alone considered. ((I don't want to stay with the other Fire Pokemon,)) I told Courtney.

She turned back to the man, who was waiting intently to see if there was anything else we needed. "Um, would it be possible for a Pokemon to stay in the Trainer area?"

"Sure, no problem. People do that all the time. Just two rules. One, make sure your Pokemon doesn't bother anybody else. Two, if anybody asks you to, you have to put your Pokemon in its ball. Doesn't matter if you think they're right or wrong. We can't have any trouble. Understood?"

We both nodded.

"Good. Enjoy your stay. Restrooms and showers are down that way too, you'll pass them as you go. If you have any problems, come back here. Someone will be here all evening." He smiled, then went back to reading his novel.

Courtney and I went down the hallway he had indicated, following it around a corner until we came to a large room filled with beds. The room, for all its size and its bunk beds, had only a few trainers scattered around it. If the private rooms were full, it was obviously not by much. The room was bare and dimly lit by fluorescent lights mounted on the ceiling, but seemed clean enough. The only openings to the outside were a few small windows at ceiling level, through which rain could still be seen pouring down.

((Ponyta! Ponyta!))

I froze in my tracks. I knew that voice. I turned my head to see the last Pokemon I would have expected to find in that particular Pokemon Center at that particular time.

((Ponyta! How are you? How have you been doing? Why are you here? Are you going on a trip with your owner? Is she going to become a trainer?)) Ashley ran up to me and jumped up and down excitedly. ((How on earth did you get here? Tell me!))

Ashley's trainer was standing next to one of the beds rummaging through a backpack. He turned to see where she had run off to, and his jaw nearly dropped when he saw me and Courtney standing in the doorway. He set down the clothes he'd been sorting and walked over to us. "Well, I'll be. How did you end up here? And why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Courtney giggled. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming?"

"You didn't ask," he retorted. "And besides that, Ashley wanted it to be a surprise. Didn't you, girl?" He looked down at the fox, who had sat down next to his leg and was looking up at me and Courtney with barely-contained excitement in her eyes. "We were all the way over in Shelton when I remembered I had some unfinished business here in Radjin, so we decided to strike out cross-country and avoid taking weeks to go the long way around. You'd think they'd build a road between Shelton and Radjin one of these days." He snorted. "Anyway, we were just leaving Shelton when I called you, and that's why I had to tell you that we'd be out of touch-- I still hadn't recharged the damn batteries."

So that was why Ashley hadn't called back sooner. I had thought that it must have been due to something beyond her control-- neither her nor her trainer would forget something like that-- but I hadn't known what.

"We were going to swing down to Tentacruel afterwards and pay you two a visit, but obviously you're not there anymore." His eyes asked the unspoken question.

"Um..." Courtney sighed. "It's sort of a long story."

He waved out the window, outside which the rain showed no sign of stopping. A flash of lightning illuminated the ghostly shapes of houses and trees, punctuating his gesture. "We appear to have plenty of time."

Courtney nodded slowly. I could tell she was thinking of a way to change the subject. "I'm hungry. Is there any food around here?"

"Best food around here is the restaurant next door. If you're too hungry to wait until the rain stops, your next best bet is the vending machines. Want me to show you?"

Within moments, the two humans had vanished someplace, Courtney leaving her backpack on the bed next to us. I and Ashley were left staring at each other.

((Um, hello there,)) I said lamely. I had been overwhelmed by the flurry of activity, and it took me a few minutes to orchestrate my thoughts. ((How have you been? You look good.))

Ashley jumped up onto the bed, so as to be closer to my eye level, and lay down on the mattress. ((It's been just wonderful,)) she bubbled. ((We've been all the way around the peninsula. I never saw so many different kinds of scenery in my life.)) Still obviously full of energy, she rolled onto her back and waved her paws playfully in the air. ((But don't think you can turn the conversation away from yourself. Where have you been? How did you get here?))

((One question at a time,)) I said, chuckling softly. ((I and Courtney are taking a vacation. We're not really sure where we're going yet.))

((A vacation?)) The fox seemed confused. ((You mean she's not planning to become a trainer?))

((No. She was thinking about it, but I didn't like the idea.))

((Oh...)) Ashley frowned. ((Sorry. I just assumed...))

((There are some very good reasons why I don't want Courtney to get any ideas in her head about becoming a Pokemon Master,)) I reminded her with a meaningful glance.

((Oh,)) said Ashley again, slowly, then comprehension seemed to dawn on her face. ((Ohhhhhhhh. That. I'm sorry. I'd almost forgotten about that, to tell you the truth.))

((I hadn't,)) I said pointedly.

((Of course you hadn't. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me.)) Ashley seemed chastened, but after a few seconds she spoke up again. ((I really don't think it's that big of a deal. Well, I know it's a big deal to you, but you shouldn't let it affect the way you deal with the outside world.))

((You understand,)) I reminded her. I had turned and dropped my head to her level, so that we were now looking straight into each other's eyes. ((I don't think most Pokemon would.))

((That's true.)) She paused to consider this a moment, her tails twitching slowly back and forth. ((Ponyta, does this... does this have anything to do with why you and Courtney left home?))

Did it? In a way, it was probably one of the motivating factors behind our flight, even if it wasn't the primary cause. ((Yes,)) I told her.

Ashley seemed to ponder this for a few minutes, then rolled back over onto her belly and moved her face close to mine, nuzzling me softly. I nuzzled back. ((Ponyta,)) she said quietly, ((I want you to know that you are a wonderful Pokemon, and that nothing about you will ever make me think less of you. Some won't understand, but that's their problem and not yours. You can't let those people dictate the choices you make. Understood?))

((Understood,)) I told her. I didn't really believe much of what she was saying-- how could she tell me about myself, when she didn't even know half as much as she thought she did about me?-- but I could tell that her sentiments were genuine, and the fact that she cared at all made me happy. I could feel a warm glow inside me, a sort of relief, the first time I'd felt it since that night on the telephone.

((Great.)) She sat up on the bed and gave me that foxy smile of hers. I smiled back in my own way. She raised a paw and batted gently at my nose. I responded by giving her a gentle nudge, a nudge which sent her sprawling flat on her back. It was easy to forget that she was only a fraction of my physical size. She didn't seem to mind, though, and we played gently for a few minutes.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw our two humans come back in through the door, chatting with each other. Courtney had a fistful of candy bars in one hand and was devouring them as fast as she could tear them open. I wondered where she had gotten the money; our purchases in Nolvaring had left us with only a tiny amount of change. The only thing I could think of was that Ashley's trainer had given her the money. I decided I wouldn't mention it unless someone else brought it up first.

((Look,)) I said. ((They're back.))

Ashley stopped playing for a moment and craned her neck to get a better view. At about the same time, the humans noticed us and stopped talking to each other, instead quickening their pace to reach us.

"Found the vending machines," Courtney explained unneccessarily through bites of candy bar as she reached me. "There's free Pokemon food, too, but I knew you'd already had plenty of grass today, so I didn't bring any back for you. If you're hungry, I can always go back."

((That's no problem,)) I answered. ((I'm fine. Thank you.))

Courtney nodded, continuing to stuff her face as she did so. She acted like she was starving. She probably was. I realized I had not asked before if she had eaten between Tentacruel and Nolvaring. She had no doubt eaten something-- she would probably have been unable to make the journey otherwise-- but I had seen her eat nothing since I had emerged from care in the Nolvaring Pokemon Center. She was too worried about me. Again the guilt threatened to overcome me.

"I see you were visiting with Ashley," the human male laughed. He sat down next to her and began scratching her head and belly, which she seemed to enjoy immensely. "Been a long time, hasn't it? Sorry we didn't call or visit for a couple of months. There's been so much to do."

((Like what?)) I asked. He looked confused until Courtney swallowed and translated for me.

"Oh... you know. Going around, seeing the sights, visiting gyms... beating the crap out of other trainers." He laughed. "I remember when we went through Silverspring. You know that rich brat whose Pokemon ran away from him? He challenged me to a battle. He had a new Pokemon-- a Blastoise, I think. He was talking some serious trash the whole time. We mopped the floor with him in about ten seconds." He scritched Ashley's chest. "I told you that Solarbeam TM would come in handy, huh, girl?"

((Tee hee!)) she giggled, raising her head to look at me. ((You should have been there to see it, Ponyta. The look on his face was absolutely priceless!))

((I'll bet it was,)) I responded. And to tell the truth, I would have given a lot to have been able to see it. They could only be talking about Josh, and it made me feel good to think of him losing. My satisfaction slowly ebbed away, though, as I realized he would no doubt blame his failure on whatever Pokemon he happened to have at the moment. Being owned by Josh was not something I would wish on any Pokemon.

"I hate his kind," Ashley's trainer was going on. "He wasn't even fully qualified to handle that Blastoise-- I doubt he would have been able to keep control of it if the battle had gone long. His instructor was yelling at him when I left the arena. He deserved it too."

"So you visited the whole school?" Courtney asked. She had finished all the candy and was now methodically crumpling the wrappers into a single smooth ball.

"I figured we should. I'd heard a lot about it, and I was curious. It was a good school, too. Most of the students--the ones I talked to, anyway--seemed like they'll become pretty good trainers. There are always a few bad apples in any group of trainers, unfortunately."

A question was bothering me, so I asked it. ((Did you... did you by any chance see an Eevee while you were at the school?))

Ashley answered. ((No, I didn't. I guess Eevees aren't common enough here for a beginning trainer to have one.)) She turned to her trainer. ((Ponyta was asking if we saw an Eevee at the school.))

He scratched his head. "Not that I can recall. In fact, Eevees seem to be scarce in this area, period. I did see a trainer with an Espeon, along the east coast somewhere, but no Eevees per se. Why?))

I shook my head. ((No reason. Thanks anyway.))

"Someday, I'll learn the Ponyta language. I promise." Ashley gave a quiet snort, and he grinned. "She doesn't believe me, of course. I suppose she has good reason, considering how long it took her to teach me Vulpix. Languages aren't my forte, I guess. Sorry I wasn't of more help, Ponyta."

Courtney smiled. "Of the Pokemon languages I've learned, Ponyta is among the easiest. I'd be happy to help you learn it sometime."

"I may take you up on that. So what do you want to do now? There isn't much in the way of entertainment here, but there's a TV in the lobby upstairs. I think I saw a chess set too. Do you play chess?"

"Not very well." She abruptly yawned, covering it belatedly with one hand. "Ugh. I just remembered how tired I am. Now that I've had something to eat, I feel like I could just fall right asleep."

"That might be a good idea." He stood up, and Ashley rolled to her feet and scrambled off the bed. "I guess Ashley and I will go watch TV, then. We'll see you in the morning. There'll be time enough to visit then." He grimaced. "If the weatherman was right, none of us will probably be going anywhere for a couple of days."

"See you in the morning," Courtney agreed, stifling another yawn.

((You can come with us if you like,)) Ashley suggested to me. ((I'd love to talk with you some more.))

I wanted to talk with Ashley, too, but I was also weary from the day's journey, and on top of that I hadn't quite recovered fully from my accident on the beach. ((Thanks, but I think I'll go to bed too. I'll talk to you tomorrow.))

((Okay,)) Ashley agreed, slightly crestfallen. She followed her master as he walked towards the door.

I turned to see where Courtney was and found that she apparently hadn't been kidding about being tired. She had crawled into bed and was already snoring away. She hadn't bothered to do more than remove her shoes before passing out. How long had it been since she had slept?

I looked after Ashley, and thought again about following her, but I too was perhaps more tired than I had realized. The room lights were still on-- I assumed they would be turned out or at least dimmed further later in the evening-- but despite their light, I fell asleep relatively easily.