Chapter 3

The trapper was so surprised by my attack that he couldn't catch me before I made it outside. Of course, once I made it outside I tore off in a random direction and immediately got myself lost. I ran until I could no longer hear the trapper's aggravated shouts behind me. I darted down an alley and collapsed against the wall, out of breath.

The back wall of the alley was covered with wooden crates. I stumbled over, prying up the lid of the nearest crate. It was full of torn and soiled cloth, presumably waiting for someone to dispose of it. I frantically emptied the crate, scattering its contents all over the ground. Once it was empty, I climbed inside and closed the crate over my head. It was barely large enough to hold me and I had to tuck my knees up to my chest to fit inside. Even so, I successfully trapped myself inside. I lay In the darkness, trying to slow my breathing and calm my racing heart.

Small gaps in the wood allowed me to see out into the alley. My heart leapt into my throat as footsteps tore into the alley. The person stopped, coming closer to my hiding place. I held my breath, chastising myself for not at least trying to hide the cloth I'd strewn everywhere. To my relief, a voice from around the corner called to the person in the alley and drew them away. I strained my ears, trying to catch their conversation but I couldn't make out the words. Eventually, the sound of voices faded along with their footsteps and the night was quiet once more.

I stayed in my crate until my legs began to cramp. The creaking of the crate lid as I crawled out of my hiding place was startlingly loud in the silent alley. I picked up a discarded piece of cloth and fashioned it into a makeshift hood. It was an awful disguise but it hid my most identifiable trait, my hair.

I took my time retracing my steps out of the alley. I made it back to the center of the city and from there I fled to the Pokemon Center. The Pokecenter was the most obvious place to go but the risk of being discovered was outweighed by my need for a friendly face.

I was overjoyed to see the nurse I'd met earlier working behind the counter. Her face lit up in recognition as I stumbled through the doors.

"Oh! It's you!" she exclaimed. "What happened?"

"It's a long story." I leaned against the counter, grateful for a place to rest. "But a lot of people are looking for me now and I need somewhere safe to stay." I glanced at the nurse, hoping my implications were clear.

"Does that mean you did it?" she asked, dropping her voice to a whisper. "You saved that Pokemon?" I held up the ball and she gasped. "Wonderful! Can I heal it for you?"

"Please." I snuck a look at the doors as she worked. There was nobody else in the Pokecenter but I refused to fully relax until I knew I wouldn't be found.

A few seconds later, the nurse returned. "Here you are, she's all healed up."

"She? How do you know?" I asked, accepting the ball.

"Oh, there are always little signs that will tell you, and when you've been around Pokemon as long as I have, you learn to identify them."

"Huh," I grunted, looking at my ball with new curiosity.

"As for where you can stay, there's an empty room upstairs." She gestured to a narrow staircase behind the counter. "Nobody will notice if it becomes occupied for a few days. If anyone comes looking for you I can deflect them somewhere else."

For a few moments, I could do nothing but stare, overwhelmed by her generosity. I pulled myself together when the silence grew to an awkward length. "Thank you, Nurse..." I trailed off, fishing for a name.

"Joy, Nurse Joy."

"Fitting," I remarked. "Thank you, Nurse Joy. If there's any way can pay you back, please tell me."

Nurse Joy waved me behind the counter and shooed me towards the stairs. "I'll think of something but you should rest. The more time you spend out here the more of a chance there is of someone finding you."

The room she led me to was very plain. Neither of us turned on the light as we entered but the moonlight streaming through the window was more than enough to illuminate the space. A bed sat under the window in the far corner and a faded, woven rug was spread over the floor. Apart from these two furnishings, the room was bare.

I wandered in, swiping a bit of dust off the end of the bed. Nobody had used this room in a very long time.

"This used to be a workroom," Joy explained. "But we moved everything out ages ago. Now it's just" – she gestured around the room – "this."

After giving me the layout of the upper level and assuring me she would bring me something to work on tomorrow, Joy returned to her post, leaving me to my own devices.

My body was exhausted. All it wanted to do was flop onto the bed and sleep. My mind, however, was far too awake to even entertain the idea of sleep. So, I sat on the edge of the bed, dropped my bag down beside me, and released my new Pokemon from her ball.

She appeared facing the room and turned around in a slow circle, taking in the new surroundings. Finally, her gaze landed on me and her eyes grew wide. She leapt back, taking up a defensive position.

I carefully slid down to the floor, bringing my knees up to my chest. "Hello," I whispered.

Seeing that I was not aggressive, she crept closer. I held out my hand for her to sniff which she did, although her eyes never strayed from my face. After an awkward bout of silence, I began to talk to her. I introduced myself and explained what had happened in the gym. The Absol listened intently throughout it all. She didn't come any closer to me but her body language became increasingly less hostile as I talked.

I found myself rambling long into the night. I was eventually interrupted by a heavy yawn and could no longer deny my need for sleep. The Absol had curled up on the rug some time ago but she remained awake. I crawled back into the bed, stifling another yawn. Before I drifted off, I snuck one last look at my new Pokemon. Moonlight shone through the window and illuminated the Absol's gleaming coat. I smiled to myself as the perfect name for her jumped into my head.

I was awakened the next morning by Joy gently shaking me and urging me to get up. She had brought breakfast for both the Absol and me as well as boxes full of supplies that needed sorting.

I spent the day up in my room sorting said boxes. I introduced the Absol to the name I had picked out for her, Luna. She seemed to accept that name, or at the very least, she did not openly oppose it. Luna was fascinated by the boxes of supplies. She started the day by watching from afar as I worked, but by evening she sat right next to me and listened as I acquainted her with various items.

The next couple of days passed the same. Only set apart by my increasingly frequent trips to the Pokecenter to offset the boredom. As the days progressed, Luna became more comfortable around me and so, grew more vocal. She expressed her dislike of her Pokeball by growling and attempting to swat it out of my hand. But she also allowed me to rub her head and would hum contently when I did so.

I was just beginning to enjoy living above the Pokecenter when Joy woke me one morning saying, "Alice, wake up. Things have finally quieted down. That trapper left town this morning. If you plan on leaving, this is your best chance." A strange mix of excitement and sadness followed her words. Nonetheless, I got up and prepared to leave.

By the time the sun had properly risen, we were gone. I had managed to coerce Luna into her ball and had struck out for the nearest exit.

The large metal gates to the city were open as I approached. A dense forest stretched out behind them and above the trees loomed the imposing face of a mountain. Despite the sun rising over the horizon, grey clouds threatened to choke the light and gave everything a rather dreary feel. The paved streets of the city were quick to give away to dirt, but under the cover of the trees, I finally began to relax.

Of course, that's when it all started to go wrong again.

The city had long faded behind me and I was just about ready to relieve Luna when a rustling in the undergrowth drew my attention. I faced the disturbance, preparing for a fight. Three boys emerged from the trees. Two of them looked only marginally older than I; the other was quite a bit younger and was most likely a sibling to one of the older boys. They stepped out onto the road, brushing leaves from their hair.

A boy with pitch hair and dark eyes strode forward, fixing me with an intense glare. I noticed that he wore clothes reminiscent of the trapper, with the same purple vest.

"We heard about what you did," the boy growled, fondling the single Pokeball at his belt.

Ignoring my shaking legs telling me to run, I decided to feign ignorance. I plastered on a fake expression of fear and said, "But the shopkeeper said she wouldn't tell if I took more than I could afford."

The boys shared a look of confusion and for a second I almost believed I had fooled them. Then the second boy stepped forward, this one was blond and adorned with freckles. He studied my face as his lips curled up. "Nice try, but that's not what we're here for."

I kept my facade up as I debated whether or not to run. As it turns out, I didn't have to decide. Before anybody could say another word, a third party revealed itself. "Is this your idea of a good time?" a voice droned from above us. "Antagonizing defenseless girls?"

All four of us looked up just in time to watch a brown-clad figure drop from out of a tree. The boy was dirty, even if his clothes hadn't originally been brown I was positive they would have ended up that color anyway. The only clean item on his person was a shining golden chain around his neck that disappeared into his shirt. His sandy brown hair was in an extreme state of disarray but he stood up and smoothed it with all the confidence in the world. Overall, he gave off the appearance of something wild and frightening.

The boy caught my gaze and for a split second, I felt as though I couldn't move. His eyes, so vibrantly green they were impossible to miss, were the only thing about him that seemed soft.

"And who are you," the black-haired boy sneered. All three of them had noticeably backed up and the younger boy had taken to hiding behind the blond.

The new arrival stalked towards them, eyes flashing. As if on cue, the wind picked up, sending fallen leaves skittering over the ground and ruffling our hair.

"I'm the one who's about to send the dogs crawling back to their master." There was only a hint of anger in the boy's otherwise blasé expression.

The two older boys exchanged glances, sizing up their competition. The blonde stole a look back toward the city, but his companion scoffed and reached for his Pokemon. Before his fingers even brushed the surface, the new boy let out a piercing whistle. A tan shape burst out of the undergrowth almost faster than my eyes could follow. The next thing we knew, a Meowth sat at the feet of the boy, bearing its fangs at the black-haired teen. Meowths weren't exactly the most intimidating Pokemon around, but the speed at which this one moved was enough to send the boys tripping in their haste to run.

As soon as they were out of sight, the boy's shoulders sagged. He turned to me, an entirely new look in his eyes. "Sorry about that," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

I only stared, bewildered, at his change in personality. "All of that... was it all..."

"Acting?" he finished for me. "Yes, it was." He straightened proudly and ran a hand through his hair, picking leaves out of it as he went.

"You aren't going to ask what all that was about?"

He sent me a pitying smile. "Everyone within twenty miles of Feldgrau knows what happened."

My jaw dropped. "Please tell me you're kidding." He just shrugged apologetically and I let out a long sigh.

"So, where are you headed to?"

I sighed, tapping my fingers on the side of my leg as I thought. The question had been bound to come up at some point, and this was something I had been quietly asking myself the whole time.

"Truthfully, I don't have a destination," I admitted, eyes fixed on the ground. "I was sent out here with a very vague goal and I guess I figured I would just... travel until whatever I'm looking for comes to me."

To my surprise, I found him nodding along. "I understand. That's not dissimilar from my own reason." The boy cast his eyes to the sky where the clouds had grown heavier. "It's going to rain soon," he stated. "There's another town close by, it shouldn't take us more than a day to reach it." He returned his attention to me, looking suddenly bashful. "That is… if you want to travel together."

"I would love to have company!" I answered honestly, some of the tension drained from my body as I realized the thought of traveling alone had, indeed, been weighing on me. The boy shared a shy smile with me. Then, his other words caught up with my brain. "Wait, a full day?" I groaned, remembering how badly my feet ached after walking to Feldgrau. I wasn't ready to go through all that again so soon.

"It's the only place we're going to find shelter," he explained. "Well, apart from Feldgrau."

I grimaced and the unspoken dislike of Feldgrau passed between us. Together, we turned and started towards the next town. Despite the foul weather, I was glad to have found a new friend.