DISCLAIMER: Pokemon and all things related belong to someone is a complete genius.

Moonlight's Shadow Chapter 11:

Charades

Mute. Skye was mute.This was going to be a problem. Shadow placed a paw on her forehead and leaned against a tree. How did she get into all this complicated business? A few weeks ago she had been still busily anticipating the aftermath of what would happen when she evolved.

However… She never expected for it to turn out like this. She had killed Akara, been banished from her pack…Shadow shook her head angrily to clear her head. She was sick of all the negative thoughts she had been having lately.

"So you where Pep is?" Shadow asked.

Nod, nod.

"Well of course he knows where Pep is," said Koja, "He just said about three or four times that he knew where she was! Well not said… showed I guess. Anyway, what he needs to do is tell or show us where she is."

The Absol turned to Skye. Shadow breathed a tiny sigh of relief. Koja was back to his old logical, respectable self. No more panic attacks, nor more hyperactiveness in the middle of the night…

"So can you lead us to her?" asked Koja.

Skye shook his head and flapped his wings very vigorously.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know! You're the one who asked the stupid question!" snapped Shadow. She wasn't very good at these things.

Skye looked back and forth at the two other Pokemon and rubbed his head with one wing. He then looked around hardly.

"You don't know?" guessed Koja.

Skye shook his head and held out his wing in what looked like a 'wait' gesture. A minute later, the Skarmory held a medium length stick inside his beak and walked to a path of dirt next to a tree. Bending down, the Skarmory very carefully moved his head in odd angles and ways. Shadow walked over beside Skye to see what he was doing. Koja followed suite.

Both Pokemon waited patiently- well actually that was more Koja, Shadow kept ushering Skye to, "Hurry up!"- for Skye to do whatever thing he was doing. Finally, after what seemed for ages, the Skarmory stood back and beamed down at them. Skye turning to a nearby tree, balanced the stick he'd been holding in his mouth onto a branch. He turned back to Koja and Shadow who were peering at what he had been doing with the stick. The Skarmory was standing very proudly in front of his ah… squiggly things.

"Maybe it's a map..." said Koja.

"It can't be!" argued Shadow, "It well…"

The Umbreon peered closer at the thing. It was basically a picture of a thing-a-bob, a picture of a terribly off circle with some marks all around it, and then lots of thing-a-bobs together.

"Well?" asked Koja.

"It's not a map." Replied the Umbreon stubbornly, "I don't possibly see how it's a map."

"Oh yeah?" asked Koja," Watch."

He pointed to the thing-a-bob.

"That's where the little furball is right now."

Shadow pursed her lips together in a slight frown at the term 'furball'. Koja ignored her and pointed to the 'lots of thing-a-bobs together'.

"That's where we are."

"How about that thing in the middle?"

Shadow pointed to the terribly off circle with the marks all around it.

"It's a landmark!"

"Oh give me a break Koja. That ludicrous…"

The two had been so wrapped up in their conversation that they didn't see Skye trying to contact them. Finally, the Skarmory decided to stick his head in, so that he was millimeters away from Shadow and Koja's heads.

"Whoa." Koja jumped back, it was a bit too close for comfort.

Shadow's eyes widened the relaxed when Skye moved his head back to its normal position.

"It's not a map right?" asked Shadow.

Skye nodded.

"Hah!"

"But we still don't know what it is…" Koja pointed out.

Skye, using his wing, pointed to the thing-a-bob. The Skarmory to then prance around, jumping and skipping. With no offense meant, he really looked like a deranged lunatic who needed to be sent to the Pokemon Psychiatrist.

"Mental Asylum." Was Shadows 'sarcastic answer.

Skye shook his head, though he looked offended.

"My dear ringlet-ed Umbreon, it appears clearly to me, the one obviously with the higher intelligence, who Skye is imitating."

"Get on with it." Muttered Shadow. Why couldn't Skye be deaf instead? Now she'd have to suffer with all of this. Gah.

"It of course appears clearly to-"

"And?"

"It's that little abomination."

"Oh." Shadow inspected the thing-a-bob. Oh my- maybe it was called what Inferno told her. Modern Art? Or then there was a higher chance that Skye simply could not draw with his beak and wings.

"Besides, she doesn't act like that!" protested Shadow,"Not like a-excuse me- like a lunatic!"

"Haven't you seen the pipsqueak?" retorted Koja.

He pranced around, and jumped up and down, "Hey there!" he squealed mimicking Pep's high voice, "I'm your new buddy! Heehee! I'm going to annoy Koja to death! Heeheehee!"

The Umbreon nodded slightly, forced to admit that Skye's imitation was very similar to Pep. Shadow watched Skye as he gestured to the drawing of the terribly off circle. He then pointed up.

"The sun." said Koja not even bothering to look up.

Skye looked like he had been granted his voice back. Skye nodded again and he then finally gestured to the group of thing-a-bobs.

"Multiple Peps? Clones?" guessed Koja.

Skye shook his head. Lots of Poochyeenas? Is she in a gang!" said Shadow frantically, "They've captured her!"

Skye shook his head sternly.

"Oh I don't know…Her family or something?"

Skye pounced on Koja and nodded. The Absol pushed the Skarmory off him.

"Yeah, yeah so I'm right. But it's not getting us anywhere!"

Skye beamed at Koja before pointing the thing-a-bob which they now knew was a picture of Pep. He then walked around for a few steps before pointing to the picture of Pep's family.

"I feel lost…" muttered Shadow.

"Think outside the box," said Koja, "She's at her family's."

Skye grinned and nodded.

"But what do we do?" asked Shadow, "She was meant to lead us to her family."

Skye shrugged and flexed his wingtips so they were spread into a "hand". Wait.

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Saffron City, Johto Region

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Sami gazed from where she sat on a bench at the Pokemon Centre. She had finally gotten out of the Pokemon Centre after Nurse Joy's fierce interrogation a few minutes. A Houndoom carrying a Pokeball in his mouth came running up to her.

"Hey! So... Did it work?" the trainer asked hopefully, taking the pokeball from Inferno's mouth and giving the Pokemon a pat.

"We'd better get to your grandmother's… Nurse Joy is well… Kind of still on the warpath…"

True enough; a pink haired woman was glaring at Sami from the window of the Poke Centre.

"Hypnotizing her with Ditto didn't work? Strange."

"The goon imitated a Marcargo, not a Hypno. You know, a fire slug Pokemon. And we all know how Nurse Joy hates those…If Ditto have turned into an Evee or something cute like that… Well then maybe we would've stood a chance. But no… Do just about the worst thing ever…genius."

The houndoom glared at the Pokeball in Sami's hand.

There was a sniffle from the Pokeball followed by an "Everybody likes slugs…"

"I wonder how Koja got a long." murmured Sami patting Ditto's pokeball, "He was scared to death when Nurse Joy came in-"

"Leaving you with serious charges." Ended Inferno distastefully

"Well, she kind of knows me…." Said Sami hopefully, "Besides, we don't have the full picture of Koja yet and that Nurse Joy is quite… paranoid."

"Whatever. Besides, that have you seen the scars of both of them?"

"What? You mean Koja and Shadow?"

"Yeah, those two. They both have the mark of an outcast…"

"What for like… consorting with a human?"

The teen's Pokemon rolled his eyes, "I got stuck with the worst trainer ever… Of course not! Something more serious like… murder."

Sami's eyes widened and by instinct suddenly remembered Sabrina's words about Shadow and Koja's story…

"His sister was no match for his superior battle skills and as he was about to deliver the finishing blow…

Your Pokemon seemed to have an…evil aura…"

"Hey…What's wrong?" Inferno glanced up at Sami, worried, "I didn't scare you, did I?"

"Of course not…" Sami forced a laugh out of her mouth, "Silly you. I was just thinking…"

"Bring the news reporters in! Everyone crowd around! Sami Atwane has just 'thought'! Amazing! Spectacular! A miracle!" cried the Houndoom.

"Shush up you… I got the worst Pokemon ever don't I?"

"And I have the worst trainer."

"So…"

Inferno's ears perked up.

"Let's get out of town, you know… Lie low till all this clears up? We could go… Visit my old teacher in the mountains…"