I meant to update this chapter sooner since the last one was so short. Sorry, I end my chapters by feel. Chapters are meant to have mini-plot arcs, with an initiating of the conflict, a climax, descending tension, and conclusion. There is a method to my madness. But I write a lot and fast so I have a lot of this story in the backlog so I always have something to update. But if I update chapters too close to each other, people tend to miss chapters because they go to the latest updated one and then they get all confused, so I try to put enough space between them that that doesn't happen.

Now that I've made my excuses, you may enjoy the story.

A collector of rare stones, Steven is the son of the presidentof the Devon Corporation, and makes his home in Mossdeep City. In Pokémon Emerald, he is no longer the Champion—due to Wallacetaking his place—and instead wanders the Hoenn region, aiding the playeron their journey.

15

Unable to find any other empty poke'balls besides Aggron's, they wrapped me up in a damp blanket (after Aggron was returned and out of the way), loaded me up in the helicopter next to the injured, silver-haired man, and eventually set me up in the corner of his hospital room once he was out of intensive care and cleaned up. Got my own little fluffy dog bed and bowl of kibble that I only had to smell before knowing I had no interest. I had no interest in bad, bland jerky dried up into powder and then pressured into pellets.

I slept on and off, trying to convince myself to run while I still could. But the red and blue polished stones on his rings and those familiar broad fingers, and the silver hair I'd been chasing after in my dreams, couldn't be just a coincidence. If I left now, I may never know. And, in the end, though I hated thinking it, my coats unique color made it more dangerous for me in the wild where stray trainers could find me than here, giving the illusion that this man owned me.

I woke up from a light doze at his groan sometime in the night. A small, lone light by the head of his bed kept light by the keys of the machines and various buttons on the wall, but otherwise left the rest of the room dim.

He moved his bandaged head about slowly, taking in the IV in his arm, the bandages. His casted leg beneath the blankets wiggled and he winced.

Finally, he noticed me curled up in the corner and froze.

I stared back at him, wondering whether I should go closer. Back in the cave he'd been afraid of me. But no sooner had the scent of fear started up, then it vanished altogether. The doggy bed probably helped to ruin the image of denizen of death.

"You…you were back in the cave…" he blinked, hard. Those fan-like lashes of his that had caught my attention so were a darker gray now that the dust no longer coated them.

I stepped out of the dog bed to approach him, allowing my tails to furl out around me as I did so. Cautiously, wary of unnerving him, I stretched out my muzzle onto his bed and brushed my nose against his pinky, oh so carefully.

I nearly wilted with relief at his weary smile.

He stroked my nose back with the tip of said pinky. A shiver passed down my spine.

"I can't believe…you're actually quite pretty. To think I thought you were some vengeful ghost poke'mon." His smile widened and his poor, IV'd hand lifted to pet my head more fully, making me melt against the covers. I had forgotten how good this felt. "You saved me, didn't you?"

I let out a gruff. "Not to brag much, but I sort of did."

He chuckled, of course only hearing the "Tales Nine tales." "You're a talkative one." His fingers threaded through my bangs, slipping out a few knots. "Thank you."

I nuzzled his hand, taking a sip of his leather and thyme smell. Something about it reminded me of home, of Collin, and there was a softness to those tired, fan-framed eyes that eased the ache in my chest. It was Chevy, Carlos's sympathy, and Collin's aura all in one—or, at least, my weak little heart liked to believe so.

We stayed like that in the quiet for a bit, with his hand stroking my head and ears, until he eventually drifted back off to sleep. Figuring it wouldn't hurt to cement with the hospital staff that I was his poke'mon, I climbed up and fit myself as best as I could in the little space by him on the bed and let my tails fall over the both of us.

It was that way that the nurse found us several hours later when the morning sun peeked through the blinds.

"Aw, so sweet, and her coat is so beautiful in the sunlight. Is she really a Ninetales, Mr. Stone?"

The young man, 'Mr. Stone,' hesitated only a moment before saying. "I believe so," No, dude, not a good answer for my supposed owner. "Um, not to sound cliché, but how did I get here? Last thing I remember was being trapped in that cave."

The nurse, a bubbly type of woman who reminded me of our old neighbor who'd always seek out mom for small-town gossip, was more than happy to dive into the story of an Aggron led by a black Ninetales charged into the Safari Zone with him out cold and broken. When he started to protest that I wasn't his, I quickly nipped his fingers and gave him a hard look.

Something must have been conveyed, because he shut up and just smiled weakly when the nurse raised her eyebrow.

"You're Aggron was mighty protective of her, they say," she said.

"Yep," he said.

"…are you alright Mr. Stone?"

"Yeah, I, um…is there any chance I could have some breakfast?"

Once she was gone, he rubbed his fingers and frowned at me.

"Okay, why didn't you want me to admit that you're not mine?" he asked.

I snorted. Even if I told him he wouldn't understand me. "Ninetales," I told him, just to prove my point.

He sighed. "Fine, that was dumb, but I at least know Ninetales understand human language, so can you nod or shake your head?"

I nodded.

"So you don't want me to say you're not mine?"

I nodded.

His eyebrows furrowed. "Does someone else own you?"

I hesitated, before deciding that I could decide for myself who owned me and shook my head.

"I saw that little pause." At my flinch, his mouth gave a one-sided quirk. "Let's just say I have more than your average experience with poke'mon. So…did you have a trainer?"

I sighed, nodded, then covered my face with my paws.

He chuckled, though I found nothing funny about this and nipped at the edge of his fingers to say so.

"Eek! Okay, sensitive subject." He rubbed his fingertips, though I didn't know why. I had hardly put in any pressure and, as Chevy told me, I bit like a puppy. "Did they die?"

I shook my head.

"Did they release you?"

Shake.

"Did you run away?"

….Nod.

"…Did they mistreat you?"

I nodded, and he echoed it.

"Guess that explains why you want me to pretend to be your trainer. With your rare coat, they're probably looking for you." He sighed. "Though I'm not sure what I can do. If they find out I'm claiming your mine they could charge me with poke'mon thievery."

I bristled at that. "So you're okay with letting me get abused more just so you don't get in trouble?" Ugh, why'd I even stick around.

At my angry yips, he jerked back defensively. "Hey, I didn't say I was going to turn you in. I can house you until they come around, but I can only do so much."

The part of me that had been illusioned that this guy could be my savior went off to a corner somewhere to weep. Why'd he have to be the goody-two-shoes civilian type? But what could I have expected from a guy who goes spelunking in a suit?

Guess I deserved it for paying attention to stupid dreams so much.

I jumped off the bed, about to just walk out. I still had plan A: finding another Ninetales on Mount Pyre and plan B: getting back home to confront the original Ninetales. The guy was alive, so I could check 'heroics' off my goodly deeds list for the month.

"Wait, I guess I do owe you for saving my life."

I glared at him from over my shoulder. At least he emitted a little bit of guilt.

"I can file a claim," he said. "There are laws against poke'mon abuse, but we need evidence for that. I mean, if you had some bruises or scars from him—"

I gave a loud grunt of frustration, because perish the thought that dropping off a poke'mon at a breeders be considered abuse. Gal, this royally sucked. Plans A and B it was.

"At least let me reward you before you go," he said. "You could at least do with a meal, right?"

Just as he said that, I was reminded of my aching stomach. It had been two days since I had last eaten.

I squashed my face against the back of the door.

"Fine," I grumbled.

So destiny had a little bit longer to give me a reason why this dude should mean anything to me.