Hi there everyone! I'm just putting this little bit at the beginning because I feel that I need to say some things.

I'd like to say (or type, in this case) that I am overwhelmed by the responses I've gotten from rewriting Balance both on FFN as well as Serebiiforums. It's been one hell of a ride so far and I honestly didn't know what to expect when I decided I wanted to give this story another shot. The fact that you all like it and are gaining your own interpretations from what I've written has made me incredibly happy, and even though there are some parts of Balance I don't enjoy writing, overall it has made the experience for me a lot more fun.

I know, it's a sappy thing to say, but really - thanks everyone. Both you reviewers and readers have been an amazing audience and I really hope we can see Balance through to the end - even if the end is still a very long way off!

- Sam.

CHAPTER 6

Night-time came and went, and soon Danny and Talbot were on the road once more. They spared little time in packing away their things at dawn, which was something Danny was starting to discover that she disliked. While she was starting to remember that she had been down here for two weeks, being jostled awake by Talbot every sunrise was not pleasant at all. She had lost count of how many times she'd yawned since Wigglytuff had brought her some breakfast and was certain that no kid should ever have to be up this early (in fact it should be against the rules, she eventually decided).

It didn't actually take as long to get to Nacrene as it had to Striaton, though that might've been because Danny was finally getting used to keeping up with Talbot. He seemed to be feeling a little better now after what happened with the scary men at least. 'Nacrene's tiny – it should be a lot easier to move around there,' he told her as they made their way down the ancient road. 'We shouldn't have to stay long – just enough to see what we can find and move on.'

Wigglytuff, despite being a few steps ahead of them, was flanking Talbot's side. Danny looked over to her left see how Purrloin was doing. She was walking on all fours and even though she still limped a bit she appeared to be healing well and it wouldn't be long before the bandages wouldn't be needed anymore. Nothing seemed out of order – her pelt was as sleek as usual and every other second or so she noticed that Purrloin would glance at her, apparently keeping an eye on her as well. But like in Striaton, Danny didn't feel that the cat pokemon was going to run off, even if she had to keep checking to make sure she was still following.

She rubbed one of the scratches on her arms and saw how some of the lighter ones were starting to leave scars. Danny pressed her lips together. Explaining these wouldn't be easy to her parents to say the least, and her dress was so dirty that it barely even sparkled anymore. By this point Danny was sure that it wouldn't matter to her mom and dad – she was still alive after all, and the worst she'd probably get is a scolding.

After a while a square building came into view, just as desolate as the others Danny had come across. 'There's the gate to the city,' Talbot told her. 'Remember: stay close to me and we'll be fine.'

Out of all the towns Danny had seen so far, Nacrene was definitely the most unique, for there was not a skyscraper in sight. Instead, the streets were lined with warehouses made of brick, their metal roofs flimsy and patchy as a result of being exposed to the elements for far too long. A disused set of railroad tracks lay before the group when they crossed the borders of the city, trailing off into the nearby forest. Danny followed these metal lines until they met the edge of the tarmac. 'What were these things for?'

'Transport probably,' Talbot said, subconsciously kicking a pebble out of his path without so much as breaking his stride. 'There are a lot of things like that down here.'

They stopped for something to eat in the middle of the city. Danny opted to sit on the pavement, watching as a swarm of those grey birds soared over the tops of the buildings (according to Talbot these things were called "Pidoves"). Another small pack of Lillipup was roaming the streets too, barking and yapping like excited children. They passed by without so much as batting an eyelid to the newcomers, although Purrloin did fall to all fours and puff out her fur a little bit when they drew near.

Danny chewed at the inside of her mouth for a moment as Purrloin's fur flattened, rubbing the scars on her right arm. 'Purrloin,' she said softly, catching the attention of both Talbot and Wigglytuff, who turned to watch her. Purrloin's ears perked up and she tilted her head slightly. This was a very good sign – or at least that was what Danny interpreted it to be. She reached for the last strip of jerky Talbot had shared with her and tore a piece off, then slowly brought out her hand in Purrloin's direction.

If there had been any noises in the background, then Danny hadn't heard them, her eyes (as well as the others') were on Purrloin. The cat flicked an ear back before slowly rising to her back paws so that she was standing again. She took a couple of slow, steady steps until she was within an inch of touching Danny's fingertips and stood there for a second or two. Danny's abdomen hitched even more than it had done back when she'd offered Purrloin a cup of soup. The pokemon had never been this close – not of her own free will at least.

Purrloin's gaze flickered, and then she returned Danny's gesture, reaching out with her paws and carefully taking the scrap of meat from her owner's palm.

The pressure in Danny's body exploded and a grin spread across her face and she had to consciously stop herself from shouting with joy – the last thing she wanted to do was startle Purrloin. Talbot chuckled softly while Wigglytuff applauded quietly with her stubby hands. 'Good job, Danny,' he said to her when the feline sat back down to eat, a genuine smile peeking at the corners of his mouth. 'Told you things would change – a little bit of patience can go a very long way sometimes.'

Of course there wasn't much else in Nacrene – most of the buildings turned out to be residential so they just had to pick up what they could and move on. But one building –or lack thereof – in particular stuck out to Danny. Most of it had been torn down, but that wasn't what she was interested in. No, what caught her attention was just how large the chiselled pillars cast across the ground were compared to her.

There was also a sign in front of this wreck – a large one that looked almost like the billboards they used in the high streets of Band B. Most of the sign had been eaten away by rust, but one thing on the sign stuck out like a sore thumb. This was probably due to it being a brilliant shade of light blue, Danny thought. It certainly drew her attention away from the generic orange and brown stains at least.

What had been placed on the sign, possibly just below what had once been a paragraph of text, was a symbol. Danny tilted her head and chewed on her lower lip. It looked kind of like a P, but at the same time it also looked like a Z as well. She tapped her chin. She'd seen this symbol before, but where? Maybe it had been on TV at some point?

Purrloin trotted up to Danny and sat beside her, now looking up at this strange symbol too. 'Mrow?'

'I don't know,' Danny replied absentmindedly. She rubbed the back of her neck. 'It just looks kinda weird to me, that's all.'

'This house is safe,' Talbot called from the closest warehouse to the street. 'Come on, Danny, we've got supplies to find.'

Danny sighed and followed with Purrloin by her side. She stole the chance to take one more look at the symbol on the sign before entering the warehouse and pushed it out of her thoughts.

She needed to keep focussed on looting anyway.

They left Nacrene behind an hour later, and had come away with relatively little, though this didn't damper Danny's mood in the slightest. She'd gotten Purrloin to take something from her hands at long last! Now whenever she checked to see how her pokemon was doing she couldn't help but let her chest swell a little bit.

At first Danny thought that they were alone, as they'd been on nearly every path between towns so far, but the distant, slow patter of heavy footfalls soon made her think otherwise. A man soon followed these steps, heading in the direction of Nacrene, his face obscured by a scruffy hoodie that covered most of the top half of his face. Danny almost froze when she noticed the pokeball on his belt, but kept moving, drawing close to Purrloin and Talbot as they passed the newcomer by. The memory of the looter's Scraggy flashed across her head and she gulped. It was better to just keep going and stay out of trouble, like Talbot said.

She only stole the chance to glance back once – and when she did she noticed that the newcomer was watching them over his shoulder. She still couldn't make out his face, but his lips were parted ever so slightly. Danny broke away and pushed the thoughts of this man out of her mind. It didn't matter if he was as friendly as Mustard or as mean as the looters – Talbot wouldn't be letting his guard slip again, that was certain – and if he didn't want anything to do with strangers, then she had to follow his example.

The trees began to thicken, closing in around the road and Danny suspected that they were about to enter another forest. This was confirmed to her by Talbot when he tapped her to get her attention. 'We're nearing Pinwheel Forest,' he told her and took her hand. 'It's a pretty huge place so stay close.' He furrowed his brow. 'I don't want to lose you in there.'

Danny squeezed Talbot's hand in response.

The first thing that she noticed about the fronds of the forest was the vast amount of shade. Light dappled the road and Danny had to cup her hands above her brow to stop the light from causing her to flinch.

Wigglytuff suddenly halted, as did Purrloin and as a result so did Talbot. Both their pokemons' ears suddenly perked up, sharp and tense and the hairs on the back of Purrloin's neck rose once more. This time her lips drew back into a snarl and the bridge of her nose wrinkled while Wigglytuff began puffing up her body. Danny's grip on Talbot tightened. 'What's wrong?'

Talbot shook his head and put a finger to his lips. 'Listen.'

Danny didn't hear anything at first, it wasn't until she slowed her breaths down did she pick up on what Talbot was pointing out. At first it was muffled, but after several seconds had passed Danny could recognise the familiar sounds of someone speaking in a stern tone.

Danny's mouth grew dry and her pulse began to hammer. She could recognise that kind of tone anywhere. There were guards down here too! Her chest swelled. They sounded close – incredibly close in fact – and it wouldn't be hard to get their attention at all if she tried hard enough.

She let go of Talbot's grip, her face beaming. It was over – she was finally going to be able to see her family again! 'Wait here,' she said. 'I'll tell the guards what happened!'

Talbot's eyes shot open. 'Danny!'

But Danny didn't hear him, nor did she see him chasing after her with their pokemon not too far behind. If there had been a whole group of guards like she expected then they had dispersed, because there was only one person standing on the main road when she turned the corner. Danny's pulse began racing when the familiar sight of the grey uniform met her irises. Yes, it was definitely one of them!

She opened her mouth as she approached the guard. 'Hey!'

The guard's shoulders tensed and he whipped around, his hand instinctively reaching for something fastened around his belt. He stepped back a bit when he finally realised that Danny was approaching him, biting down on his lower lip.

'Can you help us?' Danny continued. 'I fell down here a few days ago and I'd like to go home now.' She brought a hand to her chest. 'I'm from Band B.'

'Danny!' Talbot finally caught up to her. But all Danny did was look over her shoulder and grin.

'Don't worry, Talbot,' she said. 'He's a guard – he'll take us all back up to New Castelia!'

'D-Don't move another inch!'

Danny turned back to the guard to find that he was aiming a pokeball at the ground. He took a deep breath and looked away when Danny's line of sight met his. She tilted her head. That was funny – she'd never seen guards with pokeballs up in New Castelia. Maybe they were just finding out about pokemon too?

'Don't move another inch,' the guard repeated, this time much clearer. 'Or I will take you down by force.'

Danny's breathing hitched. Why was this guard treating her like she was a threat? Weren't guards supposed to help people in trouble? She felt Talbot's grip on her shoulder and her back tensed. 'Talbot's not a threat,' she said. 'He's been helping me get home!'

But the guard didn't back down, nor did his expression waver.

Talbot tugged at Danny's shoulder. 'Come on,' he whispered. 'Let's go before we get into trouble.'

'This is your last warning,' the guard barked. 'Leave now.'

Talbot tugged her shoulder again and this time Danny responded, allowing him to take her hand once more and lead her away from the guard. She faintly heard the sounds of Purrloin and Wigglytuff growling a warning of their own before following, but her senses soon dulled.

Next thing she knew, she was leaving the forest – but not in the way she'd hoped.

. . .

They didn't go back to Nacrene nor did they attempt to find another path through the woods. Instead, Talbot took Danny to a secluded section of the road and the two of them sat down on a fallen log for a while in silence.

Danny didn't know if Talbot wasn't talking because he was afraid to or if he wanted to give her some space, but either way she was quietly grateful for it. Purrloin and Wigglytuff kept watch on both sides of the road – if any guards came after them, then at least they'd get a little bit of time to prepare themselves for another fight.

After a little while of sitting around Talbot broke this silence by taking a deep breath and slouching his shoulders. 'Danny,' he began. 'I'm really sorry that you've had to go through all of this.'

Danny's lips quivered. 'Why was he mad at me, Talbot?' she whimpered. 'Mom always told me guards were nice people – what did I do to make him upset?'

Talbot shook his head. 'It wasn't your fault,' he replied. 'You had no idea what he was going to do.'

Danny balled her hands into fists, tears sneaking from the corner of her eyes. 'I-I just want to go home!'

She crumpled inwards, holding herself as the whimpers escalated into choked sobs. Talbot cast his gaze down and touched her shoulder again, falling silent.

'Danny,' he said after a while, digging his fingernails into his palms. 'I suppose I'd better tell you something.'

Danny didn't respond. She just buried her head into her arms and kept sobbing.

Talbot cleared his throat and stiffened his back. 'There's a reason why the man back there was being defensive,' he said. 'Things are different down here, Danny, and…' he faltered, swallowing again. 'And…'

Danny peeked from the corners of her elbows at him. 'A-And what?'

Talbot's eyelids sank. He opened his mouth, sucking in a deep breath. 'And –'

'What the hell happened here?'

Both Danny and Talbot snapped to attention. Her chest hammered, dreading the sight of another guard striding up to them with a pokeball aimed at the both of them, but this feeling slackened when she recognised the scruffy hoodie. It was the passer-by from before and this time he wasn't alone – for perched on his shoulder, very much like Mustard's Pansear, was another pokemon she hadn't met down here yet. She couldn't quite make up her mind on what it most resembled – the reptilian head and scales reminded her of a Scraggy, but the untidy plumage covering most of its body and wings were more like a Pidove. It tilted its head and squawked, eying Danny and keeping its grip on its owner's shoulder with long talons.

Purrloin uttered a low growl but Wigglytuff stayed still, blocking the path between the newcomer and her friends with a determined look on her face.

Talbot shot the man a glare. 'Just keep moving,' he ordered firmly. 'You have no business with us.'

This did not sway the newcomer in the slightest. He rubbed his forehead and gritted his teeth. 'Don't tell me those Plasma soldiers are in Pinwheel Forest again,' he groaned. 'Honestly – I was hoping I could get by without any trouble this time, serves me right, I guess.'

The tears running across Danny's cheeks began to dry. Plasma soldiers? Was he referring to the guards?

The man slid his hands into the pockets of the hoodie. 'Are you two heading for Old Castelia?'

Danny's fists unfurled. There was an Old Castelia? She rubbed her face and scowled. Why did everything have to be so confusing?

Talbot's glare softened slightly. 'Who wants to know?'

'I do,' the man responded. 'I'm Eli and it just so happens that I live in that city.' He gestured to the pokemon on his shoulder. 'Archen and I come here for art supplies mostly – there are tons of them if you know where to look.'

Talbot shook his head. 'Hold on – you say that those soldiers come here often?'

Eli nodded. 'That's right,' he said. 'So much so that I've had to take the long way around several times.' He folded his arms and smiled. 'I know the path quite well – it'll take a bit more time but at least the soldiers aren't so frequent. Do you want me to take you with me?'

Talbot rubbed his shoulder before crossing his arms. 'All right,' he said. 'But I won't hold back if it turns out that you're lying.'

Eli shrugged his shoulders. 'Fair enough.' He tilted his head when he saw Danny, who was still rubbing her eyes. 'Is the little lady going to be okay?'

Talbot's brow tightened, his lips creasing downwards. 'She's my responsibility,' he said firmly. 'Not yours.'

Eli frowned slightly but took a step back. 'Okay, then.'

His Archen spread one of its wings, cawing sharply.

'Right,' his owner continued. 'We should get a move on – it won't be long before the soldiers start spreading out, and if we can get a head start on them, the better off we'll be.'

. . .

Going into the forest for a second time wasn't something that Danny looked forward to, and neither did Talbot by the looks of it. He kept looking from Eli to Danny every so often, and even though Eli wasn't showing any signs of betraying the group like Danny thought Talbot suspected, she couldn't help but bait her breath every time their escort broke his stride. Wigglytuff stuck close to Danny while Purrloin flanked her left – at least if they got ambushed, she'd have a little bit of protection. That did nothing to ease the stinging sensation in her tear ducts though.

Eli came to a stop when they reached the area where the guard had threatened Danny. She bit her lip and shut her eyes when the image came to her – now wasn't the time to get upset. 'There's usually a soldier keeping watch around here,' he told them. 'They really don't like it when people attempt to take the short path.' He placed a hand on his hip. 'Though I don't know why they come here so often – there's nothing but trees and grass around here.'

Danny opened her mouth to respond but thought better of it. She didn't want to get caught by the guards again. Wigglytuff offered her a comforting tap and she replied by giving her a small smile.

'The path is to the left,' Eli continued, pointing to an area of the forest where the trees weren't so thick. 'Soldiers probably won't see us – but be prepared for wild pokemon,' he said. 'They don't seem to like the soldiers being here either.'

The trees soon gave way to an overgrown path with grass that came up to Danny's knees, and for a while there was nothing but silence surrounding them. 'See what I mean?' Eli whispered after a while. 'The pokemon go real quiet.'

Talbot gritted his teeth. 'That's never a good sign.'

There were still signs of life here. Danny stole the chance to follow the rustling of creatures moving about in the branches above them. On the odd occasion she could make out the familiar figures of monkey pokemon leaping from tree to tree, some were blue, others were green. Every so often a Pansear would be among them too, just as quiet as the others. She could also hear skittering sounds coming from the roots and bushes below them, though she didn't stop to find out what they were.

It wasn't long before the muffled barks of a man met their ears. Eli froze when he became aware of this. 'They're close,' he said. 'Just stick near and we'll pass them by without a problem.'

It soon became apparent where the guards were coming from. The trees and shrubs thinned out just enough to give the group a chance to see what was going on. There were two of these guards, rooting around in the overgrown grass. One of them had a pokeball in his hand. 'Did you find it yet?' he asked.

His cohort shook her head. 'Nope.'

The first guard scowled. 'Dammit,' he muttered. 'All I had to do was throw a pokeball at it and we wouldn't be here now.'

Something rustled from behind Danny, accompanied by what she believed to be quiet clicking sounds. She daren't turn around – not while the guards were there.

Rustle. There it was again, much closer than before. Danny inhaled deeply It was probably just another Pidove or Pansear moving about in the trees or something.

One of the guards twisted her head in the direction that they'd come from. 'Let it go,' she said. 'We need to join the others in the east.'

The male guard nodded and the two of them turned their backs on the group, slinking back in what Danny assumed to be the way to the main road.

There were a few more soft clicks and Danny finally gave in. She turned, her eyes falling upon a creature that looked to be just as tall as Purrloin was. A magenta and black exoskeleton coated the insect's body like armour and its thick antennae were twitching madly. It hunched down when it noticed Danny, keeping its feelers flat against its tiny head, and it didn't take her long to figure out why it was acting this way. Dents and fresh scratches coated its armour, giving it a rather dented appearance.

'I guess we've found what the grunts were looking for,' Eli said and looked at Danny. 'That's a Venipede – they're quite common in this forest.'

Upon hearing Eli's voice the Venipede clicked again and shrunk back against the bushes, flattening itself even more. Talbot looked over his shoulder. 'We should keep going,' he said. 'Before those guards come back.'

Danny frowned. 'But the Venipede looks hurt.' She inched closer to the cowering bug. 'We should help it.'

Talbot whipped around and took a deep breath, but faltered when Wigglytuff shook her head and patted Danny's shoulder. 'Yoom-tah.'

Danny almost smiled. It was nice to have Wigglytuff on her side. Talbot growled quietly and turned to Eli. 'Do you have any oran berries on you?'

Eli nodded. 'Sure.' He glanced at his Archen. 'You keep an eye out for any Plasma goons.'

Danny turned to Purrloin. 'Would you go and help Archen, please?' she asked, half anticipating Purrloin to scoff and ignore her completely.

But Purrloin didn't. Instead, she fell to all fours and trotted after Archen without a word.

'Just make this quick,' Talbot whispered. He shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose briefly. 'Go on.'

Eli dug into one of the pockets of his hoodie and brought out a familiar looking blue berry. 'Here you go,' he said. 'Just be careful – Venipedes can have a vicious bite if you get on their bad sides.'

Danny gave him a thankful nod as he gave the berry to her, then she crouched down so that she could just about make out her reflection in the Venipede's yellow irises. 'It's okay,' she whispered. 'We're not going to hurt you.'

The tip of the Venipede's pointed mouth (or at least Danny assumed it was a mouth) began twitching and it slowly began to stretch out again. It locked eyes with her and the two of them stared each other down for a handful of seconds before the insect pokemon became aware of the oran berry in her hand. Its feelers rose, curling forward as its feet began to shuffle. It exchanged a nervous glance with Wigglytuff, who nodded softly to it, before shuffling even closer. By now it could reach the berry with its mouth but instead it made contact by running its antennae across the surface of the berry. It paused momentarily when these ticklish feelers met Danny's skin and she tightened her chest to stop herself from giggling.

With several more soft clicks the Venipede tilted its head and dug its mouth into the skin of the berry, and this was followed by slow, sloppy munching sounds.

Danny let go of the berry and beamed up at Talbot. 'There, all better!'

There was a sudden yowl from Purrloin and Eli tensed up. 'We should get moving,' he said. 'There are more soldiers heading in our direction.'

Danny frowned. 'But what about the Venipede?'

Talbot waved his hand dismissively. 'It'll be fine – now let's go.'

The men turned their backs to Danny and started walking. Eli's Archen and Purrloin soon emerged from the bushes and followed while Wigglytuff gestured to her to follow. She looked to the adults, then back to Venipede, and bit her lip. She walked over to the insect (who by now was halfway done with the berry) and grabbed its sides, causing it to squeak. 'Sorry, mister Venipede,' she said and brought the Venipede over her head and onto her shoulders. 'I just want to get you to safety.'

The Venipede, despite producing several sharp clicks that Danny believed to express annoyance, continued munching the oran berry while touching her skin once more with its feelers.

She soon caught up to the others, the Venipede's pointy feet digging into the fabric of her dress to stop itself from falling off. Neither one of the adults knew what she had done until Talbot glanced in her direction. His eyes grew to be as large as dinner plates when he realised what was on her shoulders. 'Danny!' he hissed. 'What the hell do you think you're doing?!'

Eli stopped and turned around, raising an eyebrow when he saw the Venipede for himself. Danny brought her hands together. 'I-I didn't want to leave it to the guards!' she whimpered. 'It's safe travelling with us, right?'

Talbot shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose for a second time. 'Danny,' he said. 'That's a poisonous pokemon – it could make you very sick if it bites you!'

The light sensation of feelers grazing Danny's left cheek started up again but this time she ignored it. 'It didn't bite me when I picked it up.'

Talbot shook his head. 'No, but it might do it now!' He pointed to the grass. 'Set it down before it gets upset, Danny.'

Eli, on the other hand, was being completely silent. He rubbed his chin and furrowed his brow as he watched this argument unfold.

'Hey, you!'

Danny's heart dropped into her stomach. She recognised the voice coming from the trees, and her fears were confirmed when two people in guard uniforms emerged from the edge of the path. The Venipede's grip on Danny's shoulder tightened and it gave several frantic clicks and squeaks. The man glared in Danny's direction and pointed at her. 'So that's where the Venipede went,' he barked. 'Hand it over, kid, I've got dibs on it!'

Eli's Archen squawked and Purrloin hissed, the hair on her neck rising as she hunched over. The woman took a pokeball from her belt and threw it into the air. 'Lillipup, go!'

The pokeball opened and the light inside of it landed on the ground, taking the familiar form of the little dogs that seemed to be everywhere down in the region of Unova. But this one was a far, far, cry from the wide-eyed, yapping pups that Danny was slowly becoming accustomed to. This one's pelt was much more ragged, and several scars crisscrossed its back. It bore down just like Purrloin and snarled, foam bubbling from its mouth.

Eli sprang into action immediately. 'Archen, let's go!' he ordered and Archen screeched, leaping forward and exposing its sharp talons at the Lillipup threateningly.

The male guard scowled and grabbed the pokeball on his belt too. 'So be it then,' he grumbled and tossed the ball. 'I'll use Patrat to take it from you by force!'

What emerged from the pokeball was another familiar pokemon – but like the Lillipup, it too had a wild gleam in its red and yellow eyes. It puffed its chest out and produced what sounded to Danny like something between a hiss and a screech before lunging upon Purrloin without warning. Purrloin exploded into a flurry of hisses and claws, turned into a purple blur by all the sudden movements.

'Purrloin!' Danny cried but Talbot stepped in front of her.

'Let me handle this,' he told her firmly and clenched his fists. 'Wigglytuff, hit that Patrat with Pound.'

Wigglytuff leapt into the air with an eager 'Yoom-tah!' before plummeting down in front of the brawling pokemon. She raised a paw and smashed it into the Patrat's chin, causing it to reel and splutter as it was sent tumbling to the grass. Purrloin cast her a thankful nod before slinking back over to Danny's side. Danny almost knelt down to see if her pokemon needed any medical attention but was reminded about Venipede when it squeaked once more, watching Archen and Wigglytuff as they entered the fight.

Instead, she slowly turned her head and met Purrloin directly in the eye. 'Are you okay?'

Purrloin nodded and started licking the ruffled fur on her back.

'All right Archen,' she heard Eli shout. 'Use Rock Throw!'

Archen, who had climbed up into the trees, was leaping from one branch to another. The Lillipup, clearly lacking the ability to climb, was jumping up and down in a frenzied attempt to reach its opponent, yapping madly. Danny could also just make out a rock the size of her hand clamped between the Archen pointed teeth. It tossed this rock with an alarming amount of strength, sending it flying straight at the Lillipup's head like a speeding bullet, and struck it directly on the forehead. This cut the dog pokemon's barks short and what replaced them was a high-pitched whine as the rock finally came to a stop behind it.

'Keep going, Lillipup!' the female guard shouted. 'Come on, snap out of it!'

The dog pokemon snarled once more and flicked its gaze in Danny's direction. She stepped back but this did nothing to deter the Lillipup from howling at her. Without warning it charged in her direction, gaze gleaming and fangs exposed. Danny yelped and shielded Venipede's face as the Lillipup thrust itself at her, forcing her to grit her teeth and flinch.

But the pain of teeth sinking into her flesh never came. Instead, another snarling noise erupted from her side, followed by an untidy thud. When Danny opened her eyes again she found Purrloin standing in front of her with her claws exposed. Lying on the ground in front of them was the Lillipup, who now had several long gashes trickling blood going across its sides. Danny clenched her jaw. Her pokemon had probably cut deep enough to leave scars.

Venipede pulled on her dress and brought itself closer, squeaking loudly. Purrloin looked over her shoulder and met the bug pokemon eye to eye with a firm 'Mrow,' and a knowing nod.

All Danny could do was stand there with her lips parted. She struggled to find her voice and all she could do was muster up a quiet 'Purrloin.'

'Dammit!' the female guard hissed and brought out the pokeball again, calling her pokemon back in a red light. 'I'll never become a knight at this rate!'

Her cohort's Patrat appeared to be faring much better. While it was covered in scrapes and scratches, it still looked hungry for battle. Wigglytuff was holding her own just as well – her thick skin certainly helped. The Patrat was attempting to rake its claws across her side but every time they struck her they merely bounced off, leaving her completely unscathed. 'Ugh, this is pointless,' the male guard muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow. 'Patrat, use Bite!'

Patrat snarled and lunged forward, latching onto Wigglytuff's head and exposing its teeth before digging them into her forehead. Wigglytuff squealed and both Danny and Venipede flinched. Talbot, however, remained completely still, sight narrowed and brow knit together. 'Shake it off, Wigglytuff,' he said calmly. 'Use Rollout!'

Wigglytuff fell forward and brought the screeching Patrat with her, crushing it against the grass as she barrelled across the ground. The Patrat's cries were also cut short and it lost its grip, landing squarely on its back with its mouth hanging open.

The guard snarled and pointed the pokeball at his pokemon. 'Return, Patrat,' he growled and glared at the group. 'You'd better be damn thankful you have pokemon that can actually fight.'

There was a sudden bleeping noise followed by static, and both guards quickly put the pokeballs back on their belts. The walkie talkies on the front of their uniforms blared into life and a man's voice, made gravelly by the static, came through the speaker. 'Attention all units: please report back to the main road immediately,' the voice instructed. 'Repeat: all units report to the main road immediately. Templar Odilia has found Rumination Field. Over.'

Both guards exchanged nods and offered Eli and Talbot one last lingering glare. 'Next time we see you, we'll beat you all to a bloody pulp,' the man said before following his cohort back into the maze of trees from whence they'd come from.

The group didn't waste any time moving on. There was nothing really more to say about the whole thing as it was. But Danny, despite knowing that there was nothing she could do, couldn't help but wonder what "Rumination Field" meant. It seemed important – at least to the guards it had – maybe Talbot knew something about it?

She looked up to him as the light sensation of Venipede's feelers met her face again. 'Talbot?'

'Yes?'

'What's Rumination Field?'

Talbot peered over his shoulder at her briefly but didn't stop walking. 'I don't know,' he replied. 'Don't worry about that, we're not getting involved with whatever it is they're doing anyway.'

After a while the trees began thinning out again and Eli took note of this. 'We're nearly there,' he told them. 'We'll be meeting the edge of the main path soon.'

Talbot frowned. 'And what if that's where the soldiers are meeting up? What will we do then?'

'Simple,' Eli said, grinning. 'Leave them to me – Archen's got plenty of experience so he can hold his own.' He rubbed his pokemon's head. 'Don't you, boy?'

Archen lifted his head and snorted confidently in return.

Thankfully the path was as empty as a ghost town. Nothing human or pokemon could be seen across the vast stretch of tarmac. It wasn't long after meeting this road that the sun began to pierce through the branches much stronger than it had around the entrance.

'See, what did I tell ya?' Eli said. 'The bridge to Old Castelia is just beyond this point.'

Talbot stopped walking and so did Danny. He turned to her and knelt down so that he could see her eye to eye. 'Danny,' he said firmly. 'You've got to release the Venipede now – it should be safe enough for it to return to the forest without being chased down by any more soldiers.'

Danny pouted but did as she was told. She slowly took the Venipede by its sides once more and lifted it from her shoulder. There were no squeaks or clicks of protest this time and it turned to Danny, tilting its head upwards when she set it down on the grass. 'Go on,' she said. 'You need to go home.'

The Venipede, however, stayed put. The only part of its body that it actually moved were its feelers, which reached forward and skimmed across Danny's arms. It took several slow steps forward before placing one of its front legs on her hand, and before Danny had time to react she suddenly found that the bug was carefully and methodically climbing up her forearm.

Danny's arms hitched slightly. 'What's it doing?'

'I think it wants to come with you,' Eli replied, following the Venipede until it was perched firmly on Danny's shoulders again. He dug into the pockets of his hoodie and pulled out a somewhat battered pokeball. 'Try this.'

Talbot stiffened when he watched Danny take the ball from Eli. 'We won't have enough supplies to feed it.'

'That's not a problem,' Eli replied, placing a hand on his hip. 'Bugs can survive on berries just as much as they can on meat.' He offered Talbot a firm grin. 'My brother runs a group in the heart of the city – if you're with me, he'll be able to get you some extra supplies without a problem.'

Talbot took a breath and raised a finger but exhaled after a few seconds. 'You'd better be right about that,' he said.

Danny shifted her attention back to the Venipede and brought the pokeball to its face. 'Do you want to join us?'

The Venipede clicked and touched the sphere with its feelers, its hooked mouth twitching fervently. It glanced to her, then back at the ball, and slowly pushed itself forward until there was enough pressure on the button to cause the pokeball to fling open, sucking Venipede in. The ball closed shut and shook once, twice and then pinged, drawing completely still in Danny's fingers.

Eli shrugged. 'And that's that.' He turned back to the road beyond the forest and beckoned. 'Come on – it'll be getting dark soon and if we hurry, we'll be just in time for something to eat back at camp.'