By and large, the route from Radjin to Tentacruel was not one I was familiar with. I had walked the stretch between Radjin and Nolvaring, but I knew that before that there had been a period of time during which I had been unconscious in a ball; a journey that had taken Courtney several days to complete. Most of the way would be new territory to me.

We stopped in Nolvaring so James could put fuel in the truck. This was an old logging and mining town, he explained, so it had vehicle facilities that some larger cities did not. We still had to wait in a line for our turn at the pumps, a prospect that did not seem appealing in light of the steadily darkening sky.

((How long does it take to drive to Tentacruel Bay from here?)) I asked.

"Four or five hours," was James' reply. "If I push it, which I will. We'll beat the daylight there, but I can't guarantee we'll beat the storm. We may have to contend with some snow on the way in."

((And then what?))

"Well, that's when I'm glad I have a Fire Pokemon along. They don't make any better snowplows." The line moved forward a little, and James let the truck coast forward until it was once again in place. "Let me give you a short history lesson. Back when these mines and logging camps were first established-- keep in mind this was over 200 years ago-- they had to use Pokemon for everything. No modern equipment. In particular, they used Ponytas and Rapidashes as pack animals and for pulling duties."

((Really? Did they have to go down into the mines?)) I had to feel sorry for any Pokemon who was forced to work in those conditions.

"No, the presence of coal dust made that somewhat less than a good idea. Anyway, now it's mostly automated, although I'm told they still use Rhydons in the mines themselves. Sometimes humans just can't do a better job than Nature herself."

((Did they use any Electric Pokemon?))

He looked at me curiously. "My, you are obsessed with the Electric-types, aren't you? No, historically, the use of Electric-type Pokemon in industry has been limited-- aside from the role of simply providing electric power, which goes without saying. Sometimes they're used by commercial fishing operations, although such use is generally illegal."

I nodded in acknowledgement. The line moved again.

***

By the time we had filled the truck's tanks with gas, the wind was beginning to gust, lowering the already-cold temperature further. Leaves whipped around our feet and workmen cupped their hands over their heads as James handed the manager a fistful of paper money and hurried back into the cab, teeth chattering and rubbing his hands together to keep them warm. "You ready to roll, Ponyta?" he asked me through the window, which by now was open just a crack.

((Absolutely.))

"Excellent." With that, James released the parking brake and the truck arrowed towards the gates of the camp. Within a few moments, we were bouncing down the road towards Courtney's farm at a substantially faster pace than that we had maintained for most of our journey. Keeping up was a bit more of a chore than it had been before, which wasn't saying much, but I was happy to put in the effort anyway, knowing what lay at the end of our journey.

***

Strictly speaking, we didn't arrive in Tentacruel Bay before the storm hit. But that was okay, because the town wasn't our first stop. We had just pulled off the road onto the driveway when the first fat flakes of snow began to drop from the sky.

"You're sure this is the place?"

I glared at James, who looked pretty comfortable inside the heated cab of the truck. I was not really cold, but I would have preferred being inside, especially with the wind beginning to take off.. ((I only lived here for three months. Yes, I'm sure.))

"Just checking." James brought the truck to a smooth stop in front of the house. "Cases of mistaken identity are best avoided. As far as I can recall, the folks around here are pretty hospitable, but why borrow trouble?"

Here, out in the country, the sound of an unfamiliar vehicle arriving was enough to bring all three of the house's occupants to investigate. The appearance of first one on the scene, a stocky, balding man with a deeply furrowed brow, was all I needed to tell me that we were at the right house. When the next two arrived, a young girl and an older woman with white hair, the recognition was immediate.

"Ponyta? Is that really you?" Before I quite realized she had approached, Courtney was clutching my head in both hands and looking at me with eyes that were quite clearly welling up with tears.

((Yes, it's me.)) I shook my head a little to free it; I didn't mind being touched by Courtney, but she was digging her fingertips in without realizing it. ((Are you all right?))

"Ponyta. Oh, Ponyta." The tears came now, and far from sharing the happiness that I felt, Courtney looked utterly miserable. "Can you… can you ever forgive me for what I've done?"

((What you've done?)) I said, baffled.

"For leaving you… in the forest."

Now it was my turn to feel miserable. ((It was I who left you, not the other way around,)) I pointed out quietly.

Insanely, my reply brought a forced smile through the tears. "I can tell this is something we're not going to agree on anytime soon," Courtney murmured. With that, she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly.

The adult humans who were nearby had begun to stare. As one, they blinked and returned their attention to each other. "James Schlafer," said James, extending the hand.

"Patrick Myers," said the other. "My wife, Katherine, and my daughter, Courtney. We seem to have an acquaintance in common."

"Indeed we do." A blast of cold air made James clutch his jacket tightly, although the older folk seemed not to notice. "Um, I don't wish to impose, but the storm seems to be-"

"Say no more." Patrick pointed around one side of the house. "There should be room in the tool barn for your truck. Here, I'll ride along with you-- you'll probably need some help with the door."

"Let's get everyone inside," interjected Courtney's mother. "Don't worry, the house doesn't get very cold, even during bad weather."

"Kathy, you know how I feel about having Pokemon inside."

The woman fixed her husband with a glance. "Surely you're not suggesting that we leave them outside or in the barn, are you? They're guests here."

Patrick said nothing, only frowned and climbed into the passenger seat. James started the engine, and within seconds the two had backed out of sight around the house.

"That's Dad's way of agreeing without losing the argument," confided Courtney. She turned her attention to Alex, evidently seeing him for the first time. "And you. Are you the Ninetales who saved Ponyta from the PLA?"

He cocked his head at her. ((That's correct. My apologies for not being able to rescue you as well. My options at the time were highly limited.)) He sniffed the air. ((Is someone cooking something? Is there food inside?))

"You might say that."

***

"I love what you've done with the place."

One huge meal later, the entire family had convened in the living room for conversation, which was one of the few activities that presented itself under the current weather conditions. The old couple sat together on the equally old couch, Courtney had commandeered a rocking chair, and by mutual agreement the largest human got the largest chair, an old leather armchair in one corner. No sooner had he sat down than Alex crawled into his lap and promptly passed out. James wasn't going anywhere for a while.

"Really? Thank you."

"Yeah. I live in a farmhouse from this period myself," James said, waving his hand at the walls and ceiling. While the resemblance was definitely there, this house was definitely inhabited by someone who valued appearances higher than James did.

"You do?" Courtney's father showed interest in the conversation for the first time in a couple of minutes. "You're not a farmer, are you?"

"Oh, no." James laughed. "No… my house hasn't had a farm to go with it for several years. It's just a nice place to live, out in the country. Nobody bothers you unless you want to be bothered."

The father nodded knowingly. "So… if you're not a farmer, what do you do, then? Gotta bring the money in somehow."

"That's so. I'm a nurse at the local Pokemon Center. A town by the name of Ginther's Ridge. I usually work in the Center taking care of trainer Pokemon, but occasionally I get sent out to one of the real farms in the area."

"Why, that's interesting," broke in Kathy. "Our Courtney has been working at our own Center these past few months. Only volunteer work so far, but they're so happy with her work that they're probably going to hire her on a part-time basis soon. Isn't that right, Courtney?"

"Yeah," Courtney readily agreed. She didn't look happy in the room with the adults, though, and I noticed that she kept glancing at me. "Mom, can I show Ponyta my room?"

"How in blazes are you going to get her up there?" demanded Patrick. "Those stairs are hardly big enough for humans, let alone her."

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that." Courtney looked disappointed for a moment, but then brightened. "I've got an idea! I can carry her up and down in a Pokeball. How about it?"

To this, neither parent had any object. "The floor should be able to support the weight. If Ponyta doesn't mind, go for it."

I didn't mind. Getting to talk to Courtney seemed vastly preferable to staying in this room with the rest, pleasant though it was.

***

The upper portion of the house was quite a bit cooler than the lower. I personally wasn't bothered, but I suspected that most humans would begin to find it rather chilly. Courtney's room was sparsely furnished, but decorated with little trinkets that seemed to fill every available inch of space. Many of them were Pokemon dolls of various sizes and shapes, with about half of the total population seeming to consist of Ponytas and Rapidashes.

((I like it,)) I had to say after looking around. It wasn't bad, as human dwellings went. The ceiling was still a bit low for my tastes, but I supposed that couldn't be avoided. Something occurred to me… ((Courtney, you've learned a lot of Pokemon language since we got seperated, haven't you? You understood both me and Alex.))

"It comes with the job," she said matter-of-factly. "It's hard to be a good Pokemon nurse when you can't speak their language. Imagine if we had to rely on owners to give us information about a Pokemon's condition?" Courtney shuddered visibly at the notion. "Half the Trainers I run into are frantic, and the other half are just incompetent. Some of these people shouldn't have been allowed out of the womb, let alone be allowed to handle a Pokeball."

I had to smile. At least Courtney was getting out more. ((You seem to have a lot of these Pokemon dolls. Do you still collect them, or are they all from a long time ago?))

"I still collect the Ponyta family. I lost interest in most of the others when I was about ten years old, but I've always loved the horses. As I'm sure you know."

My eyes noticed an assortment of pictures arranged on her desktop. Most of them were of her and her family, but… ((Courtney, who's the guy in that picture?))

"Which picture?"

It was of a tall, thin boy with close-cropped brown hair. He was smiling, leaning against the side of a building that I could not recognize. ((It's the only picture that's not of you or your parents.))

"Oh." I could have sworn she blushed. "That's… that's Conrad. He works at the Pokemon Center in Tentacruel, too."

((Ah.)) I wasn't an idiot, of course. ((And he knows you have a picture of him on your desk?))

"Well, I should think so. He's the one who gave it to me… after I asked him, of course."

((I see.))

Courtney's eyes sparkled with amusement. "You sound surprised."

((I do?))

"Yeah. What, you don't think anybody but you has a love life?"

((No! No, that's not it at all. It's just that… you see…)) It was hard admitting what I had thought, especially since it seemed so stupid now, but I got it out. ((I always thought there was something going on between you and King.))

Courtney seemed taken aback. "Oh. I mean… wait, how did you know about that?"

Now I was confused, to say the least. ((Huh? Courtney, do you mean there actually was something going on?))

She put her hands on her knees and grimaced. "I'm warning you, Ponyta, this is going to sound pretty silly."

((I know the feeling. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to.))

"No, I'll tell you." She drew a breath. "I don't know how King felt about me, if he did at all. You'd have to ask him. But yeah, I guess I was pretty smitten with him for a while. So sue me. I'm a dumb girl."

((Nobody said that,)) I pointed out. ((So what happened?))

"What happened? He went off God-knows-where, and then I got picked up by a bunch of thugs, interrogated, and dropped off back here. I tried to call him, but his phone had been deactivated. God knows where he is now."

I started to interject with some information on that score, but Courtney continued talking. I decided I could wait a bit to spring it on her.

"If King was here, then we'd see… But he's not. And I don't want to have a relationship via cell phone. I need someone to give me love and affection. Here. Now. All the feelings in the world aren't going to change that."

Wow, I'm glad I don't think like that, were the thoughts that shocked me by rising to the top of my mind. I didn't say them, of course; Courtney was still one of my closest friends. ((But do you like Conrad?))

"Of course I like him. What kind of a question is that? I wouldn't be going out with someone I hated."

((I mean, do you like him as much as you like King? If you do still like him, I mean.))

Courtney drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She shivered a little, and I knew it wasn't because of the chill. "I'm not going to answer that question, if that's okay with you, Ponyta."

There wasn't much I could do about it in any case. I cleared my throat. ((Well, there's something else I think you ought to know. You might be running into King sooner than you expect.))

She raised her head, which she had momentarily buried in her arms. "What do you mean by that?"

((I mean that we-- James, Alex and I-- are supposed to meet up with King at the Tentacruel Pokemon Center in the next couple of days. He was away in Kanto for a few months, but now he's back, and we arranged to meet with him here.))

Courtney brought both hands to her mouth in an expression of horror. "Oh, no. You mean he's going to be there tomorrow?"

((Well, sometime in the next few days. Probably sooner rather than later, though.))

She stood up. "I think I need to talk to Mr. Schlafer." She held out the Pokeball. "Do you want to come back down with me, or stay up here until I get back?"

((I guess I'll come.)) This was not turning out as I had hoped.

***

"…of all the animal species, humans are the only ones who give birth to live young, as opposed to eggs. Most scientists view this as evidence of a fundamental difference in the origins of humans and Pokemon. The trouble is, there's absolutely no scientific evidence as to why this should be so, which has caused a lot of religions to point to it as proof of a divine plan on the part of whatever Creator they believe in."

Courtney's parents were nodding as I emerged from the Pokeball once more, but then everybody in the room turned their heads to see what we wanted-- save Alex, who was still asleep.. "Excuse me, Mr. Schlafer," broke in Courtney. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but do you think I could speak with you in private? It's very important."

"Certainly," said James. "Do you think you could help me get Alex off my lap? He's not a bother while I'm sitting, but I don't think I can lift him by myself."

Together, the two managed to move the sleeping fox to the empty couch, and then as quickly as we had come downstairs, they disappeared back upstairs. I was left alone with the couple and the still-dreaming Alex.

"That James knows quite a lot about Pokemon," said the father admiringly, after a few moments of silence. "I suppose he finds it helpful in his line of work, but I still think it's pretty impressive."

"He told us about how even though most Pokemon species don't need to nurse, many of them still have nipples and milk-producing glands," chimed in the mother. "What do you think of that?"

((I don't know,)) I answered truthfully, not really paying attention. All the talk about Pokemon reproduction was a little unsettling for me. It occurred to me that I should probably take steps to rectify my lack of knowledge in this area-- it had been long enough that I could be sure that my previous ignorance had not already caused any complications, but that was no excuse for remaining so. Meeting up with Snap again was high on my list of priorities.

It didn't seem like enough time had passed for Courtney and James to have a real conversation, but already I heard his heavy booted feet on the stairs, followed by Courtney's softer footfalls. When James appeared, his expression was both annoyed and amused.

"A request has been made to me that we-" James indicated who "we" was by pointing to me, Alex and himself in turn- "-attempt to conclude our business in Tentacruel Bay as early as possible tomorrow morning, hopefully moving on to Silverspring before Courtney's shift begins in the morning. Do I hear any objections?"

"Why?" was Patrick's only reaction.

James gestured to Courtney, who now stood beside him. "That is a private matter between me and Courtney, so it's not for me to tell you. If she wants to tell you, she will. For my own part, although the prospect of starting before dawn does not thrill me, I am willing to accommodate her."

The father contemplated this for a moment, then nodded his assent. "The main road should be plowed by four o'clock. You can leave pretty much any time after that, although you're of course welcome to stay as long as you like."

There were nods and smiles all around, then everybody returned to their seats to continue the evening. I leaned close to James' ear and whispered, even though I was pretty sure that Courtney's parents were not fluent in any Pokemon language. ((We're supposed to get King out of the way, then?))

James nodded. He opened his lips as though to reply to me, then noticed Courtney's parents and apparently thought better of it. Instead, he simply returned to his conversation with them.

I was still of the strong opinion that Courtney was horribly overreacting-- not to mention throwing away a large opportunity-- but she was a very stubborn human, and if everybody was willing to indulge her, it wasn't my place to disrupt the situation. I settled in to listen to James lecture, curious to see if I could learn anything of practical value.

***

Someday, I promised myself, I was going to adopt a policy of never getting up before the sun rose. Now, unfortunately, was not the time or place to enforce such a policy, so I grudgingly stirred when James prodded me.

Courtney was there to say goodbye-- and to make one last suggestion to me. "Do you have to go, Ponyta? You know I'd love to have you stay here with me."

That was simply not an option for me, but I didn't waste my time or breath trying to tell her that. Instead I threw the question back at her. "Why don't you come with us, then? Do you really like living here?"

She glanced around to make sure nobody was within earshot, then whispered, "Not really. But at least I have a life. And I don't want my parents to be worried about me. I'll know when the time is right to leave." In a normal voice she added, "If you're determined to go, then at least you're in good hands. Goodbye, Ponyta. And stay in touch."

With that, she hugged me one last time, then watched as I stepped out the front door into the deep snow.

***

Even though the snowplows had been over this stretch of road already, the going was slower than it had been before the snowfall. Fortunately, we didn't have far to go. It was barely a reasonable walk from the farm to the town in the first place. We made the trip in a little under five minutes.

Shrouded in snow, with the harbor frozen over, the town evoked memories in me, even though I had never seen it in this state. The most familiar area, the square with the Pokemon Center where I had ended up less than twenty-four hours after gaining my freedom, was where James pulled to a halt and climbed out. "Shouldn't take too long," he announced. "All I need to do is find King and explain the situation to him. King sleeps in his clothes and he nearly always listens to me-- an ideal combination when it comes to leaving town quickly."

((Have you two had much practice?)) I couldn't resist asking.

"A little."

The lobby was deserted but for the nurse on duty. James wasted no time in asking her if she'd seen a traveler matching King's description, which he sketched out quickly, adding that he would almost certainly be accompanied by either a Vulpix or Ninetales.

"You know, a man like that came in last night," she said, "but we didn't have any room. He said that anybody who showed up asking for him should be sent to the hotel."

"Thank you. Um, which hotel?"

"The hotel. Only one in town."

"Of course. Thank you for your help." James gave a small bow and we were off again.

At the hotel, James repeated his query, with far more positive results. The clerk called up to one of the guest rooms, exchanged a few words, then reported, "Your friend says that he will be down in a few minutes, sir. In the meantime, would you like to wait in our lobby?"

James and Alex took to chairs, while I merely tried to stand so as not to completely block the flow of traffic in the entryway-- this despite the fact that said traffic was essentially nonexistent. "Hunting down King is one of the more frustrating activities I have ever indulged in," complained James under his breath. "You could go down a whole list of names and still not hit the one he happens to be using at the moment. Bad for his enemies, but not exactly helpful for his friends either. Ah, here we go-- here he comes."

Down the stairs came the man himself, still sporting the beard and hairstyle I had last seem him with, dressed for the weather with heavy boots and a fleece-lined jacket. He broke into a huge smile at the sight of us, and swept James up in a hug. For the first time I observed a height difference between the two-- the older man was almost six inches shorter. Their happiness at seeing one another again was contagious; I caught myself smiling before I realized why.

Behind King, as ever, came Ashley. Only it wasn't Ashley. At least, not the Ashley that I thought I knew. One change was obvious and not altogether unexpected: golden fur had replaced orange; her proportions had changed, making her larger and more sleek; and she now sported at least two new tails. I didn't need to count them up; I knew how many there would be.

The other change took a little longer to sink in.

((Who's the father?)) piped up Alex before those of us with a greater amount of tact had the chance to size up the situation.

((Not you, obviously,)) shot back Ashley in a voice that had also deepened slightly, a perfectly natural change given her increased size. ((For all your efforts to the contrary. Ponyta! Am I ever glad to see you. I thought we'd never see each other again.))

((I had my doubts, too,)) I said softly, lowering my head to give her a good sniff. She returned the favor. ((I can't wait for you to tell me all about what you've been up to.))

((Not all of it, I'm afraid,)) she said teasingly. ((Hello, James. Always good to see you-- unlike your rather rude-mannered companion.))

"I always hope that you two will patch up your differences someday," James said with a sigh and a chuckle. "I'll keep hoping, I guess. King, buddy, let me ask you something. Is there anything keeping you in town?"

"In Tentacruel?" King stroked his beard. "Not really. Why, are you off somewhere again?"

"You might say that. I'm just taking a short jaunt this time-- I figure to the Silverspring Pokemon Center. But we need to leave right away-- I mean inside of five minutes, preferably-- and it would really make me happy if you came with me."

"I can do that if I know why. What's up?"

"Look, buddy, what was the first thing you learned from me?"

King frowned. "Never trust anyone who drives a pickup truck?"

"No. I meant the other first thing."

"Oh. There's always a good reason for anything you ask me to do, and I'll always find out what it is eventually, even if it takes too long to explain at the time?"

"Right on."

"Gotcha. Let me get my backpack."