A/N: I started this around the time I started BS, aha but look I finished it. Finally. Other chapters won't be nearly as long as this- about half this length, probably. People from Warrior's Fantasy know how hard I've worked on this I'm sure;;

I'd also like to thank Wildeh, my last-minute editor. /heart

Summary: Everyday should be spent with those who you love and care about. Follow N Harmonia and his best human friend Black as they grow up into young adults and learn the lessons of friendship, pain, love, and life. (Pretty cheesy I know.)

Warnings: Contains rape and incest implications, but I'll try and keep it tame. Yaoi (malexmale) eventually.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. If I did, I'd make characters gay left and right.

My life has always been different. My life had always been hectic. I guess I should have known one day it would have lead to this, but I didn't. I was too wrapped up in a web of lies and love. A sticky, inescapable spider web that claimed to trap me until the spider came. And the spider did come; it came for my blood and my agony. All I felt was the pain, but this wasn't physical pain. No, it was worse. I felt it in my chest and throughout my body, but there was no exact point. It was a numbing pain that twisted my stomach around in some sick, disgusting way.

Wishing could do nothing. No, right now I just had to run, if only I could. My body hurt too much. Like blades slashing violently through flesh, then adding some salt to the cuts just for the fun of seeing the person wriggle in agony and then finally setting it on fire, to burn not only the wound but the whole body.

Darkness was falling; the entire sky was lit with the paleness of twilight. Above the trees it was lapped with counteracting colors of orange sunset and dark blue night. The forest was so peaceful; life seemed to flow on despite the chaos that happened on the ground. The chaos that was going on within me was overwhelming and yet nothing else knew of the internal agony I felt. Unable to continue to even move, and set my gazes to my environment, thinking. I had grown up here; I spent every day coming down the very path I lay on now. Such happy memories were spent here, so why did I not feel a nostalgic comfort?

My eyes moved slowly to the blurry figure that sat over me. It was a familiar figure, but so blurry…. I couldn't see the features of the figure's face properly. Somewhere far away I could feel the warmth of the figure holding me close.

"N…! N….!" I heard that voice again, a voice I had known so long. It was in desperation, and I had completely forgotten it was there. I let out a long, content sigh when I felt the warmth of his person against me. They were hugging me.

Just give me a moment, I'm a little tired I replied in my mind. Just give me… a single moment… to rest… to recover…. And then I'll be able to move properly, and t-think properly.

Then our lives would be happy… Forever…!

"The human heart, at whatever age, opens to the heart that opens in return." - Maria Edgeworth (1767-1849)

...Several years prior…

Day 1

"Can I go out into the forest now to see my pokémon friends?"

"Did you finish all of your learning for today?"

"Yes, Mr. Sage."

"Then you may. I will inform Ghetsis."

I nodded eagerly, spinning around and racing down the hallways. I heard him tell me not to run, but I turned the corner before he could punish me. My bare feet pounded the marble floors, and my reflection was clear in the water that ran in a small river on the sides off the hallway. I took a moment to glance into the water as I ran. I looked the same as I always did: Thin and short, wearing a blue t-shirt with black shorts and long green hair. The water sparkled, giving me a sparkling appearance as well. I looked back in front of me and back into my room.

"Come on, I'm allowed to go out now!" I shouted into my room. Within moments came racing my best friend; a small fox-like pokemon with a black pelt and red markings.

"N! I missed you!" It called, leaping into my arms.

"I was only gone for a few hours, Zorua!" I said, hugging him and putting him on the floor.

"In Pokemon time, that's forever." He replied with an echo-like laugh.

"Is that really my fault?" I protested, following my friend back out of my room and down the hall. I came face to face with a door that had to be over ten feet tall and made of gold and the finest wood of the entire region of Unova. The guard at the door glanced down at me, and then opened the door without a word. I thanked him, but he said nothing, he never did. I headed out of the door. In front of me were stone paths that lead to either side. It was a path that went all the way around the building. But me, I wasn't going on any stone path. I went where I always went to; into the forest.

I was barefoot, but I didn't mind. It was the beginning of summer, everything smelled well. The grass was lush and soft even in the thick of the forest. Tree leaves were bright green and growing in full. It was sunny every day, and reached in the high degrees. Summer time was the best time in my opinion, everything was nice and warm. Though it was uncomfortable for my long hair, I often had to put in a ponytail. But there was a peaceful breeze that helped keep me cool. Despite being covered from head to toe in fur, Zorua seemed to like the summer days as well. When I glanced over at him, he met my gaze and laughed again.

"Race you N!" He shouted, taking off into the undergrowth.

"Come back here!" I shouted, racing after him. I was laughing though, I always laughed when my friend was around. I spent most of the day learning math, and writing. My favorite time though was when I was let outside. My father always told me I had a destiny, a future. I never really understood though, he never explained it to me. He always said he was preparing me whenever he was mean, whenever my hair was grasped by large cruel hands or my face spat in when he yelled; his face twisted up in rage. He was scary sometimes, but he let me out in the forest with my friends, and he bought me many toys. I did love my father, and my friends, and my life, so why did I feel hollow as a dead tree? I stopped my running by now, and I stood in the middle a small clearing, rubbing my eyes. I hadn't noticed tears that began to fall.

"Are you okay, N…?" Zorua stopped when he realized I wasn't following and slowly stalked back, tipping his head and looking at me in worry.

"I am fine!" I quickly whipped the rest of the tears away from my cheeks and smiled. My smile though meant nothing to me; although it convinced Zorua I was fine, it felt as if the weight of a thousand pounds were forcing my smile back into a frown. Zorua turned away, heading into the undergrowth. I crouched down and stared around where I was. I didn't recognize this part of the forest I realized. I had every part of the forest memorized- or so I thought. I must have raced Zorua too far.

I got on my hands and knees and sniffed at the nearby bushes. The sharp scents tickled my nose, and I sneezed. "Bless me!" I said, getting back on my feet. I wasn't sure what to do at this point, maybe explore for a few minutes before heading back home. I treaded lightly across the forest floor, weary of the twigs and stones that could alert any wild pokemon I was nearby.

"Find anything, Zorua?" I whispered at my friend who I ended up nose to nose with while stalking the undergrowth. He shook his head and swished his tail to point down the shallow hill.

"But I swore I heard something down there, maybe a flock of pidoves or troop of patrats." He replied in a quiet growl. I nodded, licking my lips as I snuck down the hill on all-fours. I was careful not to disturb any leaves or branches that may snap or crunch under my weight as I inched towards a thick sheet of brambles. I went around them; on the other side was a small grassy clearing. I kept hearing loud rustling, and I realized this couldn't be a pokemon; the sounds were loud and unnatural! It sounded like a plasma grunt waltzing through the grass calling for me to get back inside. Then I realized; it must have been a human.

A human out this far in the woods was indeed a rare sight, so I slid forward, keeping low like a serperior. Craning my head only slightly, I knew my green colored hair helped me blend into the grasses. In front of me was a small clearing with fairly long grass, and the rustling grew more violent. After a moment, up came a bushy head of brunette hair. I realized it was a boy. I couldn't see his face, since he was turned away, but he wore a light green shirt which matched the hair the flowed down my back. I couldn't see his pants; but they looked dark blue through the fronds of grass. He stood probably a bit shorter than me, so I knew he was young. Which was strange, I had never seen another young boy before. I moved forward a bit, eager to get a better view of this stranger.

He finally turned around, though he just looked out into the trees and nowhere near me, so I knew he wasn't aware of my presence. His face was soft; he appeared about eight years old. He had lost most of his baby fat features, but his face was still plump. To me, he looked a little fat, like he lived off an adult diet. From here I could see his eyes were a copper sort of color that I only saw on the cedars that grew around the forest.

After fully examining this new stranger, I wondered why he was here. I didn't know of any other castles in the area; maybe he came from those places called 'cities' that housed many humans. But there were no cities for miles! Not that I knew of anyway. I continued to speculate, but more rustling distracted me. Zorua was coming over, and quite noisily. I quickly grabbed my fox friend, clamping my hand over his mouth and darted my gaze back into the clearing. I held Zorua close as the boy stopped moving and turned around to look in my direction. I fell backwards, scrambling back half way under the brambles. All my instincts screamed at me to run; and that's just what I did. Grasping Zorua to my chest I darted away into the undergrowth. I didn't look back, not even once as I leapt over roots and ducked under branches. Many times I ran through the forest in the past, so I easily maneuvered through the thick forest floor.

With every step, alarm raised higher. What if the other boy was following me? What if he attacked me? For the first time, I skidded to a halt, collapsing onto the mossy ground and panting heavily. Zorua, who was pressed against my chest, struggled out of my grip and gave me a long stare. "N? What was that about, N?" he asked, nuzzling my arm.

I hesitated for a long time to try and catch my breath before answering: "I… I was just scared… I have never seen something like him before…" I told him, my voice in awe. "I never have seen another boy before… I do not know." I shook my head in confusion.

"It's okay N, it's just another human! He'll be gone soon, no worries." Zorua replied with a laugh, crawling into my lap and licking my face like a Purrloin.

"Stop it!" I insisted, giggling a bit at Zorua's ticklish tongue.

Zorua laughed, "Finally, I got you to be happy!" Then, he darted off. "We should go home N. It's getting late."

I shifted my gaze upward, looking at the sky between the branches of the canopy. Zorua was right; the sky was lapped with a light orange, telling me the sun was beginning to set. I nodded in agreement and got up from the mossy cushion and picked my way through the forest. It wasn't long before we were back at my castle home. The large, golden and brown walls rose up higher than the trees. I had to tip my head back all the way to see the top. Zorua pounced up to the doors where a Team Plasma grunt stood. They glanced at me as I came up after Zorua.

"Let us in?" I asked. The grunt nodded, opening the large doors that lead into the castle. I headed inside, confronted with a large hallway. Like I normally did, I made my way to the bathing room to take a bath. I knew if my father caught me in the castle as messy as I was I would be punished. Once I was nice and clean, I went to my room. Sometimes I got supper; sometimes I went without because people would forget me. I didn't mind though, they had their own lives to go about. Instead, I played with my trains. My friends had all fallen asleep; even my Zorua who laid in my lap. I sighed, suddenly feeling terribly alone. I wondered if that boy from earlier today lived this sort of life as well. Did every boy my age live this sort of life? I didn't know, but I wish I did. Trains always fascinated me, but after awhile I got bored with them. And I did now. I glanced over at my door, wondering if I should dare leave to find something to do.

No, I couldn't. Father would probably get mad at me. Instead I got up and padded over to my bed, holding Zorua close. I crawled onto the mattress and into my covers, though I didn't lie down. I stared around my vast room which was filled with many kinds of toys. Woobat suctioned itself to the ceiling, while Darmanitan was curled up next to my bed. I sighed a bit, petting Zorua in his sleep. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I often felt like this at night.

I was ready to finally attempt to sleep, when I heard tapping outside my door. Someone was coming down the hallway. I heard the door slowly creak open, where Ghetsis peeked into my room. He spotted me in bed, and strolled over. He wore his normal cloak with the large eyes and the crest that went around his shoulders. His hair was much like mine; though it was sleeked back with jell. It was long, and flowed down to his shoulder. But his most noticeable feature was one of his eyes was artificial, made of metals and shined bright red.

"Hello, N. I presume you learned a lot today…?" He asked me, his face twisted cruelly in a sneer.

"Yes father. I learned lots of math!" I piped up; I always loved telling father about my accomplishments.

"That's good. And did you learn lot's about Pokemon?"

I frowned, shaking my head. "No, when I went out into the forest today I met a boy."

Suddenly, his father's eye sharpened with interest. He stared down at me, piercing me with the stare. "Another boy you say?" He asked.

I nodded, "Yeah, it was a boy. He had brown hair, and wore a shirt…" I trailed off as Ghetsis' hand gripped my own shirt, pulling me halfway out of bed. He glared at me with a cruel, red eye.

"Did you talk to this boy?" he growled; his face so close his breath was harsh against my face.

"N..no!" I wailed, "I was too scared to approach him!"

"Good!" He barked, giving me a good shake before dropping me back among the sheets. "If you do talk to him, then that means you'll be betraying your Pokemon friends. Wouldn't want that would we?"

I inched away, pressing against the pillows and headboard. I could feel my body tremble, but I managed to nod, "I-I won't."

"Good!" Whipping away and stalking over to the door. "Now go to bed, tomorrow you'll you studying tenfold." Then my door slammed shut, leaving me shaking on my bed. I was silent, staring at the covers before crawling beneath them. I didn't allow myself to cry, as much as I wanted to. No, if Ghetsis came back and saw me crying I would be in deeper trouble.

Day 2

Like father said the previous day, I studied hard to make up for my mistake. He didn't check up on me though, which I appreciated. Once I finished my math problems, I put away my papers and calculator, ready to go out into the forest again. I wasn't as excited as I was yesterday as I got my friend, Zorua, and left the castle once again. When I was out into the forest, I felt a bit better. I could hear the wind whistling in my ears, singing a song. The leaves danced, trembling and swaying on the breeze. Some Pokemon of the forest joined in. Pidoves flew through the branches of the trees, chirping loudly in tune with the wind. The ground dwellers slunk around under the ferns and brambles, and at once I felt at peace. Zorua hopped forward excitedly, and then turned to me.

"N! What are we gonna do today?" The fox-like Pokemon asked.

"We are going to go where we were yesterday." I replied earnestly, walking past Zorua and heading into the undergrowth.

"Wait, whaaaa? What if your father finds out? He will be very mad you went back there." Zorua exclaimed, racing past me to stand in front of my defiantly.

"The only way he will find out is if you tell him." I frowned, crossing my arms childishly, "and you would not do that right?"

"Of course not…" Zorua replied, ears going back, then his mouth drawing wide in a smirk.

I continued my trek again to the place I was yesterday. I followed to the faint trail I left yesterday of footprints and broken branches and plants. I learned the ways of tracking from practically living out here every day. It helped me avoid the mean Pokemon, and find the nice herds of Pokemon. I walked carefully across the ground, avoiding sharp stones and thorns until I came to the familiar hill I was at the other day. I crouched low to the ground, much like a predator stalking prey and inched by way down the hill and towards the clearing from the previous day. Zorua followed me, using far better stalking skills.

Once at the clearing, I craned my neck to look. There was nobody in the small clearing. I felt a strange feeling of disappointment crash down on me as I leaned backwards, sitting down in the grass. Zorua plopped down next to me and tipped his head, "What's wrong, N? Surely you are not disappointed that that boy is not here?"

I shrugged, looking over at my friend with a deep frown. "I do not know, Zorua. It is weird. Different."

Zorua looked puzzled, but then smiled at me, "Nothing to worry about, N. We can wait! We have the rest of the day!"

"And… And you will wait with me?" I questioned, and then smiled as Zorua nodded. And so we waited. And waited. The day was spent mostly laying in the grass and waiting. Sometimes we'd play, but I always ended the game short for fear we would scare him away from our noise if he did come around. It was nearly sunset before he decided to head back, and by then I felt weighed down by disappointment. It was a long time before I finally made it back to the castle I lived at. The castle let us in, and like always I took a bath before going back to my room. My stomach growled angrily for food, but I couldn't eat unless something was made for me. With a deep sigh, I opened the door to my room. When I lifted my head I saw a familiar figure sitting in my room.

"Mima!" I shouted, the blanket of disappointment that had covered me suddenly lifted as I raced across the room to leap at the Zoroark. The much larger fox pokemon was taken by surprise as I latched onto her fur. I was followed closely by Zorua, who shouted as eagerly as I did to see Mima. The Zoroark was like a personal caregiver for me. She always gave me hugs when I was sad, and taught me things. She played with me when I was bored, and sometimes slept next to me in bed and explored the forest with me. She was Zorua's mother and one of my best friends. I was so happy to see her. She wrapped an arm around me and Zorua, chuckling lightly.

"Hello dears, I am so sorry that I wasn't here last night. I had to tend to some things. N, I heard Ghetsis yelled at you last night." She put both of us on the ground, then frowned deeply, "I am very sorry. If I were there I would have bit his male genitals off." The fox Pokemon spat, "that is a human's weakness."

"It is okay, Mima." I told her, latching onto her hair-tail.

"No it isn't N. A father shouldn't be so cruel to his own flesh and blood." The Zoroark tsked.

"It is fine, Mima, I am used to it after all." I replied, keeping a firm grip on the hair-tail.

She sighed, but gave up, "Did you two do anything interesting while I was gone? No trouble? Nothing hurt you?"

"We explored the forest, and N met a boy!" the Zorua chirped.

"A boy?" Mima asked suspiciously.

"Did not!" I shouted indignantly, "I only saw him!"

"You wanted to meet him!" The Zorua snickered, grinning a toothy grin.

"Nu uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

"Nuh uhhhhhh!"

"Yeahhhhhh HUH."

"Both of you; quit bickering." Mima snapped, "Be more careful, N. It's a dangerous world out there."

"Sorry, Mima. We will." Both of us said in tune. At the same moment I heard the echoing of footsteps outside my room and in came Ghetsis. He looked around the room, and then glanced at me on the floor.

"You aren't in bed yet." He observed.

"I was just saying hello to Mima-" I tried to explain.

"Don't argue with me." Ghetsis ground out. His face was angry. I didn't like it when it was angry.

I nodded, getting up and running to bed. "Sorry, father!" I yelped as I crawled into bed.

Mima growled lowly, curling her head-tail around Zorua as she watched Ghetsis. I shrunk down in my pillows as he approached the edge of the bed. "So, did you meet that boy today?" He asked silkily.

I shook my head hastily, "I did not father. You told me not to, and I did not."

The man smiled dangerously. "You best keep listening to me. Don't meet the boy, study hard and one day you'll be worthy of a king." He turned on heel and exited the room. I sunk into my covers, overwhelmed that he didn't yell at me. I was soon joined by both Mima and Zorua. They asked if I was alright. I nodded and said I was, but the same hollow feeling seemed to return. I was unsure why; all I knew is that neither Mima nor Zorua could permanently rid me of it. I curled up among the covers, not very tired yet. As the two fox Pokemon fell asleep, I laid awake for a long time before falling asleep. My dreams danced with confusing images of strange Pokemon, blurry visions of humans and other things I didn't know what was.

Day 3

"N… We're gonna get in trouble!" Zorua protested as we walked through the forest. I glanced over to him and frowned.

"Only if we get caught… Right?" I asked my friend.

Zorua sighed, "I know. I know. So, you are really going back there yet again? You were back there just yesterday." He asked, leaping gracefully onto my shoulder.

"I just want to check once more. I do not know… It is a strange feeling. It is as if I am being pulled back."

"Maybe a Reuniclus is affecting your mind." Zorua snorted, "You know they love to play."

"I guess we will have to find out!" I chirped, racing forward. Zorua slipped and tumbled off my shoulder.

"Hey- hey wait up!" He called, jumping forward and following me.

Once again Zorua and I spent the day waiting. Like the previous day, no human boy returned to the clearing. By the afternoon, I had grown bored, but I was still determined to wait. I didn't leave until the sun began to set. Sadly, I left again. That evening Mima constantly pointed out how much I was moping, and I defiantly denied it. My father didn't say good night to me that evening, which I was sort of glad for. But I still had a nagging sadness pull at me until I eventually fell asleep.

Day 4

"Promise you will be more careful, dear friend?"

"Murf… Yes, I will try," Mumbled the reply of an injured Patrat. She sat on the ground in front of me, holding out a scrapped paw. I had cleaned the scrape out and put a bandage on it that I got from the castle. "It feels so much better, thank you… um, what was your name again?"

"My names N Harmonia, and no need to thank you friend, you are always welcome!" I told her cheerfully.

She nodded, then stood and trotted back to her family. I watched her leave before standing up. I had come across the injured Patrat in the forests just outside the castle, so I decided to help her using the basic healing skills I knew. At least she wasn't injured by a human.

"You're so nice, N." Zorua purred, encircling me. "You could have just left her alone you know, that's what most humans would have done anyway."

"Well they are heartless humans then! I could never abandon an injured friend!" I protested.

"So N, are you planning to get back to that clearing yet again and wait all day and be no fun." Zorua asked with an impatient flick of his tail.

"Well…" I thought to myself, "I feel like I should."

"It is that same tug you felt yesterday and the day before?" The fox Pokemon asked curiously.

I nodded, "I still cannot explain it." I told Zorua as I began to walk through the forest once more. "Maybe it is not the boy at all. Maybe it is an injured Pokemon or something out there and I am not seeing it."

"That could be too!" Zorua gasped, "let us go see and maybe there is! And perhaps we can take them back to the castle and have a new friend!"

"..Only if father let's me…" I replied quietly before making my way through the trees back to the familiar clearing.

"I am going to look for an injured Pokemon over here." Zorua said as we got close to the clearing again.

I nodded, "I'm going to the clearing though." I watched my friend leave before crouching down among the fronds and grasses, making my way carefully to the clearing once more. I stopped dead in my tracks as I came to the edge of it. In the middle was the boy again. He wore similar attire as before, and he wasn't paying any attention to me. The boy couldn't even hear me as I snuck over and crouched under a bush. I didn't want him to see me, even though I spent all this time waiting. But that didn't keep me from watching him. His movements were curious; they were so clumsy and obvious. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. He moved similar to the adults in the castle, but not quite the same. Pokemon moved so much stealthier through the forest, making little sound. I learned this, and I assumed all boys my age did too. Maybe he's just… stupid. I thought in my head as I watched him walk on a twig without even trying to avoid it. It made a loud cracking sound that sent Pidoves flying from their roosts in the trees above.

This startled the boy because he jumped and whipped his head up at the sky, eyes wide in worry. They're just pidoves… did you just notice they were there? I questioned in my mind curiously as I watched him recover from the panic.

Still crouching, I wanted a better look, so I slid forward on all fours carefully. Then, I made a deadly mistake, I kicked a stone and it rolled out from under the bush, right to the other boy's foot. I stopped dead, freezing instinctively and watching as the boy looked startled down at the stone and picked it up, before staring straight at the bush I hid in. I hoped and prayed he couldn't see past the dense branches and shadows that hid me. But the boy wasn't that stupid after all, he looked carefully at the bush I hid under before slowly creeping over. Feeling my fear rise like bile, I leaned backwards, crawling back deeper into the bush before he could see me. Then, I ran into the trunk of a tree. No way out unless I wanted to be scratched to ribbons by fleeing through the denser part of the plant's wall.

"Is... is someone in there?" For the first time I heard his voice. It was so light and delicate. I'd never heard another human with such a gentle sounding voice. But I wouldn't allow myself to be deceived: I learned from Ghetsis just how cruel a human could be. And even if this human was still young, that didn't change the fact one day he would grow up to be a Pokemon abuser.

The human took a grasp of a branch, pulling it aside and looking right into my hiding spot. Thinking fast, I launched forward, barking like my Zorua in the hopes to scare him. The boy doubled back, stumbling on unsteady legs. I stalked out from under the bush, crouching like a Pokemon and yelping like crazy. If I scared him, maybe he would leave….! But… I didn't want him to leave. I suddenly stopped, confusing myself.

The boy didn't look at frightened though, just surprised as he stared at me in slight confusion. I glared back defiantly, letting out another (what I thought was a ferocious) bark. The other child just tipped his head, "what're you doin'?"

I froze. His voice… his voice was so… different from any other voice I had ever heard. It was so light and innocent sounding, much different than the adult humans that dwelled in the castle. They had deep frightening voices, but not this boy. It was such a soft, kind sound he couldn't help but allow his guard to lower. But wait; what if that's how he lowers the guard of his next victim? I thought to myself in panic.

"Uhm, hello?" The boy asked again. I was brought back to reality, and lowered the front of my body, and my rear in the air I began growling, flashing my teeth much like Zorua did when he felt threatened. The child frowned, looking confused and flinched. Ha, got him! I thought.

"Do... Do you want my help getting up?" The other child asked after a moment.

I lifted my head, giving him a questioning stare. He held out a hand, and I flinched at the sudden movement, shuffling back towards the bush. He blinked after me. "What is wrong? Do you talk?" The child asked, walking yet closer. The stone from before lay in his path, and he stumbled straight into it. The boy let out a squeak before crashing onto the ground. Another moment later he was sobbing miserably, complaining about a scrapped knee. I tipped my head, watching the boy make a drastic fuss about just a small scrape. He held his knee that didn't even bleed and cried over it. Hesitantly, I left the bush again and walked (still on all-fours) over to the boy, still keeping my guard high up but watching him cry. I felt sympathy for the boy- even if he was acting like a cry-baby.

"…" I tried to speak, but no words came out. I thought, and then remembered a stream that was nearby. I raced away, abandoning the child for a moment as I ran to the stream I remembered seeing one of my days waiting for the boy to show up. I looked at it, thinking about how I could get water to the human. Glancing around, I spotted some moss and plucked it from the ground, dabbing it with the stream water before racing back to the clearing. The human hadn't moved, he was just sitting hunched over, quietly sniffing. I went over, holding out the soaked moss and dabbing it onto the scrape.

The other child whimpered and cried as if it was the end of the world. "You are making it worse!" He declared with a glare.

I glared back defiantly, "I am cleaning it for you." I finally spoke in a human tongue to the boy, "If I do not it will get infected…" I continued padding the moss on the wound until I saw no more dirt. Using my shirt I dabbed the access water. "I unfortunately have no bandages for you to use."

The boy watched, a smile growing on his face. "It feels a bit better." He struggled to his feet, then held out a hand, "My name's Black, by the way."

I glowered at the hand suspiciously. Why was he just holding it there…? "My name is… N Harmonia." I replied, standing properly on my legs for the first time since meeting Black.

"Isn't n a letter?" Black questioned.

"Isn't black a color?" I shot back. He thought for a moment, and then giggled. It was the most endearing laugh I had ever heard, not that I had heard very many in the first place.

"N, why do you act like a Pokemon or something'?" He asked me.

"Act like a Pokemon…? I was acting like me." I replied back smoothly.

"But… you were barking- like this." He crouched down and began –horribly- intimidating me. I raised my eyebrows with the confusion I felt.

"But anyone would do that to a stranger."

"No. Well I would not, and my friends would not either." He replied back with general confusion.

I crossed my arms. This human certainly was strange. Maybe not evil, but he wasn't the smartest creature.

Black stared at me for a long while. "You look kinda young." He observed. "What grade you in? I just finished 2nd."

"…What are you talking about?"

"Grades, silly! Or are you one of those people that are homeschooled?"

"You are not making any sense." I sighed, shaking my head. "You are a strange human."

"Hu…man?" He echoed with a blank look.

"Yes… human. People."

Black gave me a long look before giggling, "You're a weirdo."

"No, you are a weirdo!" I shouted back.

"Humannnn! ARGH!" I jumped at Zorua's voice as he came charging through the trees and into the clearing, fur ruffled and red eyes glaring at Black.

"Zorua!"

"Ah!" The other boy doubled back as the fox Pokemon darted right for him, flashing undeveloped fangs.

"Back away from my friend- or you're gonna get it!" The Zorua spat defiantly, glaring at Black.

"Why is this Zorua here?" Black cried, edging his way back at Zorua proceeded to growl and bark.

"Zorua- it is okay, he is harmless!" I tried to tell my friend, but the fox Pokemon snorted.

"Yeah right, he's a human! Remember what your father said- humans are dangerous!" The dog-like creature spat.

"But he has not hurt me-"

"It's a lie!" Zorua bellowed, snarling as furiously as possible. "Remember what humans did to my mother- what they did to our friends Darmanitan and Woobat- to all Pokemon!"

"Zorua stop it!" I begged the fox pokemon. After a moment of hesitation Zorua finally backed off. Ruffled fur became smooth and he turned away with a snort.

"We shouldn't be here talking to a human, N. I don't know why you wanted to see him again, but now you have. We should leave." The dark-type told me sternly.

I looked back at the boy, who was looking at us in pure shock.

"My apologies if Zorua scared you." I told him, but his face didn't change. "What is the matter?"

"You… just talked to that Zorua…"

"Yeah…?"

"You can talk to Pokemon?"

"Of course, why would I not be able to?"

"'Cuz they speak in another way!"

"Black you're weird. My father says anybody who can't understand a Pokemon means they have abused a Pokemon before." I crossed my arms and glared, "You have hurt a Pokemon?"

Zorua hissed again.

"No I have not! I love Pokemon!" He chirped defiantly, "I want to be a trainer!"

"You want to be a… trainer?" I took a step back. This boy had seemed so nice- but he wanted to enslave pokemon and force them to fight in blood battles.

"What did I tell you N?" Zorua snarled.

"Why are you acting like that's bad? Being a trainer is fun, you get to make Pokemon friends and go around the Unova region…!" Black explained in desperation.

"Trainers being friends with Pokemon? More like enslave them and force them to do your dirty work!" I growled with spite.

"I would never do that!" Black cried, leaping to his feet and waving his arms, "I like Pokemon! I would never hurt one!"

"By being a trainer… You would hurt Pokemon…!" I snapped at him, I could feel the tears in my eyes. My friends…! More trainers to enslave them!

"No… No I wouldn't hurt them!" Black yelled back, looking utterly taken back.

"You… You're a liar." I pointed at him and shouted. "You are like every other human- let's leave Zorua!" I whipped around and raced away, Zorua on my heels. I heard him shout something, but I didn't hear what. I just kept running until my lungs screamed for air and my heart pounded in my chest. Finally, the castle was in sight. I ran inside with dirty feet and clothes, not bothering to wash. So I just ran into my room, where I landed face-down on the floor and sobbed to myself. My friends…. My friends…. Black was no better than the others!

I recalled the look on his face- it seemed so innocent. Who knew it had hidden such a dark secret? He would enslave Pokemon and force them to do his bidding. Force them to battle until bloody and broken. It was disgusting, it was terrible. The thought made me cry harder.

But on the other side, Black seemed so… sincere. Wide, hazel eyes showed no hatred or evil. They were innocent. Was it that common to abuse Pokemon in his world? Or was he really telling the truth? But…. A trainer abuses Pokemon!... Right? That's what father always said, I reminded myself. But… what if father was wrong?

No! Father is never wrong! Father is smart, father loves me too. He wouldn't lie. But… But… Black was…

"I do not know what to think!" I finally burst out at Zorua who was seated next to me.

"What?" He asked in an echo-y voice.

"Father always said Trainers are bad. But, something tells me I should believe Black too…." I told Zorua helplessly, curling up into a ball on the cloud-printed floor.

"Is that something the same thing that pulled you back to the clearing to see him again?" Zorua tipped his head and questioned.

I looked up at the fox-pokemon through my bangs that dropped over my face. After thinking, I nodded, "I think it is… I do not know though…" I sighed. "It's confusing."

Zorua half-smiled, then looked away. "I did not pick anything negative about him. Normally, you can with bad humans." He shook his head, "Perhaps you could see him tomorrow and ask about it? I'll try not to bite despite how much I loathe humans."

"I…. maybe…" I shrugged. "He probably won't show up."

"He might," Zorua said with hope.

"….I hope so."

Day 5

"N, please explain to me why there is dirt all over the floor, and why you look like you rolled around in mud," growled a deep, dark voice.

I tried not to flinch at the voice as I looked up at my father, red eye glowering down at me. Last night I had forgotten to bathe when I got home, so I tracked mud down the halls of the castle and my unchanged clothes was covered in dirt and scuff marks. I had forgotten to change them before bed as well, so I still wore them in the morning. Bad luck my father happened to visit me.

"Well?" Another growl out of the menacing mouth.

"..I forgot, I am sorry, father." I finally mumbled.

"Pathetic child." Ghetsis muttered, "I have told you before, if you go outside, don't track all this disgusting stuff inside. Or did I not make myself clear last time I told you this?"

My mind flashed back to my punishment I received for tracking mud into the castle. I was beaten, then locked up in the Dark Room (by that I mean Ghetsis' closet) for a full day. I shivered at the thought, "I am really sorry, father. It won't happen again…!"

"That's what you said last time." Ghetsis snarled, eyes flashing with a fire of annoyance. "Now, how could you convince me you're actually telling the truth…?" He appeared to think for a moment before developing one of his venomous smiles. "Ah, how about you go wash these cloths by hand by the bathroom..."

"T-that is it?" I questioned.

"But of course. Now strip down."

"…Out here?" I looked around the hallway. It was normally empty except for the occasional Grunt. And the air was freezing.

"That is what I said. Now do it!" He snapped at the last part, voice dripping with impatience.

I squeaked, but did as I was told. I stripped off my cloths until I was stark naked in the hallway. The cold nipped at my bare skin. I looked up at Ghetsis, who had another grin on his face. "Now walk." He growled. I turned, and began walking towards the bathroom. It was a long walk, even though the bathroom wasn't far away, and once inside Ghetsis watched closely as I filled the large tub with water and began scrubbing my clothes.

"…That's right, scrub hard, get all the dirt out." Ghetsis chuckled darkly. It scared me to near death. I scrubbed harder like he said; using what little arm power I had to remove the set-in dirt from my clothes. Once I was sure it was all out, I showed him, brimming with slight pride.

He gave the clothes an evaluating look before smirking a bit, "You missed a spot."

I couldn't see the spot he referred to, but I didn't question it. I kept scrubbing, the water splashing on my skin making me even colder. I could feel his eyes gazing at me; it was beginning to scare me even more. Several minutes later, I showed him once again. He nodded in approval, "Now wash yourself. You're covered in filth." He snorted. I dropped my head, and then put my clothes on the counter to dry before crawling into the bathtub. Normally I tried to have fun in baths; playing with toys or filling it with bubbles. But when Ghetsis right there, eyes staring almost hungrily at me, I didn't feel like it. I just began washing my body with a cloth.

When I tried to wash my back, it was difficult to reach. I strained to try and wash it. Ghetsis noticed this, because he slowly made his way over to the edge of the tub and crouched down on the floor. I turned curiously, "What is it father?"

"Let me help you." He growled in a silky tone, taking the bar of soap from my hands.

"Uh... o...kay…" Father wanting to help me is indeed strange…

He rolled up the sleeves of his robe and began stroking my skin with the cloth. I said completely rigid. This was the first time Ghetsis probably ever touched me that didn't hurt. It was almost like a massage of sorts. The guard wall that I kept up invisibly around me when I was near Ghetsis vanished like that as he washed my back, the hands I knew to be so cruel and rough moving carefully over my skin. I looked at him to see if he had the same evil face. He did… his face was twisted in a scary looking smile, like a predator plotting a kill.

I allowed him to calmly wash my body until I was dirt free, and beyond that. The soft movements against my skin eventually made me purr- in a sense because it felt good. It was like me petting Zorua. When I did, he would begin to let out soft moans and purr.

"You like that, N?" Ghetsis asked in his velvety voice.

I nodded honestly. But then Ghetsis smiled again, in a smile I hadn't seen before. I was so distracted by it I didn't realize where his hand was. It was right between my legs- and it uncomfortably touched-

"Ack-! Father, why are you touching down there?" I gasped at the stroking hand.

"What? Its part of your body to, I'm sure it needs to be cleaned." Ghetsis replied in deep tone.

"B-but it feels weird, isn't that a private place?"

"I'm your father; I'm allowed to touch it." As he stroked it, the grin returned, "Ah, you may be young but you can still get erections. You must like that, my dear son."

"Wh-what's that mean?"

"In time you'll learn. Now, do you like that?"

"It feels weird still…" But I did like it; it felt good, and at the same time, painful. It was a strange feeling of mixed emotions.

"Mmmm…" He squeezed it, and I jumped in the water. Finally, he pulled away his hand, groaning uncomfortably. "Hurry and get out, and stay indoors today. We wouldn't want you to get dirty again…." He said in a low voice before disappearing from view. I sat in the water, still feeling tingly from what just happened. Struggling out of the tub, I dried myself, drained the tub and walked back to my room huddled in the towel.

"N!" Mima looked up from where she was sleeping on the bed. When she saw me her eyes stretched wide, "N you shouldn't be trotting around without clothing on; humans don't have fur!" She fretted, racing over to me and curling her warm, fluffy body around me.

"Father made me do it." I replied simply, sitting down and hugging my knees, allowing the heat of her body to warm mine.

She narrowed her blue-green eyes as she heard this. Her ears flicked in annoyance as she began growling to herself, "What a horrible father…"

"But he was nice this time!" I was quick to defend him, even against Mima.

"Oh?" She flicked her eyes down in surprise at my defiant outburst.

I nodded furiously, "He washed my back for me, and then he touched me in a strange place- it felt weird, but not bad!"

Mima tipped her head in curiosity, "Where did he touch you dear?"

I pointed, and her eyes stretched in surprise once again. She lifted her body up, walking away from me and grumbling to herself. "What's that mean, Mima?" Zorua piped up from where he sat on the edge of the bed.

"I do not know; it can't possibly be natural." She shook her large, black head. "Anyway, N you need clothes, you'll freeze."

I nodded, waiting for her to fetch my clothing. While I did, I put my chin to my knees and sighed. I couldn't go outside today; Ghetsis won't allow it. Therefore I couldn't go see Black again, and question him more about this theory that humans weren't as cruel as I'd always known them to be. That's if he even goes back… which he won't. I thought to myself bitterly.

Day 7

"Do ya' think Black will come back?"

"Arrrrhhh, you're still riding on that? Stop being so nervous, N!" was Zorua's biting reply.

"You're right, I'm being too nervous!" I declared, boldly nodding my head.

"So how long are we gonna wait today?" Zorua sighed, "I want to have some fun, and that won't happen if we're just sitting here waiting for that Black kid all day."

"It's only the morning. I did not have lessons today…" I mumbled, "I guess if he does show up it won't be until afternoon." I yawned, laying on my side and curling up, feeling protected enough to nap underneath the dense bush.

"Hmmm…" Zorua turned away, racing off to go play or something. I curled up tighter, shutting my eyes tight to nap. Sleep was futile the previous night; I was still mixed up by the actions of Ghetsis the previous morning. It wasn't long before I was out completely, my mind blank with blackness.

Awakening again came fast; I blinked my eyes against the harsh sunlight. Wait…. Wasn't I under a bush? I glanced up in alarm to see Black standing there, holding the branches of the bush up as he watched me. The sun was high above the trees and shined straight into the bush, shattering the protective, shelters spot. I leapt up on all fours, wide awake and hissing in alarm.

"Ah-!" Black doubled back and fell to the ground, landing on his rear.

There was a hesitation before I crawled out from under the bush, keeping on all fours and crawling up next to Black, "You are really clumsy…" I observed.

"Hey!" Black snapped, crossing his arms. He gave me a critical look, "You're just like… like… a Pokemon or something, the way you sneak around."

"What? Can't all humans be as stealthy as I? And here I assumed only the adults of the castle were clumsy, but I guess children are too." I shrugged simply.

"You talk weird."

"No, you do."

"You do!"

"No, you!"

Both of us ended up on our feet, faces inches away as we argued this back and forth.

"You do!"

"No, you!"

"You!"

"Hmph." I turned my head to one side viciously for a moment, frowning before racing away and leaping swiftly into a nearby tree. I grappled the low branches easy before I glanced down at him and smirked. "We both speak strangely, how about that for a compromise?"

Black watched me with wide, surprised eyes before finally answering, "What does compo… compromamaize mean?"

I blinked at his pronunciation."Compromise you mean? It means agree over common ground, or something along those lines."

He tipped his head, eyes reflecting his confusion for a moment before he teetered over to the tree and attempted to climb it as well, but he just fell back down again. I snickered at his failure, then turned around and climbed up another branch. "How come you came back out here?" Black finally asked, plopping down at the foot of the tree and looking up at me. "The way you ran away yesterday I thought you would not be back."

"I was wondering if you would come back again." I replied hesitantly.

"Really?" He asked, tipping his head again.

"I was just curious to see if you would come back is all." I mumbled with a shrug

"What does curious mean?"

I snickered again. "Black you do not know much, do you?"

"I know tons of things!" Black replied hotly.

"You do not even know what curious means! Or compromise!" I chirped, "You do not look that young for Arceus' sake!"

"Those words are for like…. 5th graders." Black replied with mouth a gape.

I cocked a brow, "5th grade? What does that mean?"

"You know! 5th year of school!"

"Never heard of it."

"How can you say I do not know anything?" Black snorted, crossing his arms.

I snorted, crawling even higher into the tree. "Why don't you try to climb up here and say it to my face?" I crowed down at him.

"But I cannot climb!" He whined, looking at the truck apprehensively.

"It is not too hard. Just reach and grab and pull yourself!(LOL)"

Black looked back up into the tree I was in, then squatted and leapt up, grabbing the lowest branch just barely. He hoisted himself onto the branch, grumbling. I snickered as I watched him attempt to climb onto the lowest branch that I easily swung onto. He glared up at me at the laughs.

Finally he made it onto the branch, and then shakily stood on it. I frowned critically, "It would be easier if you wouldn't be wearing those shoes."

"They keep my feets safe!" He yelped, reaching up to the next branch that was right below mine. As he struggled up onto it, a piece of bark broke away. He let out a scream as he tumbled down to the ground.

"Black!" I shouted, leaping down the branches with ease and landing on the ground next to the other boy.

He had begun to cry with pain. I frowned, grabbing his arm where there was a long scrape across one side. I used the same method as I used the previous day; wetted moss. I dabbed the dirt from the small wound as Black cried out, claiming it stung.

When I was finished cleaning it out he smiled a bit, "Usually mommy kisses them better."

"Why would she do that?" I blinked as I tossed the moss into some nearby bushes.

"…Doesn't your mommy do that?" Black asked confusingly.

"…I do not have a mother." I murmured, suddenly feeling very sad. "Anytime I ask father about her he gets mad."

"Oh. I don't have a daddy." Black replied simply.

I sighed, looking up at the sky. "I am going home now." It was getting late, but I also had become very sad.

"I should go home too. Mommy is making my favorite for dinner!" Black piped up again, leaping to his feet.

Getting up, I glanced around. "I wonder where Zorua went…"

Black shrugged, but smiled widely as he looked at me. "Can you come back tomorrow? I wanna learn more about this weird life you have."

I froze for a moment, being flooded with a strange feeling before nodding. "Sure." Then I eyed him, "My life? Weird?"

He giggled, and then waved. "Bye, N!" Black turned and ungracefully ran away into the trees.

After finding Zorua, I told him about visiting Black again tomorrow. Zorua didn't like the thought of that, but was happy that I was happy.

Day 12

I was excited to leave today. As I worked on my math and reading my instructors got short with me many times for my lack of paying attention and haste.

"Can I go now? I promise I'll work hard tomorrow." I told my instructor. With a gold glare he let me go, telling me to finish the math lesson that evening. Eagerly I went to fetch Zorua before racing him out of the castle and through the forest. Neither of us told Mima about the meeting today, which was probably for the best. I ran as fast as possible, not sure why I was so excited. I didn't spend a lot of time around humans, so I was eager to learn about a world I didn't know well. Father always told me the human world was cruel, but Black… Black didn't seem like the person who would be cruel to Pokemon.

As I entered the clearing, I found he wasn't there yet. Like before, I took a perch under a bush next to Zorua. I sat and waited there for what seemed like hours until I heard a twig snap. From out of one side of the clearing Black came. He wore similar clothing to the previous day I noted. His hair from here appeared to be dirty though, and very unkempt. Like usual he walked clumsily into the clearing, kicking stones and snapping branches. The grass rustled so loudly I could hear it loud and clear from where I hid. Smirking, I edged around the clearing, stalking him like a perfect predator before launching myself across open ground. "Rawwwrr!" I yelped as I tackled him.

He let out a fretful scream and fell victim to my imaginary claws as I planted him on the ground beneath me. I smirked proudly.

He panted heavily and stared at me in pure fear before realizing I wasn't dangerous. "You scared me!" He cried. I could see tears forming on the edge of his eyes. "Meanie!"

"You left yourself wide open." I declared.

He snorted, but giggled all the same. "I will get you back." He tried to push me off him, but I didn't budge. "Get offffffff." He whined.

Zorua snickered, racing up beside me. "Look, N, dinner." The fox pokemon sneered.

"That's your Zorua, isn't it?" Black asked.

"It's not mine, I don't own it." I finally got off Black, picking up Zorua and hugging him. "He's my friend."

"Oh, of course, sorry." Black reddened as he stood up, scrapping the dust off his pants.

"You better be sorry." I remembered how he wanted to be a trainer, and my guard went up again.

"It's cool you can talk to Pokemon. I never met another person who could." He said as he stroked Zorua's head. At first the fox Pokemon growled, but then let out a purr as he stroked behind his ears.

I frowned at this, before setting Zorua down and running to a nearby tree, leaping onto the lowest branch. "Where do you live, Black?"

"Down there." He pointed in the opposite direction of the castle. "I live with mommy and my sister, White!"

"You have a sister?" I pricked with interest.

"Yup! She can be really mean though… She's always getting into trouble." Black giggled, "Mommy is really nice though."

"What happened to your father?" I recalled him saying previously he didn't have one, so I vaguely wondered what happened.

Black looked in another direction. "Mommy says he died before I was born."

I frowned, feeling a flash of sadness. "I'm sorry."

Black shrugged. "Well I never knew him so it doesn't really feel bad 'cept when people ask about him."

I felt my face go hot. "Sorry… So do you live in a castle too?"

"No." He looked at me as if I had grown a second head. "Castles are only in fairy tales silly."

He doesn't believe castles exist? Where could he live then? I shrugged it off, my interest peeked. "You like fairy tales?"

"They are okay." Black shrugged.

"I love them!" I chirped, "I have tons of books about fairy tales. Can I show you sometime?"

Black shrugged, and then grinned. "Sure."

We went on talking for a while longer, mostly just simple things back and forth. I told him a bit about fairy tales and trains and other things I found interesting. Most of the time, he gave me a blank face, appearing confused. In exchange he told me a bit about his home life, about his mother and White and where he lived. He also told me about school, which baffled me. How could one learn among thirty other children? How did they learn anything? No wonder Black's education was so far behind mine!

He didn't even know about algebra or graphing or any of that stuff!

The sun had begun setting when we finally stopped talking. Before leaving, we agreed to meet each other again. I was so excited.

I made a human friend!

Day 15

Excited. Excited. Excited.

I sat in my chair, working on simple algebra with my instructor. I got snapped at several times already, claiming lately I had been getting sloppy and short with my work. And I had been. The last week I had trouble keeping my mind on anything; I was just so excited about being with Black again. He had come to be a very interesting person in my eyes. His arrogance made it sometimes to get along with him but other than that he was a pleasant human to be around.

This last week we usually only played games. I tried teaching him how to climb trees but he wasn't very good at it. He always ended up falling off the branches, or even tripped on the roots before even beginning to climb. I hadn't given up on teaching him the proper technique to the climbing of trees, though. The boy was still very clumsy on his feet though, it was sort of funny to watch him trip over little things like tree roots or twigs or small rocks. Although the funniness didn't last; he often began bawling and claiming it hurt. I myself was covered with scars and scratches. Some came from Pokemon; some came from naïve clumsiness. A few came from when Ghetsis was angered.

Shaking my head I pushed my thoughts from my mind as my instructor hissed at me for not paying attention again. "Have you finished the problems?"

I nodded and pushed my paper at my instructor who looked it over with an impatient snort. "These problems are still blank."

I felt my face go hot, "Oh, my apologies."

Another snort.

"Your work this entire week has been declining rapidly." He continued, fixing me with a stare.

"I know… I have had a lot on my mind."

"Not my problem. I'm letting you out early today, but I except results tomorrow." Before he even finished speaking I had leapt off my chair and darted out of the room, shouting a hasty goodbye. I heard him yell after me not to run, but I hardly heard. Quickly, I informed Zorua we were leaving early then we left the castle with a hurried nod at the guard. Racing, we made it through the forest, following the familiar trail we had taken all week. Zorua wasn't as fond of Black as I was. Although he didn't like the fact Black had treated him like some sort of idiotic pet, he was getting better about it.

Making it to the clearing, I halted in the middle of it and looked around curiously. I was here a bit earlier than usual, so maybe I shouldn't have been surprised not to find him ther-

Snap.

I heard the sound and at once whipped around, for a moment I suspected a dangerous Pokemon was stalking me, but a slow blur moving clumsily across the clearing at me confirmed it was indeed Black. But I wasn't fast enough to dodge and the other boy tackled me and he went down in a tumble to the ground. He straddled me and giggled endlessly. "I got you!" He sang, thrusting his face into mine.

"I saw you comin' a mile away!" I retorted with a smirk.

"You are just saying that!" He sneered.

"Hmph." I pushed him off me, and then struggled to my feet. "Yeah well you know what?"

"What?"

I poked him on the nose with a wide grin. "You are it." Before he could say anything more I spun around and darted out of the clearing. I moved swiftly through the undergrowth, on occasion using Pokemon trails for the ease of Black. I could hear him stumbling after me, shouting how he'll get me. I started laughing, as if! Quickly, I slid down into a ditch, ignoring the mud smears on my rear and darting under some ferns. I saw Black pop out of the undergrowth. He hesitated before leaping over the ditch and continuing his run. Snickering to myself I darted out from beneath the bush, crawling up the ditch and racing after Black from behind.

After a moment, Black must have noticed because he turned around and gave me a look of surprise. Before I could comprehend anything he stopped in his tracks and I rammed right into him. I stumbled to the ground, landing on the cushion soft moss. Black managed to remain on his feet, and poked me on the head. "Hah!"

Growling, I leapt to my feet and went to chase him but he chirped. "No tag backs!" Instead he shifted his gaze towards Zorua who was just catching up. Grinning, I raced after the fox Pokemon.

Hours later we were all collapsed in the normal clearing, tired from a day of playing. I noticed how late in the day it was getting.

"Hey, Black?"

"Hmm?"

I turned around and pushed myself off the ground. "C'mon, I wanna show you something."

Zorua pricked his ears, "You aren't talking about that place are you?" he said with worry, "that is our favorite spot! Don't go showing random people!"

"Psh." I snorted to Zorua, then grabbed Black's hand and guided him through the forest in a direction he had yet to go.

"Where are we going? It's getting late and I should go home soon…" Black said with worry.

"Forget home! I want to show you this one thing first." I replied with a grin.

After a short walk, the forest opened up on the edge of a cliff. Well, near one anyway. Between the forest edge and the cliff was a small meadow. Long grass and flowers grew. A few Deerling were feeding on one side of the clearing. By our entrance they meandered away into the undergrowth, not really too alarmed by our presence. I dragged Black out towards the middle of the clearing, where it had the best view. The view was of the forest for miles. The high cliff made a perfect vantage point to view the distant mountains and forest. Trees went for miles until they became a blur of green in the distance. Mountains erected from the ground, looking more like gentle slopes than mile high mountains. To another direction, the sunset could be seen clearly. It painted the sky with colors of orange, yellow, and even some reds and purples.

Black looked in awe as he released my hand and walked closer to the edge of the cliff. "Wow…. This is really pretty."

"Isn't it?" I walked up behind him, collapsing into the grass and pulling him down next to me. "It's my favorite spot in the whole forest!"

"I can see why!" Black huddled up next to me. He craned his neck down, seeing the river that flowed far beneath. The opposite bank was a lot lower than the cliff Black and I perched on. "It's so high…" Black murmured, shuffling away from the edge.

"It is." I giggled at his cowardly expression.

"Don't fall." Zorua leapt out from behind and pawed at Black's back.

I laughed at Zorua, and Black looked left out.

"You need to learn how to understand Pokemon. I don't see why you cannot honestly."

"I hope I can learn someday." Black sighed, petting Zorua on the head, who purred at the contact.

"I will teach you." I murmured, laying back in the grass and watching the distant sunset.

No, no, no, no! It was late; nearly dark. The sky was a milky dark color, showing the sun was just about set. My curfew was well before sunset. Nearly tripping several times I had managed to run from the meadow back to the castle in only a few minutes. I had spent so long dozing in the meadow with Black I had lost track of time.

Skidding to a halt in front of the castle doors, I was let inside after being scowled at by the guard. After taking the quickest bath I had ever taken, I raced to my room. I breathed a thank you under my breath that my father hadn't caught me coming in late, but when I opened the door I froze. I felt my heart skip a beat as Ghetsis turned around. He stood in the middle of my room, fixing me with a red eyed gaze. It had no real emotion to it. I felt shivers go up and down my spine as Zorua shook in fear behind me.

"Greetings, my son. You are late." He observed in a silky voice.

I nodded slowly, "My apologies, father. I lost track of time while being with my friends today."

"You found lots of Pokemon? Talked with lots of Pokemon?" Ghetsis pressed, his voice not wavering.

I hesitated before lying with a nod. Best he didn't know about Black. I prayed that father wouldn't notice the hesitation in my answer.

If he did, he gave no sign of it. "That is good. Ah, but N. I was so worried about you…"

This was where his voice changed. It had a far darker tone to it now. Like a predator mocking its prey. I flinched a bit, but bowed my head in shame. "Many more apologies father, my worrying you wasn't intentional."

"How can I be so sure you're speaking the truth?" His voice was now a low growl. He suddenly pointed to my bed. "Get in it, now."

Jumping a bit at the sharp change of voice I darted to my bed, crawling up into the sheets. Before I could get under the blankets though, and hand came down on my back and pinned me belly down on the bed.

"Now, how could you prove you weren't intentionally worrying me? Or better yet; how can you make it up to me?" His thick growl raised the hairs on the back of my neck and caused a slight inner tremble.

"I… I do not know, father." I squeaked, trying my best to keep my voice from wavering.

"…I hear from your instructor you have been falling behind. Please, enlighten me on why that is." His hand rose to just a finger touch on my lower back. I didn't miss the slight movement as the fingers trailed downward.

"I… I do not know. I will be sure to try harder tomorrow!" I exclaimed, my voice high in desperation.

"Will you really?" Ghetsis asked, sounding as if he were truly contemplating this. "…I will hold you to it. But there is still the fact…. Of how much you worried me." I felt like a cornered Patrat facing death by a starving Haxorus.

I gulped, "What do you wish me to do father? I will do anything."

"Anything, you say?" His hand continued to trail downwards until they were stroking along my rear.

I nodded shakily.

I heard a dark chuckle before the hand moved away. I didn't dare turn right away, but when I did he was at my door. He was giving me a starving look. "I will think about how you can make it up to me, my dear son." He said in an almost mocking manner before slamming the door shut.

I put my hand where he put his- right on my rear. It still tingled from the strange contact. Shaking my head I darted under the covers and shut my eyes and ears. I allowed Black and I's adventures this last week fill my mind.

Day 16

The instructor was unamused by the lack of progress this last week, and with Ghetsis' command I was taught many times more than I already had been being taught. Problem after problem, I worked tirelessly until it was late in the day. It had to have been six or seven o' clock before I was done. With it so late in the day, when I was done with my math I darted from the room. I didn't even stop for Zorua on the way to the door. The guard wasn't very sure on letting me out, but he did anyway.

It was a quick run to the clearing. Upon arriving, there was no sign of Black. I desperately looked in the thick undergrowth around the clearing as well, just in case he was hiding and waiting to leap out, or taking a nap underneath the shade, but of no avail. Sighing, I thought for a moment, and then an idea popped in my head. Moving quickly I ran the short stretch of forest between the small clearing and the meadow on the edge of the cliff. I burst out into the open, howling Black's name, confident he would be there but I halted to the edge of an empty meadow. Crestfallen, I paced to the edge of the cliff, staring down at the raging river below. What if he's mad at me….?

I turned after a moment of staring and sighed heavily. My eyes gazed across the ground, and I noticed how flat the grass was near my feet. It was a small round spot where all the grass had been flattened. Someone had been sitting there for a while. I approached it, crouching down and inspecting the size. It was about as large as Black's rear- as if he had been sitting there! I put my hand to the spot, realizing how warm it was.

He was just there!

I couldn't' decide whether I felt bad for missing him, or happy he had showed up. Turning, I began my trek back to the castle.

Day 17

Another grueling day of working. From dawn to dusk I did my math and reading and writing until my head hurt. My instructor showed no sympathy when he finally released me for the day. I didn't waste any time setting out in search of Black. Upon arriving at the clearing, it was, like the previous day, empty. Afterwards I dragged myself to the meadow, not high in hopes.

In the same place as yesterday I found freshly flattened grass, but it wasn't warm. I couldn't be sure how long ago Black was there, but he obviously left a long time ago. Turning, I headed back to the castle, head down.

Day 20

"There, done."

I showed my instructor the work I had just finished. I had done a rush job, trying to finish as fast as possible. These last few days were primarily cramped with nothing but learning and work. Yesterday I wasn't even able to leave the castle, not even to go see if Black had ever shown up. Today I was determined; it had been about five days since I last saw him. I was getting fidgety. I had begun neglecting my Pokemon friend's because of it.

My teacher nodded, and then waved a hand. "You're dismissed. I will let your father know of your improvement."

I got up, bowed and left the room quickly. I got out regular time today, so I sped off to my room to fetch Zorua. In my room I had a darmanitan and a woobat that were both given to me by my father when I was younger. They had both been abused by humans and were very afraid of them- aside from me of course. Today they wanted to come with me to meet this 'Black' fellow. They looked scared, but at the same time very determined. I smiled and invited them along before Mima noticed their absence. Once outside the castle doors I made my regular trek to the clearing.

"Wait 'till you meet Black, guys. He really is nice." I explained to Darmanitan and Woobat.

Darmanitan gave a hesitant look. "If he is a threat then I won't be afraid to throw a punch." Woobat shuddered, but said nothing. She wasn't much of a talker.

"He's not a threat though I swear. He will treat you like I do, as a friend!" I enthused, spinning around in circles before running the rest of the way to the clearing.

When I got there I sung Black's name aloud, expecting him to be waiting in the clearing.

He wasn't. I glanced around, confused. I was on time today….

…But I hadn't been that last five days.

He forgot. Or he hated me. Or he was… mad? Glancing around with rising worry I raced towards the meadow at the cliffs edge. Maybe he was there! Bursting out of the undergrowth I came to a screeching halt. Aside from lillipups that played a little ways away, Black was nowhere to be seen. Normally I would have befriended the lillipups, but I couldn't find the energy or will. I suddenly felt very drained of energy. I dropped to the ground, sliding back against a tree trunk. Darmanitan came lumbering up alongside Zorua and Woobat.

"What is wrong, N?" He asked in a booming voice, though it was a gentle tone.

I shook my head, "I think I angered Black. I can't find him."

"So much for being nice!" The fire type snapped, showing his teeth in rage.

Woobat fluttered down and nuzzled my hair in comfort. Zorua growled, "That isn't like Black, though. Sure he's a little naïve and ignorant but he is nice."

"I haven't showed up for nearly a week. He probably doesn't even want to be my friend anymore." I couldn't help the beginnings of tears.

"Y-you still have us!" Darmanitan suggested clumsily, wrapping a large arm around my shoulders.

I clung to his warm fur and cried into the soft, orange hair. Zorua curled up next to me, and I remained with my friends for a chunk of the afternoon. I arrived home early, much to the guard's surprise. I bathed, and then played with my trains in my room until I fell asleep on my cloud printed floor.

Day 21

Waking up from a stiff night on the floor was a sore, almost agonizing process. With a pained back and stiff joints I started my morning. I was hungry, my stomach felt hollow, but I had no idea where the kitchen was in the castle. Ignoring the pangs of hunger and aches I went straight to my math room. I spent the morning working diligently on my reading and math skills. My movements were sluggish and rusty, but if my instructor noticed it he took no pity. Finishing my work I trailed back to my room sat in the very place I had fallen asleep the previous night.

Zorua came bounding to me,barking with excitement. "Are we leaving now?"

I shrugged, "I dunno."

His expression drooped to a saddened frown. "Still upset over Black?"

I shrugged again.

"Well moping isn't going to help!" He barked with determination, biting my hand gently and trying to pull me to my feet. "C'mon!"

I sighed, struggling to my feet.

"That's better!" Zorua huffed and then nuzzled the back of my legs to help me along. "Move, move!"

He pushed me down the hallway before I walked on my own. It was a slow and lazy walk. Out in the forest I trampled noisily through the undergrowth, snapping twigs and rustling grass. Any predator Pokemon could have easily heard this and attacked me. This wasn't particularly on my mind as I drifted around the forest, avoiding the clearing at all costs. I didn't want to face the emptiness again.

I instead ended up at the meadow. It was almost glowing from the afternoon sun shining down. A few peaceful Pokemon dwelled in the sunny clearing. I dropped down in the grass near the edge of the cliff, looking out at particularly nothing. A few nearby Lillipup that had been there the previous day meandered over and sat next to me.

"You look sad." One of them said.

"I guess I am." I replied with a sigh.

"—Whoa, you can understand me!" The Lillipup barked in surprise. The other one was amazed at this too. After exchanging a few words they sat next to me to offer silent comfort. A small Purrloin joined in, offering a little comfort as well. A small flock of bird Pokemon in the trees chirped away. From their ranks a Pidove flew down to see what was going on. I found myself surrounded by Pokemon friends; so why didn't I feel comfort? Bringing my legs to my chest I put my face in my knees, listening to the kind words these Pokemon had to offer.

"N?" I heard somebody ask. No doubt who that voice belonged too. My head swung around to see Black standing on the edge of the tree line.

"Black!" I chirped.

"You came!" Black's face grew to a large grin as he launched across the clearing. "I thought you didn't want to be friends anymore or something!"

I shook my head vigorously, finding it amusing that I thought the exact same thing the previous day. "My teacher kept me inside most of the time all this week!"

"Oh."

"You did not come yesterday."

"I didn't think you would show up…" Black then looked hurt.

"Well I did…!" I snapped, but then I shook my head again and leapt up. "Look Black, meet some of my friends."

"Hello, human." The Purrloin meowed silkily, striding over to Black. "Can he understand us too?"

"Unfortunately, no." I said.

"D'awwww." The Pidove pouted, but flew over to Black anyway. The other boy flinched a bit as the Pidove landed on his shoulder, chirping in his face.

"So, Black. I wish you understood Pokemon." I realized how often we both had wished him to be able to understand Pokemon.

He shrugged, "I guess I never really thought it about it- before I met you I mean. Even though we have only been friends for a few weeks, I never realized one could understand humans."

"How could you not think about it before?" I asked with my brow raised in surprise.

"I never really spent time around Pokemon I guess." He sighed, petting the Purrloin on the head. "My friend, Cheren has a pet Purrloin that I see a lot."

My eyes widened. "Since I was young I have been around Pokemon. I visit them each and every day. They are such precious beings." I turned to the Lillipups, caressing each one of their cheeks.

"I guess that is why you can speak with them." Black's voice was edged with envy, I could hear it.

"You're missing out on so much." I said, walking towards him and taking his hand. "Follow me."

I turned and lead him into the forest, the other Pokemon trailing behind us. "Humans and Pokemon are both part of this world, but Pokemon are treated like slaves when with humans."I began. "But out here, they are free. They are part of a circle of life. They are our equals- if not greater than us humans. Possessing such amazing power and beauty… Perfect beings…."

Black looked overwhelmed, and I flashed him a smile, starting to run. We ended up on the edge of a river. I hopped on one of the stones that jutted out of the flowing water near the bank. "Have you ever wondered what it's like to be able to swim with the Tympoles?"

Black approached the current, staring down at the passing Pokemon under the surface.

"Or what is it like being a flying type, going through the sky without a care, like a Braviery." I lifted my arms, shouting loud enough for a flock of bird like Pokemon to be startled and fly into the air.

"Or maybe run with the Sawsbucks?" I continued in the sing-song voice, bounding across the stepping stones. I picked up to a running speed, checking backwards every so often to make sure Black kept up. He was just barely; he tripped a lot. For his sake I ran a bit slower until we were in pace. I pointed up where the bird Pokemon flew among the trees. Some of them were curious and began following us, and soon a small flock of about five or six were weaving through the trees above our heads.

"Have you ever heard the Zorua cry to the blue stone moon?~" My song never tread off a beat as I ran.

He shook his head rapidly, and Zorua howled ominously into the breeze.

"Or asked a grinning Purrloin why he grins?" I added as the Purrloin that had been following us leapt onto my shoulder with a meow and a catty grin.

"Why do you grin?" Black asked breathlessly to the Purrloin, and I chuckled.

"Can you sing with all the voices of the Pokemon, can you hate all the humans for their sins?~" [1]

"Wait except me right? And my mom? And White? And what about you and-" Black asked in alarm, his voice coming out in huffs.

I shook my head and continued my smile, guiding him through the forest for a long time until even I had become tired. I dropped down to the ground, leaning against the rough bark of a tree. Black dropped to the cushiony moss nearby. "You really need to get out more, if you're that tired by a simple run."

"Si…Simple run…." Black repeated with his mouth wide in a grin. "Simple my butt! Why did you run me through half the mountain?"

"Simple for me." I boasted. "Besides, you should learn more about the Pokemon world."

He picked up a chunk of moss and tossed it at my head. Around us, a few of the Pokemon had followed us on our run and now dwelled nearby. I recognized a lot of them, including the Patrat I had helped a few weeks ago. Paw now healed, she sat next to her siblings, accepting the pets and strokes I offered.

Black looked a bit uncomfortable, and when I noticed him I asked, "What's wrong? You're surrounded by friends!"

"But… They are wild Pokemon. I don't mean to sound rude but what if one attacks?"

"Attacks!" I bellowed, not sure to be insulted or amused. "Would any of you attack us for no reason?"

"Of course not!" One shouted.

"Never!" Another chipped in.

"Certainly not, unless you attack me first!" Another added.

"They said they won't." I translated for Black. "Although it is wise to be cautious around some Pokemon, these ones are harmless as long as you do not give them a reason to attack."

Black murmured a guilty apology, his face turning a light shade of red.

A small Deerling paced over to Black, nosing him against the cheek. "It's okay, human. My name is Flower; what's yours?"

Black gave her a clueless look, and I and some of the other Pokemon chuckled with amusement. "Black there should not be anything keeping you from learning how to understand Pokemon." I shook my head in slight disapproval before translating her words.

Black looked a bit crestfallen at my words. For the rest of the day he seemed to be in a guilty silence. As the day drew to a close, we ended up back at the meadow. All the Pokemon had left and went back to their dens and families. The sun was dropping lower in the sky by now, so we decided it was time for us to go back home yet again. As I watched him get up off the ground, and then thought of going back home to face the loneliness of night time or the anger of Ghetsis, I suddenly felt a pang of fear. Without much thought I flashed a hand out and grabbed his, keeping him from going anywhere.

"Wait!"

"What is it..?"

"..Meet again tomorrow?" I asked hopefully, my voice a squeak.

"Yeah!" Black's lips twisted up in a large smile.

Rocking on my heels, I looked away towards the setting sun. "Can we meet every day?" I didn't realize I had asked it out loud until I looked over back at Black.

Black tipped his head for a moment, appearing to think about this before nodding. "Every day."

"Promise?"

"Promise!"

Day 22

"I swear, he'll be there today. Can you please come with me?" I pleaded desperately to the Darmanitan and Woobat in front of me. I was attempting to convince them to meet Black- they were skeptical. Darmanitan was still mad that Black hadn't shown up the last time he and Woobat went to see him. Woobat was worried that I'd get hurt again; that's what she was claiming anyway.

Darmanitan shook his head, "What if he doesn't show up again? Long treks out into the forest only to sit there all day and see you get hurt."

"But he'll show up today!" I pressed, recalling his promise from the previous day.

He gave me a disapproving glower while Woobat shook her head, silent as ever. Zorua gave them in impatient look. "He will be there, so come on. Stop being stick-in-the-muds."

"Fine." Darmanitan groaned. Woobat hesitated before nodding, giving me a smile. Whipping around, I practically skipped out of my room alongside my friends.

On our walk through the forest I told them more about Black. I probably talked their ears off before arriving to the clearing. I burst out of the undergrowth, expecting him to be sitting in the clearing, waiting. He wasn't. I checked the nearby foliage before sitting on a small stone to the side of the clearing. Darmanitan frowned again giving me a look as if to say 'well, where is he?'

Finally, I heard the loud rustling. I sat up, expecting Black to walk clumsily into the clearing. But instead, something very large and red crashed through the undergrowth. It stood way higher then my head. Its raging gaze swept over the four of us. The giant Scolipede turned, facing its massive red hued body towards us. A single clawed foot ran through the dirt, and it dropped its head to show large scarred horns.

"…Run..!" I gulped as I whipped around, grabbing Zorua as I raced from the clearing. Darmanitan was racing at my side, its old leg injury making it limp heavily. Woobat fluttered several feet up, trying to keep up. Behind us the large bug type charged after us, knocking small trees and bushes out of its path as it they were twigs.

"N, hang on. I think I might be able to shoot it with some fire." Darmanitan panted.

"And I could use Air Cutter! Why are we running?" Woobat squeaked in a weak voice.

"I don't want you two to get hurt trying to defend me!" I yelped.

"Defend you as well as ourselves."Darmanitan retorted, whipping around and facing the stampeding beast. The giant bug didn't falter as it prepared to ram Darmanitan. The fire ape's flame brow blazed hard as he raced forward as well, one large arm glowing with a large flame. Drawing it back, he swung it at the charging bug's head. Upon impact there was a pseudo explosion as the Scolipede was launched backwards. It landed on its side with a thud, before scrambling up. Aside from a burn on its forehead, it looked the same as before. Grunting with effort, it was Woobat's turn. She swooped down from the sky, splaying out her small wings, and then swung them forward. An almost invisible blade of air followed in their wake straight at the Scolipede. It was a critical hit as the giant bug was knocked backwards into a tree.

"N..! What's happening?" I heard the panicked shrill of Black behind me. Before I could respond the Scolipede rose to its feet. It looked as angry as ever as it roared and ran at us again. Darmanitan stepped in front of me.

"I won't let you hurt N." He rasped as he drew another blazing arm back. Too late. The giant bug was fast on its feet as it knocked Darmanitan back with a massive swung of its large head. He collapsed heavily on the ground at Black's feet with a grunt. Black let out another shriek.

Woobat was quick at launching another Air Cutter from above at the Scolipede. Another hit, but it was hardly enough to down to raging beast. Rearing on hind legs it swatted Woobat from the empty air before she could react. With two down, it turned on Black and I. Zorua, who was still in my arms, shut his eyes. "Stupid meanie!" He hissed.

I suddenly felt very dizzy and light on my feet. Everything was disorientated like the surface of water after a stone has been dropped into it. "—Zorua! You're using an illusion!" I realized as the world turned more normal. The Scolipede looked confused as it swung its head to and fro.

"Shhh… I made us look like a tree," Zorua whispered, eyes still shut.

For a few nerve wracking minutes the large bug looked as if it was going to knock down the 'tree' that suddenly appeared in front of it. Shaking its large head, it gave up and lumbered off into the woods. Once he was sure it was gone, Zorua released the illusion and fell to the ground. He panted with effort, but looked proud of himself. I kneeled down next to him. "Zorua, that was your first illusion!" I chirped, petting his fur. "How do you feel?"

"Dizzy, but okay," Zorua replied with a hint of triumph.

"N what was that about?- Also I think your friend is in bad shape." I heard Black's quiet voice. Picking up Zorua in my arms I trotted over to the large reddish orange heap of fur was motionless except for the slight rise and fall of its chest.

"Is… is it okay? Will it live?" Black stilled panicked, looking down at the Darmanitan with wide eyes.

"He's not an 'it'." I snapped at Black, putting a hand to the great beast's chest. "He's fine, he just needs some rest." Putting Zorua down I went to get Woobat, who like Darmanitan only needed rest. I lifted her up; she was limp in my arms. I placed her next to Darmanitan, and then sat next to them. I couldn't help but scowl at Black.

"You're late."

Black's head snapped up from where he had been staring at the collapsed Pokemon. "Huh?"

"If you would have been there then maybe we wouldn't have been in the clearing when the Scolipede attacked."

"Or we would have been and I would have been hurt too." He bristled, but he visibly flinched at my harsh words.

Feeling now I had the edge, I jumped to my feet. "How can you think so selfishly?"

"I wasn't–"

"These poor Pokemon were hurt!" I continued, seething. "This is what happens to Pokemon when they battle for humans like you!" I pointed at Black.

"I would never hurt a Pokemon!"

"Maybe not intentionally, but I guess it's not like that peanut brain of yours can comprehend that!"

He looked vaguely confused for a moment, and then he burst into tears.

Guiltiness; it swept over me. Plopping down, I cared for my injured friends while Black sniveled like a baby. I've never really felt guilty for another human other then Black. It was indeed a strange emotion. Guilty… I feel guilty… I wonder if Father feels guilty when he makes me cry? I wondered. This baffled me. If he did, then wouldn't this horrible feeling cause him to stop making me cry? Or perhaps he didn't feel it. Then why did I?

"Sorry…" Black finally mumbled, stroking Zorua's fur gently. The fox Pokemon was weakened by the illusion it created, but his eyes were wide open as he watched us.

My head snapped up in surprise. "It's alright… My apologies as well."

"You use long words I don't know." Black tipped his head.

"You haven't been properly educated then. Do you have an instructor or teacher of some sort?"

"I thought I already told you I went to school!" Black chirped.

"-Your tooth just moved!"

Black poked at one of the ones near the front then nodded proudly. "I am losin' my baby teeth!"

I blinked. Wasn't he a bit too old to still be losing baby teeth? I sighed. It was so easily to be settled down around Black. I could easily spend day after day in a seething bad mood thinking about humans, but within moments my earlier anger vanished completely. Well, I've never met a human outside the castle… Turning my attention back to Darmanitan, I found he was waking up.

"Agghhh… Last thing I remember was getting a face full of horn." He groaned, struggling to his legs. "but the Scolipede is gone- hah, alright!"

"You have a mark on your fur- are you alright?" I stood up, putting a hand to his shoulder region where the horn struck. There was a lack of fur there, and a small scratch. There was a bit of blood but it was almost unnoticeable against the orangey red fur.

"Just a bruise. It's nothing." Darmanitan grinned, then shifted his gaze to Black. At once his eyes darkened and he stood over the smaller boy with intimidation. "This is…?"

"Black!" I ran over and pulled a scared looking Black to his feet so he stood –almost- face to face with the large ape beast.

"So this is Black?" Darmanitan sneered, his mouth wide in his signature smirk.

"It… it isn't going to eat me is it?" Black gulped, leaning away.

"HAH! Sorry you're too bony for me otherwise I would consider it." Darmanitan jeered, not that Black understood.

"He will not eat you. He wants to be your friend!" I explained.

"As long as you're nice to N, any friend of his is a friend of mine."

"Me too!" Woobat, who had recovered as well, watched us all from the ground. I picked both her and Zorua up. I was surprised when Zorua crawled out of my arms and onto Black's shoulder, settling comfortably on his shirt.

"Woobat are you okay?" I ignored the pang of jealousy as I looked down at the bat like Pokemon.

"I was knocked out for a moment. I am fine now." Woobat replied.

"It's not every day a Scolipede comes out of nowhere and attacks." I commented after a moment; I hadn't seen one in nearly half a year, let alone being attacked by one. "But I guess it's not too uncommon."

"But it isn't surprising." Black chipped in, "aren't they dangerous?"

"Surely not!" I snapped. "Only if they are provoked they will attack."

"Provoked?" Black questioned the word.

"How come that one attacked us then?" Zorua asked with worry.

I glanced away. That I did not know. "Maybe we treaded on its personal space or its territory."

"Then maybe we should leave before it comes back!" Black looked scared again. Nobody seemed to object to this idea. Darmanitan lifted us both on his shoulders and began walking. I protested to this but he said we both weighed next to nothing on his shoulders. Clinging to his fur we ended up back to the meadow with the cliff overhang. Darmanitan knew of this spot, and more than once hung out with me there. Black crawled off the large Pokemon's shoulder and trotted among the flowers before falling onto the cushioned grass.

"Sorry I was late." Black repeated as I sat down next to him. "White got me into trouble."

"White is your sister, yes?"

"Yup! She always gets me in trouble, as well as herself." Black sighed. "Maybe you can meet her one day."

I felt hesitant meeting another human. "What is she like?"

"Sort of… I dunno, she's really brave; like the people off the shows. She-"

"Shows?" I interrupted with a cocked brow.

"Oh yeah. Like on TV, anyway-"

"TV?"

"Television."

I gave him a sickly confused look. "What is that? Some sort of machine?"

"Yeah…. Whoa, do you not have one?"

I shook my head. His eyes drew wide. "My goodness! You don't have video games either?"

"Video games? No. I do not even know what that is…" I felt a bit guarded about it.

"You need to come to my house sometime and play with me!" He chirped. "Hah! White always beats me, but now I can beat you." He snickered.

"Your… house?" I shuffled away a bit. "I'm not so sure."

"Why not?"

"If father found out I left the forest I would be punished." I imagined his punishment and shivered in fear.

Zorua butted into the conversation when Black hesitated with a sad look. "Then just don't tell him! Come on, N, as long as he doesn't find out does it matter?" His face was wide in a grin. I recalled I had just told him that only weeks earlier.

"I suppose…" I contemplated after translating for Black.

"Well I do not want to get you into trouble!" Black burst out hastily.

"Like Zorua said, if he doesn't find out then I guess it doesn't matter." I shared a mischievous grin with Zorua.

Black gave a worried frown. For the rest of the day he told me more about some of the strange machines and technologies he had that I never even heard of. He even was going to show me one of them tomorrow- his 'Nintendo DS'. Apparently handheld and tons of fun; I was eager to play it. The way Black explained these things made me fascinated with his strange world. What else did I not know about the human world? All I was taught all these years was that humans were cruel to Pokemon, making them their personal slaves and using them to accomplish selfish goals. It was still hard to believe Black would ever do that though. Right now he pet Woobat who had splayed out on his lap while we talked. Woobat wasn't one to trust anybody, so for her to take so quickly to Black surprised me. Darmanitan seemed to approve of him as well, because he was sitting close to him.

As we went our separate ways to go home, I asked what Woobat and Darmanitan thought of Black.

"I like him. He's a bit timid but he's nice." Woobat squeaked as she flew above me.

"He's pretty cool." Darmanitan nodded, "Far different then the human that…" He shuddered and frowned. Woobat shared his woes. Both had been the Pokemon of abusive humans. My father told me Darmanitan was found by his Grunts; apparently had been pushed beyond the limit, and when he couldn't move in battle anymore his trainer yelled at him, and kicked him. Woobat's situation was similar; her trainer punched her when she couldn't fight anymore, stepping on her injured body, kicking her to the side before keeping her in a Pokeball for days; weeks; a whole month.

Thinking about their pasts caused a few tears to roll from my eyes. Humans, why would they do that to their friends? What possesses them to do such things to another living thing? Shaking my head, I held Zorua close as we walked the rest of the way home.

Day 23

Another quick day of lessons, another quick walk to the normal meet-up place. To my delight Black was already there, but as I approached I noticed the weird thing in his hands. When I came out of the undergrowth in my stealthy fashion he looked up sharply in surprise, then noticed it was me and smiled. He waved me over, holding the strange device up. I let out a growl at the potentially dangerous object.

"What?" Black questioned, still holding out the small device.

It was a small object that could easily fit in both hands. It was only half an inch thick or so, but far longer- maybe about five to six inches in length and a few inches in width. It shined brightly despite being the dark color of black. Reaching out hesitantly I suddenly took the device from him. It felt smooth at the touch- like the marble floors and walls of the castle. I held it by a corner- and to my shock the thing suddenly split in half like a mouth. Whimsical noise came blaring out of it and I squeaked aloud, flinging it several feet away into the grass. On all fours I hissed at it in case it attacked- whatever the heck it was.

Black burst out laughing, and I shot him a questioning stare. "Calm down, N, it's just a DS."

"…DS?" I repeated the foreign word, shifting my gaze back to the device. It was still making loud noises, and its mouth was wide open.

"Nintendo DS. It's a video game, you know, like the ones I told you about."

"Is it dangerous?" I asked with a suspicious glare at it.

"Of course not!" Black continued to laugh until he was on the ground clenching his stomach. For a moment I thought he was going to be sick- who laughs like that?

Finally he stopped. Wiping his eyes he came over the picked up the DS then back over to me. "I brought it so you can play. Remember, I told you about it yesterday." He handed the game to me. I took it with one hand, holding it between my thumb and index. I wasn't entirely convinced it was harmless.

"So now go ahead and take this." From the DS he pulled a small stick. It was only a few inches long and felt as smooth as a stone.

"And is this?" I growled, running a finger across a smooth surface on the DS. Pictures moved on them as real as a person.

"Screens. DS stands for 'double screen.' Now use the stylus- the stick- to pet the dog." He gestured with his finger.

"The… Dog... what's that? It's certainly no Pokemon I've ever heard of." I stared at the screen. The thing looks similar to a Lillipup… or maybe a Houndour. It had no fangs to speak of, and its paws looked as delicate as a pile of fluff. Its eyes were dull and unintelligible. The 'dog' thing began to bark and stared expectedly at N through the screen. Black must have noticed my continued apprehension.

"It's not real; it's just in the game."

"Why is it looking at me? It looks real enough!"

"It isn't! It's just a game. Come on; use your stylus to pet it."

Using the stylus I began poking at the screen. As I poked it on its nose and ears, its dull look shifted to one of anger. Apparently it didn't like being poked. Finally, it barked viciously at me and ran away.

"It hates me!" I wailed.

"You're not doing it right!" Black exclaimed, leaning in close and gripping the hand that had the stylus. I watched as he showed me how to pet the dog thing. It didn't look very amused; it kept barking and growling at both of us. That is until Black began petting it the 'right way' and it instantly began rolling around on its belly. Its gaze returned to normal and its tail wagged like crazy.

"What is this anyway?"

"Nintendogs. It's one of my older games, but it's easier, I thought it would be better for you."

And so he continued to show me this strange device of his. He brought only one game, but he claimed to have a lot of them. I thought it was the strangest thing I'd ever seen in my life. After I learned how to properly handle the DS I found myself submerged in this weird other world inhabited by dogs. After I learned how to take care of his dog, he let me get my own. Seeing how these strange creatures weren't Pokemon, I didn't have a problem owning one. But as the day progressed I found the screen began to cause an annoying headache. Shoving the DS back I slid down into the grass next to Black and rubbed my eyes. They hurt from the screens as well.

"Sorry," Black began guiltily. "I guess you're not used to the screens."

"Such a strange object. What purpose does it have?"

"Just for fun." Black shrugged.

"Like toy trains?" The image of my toys flashed in my mind.

"I guess so. But I think a DS is more fun." He began to play and I was left listening to the sounds the device made. When it was time to go, I watched him leave before turning to Zorua.

"Humans are weird." Was all I said as I set out for home.

Day 24

The next day Black brought his DS again, and another game for it. I didn't really feel up to playing, but I didn't want to object to it either. Black looked excited about showing me this game. Something like 'Animal Crossing'. I wasn't entirely sure. The strange creatures, looking like Pokemon but with duller pelts and no beauty, flashed on the screen. I grew bored quickly, but I kept a mask of excitement on for Black's sake. He suspected nothing.

Glancing into the trees, I stared at the thickly woven branches. Forgetting momentarily about the game, I imagined swinging through the trees, feeling the wind sweep through my hair. The leaves tickling my cheeks, the bark of trees smooth underfoot.

"Hey, Black."

"Hmmm?"

"We should create a nest or fort of some sort."

"Like…. Like a clubhouse?" Black raised his brows in surprise.

"If that is what humans call it, then yes."

"I dunno. Don't you need nails and hammers and wood?"

I snorted. "You think Pokemon that make their homes in the forest have nails or hammers? And look," I slapped the tree that we had been leaning against. "Wood."

He still looked skeptical and I looked at him with pleading eyes. "Come on it will be fun!"

"I guess we could try, it does sound like fun." Black finally agreed with a nod, but he still didn't look fully convinced.

"We can rest in there on hot days like this." I glanced up. The sun was lowering in the sky, signaling the hottest part of the day. Even in the shade, the heat was becoming stifling.

"We should find a place to put it." Black suggested, closing his DS and hiding it in his pocket.

So Black and I searched the forest around the clearing. There were many promising spots, but none seemed to call to me. I wanted it to be preferably between the clearing and the cliff, but the stretch of forest separating them didn't contain a signature spot to set up their fort. I was sweating hard and lying under the shade of an overhanging bush an hour or so later. Black dropped down next to me, claiming he found nothing either. Zorua, who had also helped in the search found no promising places.

"How disappointing." I muttered as I heard their reports.

"Well, maybe we just need more time to find a good place." Black shrugged.

"Yeah," I agreed, groaning and face-planting into the grass. Even the grass felt hot against my face. "It's the middle of summer, midday. Could it get any hotter?" I complained.

"It is the hottest time of day isn't it?" Black sighed, "I like the hot, but a tall glass of lemonade or ice cream sounds nice right now."

"Ice cream?" I repeated the word, it sounded foreign on my tongue. "Lemonade?"

"I am not surprised you've never heard of lemonade. Lemons aren't native to the Unova region." Black explained, "but how do you not know what ice cream is?"

"I guess I am just deprived. What is it?"

"It's like… like ice, but creamy. And it comes in lots of flavors, like chocolate and vanilla."

"It sounds delicious to have right now." I murmured, imagining the taste of it on my tongue.

"I want some of this ice cream stuff." Zorua chipped in. "My fur is good for winter, but not really good for summer."

The three of us laid in the shade for a few more minutes before beginning our search again.

But of no avail did any of us find a good spot.

Day 25

The next day came, and on my way to the clearing I kept an extra careful lookout into the forest for a good spot to put our fort. It was only about noon and it was already baking. Oh how I wished for some of that 'ice cream' stuff Black spoke of. As I entered the clearing Black was surprisingly already there. In his hand was a bottle filled with a light yellow liquid. For a moment I thought it was urine.

"Hey, N." Black waved, running over. "Here!" He thrust the bottle into my hand.

"Hey…" I looked in the bottle at the light yellow, giving Black a look. "Umn, is this what I think it is?"

Black looked confused for a moment before letting out a bout of giggles. "No, no. It's lemonade."

I ran a finger across the bottle; it was as cool as a river. "You remembered yesterday?"

"Of course," He shrugged simply, "Anyway, try it."

Twisting the cap off, I took a relieving gulp of the liquid. It felt sour in my mouth, but also a sweet sensation filled in after it. Strangest combination. "It isn't so bad."

Black looked happy at the compliment, and then looked down at Zorua. "It's safe for Pokemon, you should let him drink some of it."

Squatting, I dripped some from the bottle into his mouth. He lapped it eagerly. But then frowned and stuck out his tongue. "It tastes really sour, like wax." He shuddered.

"You can't taste the sweetness?"

"No…"

I sighed, testing the cap back on and putting the bottle under a bush for later drinking. "Shall we look again today?" I offered to Black.

"I guess." He replied simply. "Maybe we can find somewhere good today."

We set out in search yet again. He found a place between the roots of a large tree, but it didn't seem to call to me. When I told him this he just shook his head and sighed and kept looking. At one point I found a rock overhang surrounded by thick bushes. It was very cool underneath, but like all the other promising spots it just didn't seem right to make a fort out of.

"N maybe you're taking this too seriously." Black pointed out when I didn't approve of the place he found, this was on the inside of a fallen tree, long ago hollowed out.

"Sorry… I did not mean to." I replied as I sat down against the fallen tree. "But wherever we decide to make it is where we'll be a lot. It has to be perfect!"

Black still looked unsure. "I guess you're right but…." He looked into the depths of the nearby forest. "It's so big. How will we know where the right spot is?"

"I am not sure." I sighed.

The rest of the search was futile. Black left early, claiming he was hot and tired and didn't want to look anymore. I felt a pang of hurt at the way he seemed to fling the words over his shoulder as he left.

I walked home rather slowly, in no real hurry since it was still early.

"You are taking this whole thing rather seriously." Zorua commented randomly as we walked the familiar path back to the castle.

"Am I really?" I asked, voice lined with worry.

"Well, yes. I mean you just spent the last two days looking high in low in the stifling forest when you could have been playing or doing something worthwhile." Zorua barked, his voice edged with sourness.

I flinched, "I know, I know. I just don't know though, I feel like wherever we make our fort- or 'clubhouse' as Black calls it, it has to be perfect."

"You could just make it under a bush or in a ditch. It shouldn't be so hard."

I halted where I stood, gazing out into the forest. "It really should not be," I agreed, "but, it's just that strange feeling you get about something… you know?"

"No, no I really don't." Zorua snorted, not stopping when I did. "I swear N, you're one of the strangest beings I know. You said the same thing when you first met Black; that a strange feeling pulled you back to the clearing. It made you put yourself in danger. N, what if Black hadn't been so kind? You could be dead right now!" He ended with a snarl.

"I'm only following my instinct, like any Pokemon would."

"But you aren't a Pokemon! Aren't humans known for thinking things through?"

It hit me like a whip. "I know I am not a Pokemon… But I still have instinct…."

"Instinct to find the perfect place to create a den? Honestly N, you're going crazy."

I growled at him, and he growled back. His fur was on end now, and his small claws dug into the earth below him. I stood several feet higher than he did, but I knew if we fought he would win without breaking a sweat. So I turned and fled. I didn't like fighting with Zorua, he was my best friend. My brother. Racing through the thick undergrowth, I ignored the whipping branches that scratched at my face and bare arms and legs. I shouldn't fight him…. He's been through so much; he doesn't need me to help him feel worse….

Finally I came to a halt. I knew where I was vaguely, but I hadn't been in this area in over a month. This is where I used to meet a small Patrat family…. Sliding through the vegetation, I came to a clearing. It slopped up sharply, and in the side of the slop was a hole. It was small, but I often came here to hang around the troop of Patrats. Approaching the hole, I glanced inside.

"Anybody home?" I clicked my tongue, speaking in the Patrats language. There was a low growl, and I realized it was a Liepard. Backing away slowly, I slipped backwards onto the ground as I ended up confronting the large purple cat. Its pelt was ruffled, and its bright green eyes blazed harshly as it gazed at me. They weren't exactly uncommon. I slowly stood, knowing I couldn't possibly outrun it. I would need to find water, or someplace to hide. And fast. The Liepard growled again, behind it I could hear the mews of baby Purrloin. It's protecting its young…. I realized this was a far more dangerous situation. Overcoming my fear, I dashed away. There was a yowl, and then I heard the light beating of its paws as it chased after me. I got a head start, but that meant little. Liepards were fast.

"I was careless!" I hissed to myself, knowing very well I was the prey in this situation.

"Come back here, boy." I heard the ringing meow of the Liepard catching up fast.

"No!" I shot back. I loved Pokemon. They were amazing creatures. Even the Liepard that chased me and had every intention of tearing my limbs off I found fascinating. I didn't dare glance behind me, but I knew the sheer power of this predator could overcome that of any human. Suddenly there was an explosion inches from my ear. I felt splinters rain down on my skin. The dark aura from the attack ebbed off the tree, leaving a scorched mark. This Liepard knew Dark Pulse!

"I am not gonna survive this if I keep running." I thought with panic. The Liepard could smell my fear without a doubt. I could hear its growls, the soft pounding of its feet. I dared a glance backwards and saw it only ten feet or so behind. Its mouth was gaping, and a black ball was forming between its lips. Another Dark Pulse! I thought, and with a painful realization, I found that I couldn't dodge or duck. If I did, the Liepard without a doubt could catch up then.

Then in front of me I spotted a bush. I dove straight for it, hearing the Dark Pulse whisk past my ear and cannoning straight into a tree. Upon impact the wood exploded, showering the ground with chunks of bark and splinters. I made it to the bush, and I landed among the tightly woven branches. Struggling as fast as possible, I pushed beneath the bush, weaving like a Serperior deeper into the foliage. I heard a frustrated growl as the Liepard tried to dig into the bush. I struggled to turn my head in the tight space and watch the Liepard pace back and forth in anger outside the bush before giving up and leaving. I remained among the branches though, unsure how to get out. When I was sure the Liepard was gone I exhaled in exasperation before continuing my struggle. There seemed to be light ahead, so I followed it until I wormed my way out of the bushes. But, I found no even ground. Instead, I found myself sliding down a small slope before landing in grass.

Rolling onto my back, I found myself thankfully in the shade. The run had caused me to become overheated, and the sweat was pouring off my skin. Struggling out of my shirt I rolled into the grass, welcoming the cooling sensation. I had run away from a Liepard more than once, but that was certainly one of the harder chases. Good thing I found that bush when I did…. I thought as I panted heavily. The run had worn me out, that was for sure. I didn't move from the spot in the grass until I remembered Zorua. I had left him behind somewhere. What if…What if the Liepard found him? Struggling to my feet I grabbed my shirt and glanced around to find the quickest route back.

All around me were walls of bushes. The small clearing was about a few feet wide on each side. Thick canopies of trees blocked out most sunlight, so except for a few openings in the branches the whole clearing was bathed in the shadows. Some flowers grew despite of the lack of sun, causing the small clearing to look kind of pretty. Distracted by the beauty I shook my head furiously. No, I had to find Zorua. I spotted a hollowed falling tree taking up much of one side of the small clearing in the bushes. Foliage had overgrown around it, draping it with leaves and mosses. Dropping on all fours I ducked into the fallen tree. It was quite roomy inside, and it ran at least ten feet in the opposite direction. I followed it quickly, popping my head out of the opening in the end.

"Wait… This is rather familiar." I muttered to myself- then I realized it.

This was the same fallen tree Black had found earlier. What luck! I thought, thinking about the irony of this or a moment before remembering why I was in such a hurry. Moving quickly, I began calling out to Zorua by barking in his language. "Zorua! Zoruuuaaaa!" I yelped, doing my best to mimic the language. It was difficult for me to properly bark.

"N?" I heard him shout from somewhere not too far away. Pricking my attention, I made my way towards the voice until I found Zorua. He was perched on a small rock, facing my direction. His eyes lit up when he saw me. "N! I heard the yowls of a Liepard, I thought you had gotten eaten or hurt of something."

"Almost." I chuckled, plopping down in the grass.

His eyes widened. "Almost? It looks like you got shredded." He looked critically at my bare chest. I realized I still hadn't pulled my shirt back on. Glancing down, I realized much of the front of my body was covered in small scratches. Not including the already existent scars from an array of Pokemon, several new cuts covered my body.

"They look like they came from the ends of branches or something. I was running through the undergrowth pretty clumsily."

"Pft, humans. You guys need some fur to protect you from that, seriously. Looks like your shirt suffered too." He pointed his noise at my shirt, which bore a lot of cuts as well. Much of the material was shredded in several areas.

"I will have to ask the Goddess' to fix it…. Come on, Zorua. Let's get home." I only now realized how much I was shaking. My legs felt as if they were going to give way under me. Pulling on my shredded shirt I picked Zorua up and walked home sluggishly.

That evening the Goddess' tended to my ripped clothing and scratches. They didn't question or scold me, but Mima sure did. She hissed about me being reckless, and how a human my age shouldn't be allowed to be all alone in the forest.

"You have no claws, not fangs, no attacks. Humans are so useless, especially young ones!" She had said, pacing around my room and shooting me glares.

I accepted her yelling, knowing she only meant well. It was only that night when I was curled up with Zorua that I found myself thinking about the fallen tree Black had found. How the fallen tree lead into that protected clearing of shade and flowers. The slopes and bushes offered good protection and the low over hanging trees around the clearing made for good climbing. Cut branches or blankets could easily be hung over the overhanging branches or on the slope, creating a hiding spot….

"Zorua, that's it!" I suddenly shouted, rousing him from his doze.

"That's what?" He echoed wearily.

"I know where we can make the den."

Day 26

"Black! Black!" I crowed his name as I plummeted into the clearing. He wasn't there upon my arrival, so I paced back and forth until he showed up.

His brows went up in surprise as I looked up with excitement at him. "What is it?" He asked apprehensively.

I raced over and danced around him. "I know where we can make the den!"

"The clubhouse?" He used his own word. His eyes lit up, "Where?"

"You know that fallen tree you found the other day? Did you follow it?"

"Followed it?" He echoed, looking puzzled.

I nodded, "You know, the hollow part."

"No, I didn't… Why?"

"Follow me."

I turned sharply and ran in the direction of the fallen tree. I was bubbling over in excitement as we treaded towards it. It was hot again today, more so than the previous days. I was looking forward to resting in the shaded fort once we fixed it up. I imagined the cool feel of grass and shuddered.

"You okay?"

I turned and smiled widely. "I am excited is all."

We made it to the fallen tree. The area outside the hollowed part was covered in short grass and overgrown plants. Getting down on all fours I crawled inside. A Joltik dangled from a small thread, and after greeting it I bypassed it with ease. I heard black let out a squeal of fear and glanced behind me. The Joltik was clinging to Black's noise. I giggled, "It's just a Joltik, Black."

He began whimpering, and as awkward position as I was in I reached back and cupped my hand around the Joltik, putting it on my shoulder before continuing towards the clearing. Black let out a shaky sigh of relief. "How could you let it on your shoulder?"

I shot him a mortified look. "Why not?"

"Oh sorry…. I forgot it's you. You're like, the bravest person ever." He mumbled guiltily.

I smiled humbly. If only he saw me yesterday, running through the forest away from a vicious Liepard, reeking of fear. Finally I reached the end of the hollowed tree. The clearing still remained untouched. I would guess it was only about seven feet long and five feet wide, but that was just a guess. On one side slopped a small hill a few feet high, the top lined with thick bushes I used for cover the previous day. Parallel to that were more thick bushes, behind the line of bushes some trees had low branches stretching out over the small clearing. Some flowers grew in patches of sunlight. I sat down and leaned against the sharp slope. As Black entered, he gawked around the small clearing. "This is perfect! I mean- too perfect!" He exclaimed.

I nodded. "Isn't it? We could easily hang out here in the heat of the day. We could put a few more branches up so it remains cooler all day, plus extra shelter for when the winter rains come."

A look flashed across Black's face that was shaken off in instant. "Yeah!" He sat down, laying down in the grass and looking around the small den-like place.

"Wait… What is the matter? Do you not like it?" I asked, noticing his strange look.

He shook his head, "I love it. But you mentioned the winter." He bit his lip, as if unsure about going on. "Will we still be meeting by then?"

I widened my eyes. I felt a surge of something pass through my body. It was like some sort of pain, as if he just whipped me. "Wait…. What… what do you mean?" I questioned, trying to keep my voice from wavering. I couldn't let him see weakness, I couldn't let him see how such a simple sentence could shake me to the core.

"I am just asking, are you going to keep meeting every day? Even into winter and past it?" Black asked.

"Do… Do you not want to? Do you not want to be my friend?" I asked quietly, tipping my head.

"That's not what I said!" Black exclaimed. "I mean, I don't want to stop being friends. Not now, not ever. Unless you hurt me or something, but I doubt that. Well, I mean like. Er I don't know what I mean. It was a stupid question! Just forget it!" He began making dramatic hand gestures, and he was tripping over his words.

He's nervous… really nervous. I observed as I watched him. I sat down in the grass across from him and took his hand, weaving my fingers between his. "I want to be friends, Black. I was worried for a moment that you did not wish to be friends with me anymore." I explained truthfully. "I want to keep meeting with you each day! Even when the leaves turn orange and the snows come and go."

"Really?" He blinked in surprise. "You're really… umm, what would be the word…." There was a long pause as he searched his mind. "Dedicated? Dedicated to your friends, whether they be human or Pokemon." He fixed me with one of his kind smiles that always stopped my breath for a moment.

"I cherish my friends, Black. Friends are important in this world. What is a being without friends?"

"Not much of one I guess." Black shrugged. "What about family?"

I paused for a moment, considering Ghetsis. What would my world me like without him….? Or maybe, what would Zorua's life be like without Mima? "I guess family could be important too. But to me, friends come first. Whether that be Pokemon friends or human friends." Human friends…. Before meeting Black I would have never considered having a human as a friend. I looked up at Black's face.

"You can't trust humans…." Ghetsis' voice whispered in my ears. I remembered those words from when I was a younger child. His dark rasp telling me how cruel humans are- that I couldn't trust them. They hurt my friends and didn't think anything of it. I thought of Woobat and Darmanitan, of what the humans did to them. Kicking them aside, demanding all their strength and throwing them into cruel and ruthless battles for… for entertainment! There was no real reason they were battling other then selfish desires or just pure entertainment! The humans did that! "They hurt Pokemon and think nothing of it. Is that the type of being you want to be around? To be friends with? To trust? I think not." His voice continued to ring in my ears. Memories of seeing harsh battles flashed in my head. The sneers when one of the trainers' Pokemon managed to land a devastating attack on the others'. The angry frown the other trainer would have seeing their Pokemon be weak and lose. "Never trust a human, N. They are imperfect creatures. They are weak, they are cruel, and they are selfish….."

"N? Are you okay?" I heard Black's startled yelp.

I realized now I was shaking, and I felt something warm on my face. Black reached up with a finger and whipped a tear from beneath my tear. "N you're crying. What's wrong?" He fretted.

"I… I am okay." I whispered in reply.

Zorua stepped closer and leaned against my side. "N were you thinking of your father?"

I barked and growled back in Zorua's language so Black wouldn't understand. "Sort of… I was contemplating whether Black is a trustable human or not."

"He seems honorable." Zorua mused.

"What?" Black asked, still appearing rather worried.

"It's nothing." I told him. "Come on we should get to work on this fort."

"Fort?" For the first time the Joltik on my shoulder spoke. Frankly I forgot it was even there.

"We were gonna make a den of sorts in this area." I told it. "I hope you do not mind. If this is your territory we can leave."

"Oh, no. You seem like an honorable human and you can understand me, I do not mind helping you with your quest." Its voice was squeaky and difficult to understand, but I nodded. "I will go get my siblings and friends to help you, if we can."

"But of course friend!" I chirped, and the Joltik made a shot of web to a nearby tree and swung away.

"I will meet you back here later!" It replied, disappearing into the foliage.

"What did it say?" Black shot a skeptical look in the Joltik's direction.

"It is going to help us, and I have an idea of how it will do it. Come on, Black. We need branches. A lot of them."

He nodded, and left out the fallen tree. I followed suit and went out into the area in search. A few minutes later I found a seven foot long stick about an inch or two thick. Perfect size- now to just drag it back. For the next few hours we both worked on finding branches like this and dragged them back to the small clearing. Black had trouble dragging the larger branches- he was weaker than a Rattata hatchling. The sticks he couldn't move I picked up and dragged with ease to the small clearing. By now the Joltik from before had returned with several dozen other Joltiks. They hung from thin threads on the low growing branches of the trees above.

"Greetings once again, Human," The Joltik from before slipped down from the leaves and dropped down on my shoulder, "I told you I'd be back."

Black was looking around at the Joltiks who dangled from the trees. A few slipped down on his shoulder, probably smelling his fear. Heck, I could nearly smell it as well. He squealed like a hatchling, shuffling closer to me. "Why… Why are there so many?" He asked, gripping my arm like a lifeline.

I shrugged him away, for once uncomfortable around him. "They said they would help. They are the world's smallest Pokemon, so there are bound to be a lot."

He muttered something inaudibly. Stepping away, I looked up and another for a moment. How to set the branches up to create a ceiling like structure above the small clearing? Most of the branches were long enough. We could climb the trees and put the branches- then wait they might as well just be more trees. If only we could put them lower…. "Alright, Joltik. Wait, what's your name?"

"Shocker." The Joltik replied.

"Lovely! Okay, Shocker, I know how you can help me."

"How?"

"I need your webs and thread. I know Joltik webs are strong, you could use the threads to dangle from the tree."

Shocker looked at me curiously, "I am not sure what you are asking. This is supposedly to be your den right?"

"Of sorts I guess."

"It is very roomy. You are looking to put a roof on it yes?" Shocker looked up into the branches.

"Yup."

He stared up into the trees, and then back down at the branches. "I had an idea, Human. Our webs are strong, you are correct. We could take the branches you collected, and hang them about… oh, five or six feet off the ground? Our webs can hang them from the trees above."

"That is sort of what I was saying." I murmured. "It does make sense right?"

"Of course. I hope you do not doubt my mental capacity. I may have a small head but my brain is anything but non-intelligible." Shocker replied sharply. "My Joltik counterparts aren't as smart, you will find though. There is a reason I am their leader." Shuffling forward, it called out to the several dozen Joltik that sat on the ground or dangled from the trees. Many had found perches on Black's body, much to his disapproval. Shocker explained the plan, and immediately they all went out to work. Webs were everywhere as the Joltik swung into the trees. Using the threads of web they hauled up the long sticks Black and I gathered earlier. I saw I was going to be of no help so I sat on the ground and watched at the Joltiks worked. Black sat next to me, still shivering from the Joltiks.

"You should not be afraid of them. In my opinion they are some of the most endearing looking Pokemon. Their bodies are so fluffy and they fit in the palm of your hand…!" My voice ended in an excited squeal as I grabbed the nearest Joltik and hugged it.

He frowned, giving the Joltik in my arms and skeptical look. The Joltiks in the trees continued their work until the earlier collected branches were all woven above the clearing in a roof like structure. There were long gaps between the lined up branches though.

One made a web and dangled down in front of me. "Does this work please you, Human?" I assumed it was Shocker.

I nodded, "Thanks, you precious Pokemon, you. Shocker, you know you did not have to do this for my friend and I."

The Joltik shrugged. "Well, you are an honorable human. I have heard about you, N Harmonia, how you help the Pokemon around here. I was skeptical to hear about this human, especially when I found out he could speak directly to Pokemon! Ah, but here you are right in front of me. It is the least I could do for you." Shocker replied earnestly.

"I wish more humans were so kind to you Pokemon." I sighed, shaking my head. I felt humbled by his praise though. "Oh, here is another good human." I grabbed Black's shoulder and pointed.

Shocker gave him an apprehensive glance, "This human stinks of fear. He is afraid of us Joltiks. You call him honorable, N Harmonia?"

"Of course. He is nice to Pokemon- he just needs to be around them a bit more. I am sure he will come to love you Joltiks as I do if you hang around often."

"I accept your offer, Human." Shocker replied. "I will come back here often to visit with you and your friend. For now, though, my friends and I need to find some food. We are rather famished, I am sure you understand."

"But of course, my precious friend. I am glad to have met you." I replied cheerfully.

Shocker turned towards the other Joltiks, and moving quickly, they all swung into the trees, disappearing behind the leaves. Black was muttering to himself when I turned to him.

"What's wrong?"

"I thought we were gonna make the fort, not a bunch of bugs." His voice was quiet but edged with bitterness.

I blinked, "They only did the part we were physically incapable to do."

"Well what else is there left to do?" He asked, standing up. "This place it's…. it's perfect. Too perfect."

"I do not understand why you are becoming so disgruntled about this."

"Disgruntled?" Black asked, and then shook his head furiously. "What else is there to do? I thought it was our job to make a fort!"

"It is! They only put the foundation of the roof on. We still need to fill the gaps so we won't get rained on, and we can rest in the shade. Plus we can fill the inside of the fort with lots of good stuff to play with and stuff."

Black kicked at the grass, still looking upset. I had known him for nearly a month, and I rarely saw him angry. Standing up beside him, I put a hand on his shoulder in a human gesture of comfort. "Why are you so upset about this?"

He shrugged. "Eh… never mind, it isn't very important." He switched his gaze up into the makeshift roof. "So how are we gonna fill the gaps?"

Relieved by his change of mood, I turned and evaluated the roof. "Well, we could climb the trees around the roof and toss foliage and thinner branches with leaves on it."

"You mean you can climb trees. I can't climb for my life."

I grinned, "I will have to change that. It's time you learned properly."

Black gave me an excited look before looking around the ground. "The grass it pretty soft, but I can bring some blankets nonetheless. We have some old ones. And I could dig into our camping supplies, we could put an old rain tarp on the roof as well."

"Rain tarp? What's that?"

"Like for tents. It's a giant blanket made out of a waxy thing. It keeps out rain. And I am guessing you don't know what a tent is." He added with a scowl.

I shook my head and he explained it was what people used for camping. Made of the same waxy material, it was a small den you stay in at night or when it rains.

"Weird humans." Zorua muttered.

"Tell me about it." I replied in Zorua

"Alright I guess you can bring one of those tarp things, or whatever you said it was. I do not know if I can bring anything, the Goddess' would know it was missing." I sighed guiltily.

A spark of interest flashed across Black's features. "You mentioned the Goddess' before. Who are they?"

I glanced at the sky, "I'll tell you later," I began walking towards the entrance. "It is time to go. I have to be home soon, and so do you."

Black glanced up at the sky curiously before shrugging. "Alright, I'll bring the stuff tomorrow."

Day 27

I looked around my room. Nothing. I was trying to find something I could take back to the den we had made. Glancing at Zorua, he wasn't having much luck either.

"Well maybe we could bring some toys to play with." I finally suggested.

"The Goddess' would know, wouldn't they?" Zorua swished his tail towards the toys that had been neatly picked up and put away by the Goddess'.

"They would know if a blanket suddenly vanished from the bed." I grumbled.

"They would not notice if a blanket went missing from mine and Mima's bed." He shot a glance at the large basket filled with blankets.

"Mima would."

"Dang…." Zorua shook his head. "Well, Black said it was okay for us to not bring anything."

"It is not right. I am not pitching anything into this project. The Joltiks made the roof, Black is bringing materials to not only finish it, but blankets to sit on or keep warm in if it gets cold." I snapped, glaring accusingly at the innocent floor.

"Well you found it." Zorua pointed out.

"Black found it first, technically."

Zorua rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright let's keep looking."

After a thorough search of the room I ended up holding an old fairytale book. "Something to do on a rainy day?" I offered.

Zorua shook his head. "That is a ridiculous thing to bring."

Throwing it back onto the shelf, I stormed around the room in a flash of anger. The train set ended up in pieces and the basketball ended up marking the wall as I threw it.

Zorua looked at my path of destruction, and then raced over to me. "N settle down it's not a big deal. You are making a big deal of such a little thing!" He hissed, "Come on let's go to Black. He's probably waiting right now!"

"Useless, useless, useless…." I grumbled to myself as I threw myself out the door and down the hall. My feet slapped the ground angrily. Zorua kept shaking his head as he padded beside me, not that I cared about his thick disapproval. I threw a glare at the guard as I approached, but he pointedly ignored the look. I left quickly, finding little comfort in the forest today. But as I walked I found my foul mood disappearing as soon as it came up. I made a quick stop to the clearing to check to see of Black was there. He wasn't, so I went towards the half constructed fort and crawled into it. Black was sitting in a pile among blankets looking rather tired with himself. He glanced up when he saw me, no normal smile on his face.

"What is the matter?" I asked as I crawled in. Looking like the foul mood bug jumped from me to Black, I could tell how rigid he was and the pang of annoyance in his eyes.

"White is so nosy! I was grabbing the tarp from the back room and suddenly she came out of nowhere! She asked in her annoying voice 'oh what are you doing with the rain tarp?' and I panicked cause you know what if I got in trouble. Well I did! I told her I was just making a fort up in the forest and she was all like 'ohhhh I wanna come' and I said 'no you might scare N' and then I realized what I said and then she and mom drilled me with questions about this 'N'" By the end of this long sentence he was panting, but when I went to comment he continued. "In the end I managed to convince them, but now White wants to meet you and so does my mom. Now they know it's you I visit every day and they are getting all suspicious." I blinked, waiting till he was done. He wasn't yet. "Then it took me three trips because the tarp was so heavy. I almost gave in and asked White for help."

"Oh…"

Suddenly he colored, "Sorry. I don't normally burst out like that."

I shrugged, "Sounded like an amusing morning."

"Amusing wouldn't be the word for it." He groaned, but looked approvingly down at his pile. "Well I managed to bring a few old pillows as well as the tarp and blanket. But I am still concerned on how we keep them from getting wet when it rains a lot and this place might flood. Or if a curious Pokemon comes over and snatches them."

I nodded, "We can figure that out later. Sorry, I could not bring anything."

"It's alright, I brought most everything anyway." He chuckled. His voice didn't have any bitterness in it, but I wondered if he was thinking it behind the kind laugh. Shaking it off, I groped at the tarp, pulling it out from the pile.

"How do we get it up onto the roof?" He glanced up. The roof was several feet off the ground. I could barely touch it if I stood on my tip toes. "We could either ask the Joltiks…." I saw the flash of disapproval on his face, "….or I could climb the trees around the roof, and you could hand it to me and I could place it on the roof. That would take care of the gap. And then I'll cover the top with leaves and more branches for camouflage and so it doesn't fall off."

"That sounds dangerous… I do not want you falling from the tree and getting a sprained ankle."

"It'll be fine" I waved a hand nonchalantly and crawled back out through the fallen tree. On the outside, it looked like a thick clump of bushes. But the roof stood out clearly. Looking around hesitantly I went around the bushes, spotting a tree whose trunk was covered in overgrowing foliage. Crawling underneath the thick undergrowth I made my way up the trunk of the tree. Making it to the first branch that overhung the fort, I struggled out onto it. It was thin and teetering. Taking a step out further I felt the branch groan a bit beneath my weight.

"Black!" I called out. I could see him just barely between the gaps in the makeshift roof.

"Oh, there you are!" He glanced up.

"I don't suppose you could roll the tarp in a ball and toss it up from the ground?"

"Umm…." He looked at the tarp. "I think I can, but I have to drag it to the tree you're on." Quickly, he took the tarp and dragged it backwards out of the fort. I clung to the branch for dear life until I heard him on the ground near the trunk. I was about seven feet off the ground; below me only a foot or two were the bushes that created the walls of the fort. "Alright, I'm tossing it." I heard Black call. I heard the loud rustling as he balled it up. Twisting around awkwardly on the branch, I held my hands out as he threw it. My body instinctively lunged forward, and the branch groaned even louder. I managed to grab the tarp at the end, and it rolled out of its ball.

With much struggle, and almost falling several times I managed to adjust it so it was draped over the branches. I tried not to touch the webs of thread that held the roof in place. Luckily they were strong threads, and barely moved under the added weight. "It's on!" I yelled down at Black who still waited near the overgrown tree trunk. "Go and check to see how it looks!" I watched him disappear around the bushes towards the fallen tree. There was a moment of silence before I heard him say, "It's dark! But it looks really cool!"

"Great!" I called back. I was eager to see what it looked like, but I wasn't done with my task. "Alright, gonna camouflage it with leaves and smaller branches now."

"I will help."

I heard rustling as he came back around. Before he could get to the trunk, however, I called down to him, "Wait! Black! Careful, the branch I'm on is swaying. Try to avoid it." Leaping I grabbed the branch above mine and pulled myself up. Strangely this branch was much more stable than the other. Getting to work I plucked leaves and small branches off the tree and dropped them onto the tarp. I felt the tree shake as Black struggled up the trunk. It took him several attempts before he made it to the branch. Despite him being shorter than me, and younger, he was a bit more rounded. The branch groaned under his wait as he perched himself on the thin, low branch.

"Ah, Black. Maybe you should move to the branch I am on." I suggested, shuffling closer to the edge to give him room.

"That is okay." He replied, getting to work to covering the tarp. I was in the midst of working when I heard a loud inhuman moan. The tree branch was beginning to break, I could tell by the noise already. Whipping around, I called out to Black but he was already whimpering as the branch cracked and began snapping off the tree.

"Black!" I shouted after him as he fell into the bushes. I heard a thud as he hit the ground. He narrowly missed the edge of the makeshift roof. Slipping down the trunk, I plopped down onto the ground and crawled under the dense bush. "Black?" I called, my entire body being surged with a feeling of panic.

I heard a groan from somewhere up ahead. Ducking under a low leaf covered branch, I saw Black twisted awkwardly among the bushes' branches.

"Black!" I howled, shuffling forward and grabbing his shoulders. I attempted to haul him out but he screamed in pain, struggling away from my grasp.

"My foot!" He bellowed, glaring through tears at his foot. The shoe was logged between a fork in the small branch trunk.

"Hang on, I will free it." I gasped. Easier said than done though…. The branched bushes were so thickly woven together. I felt the leaves and branches jab in my gut and cut my face. Struggling onward, I reached over Black and tugged at his foot. He let out another howl of pain and hissed at me to stop, but at the same moment I tugged his foot tree, leaving the shoe behind.

Taking Black once again by the shoulders, I helped him struggle out of the bush. I finally pulled him out and leaned him in the grass outside the thick bush. Outside, Zorua had heard the howling and stood, his features creased with worry and wonder. While Black whimpered gently about how his foot hurt, I tugged his sock off- barely noting the Joltik print. His hidden foot didn't seem to have anything the matter with it as far as I could see. I wasn't exactly Nurse Joy but I couldn't find anything evident. I pushed the pant leg up and looked at the ankle as well- it was a bit swollen and had a small scrape across the side of it. The scrape didn't even draw blood though.

"Are you okay?" My voice was unnaturally soft as I asked him.

He sat up properly, his eyes red and puffy with tears. He had a cut on his face that went across his cheek. His arms had a few cuts, but none were too long or deep. But Black still looked as if the world ended. "My foot hurts…. And- I'm bleeding!" He squeaked, looking at a cut across his forearm. There was a single drop of blood oozing from the end.

"It must have been caused by the branches of the bush." I observed, noticing how similar it was to the cuts that covered my arms from trekking through the forest constantly.

"Thank you for pulling me out." He said quietly as he evaluated each one of his cuts.

"Do you want me to clean those out?" I asked without waiting for an answer. I tore a small strip of cloth off my shirt and dabbed it to my tongue before wiping his cuts.

"Ew…." He complained.

I scowled, "Better than them getting a bit infected. I once met a Mienfoo lost a limb because of infection. She got a bad arm injury during a battle. It got so badly infected she fell ill. She ended up having to amputate her arm." I explained as I wiped his cuts.

Black's eyes widened, "Oh…. Scary." He whispered.

"Yeah." I replied, probably a bit more harshly then necessary.

"Then thank you I guess…." He murmured. "I was scared, falling from the branch. Luckily it wasn't far from the ground. I think I would have done way less damage if I just fell to the ground rather than a bush." He scowled at said plant.

"Probably." I replied with a crooked smile. "There, they are at least clean now." I pulled away, tossing the strip of clothing into the bush.

"You ruined your shirt." Black observed.

I shrugged, "The Goddess' will replace it. I just need to hide it from…." I found myself pausing before I could say Ghetsis' name. Shuddering, I stood up and helped Black up as well. He had a slight limp on his foot.

"Where is my shoe?"

"Forever lost in the vast depth of the foliage. I never got to see the inside of the fort, and I want to." Before he could protest about his shoe I disappeared into the fallen tree. On the other side, I was met with coolness. It was dark inside, and very cool. Some sunlight made it through cracks, providing some light.

"What shall we do with the blankets?" Black asked as he followed me into the fort.

An idea popped into my mind, "they can be our thrones."

"Thrones?" Black echoed.

I grabbed the blankets and balled them up, placing them on the side of the clearing with the small slope. Grabbing the pillows from the pile I put them on the slope, then sat down and leaned against the pillows, lifting my fine head majestically. "I am the king of the forest."

"Hey! What about me?" Black asked indignantly.

"You will be my queen." I gestured to the spot on the blankets next to me.

"Why do I have to be the queen?"

"Because I am the king and I said so." I reasoned flatly.

"I can be the royal Zorua!" Zorua leapt in behind Black and leapt onto my lap.

Black remained standing there for a moment before joining me on the blanket. I put an arm around his shoulders, "We rule the forest."

Day 70

How long had it been? Weeks? Months? How many days had been spent with Black so far? Every day was filled with an adventure. I glanced behind me, seeing his figure about seven or eight feet back coming out of a thicket. His eyes were ablaze with determination as he tried to catch up with me. Hah! Like I would let him. Facing away again I picked up speed and threw myself over a log. How unfortunate for him he had to run around. A few moments later, a river came into sight. It was one of the smaller rivers that was a branch off of the main river in the area. On the edge was Zorua, who glanced up in surprise to see me. He leapt up, letting out a loud cry-

"And the winner is N! Again!" He cheered, dancing around the pebbles. Black came up behind me, panting heavily. "

"I'll win… Next time…" He breathed.

"Sure you will." I jeered sarcastically.

"I will!" Black shot back seriously, giving me a harsh nudge.

Underfoot, the pebbles shifted and I found myself falling backwards. A moment later I was in the shallows of the river. Dark water swirled around me as I shuddered in the cool of the water. Black sneered, "Serves you right!"

"Oh yeah!" I shot back, grabbed his wrist and pulling him in. With another splash, the other boy fell face first into the shallows. Rather dramatically, he splashed to the surface, waving his arms everywhere and causing the cool water to go everywhere. His mouth and eyes were wide in panic before he managed to settle down, looking guilty.

"Oh… it isn't deep." He looked down, voice and face thick with embarrassment.

"Nope." I flashed him a grin, then splashed some water at him. "The water is shallow here. Watch out though, the middle will surely be several feet deep."

He looked at the center of the river with apprehension before returning the splash, mouth wide in a smile. I hesitated when I watched him smile. I had grown used to it by now, Black often did smile. But I recalled easily the days when I had never seen a human smile. Only my father; but his smile was nothing like Black's. It was predatory and dark. And scary. I could see it vividly in my head, his wide grin crawling across his face, eyes mocking and sometimes seeing a flash of dull yet dangerous teeth. The voice that exited through thin lips was thick and dangerous, spewing invisible threats behind supposedly kind or cold words. Suddenly feeling down in the dumps I waded away from Black to sit at the bank of the river. I was surprised to find the drips of water on my face were not all river water.

"N?" Black asked as I put my face in my hands. He added through the water up the bank and sat next to me. "What's the matter?"

His smile is gone… I noticed as I glanced at his face. Now it was in a look of worry. Never had I seen this look on a human face, except him. It wasn't the same as Mima giving me a look of worry, or Zorua or any other Pokemon. I felt more… What could it be…? Drawn? Humbled? Whatever the word, it filled me with more feelings then the sympathy or care a Pokemon could give me. Seeing a human being worried for me made me feel so strange. I couldn't even comprehend this.

"N? You're starting to scare me now!" Black continued, feeling his fingers around my arm.

"I am fine, Black. I was just thinking about somebody." I replied calmly.

Zorua sat on the other side of me. "About your father?" He murmured, nuzzling my arm.

I nodded shakily, seeing his face once again in my mind. "Yeah…"

"Who?" Black pressed.

"G…Ghetsis. My father." I replied, and then shook my head. "It's nothing. C'mon, let us not hang around here. Our splashing might have alerted a nearby predator Pokemon."

We got up and headed back to the meadow. Our walk there was silent. Zorua had taken a perch on Black's shoulder, casting worried looks at me every so often. I noticed the acute difference seeing his worried face and that of Black's. I wanted to see Black's again. Once arriving at the meadow, we nestled at the edge of the clearing in the bushes, keeping to the shade in the summer heat. Lately days have been like this; spending the afternoons lazing around in the shade after running around on some miniature adventure. The cool of the shadows that stretched across the uneven forest floor was a nice way to relax in the late summer heat. I could tell Black agreed with me by the way he stretched out in the cool grass, letting out a delighted groan.

"This grass feels so nice." He murmured, putting his arms behind his head.

"Mhm. I personally hate the hot temperature of midday. I'm glad the trees and our fort can offer shade."

"Yeah…" Black sighed, closing his eyes. "Hey, N?"

"Hmmm?" I asked as I stretched out next to him.

"I won't be here tomorrow; at least not until the later of the afternoon."

I swallowed the knot that developed in my throat, "How come?"

"School starts tomorrow…." Black droned out miserably.

"School? That's where you learn with a bunch of other kids from 'teachers' right?" I leaned on one elbow to get a look at him clearly.

"Yeah… it sucks. School lasts until three-thirty. Then I have to ride the bus home n' do my homework and chores. By then it would be five or six, so I can only be out for an hour or two."

"...In the winter it would already be dark by then." I frowned deeply.

""Oh… yeah..." I could see the sad stretch across Black's face. "What if we can't meet every day anymore?"

"Do not say that- we will find a way. Maybe you could come before you do that… 'homework' thing, and 'chores'."

"Homework is like… school stuff you have to do at home and turn in the next day. It sucks, it's always harder than the actual school work." He scowled, "may take hours to finish."

"And chores?"

"Cleaning around the house. A lot of time I have to do White's as well 'cause she's always off doing something else."

I thought for a moment, "I could help you with your homework. I know a lot about math; obviously more then you."

"Oh?"

"Y=mx+b." I chirped, and then began droning out long algebraic expressions until Black looked so lost I burst into laughter.

"I believe you." He replied dryly before closing his eyes again. "I wanna keep visiting you though, you're funny." I felt something flutter in my gut. "And weird." He added with a mischievous grin, unaware of the churning in the pits of my belly.

"You are the weird one." I shot back with a mutual grin. "You cannot even speak to a Pokemon."

"Well I'm getting better about understanding Zorua here." He said, petting the fox Pokemon who sat on his belly.

"Well that is a start I can presume." I pet Zorua as well.

"You learned how to speak to Pokemon when you were like, a baby right?" Black confirmed. I recalled telling him about how I grew up with Pokemon from when I was only three years old, and that I began to understand their speech when I was still a young child. I had been exploring the forests for nearly four years now. Before then I wasn't allowed to leave the house- suddenly I stopped exploring my memory from bringing up anything else.

"Mhm. I am sure you can learn the language of Pokemon; you are kind and understanding towards them."

There was another silence.

It lasted till it was time to go.

Day 71

"He says he is going to be late today." I mumbled as I lay on my back in the grass. After a short lesson this morning I was let out early only to arrive at an empty clearing. Zorua sat on my chest, staring down at me with a sad expression. He missed Black too. I stroked behind his ears, letting out a long sigh as my head dropped to the side. It was already late afternoon and he still hadn't arrived. He probably wouldn't even come at all. The thought of this pierced my chest. We hadn't missed a day together for over three weeks; it wasn't a pleasant feeling to go without seeing my best human friend. We had spent each afternoon playing with each other. I had no idea being with another human could be so fun; until meeting Black I was under the impression that all humans were dark and cold in one way or another. My father, icy and calculating. Although he smiled, he said he loved me, I could see it in his eyes. He spoke to me with that gentle yet silky voice that made me feel like I wanted to crawl into a corner.

…It was such a strange feeling.

The Grunts of the castle usually never talked to me, they only greeted me with a polite bow and emotionless eyes. They were like robots most of the time. Some would sneer occasionally, looking at me with the same predator eyes. Only they weren't really sharp or intelligent. Just that they looked hungry and I was their meal. The Goddess' that took care of my basic needs I rarely saw, when I did see them though they had polite looks on their face, eyes showing no emotion as they took care of me. My instructor was the coldest of them all, appearing as if he loathed every moment spent with me. Cruel and wrinkled face showing nothing but cool hatred.

Thinking of all these faces made me want to hide.

"N! There you are!" I heard a gentle come from the nearby foliage. I shot up from the ground and tackled him to the ground.

"Black!"

"Hello, N." He gave a small smile despite being on the dusty ground beneath me.

That smile drove away the cruel faces of coldness and anger. I felt relief wash over me in waves as the last memories of the faces disappeared from my mind from the moment.

"What's wrong?" Black asked his face twisting in worry.

I shook my head, "just happy to see you." I murmured, standing to my feet and helping him up. I evaluated his face and body language like I usually did subconsciously. I did notice though his sluggish moves and how weak his facial expressions were.

"What's wrong?" I asked as he dusted himself off.

"Huh? Oh, just a long day. First day of school n' all. It was rather tiring. I didn't know anybody in my class and I got one of the worst teachers in the school…." He scowled.

"Sounds rough." I sympathized. "So what do you wish to do this evening, Black?"

Black's face faltered. There was no weakness in this expression. "I hafta go real soon. Mom said I only get an hour or so out here tonight. If I'm not back I'll get into trouble and she will probably send out White after me."

"How long you said it takes to get from here to your house?"

"I guess ten minutes or so, not long." He shrugged.

I felt my lips twist towards in a long frown. I took Black by the hand and guided him to the meadow beyond the small stretch of trees. Zorua trotted alongside us as we made it to the meadow. It was warmed by the sun, a bit too much for my taste. "We can just stay here?" I offered.

Black shrugged. "Just sittin' here doing nothing sounds kinda boring."

I gave him a look of disbelief, "We do it nearly every day!"

"After we do something exciting…" He trailed away, and then sat down in the grass. "Sorry, this whole day has been boring. I should be happy that you are here."

"I wish I could go to this school thing you talk about." I huddled down next to him. "I could make it interesting!"

"You would be all the way in 5th grade!" Black exclaimed. "Then off to Middle School and we wouldn't see each other."

"Middle School?" I echoed, and then shook my head. "Black your world is weird. I'll never understand."

"You don't tell me much about your life. You do not know anything about anything. My world is… well how the world is."

"Hmph." I made myself sound greatly offended, though I was more on the amused side. "There is not much to tell about my home." I tried to think of something interesting to tell him, but the cold face of Ghetsis came up in my head.

"You said you lived in a castle. That sounds impressive, how come I can't see it over the trees?"

"Half of it is underground. Only the top part is above ground." I explained. "It's pretty close to the Pokemon League too, I'm sure you know what and where that is." My eyes darkened at the evil place.

"Of course! That isn't far from here either." He glanced in its direction. "One day I'll be there…"

I looked away. I can convince him otherwise before he's of age to leave for his 'journey'… I can't let him be a trainer and treat Pokemon so cruelly.

"..Oh! Sorry."Black looked a little embarrassed. "I know how you don't like me talking about that."

"It is fine." I smiled, and then stroked Zorua's cheek. "I know you would not hurt a Pokemon purposely."

He nodded. "I should go now. It hasn't been very long I know, but… I do not want to get into trouble."
He stood up, "I'll probably be late again tomorrow."

I felt my stomach tighten. "Take your time, it's alright."

We parted ways after that. I left for the castle, trailing sluggishly through the forest. Was this how it would be everyday now? Black showing up late, and then us only talking for a few minutes before he left again?

'Just sittin' here doing nothing sounds kinda boring.' I recalled his lazy words echoing in my head. Boring. Boring… What if he was getting bored with me as his friend?

No… No he was just tired. Yeah, he even said so, I tried to convince myself in vain. He wouldn't be bored of me… or of our adventures. But if he kept showing up late all we would end up doing is sitting in the meadow for a little while before he would leave. What if… What if he didn't return then? Because of boredom? Because I am bored?

…Then father would have been right. Humans are cruel. I felt the pang in my chest at the thought of Black not returning after a month filled with afternoons spent with him. He would have been abandoned like many of the Pokemon he had encountered. When their trainers no longer found them useful they were abandoned after sometimes experiencing abusive cause of their 'stupidity' and 'uselessness'.

…That might be going overboard. It's not like he was really useful to Black in the first place.

"It doesn't make sense!" I finally shouted, rounding up on Zorua. "Nothing does!"

"Excuse me?"

I collapsed onto the ground next to him. "What if Black stops coming?" I wailed in his face.

Zorua looked startled. "Why would you think that?"

"What if he's bored of being my friend?"

"If he ever thinks that he's crazier than a Krookadile." Zorua snapped, narrowing his blue eyes. "Stop being so angst-y, N. I've never seen you like this in my life. Getting so worked up over such a simple matter."

I looked away, "I guess I am acting strange. But, I mean, he's the first human that was ever kind to me. That means something."

"He's the first human I've ever seen be kind too, but I'm not getting all freaked out. I don't know where you're getting these speculations." Zorua was being far more serious then he usually was.

"He said he was bored- and, and... and he'll start coming later. And later. He'll get bored and he'll see me as useless-"

"N you're speaking like you're his Pokemon." Zorua hissed. "You're making no sense! Just because he was late, it means nothing. N, stop acting crazy."

I sighed heavily, putting my face in my hands. "You are right- you are right." I said shakily. "I'm just being paranoid."

"Exactly." Zorua snapped, "He'll be back tomorrow. We'll have fun. We're all friends."

I picked up Zorua and hugged him the rest of the way home. Using long hair I hid my face from the guard when he let me in. After my daily bath I returned to my bedroom. Inside Mima was nowhere to be seen, she was probably off doing something important. I longed for her familiar comfort- the feel of her warm fur as she hugged me tight, the sound of her soothing growl, and her protective words threatening to harm anyone who harmed me. The Goddess' brought me my dinner, but I wasn't very hungry. They watched with indifferent eyes as I gulped down a few mouthfuls before telling them I felt too ill to eat much else. They retreated from the room. I crawled into my bed, curling up among the covers. My previous worries were still on my mind. They hadn't ever left; they were just shoved into some other corner of my brain.

Day 72

I was staring at particularly nothing. Presently I laid among the dirty blankets covered in dirt and bits of grass. Not that I minded the filth so much. I was in the fort Black and I had made so long ago; it still held up fine. Around me Joltiks dangled on threads from the roof. Their electric-charged threads shined in the dim fort, offering light. I wasn't sure what time of day it was, but it certainly felt late. Black still had yet to show up again. Next to me Zorua had fallen asleep while waiting, but as it got later he finally roused from sleep and yawned.

"Did… did Black ever show?" He mumbled with his eyes still half-closed.

"Unfortunately not," I replied, getting up, "we should probably go home." I sighed.

"Aw," Zorua frowned, "you know, he hasn't missed a day with us for weeks. Months. May Arceus strike down this 'school' thing."

I sighed, "Let's just go home. It is getting late. He will most likely arrive tomorrow."

Zorua's ears drooped, but he followed me nonetheless. I arrived at the castle, and slowly trotted through the hallways.

Day 73

"You know what I need to teach Black?"

"If he comes back?" Zorua replied lazily, kicking at a flower with his foot.

I scowled at him before replying, "How to actually sneak through the forest like a proper being. The way he sloshes around is ridiculous. How has he not gotten eaten by a liepard?"

"Beats me. Maybe it's his gross human scent." He suggested.

"Hey- His scent isn't gross!" I shot at him indignantly.

"Oh?"

"It actually smells kind of good. I- I mean for a human you know." I tried not to notice the wide smirk on Zorua's face.

"Oh really?" He jeered.

"Yeah really!"

"You're face is red." He observed, continuing to grin.

"So what?"

"Human sign for discomfort." He wagged his tail as I shot him more flustered glares.

"Just because I like his smell-" I stopped in my sentence and glanced up. Zorua and I had been laying outside the fort, waiting for Black to arrive. The bushes began trembling violently, and Black came charging from the bushes.

I half expected he went mad as I leapt to my feet only to be rammed head-on.

"Ahhh-!" I screamed as I fell back into the grass. Black sat on top of me, looking quite triumphant. "You didn't notice my approach until I charged."

"Pft, you still need to work on your footing," I snorted, not about to admit I had been taken by surprise.

"You like my smell?" Black changed the subject to my earlier argument with Zorua as he leaned a few inches from my face.

"It's okay- as far as humans go." I replied stubbornly, earning a laugh.

"What do I smell like, I wonder?" He sniffed his arm curiously.

"You smell like Black. Now get off meeeee!" I complained, suddenly unable to breathe properly.

"What do you smell like, I wonder?" He sniffed my neck curiously, and with a grunt I rolled him off me.

"I smell like me. And you are fat." I sat up, taking a deep inhale before shooting him a look.

"Am not!" he replied indigently. "You're as skinny as a stick, though." He eyed my body critically.

I decided to drop the subject, "You weren't here yesterday." I observed.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I was really tired." He replied guiltily. "White decided to throw all her chores on me and go off with one of her friends for the evening."

"How infuriating." I grumbled, "Well, you are here now."

"Yes! You know I was thinking of letting you meet White. She's been curious about you ever since I told her about you." Black gave an excited bounce.

"What? When did you tell her?" it made me feel humbled that Black spoke to his friends and family about me.

"Remember when we made the fort? She caught me getting the tarp."

"Ah yes. She sounds like quite the character," I speculated. "Not sure if I would meet her though…." The thought of meeting another human sent shivers down my spine. It was nerve wracking enough meeting Black, not to mention having to deal with the humans at the castle.

"How come?" He asked.

"I…" I bite my lip, "other humans… well, I guess I am fearful them."

Black snickered, obviously not picking up my sincere seriousness. "Oh come on N."

I flashed him a glare, "Humans are dangerous, Black!"

He flinched, and I guiltily looked down at my hands. My father would snap the same words at me many times. "They are…" I sighed.

"Maybe to you." He pointed out, "but I live with them. Nothing to fear, silly! 'Cept for robbers and bullies I 'pose."

"And the trainers?" I growled, "They enslave pokemon for their own gain."

Black blinked. "We've been through this, N. Trainers aren't cruel to their pokemon."

I shook my head. More than once we had heated discussions about it. I didn't want to get into one now because it usually involved one of us storming away. One of the first times we had an intense argument about it, I questioned whether I would even return to Black. I spent my entire life listening to the cruelness of trainers!

But why would Black lie? The voice growled at the back of my head.

"Let's not start this." I told him, standing up. "Let's just have fun while there is some daylight left."

"Alright." Black looked relieved to change the subject and together we went off and played. The dark thoughts luckily didn't come back until that evening when I slid under the crisp sheets of my bed.

Black seemed to genuine about telling me trainers weren't evil.

So was Ghetsis.

But one had to be lying.

The inner turmoil went on until I eventually fell asleep.

Day 130

I was trying. I was trying so hard not to let it bother me, but it was hard. Anytime Black would miss a day, I was sent into a hyperactive mode of panic.

What if he left?

But of course, Zorua was always there to talk me out of it.

But it never left the back of my mind.

Summer had turned into full fledged autumn. I could already feel the prick of coldness from winter that was right around the corner. Winter always came early in the northern mountains such as here. I wouldn't be surprised if I began to see the snow speck the ground soon.

I glanced over at Black who was next to me. He was late today, late to the point where I had almost left. We could only be together for a half an hour or so today. It was better than nothing, I supposed. But still. I frowned. I didn't like it when Black didn't show up. I was usually left with an empty feeling after waiting most of the day for him to show up. He claimed he was tired from school and busy, but I wasn't so sure. What if he was just avoiding me? Like the Grunts in the castle? But why would he do that? Am I boring, perhaps? I am unneeded? Like the Pokemon so many humans turn their backs on…?

"The clouds look nice and peaceful." Black pointed out, watching me watch the clouds. I must have dozed off again.

We sat out on the cliff-side meadow, doing nothing particularly exciting. I shrugged, "They're just collections of water evaporated from the earth. From here they look peaceful but it's a chaotic collection of molecules…" I cut off when Black gave me a confused stare.

"…Yes, yes they're lovely." I said simply.

"It's cold." Black muttered, shivering in his already thick, blue jacket he had taken to wearing recently.

"The air feels nice to me actually, quite enjoyable."

He snorted, "Now I know how you felt in the summer when you complained about the heat."

"Just wait until the snow!" I chirped with excitement.

"We can make snow-pidoves." Black chided in, smiling crookedly.

"And I can drown you in snow like I do Zorua and Mima!" I boasted, falling into a bout of giggles as I thought of memories. Every winter I would have lots of snow battles with Zorua and Mima. Although I managed to beat them a lot, Mima always cheated in the end. Sneaky Zoroark.

"Oh! Guess what!"

"Hmmm?"

"I am going on a field trip tomorrow!" Black beamed, "to the Pokemon League!"

"Field… trip?" I echoed.

"Oh right, you're homeschooled. It's when a class goes someplace, usually far away. We're going to the Pokemon League."

I narrowed my eyes, "Oh yeah? Is everybody in your class going to become trainers?"

He shrugged, "Maybe? I know I am, and my sister is. I know of a few people that talk about it, but I don't really know."

I tore some grass out from the ground, "More Pokemon that need liberation." I muttered.

"Don't say that. The people in class are nice too, they wouldn't hurt Pokemon."

"Yeah, yeah." I told him sarcastically. "Anyway, are you gonna be here tomorrow even though you are going on this field trip thing?"

"Well yeah, I mean it doesn't take the entire day."

I felt a flush of relief, "That's good."

He seemed to notice my facial expressions, for he shot me a faintly confused look. "That relieved I'm coming tomorrow? You know you seem to get so upset even if I'm just late. It's sort of strange."

"Is it really that strange?" I asked, faintly hurt.

"Do you not have other people friends? I've never heard you talk about them."

"You are the first human boy I have ever met. Any other child, in fact. The Goddess' have always been older than I."

Black looked surprised at this, "No other kids? How do you live?" He gasped.

"…I have my Pokemon friends, you know that. I have never needed human friends." I shrugged.

Black gave me a strange look, and then smiled a bit. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised huh? You are really weird."

"Hmph."

Day 131

The next day, the air was still a bit chilly. Not that it bothered me. I sat where I usually did waiting for Black, but I already had that feeling he wasn't going to show up. It wasn't a pleasant feeling; it was like a scratching feeling at the back of my head and in the pits of my stomach. I just knew he wasn't going to show up today. He had that field trip thing today…. And he was going to the Pokenmon League.

Pokemon League.

The words whiplashed me. The Pokemon League was a place of evil, where the Trainers took their enslaved Pokemon to battle the ultimate fight, to become Champion. My friends,,, So many of them have been hurt there… I shook my head with disappointment. To take Black and his fellow human children there was truly disgusting. It was as if they were brainwashing poor Black into thinking being a Trainer is positive. I always tried to tell him it was bad, but of course in the end we always just gave up on the short quarrels we got into over it. He always told being a trainer is fun. So ignorant… There's still time to teach him. Plenty of time. I told myself. As long as he kept showing up each day, I will soon teach him the evil of enslaving Pokemon.

..That is if he kept coming.

And there it was again, that same thought that always seemed to twang at my heart.

"-You have that face on again." Zorua broke my thoughts with a growl.

I scowled, "I have not a clue what you are speaking of."

"Mhmmmm." Zorua snorted. "I'm bored, N. You do this every time we know Black isn't coming, it's ridiculous."

I shifted awkwardly in the grass I sat in, not looking at my companion. "Then why don't you just go have fun and I'll stay here."

Zorua stood up, scowling at me angrily, "No, N, you're coming with me. You hardly spend any time with pokémon anymore. I thought you cared about them, N. But you're… you're obsessed with this human. He's nice, he's my friend too, but what about the hundreds of pokémon out there right now that are being abused? And here you sit, hanging out with the very species—"

"Shut up!" I snarled, "I know what I am doing!"

"Do you really?" Zorua snorted.

I clenched my fists, still not looking at him, but I could feel the burn of his gaze on the side of my face. "I… I do not understand Black. I do not know why I feel so compelled to meet him."

Zorua flicked an ear impatiently. "He's the only other child you have ever known." He said, "N, you have all these pokémon friends but… Do you ever feel lonely? I mean, I used to have tons of zorua friends. But you have no human companionship…"

Lonely….? How could I ever feel lonely, Zorua. I have all the friends I could ever want. I don't need Black.

Right?

Day 132

I was rushing. Rushing very fast. With my heart beating, and my palms wet with sweat I swept through the forest at a high speed. Zorua was on my heels, still calling out my name for me to calm down. Unlikely. Ignoring the painful cuts that the foliage did to the bottom of my feet cause of my clumsy movements I tried to pick up the speed. Occasionally I would lift a sweat drenched arm to wipe the dripping tears that trickled down my cheeks. I couldn't stop crying.

I had just fled from Ghetsis, who hadn't been very happy today to begin with. It was bad luck meeting him in the halls. He noticed my haste, but what was worse he noticed my fear. When he poured his rage on me, it wasn't in yelling, but just in pure insults and reminders. Within a few minutes, I already began to feel ill from his sick, twisted voice and his taunts. I couldn't take it anymore, so I fled. I heard his angry yowls behind me. Even now, I regretted running away like that. Out of panic I just fled like a prey bouncing away from a clumsy attack of a predator. Only, I'd have to face the predator's wrath later. I shuddered, trembling beneath my shirt. It was another cold day today, and the sweat caused by fear was now chilling. It soaked my skin and caused massive shivers to run through my body. I was breathing rather heavily as well. I was rushing, after all, to get away from the wrath of Ghetsis; if only for a few hours. I entered our normal clearing, but I didn't expect to see Black quite yet. There was no reason to see him this early in the day. Since I skipped lessons, it was still morning. The forest was still chilled with night air and the plants were dripping with dew and lined with frost.

Turning away, I went to our little fort and crawled inside. It was a few degrees warmer within the walls of the den, luckily. I took one of the blankets and curled myself in it. Zorua joined me. And I still, ignored his worried voice.

"What is he gonna do to me when I get back to the castle..?" I breathed, shaking with fear.

"If you're lucky, nothing. Maybe he'll be too busy. He usually is." Zorua suggested as he pushed his head into the side of my body to offer comfort and warmth.

"And if I'm not lucky?" I asked, not wanting to hear an answer. Unwanted memories surfaced into my head and I quickly shoved them away. Those days were over…

"N you're crying again." Zorua pointed out.

"Am not…" I replied gruffly, putting my head in my knees.

"I must be imagining the little speckles of water running down from your eyes then." Zorua snorted sarcastically.

"You are! Probably just creating an illusion!" I cried indigently.

"It's okay to be sad you know…"

"I… I know… wait no, I shouldn't… Any predators nearby will be able to pick up all these negative emotions." I shook my head, "I can't allow myself to drown myself in sorrow when I'm out here."

From there, I did my best to cheer up. That didn't go so well, though. After warming up, Zorua and I decided to explore the forests for pokémon. We came across the patrat troop that moved out from the den that was taken over by a liepard. They have created a new den in a small hill near a stream. It was sad to find they barely trusted my since the incident with the liepard, because in a moment of weakness a trainer happened by and captured one of their injured family members.

I only spent a little time with them before I felt my welcome wearing thin. Luckily by then, it was midday and Black would be expected soon. The meeting with the patrats cheered me up at least, but there was that voice in the back of my brain that kept me from being completely at ease. I returned to the clearing, only to find Black was already there. He was casually leaning against a tree, staring up at the trees. When he heard me approach, he looked over and smiled widely.

"Hello, N!" He almost shouted.

"Hey, Black." I replied with a beam of a smile. "How was… was that field trip?" I asked as I walked closer to him, feeling even more at peace.

"Oh, it was amazzzinnggg." Black bubbled over in excitement as he began talking about his trip. I sat there and listened, trying not to wince when he explained how he got to witness a battle while he was there. I truly fought the urge to fight with him about it. The way his copper eyes lit up with excitement bothered me, especially since he was talking about pokémon slaughtering each other for the amusement of other humans. It was only when the sun began to go down did he finally stop talking. My ear felt like it was talked right off my skull, but I still listened patiently. It was relieving hearing his voice.

"Anywayyyy…" Black yawned and stretched. "I promised mom I'd try and get back earlier tonight."

"—Earlier? Does that mean you're leaving… now?" I was suddenly snapped to attention.

"Well… Yeah. It's not a big deal though."

I felt a shiver. He stood up. I felt more shivers; they jolted down my spine like lightning. He began to walk away and I grabbed his hand.

"Please don't go yet?" I pleaded. Despite him talking for nearly an hour, I didn't feel at all as if it were enough time. There was never enough time. Every time he left, I had to go back to the castle. I had to sit in my room, alone. Yes, alone. My pokémon friends were there but sometimes… they weren't enough…. I still felt alone and isolated in that room with nothing but a train set and a big empty bed.

"Why? Is there something fun to do?" Black asked, completely ignorant to my inner turmoil.

"N…no… I… I just… I just don't want to go home yet."

"Why?"

"…I feel so alone."

"Alone? But Zorua." Black looked over at the fox pokémon who had fallen asleep in a thick patch of flowers.

"But… I still feel alone in my room."

Black frowned, "I'm not sure how I would help with that. I can't go home with you. I have to go home."

Black tugged his hand out of N's grasp and smiled at him, "I'll be back tomorrow, 'kay?"

"…Oh… 'kay."

Day 200

"N! You're wearing shoes!" Black observed with a triumphant look in his eye.

"That I am." I replied as I shot a look down at the oversized green shoes fitted rather awkwardly on my feet. They felt so unnatural on my feet, "It finally snowed so the Goddess' said I was not allowed to leave unless I put on heavier clothing than what I usually dress up in."

As I finished the sentence I scooped up a pile of powdery snow. It wasn't much, but it was still enough to cover the ground in a thin layer of the icy water.

"Mom says it's too powdery too make anything out of it." Black shivered, snuggling deeper into his thick jacket. It was the same color as his normal jacket, but was several times thicker and made him look far bigger than he was. He also wore baggy pants that were tucked into large uncomfortable looking boots. I recalled Black saying more than once how he hated the cold, but I didn't really know how much. Even though it was dropping down to freezing, I stood there with a light sweatshirt that I wore under my normal orange shirt, and then my normal shorts. My knees felt a little cold, but as long as my head was warm I didn't really care. My hair didn't go well with the summer months, but it was perfect for winter; it kept both my neck and ears warm.

Black on the other hand looked thoroughly uncomfortable. He was hugging himself tightly, so I decided to distract him by having him show me how to make snow angels. The process seemed simple enough, but after actually trying it I always ended up with a circle. After a few more frustrating tries, I finally got the hang of it. The thin sheet of snow felt nice to sink into. The slight chill working its way up my back was a welcoming relief to my system.

Black suddenly darted up from the snow with a shriek. I watched as he danced around and flailed.

"Black—what are you doing?" I yelped, getting to my feet.

"I got snow down my back!—AH!"

"You did?"

"Yes! So…. So colddddd," Black complained, "so very cold." He began to shiver.

"You alright?" I asked, reaching a hand out.

"Hah, just cold." Black chuckled, thought he was still shivering.

I frowned, "We still have those blankets in the den."

"Oh yeah, we do." Black brightened, and with that we quickly made our way to the den. We didn't use it very much these days unless it was raining. The inside was a bit warmer than the rest of the forest (that was to be expected). In the corner was the jumbled pile of blankets. I untangled one from the bundle and tossed it to Black, who flinched away rather than catching it.

"It's freezing." Black said after giving it an experimental poke.

"Well yeah right now it is," I replied, going over and picking it up. "It'll get warm once it absorbs your body heat."

Black gave me a skeptical look, "Maybe I should just go."

"Neh? But you only got here what… a half an hour ago?"

"It's collllddd." Black whined, "Besides it's getting dark."

"It always gets dark earlier during the winter." I scowled. Stupid sky.

"I'll try and be back tomorrow if I can." Black sighed, and then smiled at me. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Alright... Bye." I watched him disappear before turning to Zorua, "How about you?"

"We should go home, N. I'm getting cold too." Zorua barked. He held up a paw for me to see his frozen pads.

"So much for playing in the snow…" I grunted.

Day 212

In the grand scheme of things it wasn't so bad. A few days of light powdery snow had passed. Nearly two weeks later, however, the big snows had finally come. The ground was now covered with several inches of snow- and that was just in the shelter terrain of the forest. In the cleared areas, the snow had piled nearly a foot. I watched it fall, feeling the excitement course through my veins. I was waiting for Black under a bush. I planned on drowning him in the snow- not literally of course. I had long pants on now; heavy snow was the only way I would ever wear them. They were an ugly light brown color, and felt terribly unnatural. But they kept my legs warm from the below freezing temperatures of the low mountain ranges.

I heard the crunching of Black's shoes, and I tensed up as he entered the clearing. He was in even more bundles than before- if that was even possible. I wondered how he was even moving with all the bulky layers of clothing on. He knew my tricks though, and when he realized I wasn't in plain sight he looked in the bushes. I grinned; he was looking in the wrong part of the forest. I bolted out from under the bush and plowed through the snow. It went flying everywhere as I rammed Black head-on, and forced him into the thick snow covering the ground. I heard him yelp and growl, and I only let him go when he struggled widely.

"Aaahhh! Collddd!" This time Black was wearing a thick woven hat on his head, along with matching loves on his hands. But he still whined about being cold.

I scoffed, "It can't possibly be that cold."

"Well it is. To me anyway," Black snorted and got to his feet. He dusted the snow off his clothing. "Before I left White decided to tackle me and shove my face into the snow."

"That isn't very nice!" I frowned.

"I know it isn't—and you just did it too, so you're one to talk."

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "Sorry 'bout that." Not really; it was pretty amusing.

"As fun as it would be to have a snowball fight right now, White already tired me out." Black sighed heavily.

I rocked back and forth on my heels, "So, what do you wanna do?"

"Let's just get into that fort and warm up before my toes freeze off!" He replied and swept past me.

"But you're wearing shoes, how are your toes frozen? And how will they come off if they get too cold?" I asked as I followed him.

He looked back at me and rolled his eyes.

Once inside the den he seemed to enjoy the slightly higher temperature. I sat on the cold grass and watched Black try and curl up in one of the blankets.

"This blanket is still freeeezzinngggg." Black complained.

"Well obviously, it's been sitting out here."

He kicked it off and pulled his hat on tighter. "White wants to challenge you to a snowball fight, by the way."

"White? Why? I have not even met her."

"I told her about how much you love snow and violent games involving it." He grinned, "She told me she wanted to beat you in a snow fight."

I scoffed again, "I would so beat her."

"I can vouch for that." Zorua butt in. "He always wins against me or anybody else he plays with."

"Pft. She always beats me- she even beat mom!" Black went on as he tucked his knees against his chest.

"Impressive. But, I would still win." I said bluntly.

"Mmmmmhm," he replied doubtfully.

"You're shivering awfully violently." I observed as I watched him tremble.

"I'm cold."

"I know but- are you okay?"

"Yeah… just a little cold."

I shuffled closer until I pressed against his side.

"What are you doing?"

"Sharing body heat. Living things, humans and pokémon, give off heat from our bodies. We are warm blooded after all, or at least the mammalian-like pokémon have warm blood, therefore give off heat which can also be shared with other beings-"

"Okay, okay!" Black cut in, giving me a slightly impatient look, "I get it."

I leaned me head against his shoulder, "Besides, it feels nice. You know, aside from simply feeling physically warm."

"It's like a warm fuzzy feeling in my belly," Black murmured.

I felt a tingling in my fingers. I gazed at them, and I noticed each one of my fingers had turned a red hue. The tips of my fingers looked ever so slightly purple, and I realized just how cold my fingers were. I hadn't really noticed because I was so used to the cold, but I guess that didn't stop my fingers from freezing. I squeezed my hands open a shut, trying to get the freeze-y feeling to go away.

Black reached over and took my hands in his hands which were covered conveniently in as thick wool mitten. At once I felt his warmth pulsing through the wool mittens and warm my own fingers up. I let out a shaky breath, "That feels far better."

"Looks like for once you are cold," Black replied with a grin.

I looked away, feeling my cold cheeks heat up, "Oh hush you."

I had only been joking but I felt his grip loosen on my hands, and when I looked back at him he had a slightly offended look on his face.

I shuffled closer. "I wasn't serious." I held his hands tighter, "Don't let go. It feels nice."

Day 303

Winter seemed to stretch longer this year. I didn't complain though, I enjoyed winter immensely. I loved the cold; I was built for it. Despite my thin frame and lack of body fat, my long hair protected my head, neck, ears, and back from the cold. I was used to being outdoors, so the cold was natural to me. Black didn't like the cold though, but this was only an advantage to me. I soon found snuggling up against him helped him keep warm and complain-free, so I had often done it on the colder days of winter. Neither of us complained. I certainly didn't, because it sent my stomach into a warm frenzy every time I snuggled up against him like I did with Mima, and when I held his hands because for some reason, unlike the rest of my body, my fingers didn't like the cold whatsoever.

We spent many winter afternoons like that, but alas it was over. I knew now spring was definitely here. The first flowers had begun to bloom, and the bird Pokémon, such as pidoves, had returned to the forest. They normally went a few miles down into the valley for a warmer climate. The pokémon that had hibernated through the colder months had left their nests. They all had skinny frames and hungry eyes, and went in search of a long awaited meal.

But what really made the spring season was the baby pokémon. I had yet to see any this season though. Presently I was perched on a tree branch, swinging my legs back and forth. They felt so freed from the shoes the Goddess' made me wear for what? Three months? It felt so good to touch grass with my bear feet again. Leaning against the trunk of the tree was Zorua. We were both waiting for Black, as usual. His tardiness was no surprise really.

"I wonder where Black lives," I pondered out loud.

"Curiosity killed the purrlion," Zorua replied.

"It's not like I was gonna look," I muttered.

"Sure, N, sure you weren't," Zorua retorted before giving me a look with doubtful, gleaming eyes.

"Fine, do not believe me. That is hardly my problem," I chirped.

There was a long moment of silence before Zorua glanced up at me, "I hear him coming."

"As do I." I suddenly became aware of the crackling in the nearby bushes. The clumsy noises could only belong to one being in the forest.

Black slipped out from the undergrowth. He glanced around the clearing, and only noticed me in the tree after a few moments of searching.

"Ah, the warmth feels wonderful." Black said as he skipped over to the tree.

"If it's so warm, why are you wearing long sleeves?" I inquired.

"Because... I was still cold." He replied while glancing at his sleeves.

"Well I am not cold, but that shouldn't be surprising," I stated as I leapt down from the tree. "Now that the snow is gone, and it isn't so cold out today, what do you wanna do?"

"Anything! It's Saturday so I didn't have school but I was still so boredddd. White made me clean her room. I had to clean up her pink girl underwear," Black complained with a distrustful face, "but I did come across some of her make-up stuff. I found out I look weird with lipstick on."

"Lipstick?" I repeated as we began walking side-by-side into the forest with Zorua trailing behind us.

"Yeah. She never wears it though. Girls put it on their lips to make them another color or something. I don't know." Black shrugged.

"That sounds silly."

"It is."

"So anyway, you said you were bored, let's do something." I pondered for a moment on what the two of us could do, "Play hide n' seek?"

"Nah, we played that a lot in the snow."

"Not that often…" since you were always complaining about being too cold. "Race?"

"I spent the morning cleaning my sister's room. It was filthy, and tiring."

I scowled. "But you said you were bored."

"I am…!"

"We can climb trees?"

"I can't climb well."

"Swim?"

"In the river? But it's freezing!"

"Sit around and do nothing all afternoon because you claim to be too tired to do anything?"

He stopped in mid-step, "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

"You weren't. You're only being honest." I replied evenly, "Well guess we could…"

"N!" Zorua suddenly blurt out, and I glanced down at him with surprise.

"What is it?"

"Do you hear that?" Zorua pressed, suddenly looking very alert.

"Hear what…?" I tried to concentrate my hearing.

He pricked his ears, "Sounds like a pokémon is in pain."

I was alert now, "Where?"

"Very close. Sounds like… I can't quite place it." Zorua shook his head before sneaking away into the nearby undergrowth, "but definitely in pain."

"We need to find it!" I hollered, "Maybe it's sick, or dying, or a human made it battle and then dumped it injured and alone in the forest!"

Black looked thoroughly confused as he followed me through the forest undergrowth. They were soft moans of agony. The pokémon sounded familiar, but like Zorua I couldn't pinpoint it exactly.

It was only after several minutes of searching that I noticed through some ferns a flash of pink. They were just up a head. Cautiously I worked my way around the thick growing foliage. In a shallow pit was a large audino that sat slouched and murmured sadly. At its feet were two smaller audinos. One was awake and crying pitifully. The other, was on the ground. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. The one that didn't move was covered in blood from a large bit mark on both its shoulder and forearm. There were scratches on its chest as well, but they were of less significance; they were shallow and barely bled. The deep gashes on its shoulder and arm, though, had soaked its light pink fur a crimson red color from the blood. I staggered back upon seeing this scene, but tumbled to the ground when the largest audino- an adult, whipped its head around at me. It looked angry for a moment, but I could see the tears sparkling at the edge of its eyes.

"Please, audino…" I squeaked, trying to find my voice, "We are kind, I only wish to help."

"He…help…. I doubt it…" The audino panted. I looked up and down her body, and realized it was covered in healing scars and bruises. There was a fresh gash on her thigh, and she was trembling. I didn't notice this before, "Some human did this to my child…." She rasped.

"Please, I can help." I tried to explain, but she just weakly glared.

"I'm not gonna ask how you can speak to me." She returned to her baby, which was still breathing heavily and bleeding profusely.

"I swear I can help. Why haven't you used Heal Pulse?"

"Oh, but I have." She rasped, "But… I spent all my energy chasing that human away…"

I shuffled closer, and this time she made no movement to stop me. I heard somebody else approach behind me, and I knew it was Black. I heard him gasp and shout something, but I ignored him. The injured pokémon was the only thing on my mind. The audino was a fourth of the size of a normal audino; obviously a young one. Probably hatched recently too. Its fur was still downy and fluffy, and if it wasn't for the matted, sticky parts around the wounds it would have been very pet-table.

I had basic medical knowledge from previously helping my friends heal, but most of those were just simple bruises or scratches that only needed to be cleaned with water. These were deep puncture wounds that were bleeding rivers of blood. Well… I need to stop the bleeding… it would make sense to cover it… trying to think past the sickly feeling growing in the pits of my stomach, I sacrificed my shirt yet again and tore off a large piece of it. The Goddess' weren't pleased the last time I did this. I used the strip of cloth to then wrap it around the wound. The adult audino winced, but stayed close.

"I only had enough Heal Pulse power to keep the poor dear from dying all together… but I do not think it was enough." She replied helplessly.

"I wish Mima were here…" I cried, pressing the cloth down on the wound. "She'd know what to do…"

"Ohh, my dear," the adult let out another low mournful moan, dipping her head sorrowfully. "So young…. So young…. Defeated by an audinos greatest enemy," she sung sadly.

"Humans…" I muttered, not trying to stop some tears from trickling down my cheek. Another pokémon suffering because of humans.

"N what are we going to do?" Zorua up until now had been in a quiet shock, but was now watching me with close eyes.

"I…" Black began quietly.

I looked back at him, "You have an idea to save this poor pokémon's life? Please, share for the love of all things Arceus."

"I could go home and get a first aid kit." He finally stuttered out. I noted how pale his face was.

"First aid kit?" I repeated, "Does it have potions and bandages?"

"I-I think so…" he murmured, his voice was weak.

I jumped to me feet, "By all means go get it, Black! Please! I will stay here with the young audino and its family! Hurry and get that kit!"

Black took a step back and I noticed he was trembling. His feet wobbled awkwardly as he turned away and nodded before teetering away. I watched him go with growing anxiety before turning back to the baby audino. It was still as weak as ever.

"Will…. Will this first aid kit help my son?" the mother audino asked.

I nodded, "I hope so."

The audino crouched closer to her son, "If I had energy I would have attacked you by now. But I don't have energy."

"Audinos are generally peaceful Pokémon, though, right?"

"I am old. I have seen a lot," the old audino replied wirily, "I cannot be nice to humans. Even you."

"As long as this young audino lives, your opinion of me matters not." I replied simply, keeping the cloth tight on the puncture wounds.

It was a seemingly long wait. The blood didn't seep through the cloth though, for which I was thankful for. Zorua was doing his best in calming down the sister of the fallen audino, who couldn't speak very well yet. She spoke broken Audino, and it was very difficult for me to understand. When I heard Black approaching, I thanked Arceus a million times.

He came back with a small box in his hand. On the front of it was a big, red cross. Black didn't look any better than when he left; he was still pale and didn't look at the scene in front of him, but rather some apparently interesting bushes. I took the first aid kit as I muttered, "Took you a long time."

"I had to sneak away from White and mom," He replied dryly.

I opened up the small box and peered inside. There was a potion- I didn't like them. They were made for Trainers so they could fight their pokémon and then force them to heal only to fight them again. It was disgusting. But in this case it was a life saver. Aside from the potion there were some bandages and some other things I didn't recognize. Silly humans making strange things.

I took the potion, "This will sting," I warned the audino, not that is was conscious enough to reply. I took the bloodied cloth off the wound and discarded it to the side and sprayed the wound with the potion. The audino didn't make any sort of move as I sprayed the other smaller, more minor cuts. I took out the strip of bandage and wrapped it around the forearm of the baby audino.

And then sighed in relief.

"Is… is it okay?" Black asked quietly.

"I... I think so. I hope so," I replied, putting a hand on the audino.

The mother looked drained, but still sat tirelessly next to her son. "I can feel his life energy grow stronger," She whispered.

"What did she say?" Black questioned hesitantly.

"His life energy is returning. This is a good thing," I told him with a smile.

We sat and waited now. It was all we could do. I noticed how the audino's breathing grew more normal. That was a reassuring sign. But when it began to grow dark, Black had to leave. I stood up with him, "Black you may have saved this audino's life you know," I told him sincerely before he left.

"I only did the right thing." He replied back.

….Would all humans do that?

"Thank you, Black."

"Of course…"

"Black. He might have died just now if you hadn't brought that you know."

"But he might still…."

"Black, he's stable. He will make it..." I felt choked up now. "You pretty much saved his life."

"Anybody would do it," Black smiled in reply. He approached me again and gave me a tight hug that made me flinch before he left.

….I don't think they would.

Day 320

For once when I arrived at the clearing Black was already there. He glanced up when he heard me approach, and waved as I joined him.

"Hey N, Zorua." He greeted us both.

"Hello, Black." I replied quietly.

Black watched me for a minute, "Anything wrong?"

Not really anything. I didn't get a wink of sleep last night because my father visited me the previous evening and yelled at me for reasons I couldn't comprehend…! "Nope." I decided not to tell him.

He believed me easily, "Great! Should we go check on Nirjah then? We didn't yesterday or the day before."

"Sure!" I beamed, and together we went towards the familiar den that wasn't far from the clearing in which we dwelled. When we got close, there was a frantic shuffling within the den that was made of thickly woven branches. From within the den came two young audinos. They half ran, half rolled towards us, calling out our names.

"N! Black! Momma, they visited!" A young female shouted, while the young male shuffling toward us and looked up at us with large, wide eyes.

"Hey, Nirjah!" Black greeted him first and picked the audino up in his arms. Even if it was a baby, Black looked as if he was struggling holding the big, fluffy baby.

Their mother, a much larger audino came out of the den. She limped her way over, face solemn. "Greetings you two, I was wondering why you didn't visit yesterday or the day before."

"Sorry," I apologized, "I guess we got busy with our games." I quickly translated for Black.

The three audinos got used to using me for their translator. At first they questioned why I could speak their language so fluently while Black stood awkwardly on the sidelines. I recalled the first day Nirjah had woken up and was well enough to move about and speak. He had regarded Black to the tier of an Arceus. Black had no idea how to respond to his constant clinginess at first. Every time I told him what the audino was saying about him, (which was on the lines of "You're the best human ever!" "You're my hero!" "Don't leave us again!") Black's face would grow a light shade of red, and became extremely flustered. I thought it was the most amusing thing ever.

He got over it though, and got used to the audinos loving him the way they did. I had to admit he was good with them, the way he played games with them like hide and seek. Even though they didn't speak the same language, they got along quite well. Even now, I could see Black's face light up in a wide smile. His eyes gleamed like two copper, shiny evaluation stones, and I found myself staring at only those eyes as he attempted to communicate with the audinos. There was something quite fascinating about those eyes- no wait, about the entire person that was Black.

"You know, I can't thank you enough for what you did to my son." I jumped nearly a foot when I noticed the mother audino had walked up to me and sat there with me watching the others. "You and your friend are certainly interesting humans. I never thought I'd actually meet a good human…" she chuckled rather dryly.

I frowned, "I can assume that you have had previous run-ins with them?" I pointedly looked at the scars dotting her body.

"Yes. I do not know if you know this, but audinos are… disappearing." She said the last word with a flinch.

I nodded slowly, "I have noticed there are far less audino than any other species…"

"It is because we are too nice, and the humans say we 'give more experience points.' I am unsure what that means though." She slowly shook her head, "but I have seen many fallen audinos."

I watched her two children run around with Black, "Have you known any… to… you know…"

"What?" She followed my gaze, "lose any children?"

I didn't like to think about pokémon dying. "Yes…"

She slowly nodded, and I felt my throat tighten; more so when I thought of losing somebody that close like Zorua.

Or Black?

I was surprised by the sudden wave of emotion.

"How did…"

"Humans, obviously. I used to be nice, you know. I mean, I was born thinking the world was such a positive place. There was no harm. All beings, pokémon and humans, were all alike. Alive and thriving, and they deserved my kindness and healing powers. But... as I got older…" She smiled emotionlessly, "I realized humans are the pokerus of the earth."

I shivered at the ending statement. Pokerus was a horrible disease; it made a pokémon deathly ill, but at the same time if it battled it gets stronger much faster. I remembered what Ghetsis once told me about pokerus: humans 'lucky' enough to find a pokémon with pokerus will spread the disease to their other pokemon, and then force them to battle despite them being too ill to barely stand. Sure, they got stronger that way, but it was utterly sickening.

I could see why Humans could be considered the pokerus of the earth.

The discussion was cut short when Black invited me to play.

We decided that evening to go to the meadow near the cliff. It had been weeks since we last went there to watch the sunset. The snow during winter kept us mainly in the protective barrier of the closed forest. We settled down in the grass, which had grown a few more inches since our last visit. It tickled my bare skin as I slipped into a patch of grass and nestled my rear comfortably in the ground. Black sat down comfortably next to me, and I was acutely aware how close he was sitting. It reminded me of the long winters we spent nestled in the den together. I helped keep him warm, and he was ignorant to just how much I enjoyed the simple contact of his shoulder against mine, and how soft his hands felt in mine.

I felt a surge of surprise when at that same moment he took one of my hands in his nonchalantly and kept his eyes trained on the sunset. I tried not to let the gesture effect me, but my heart began thumping much harder than before. It was the same feeling I always felt when he held my hand. It was probably the strangest feeling I ever felt. Those afternoons sitting with Black always sent my heart into a frenzy. After a while though, I calmed down. I got used to the contact, and relished in it. I didn't even notice the beautiful sunset that spread across the sky, nor did I hear Black speaking until he released my hand to poke me.

"N?" He asked curiously.

"Hmmm? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking…" I mumbled. If I keep being distracted like that I'll surely be attacked by some wild pokémon without me even noticing!

"Well stop your thinking for once," Black scowled before continuing, "I said it's my birthday soon!"

"Birthday… The day you were born to signify your age?" N inquired.

"Yup. It's in five days, in fact." Black beamed, "I won't be here that day."

"Oh? Why?" I tried to not sound alarmed.

"We're driving to a friend's house for my birthday," Black stated. "We're visiting Nevuma town. It's where I lived until last summer. My friends Cheren and Bianca live there."

"Nevuma town…?"

"Yeah. It's… umm, south of here I think? A long ways. I won't be here for a day or two."

"Oh. Well…"

"Actually while we're on the topic of leaving, what date is today…?" He looked away and thought for a moment, but I was too busy inwardly panicking to notice whatever else he was going to say. I didn't like missing days with Black, and we hadn't been missing days since his field trip. In fact I'm sure, despite the cold, he had visited everyday for at least a few minutes. That alone was enough time to make me happy.

… And other friends? Black had previously mentioned them, but for some reason I felt resentment making its way up my throat like bile. What was this? Jealousy? I wouldn't doubt it. Black was my human friend. Mine. Why do I have to share him with others? I found him first- well technically I didn't but they could find other human friends. I, on the other hand, had no desire to make any other human friends.

Wait… why did it matter that much? Why did I feel so worked up over Black just leaving? For a day? I was so upset; I realized I had been plucking innocent blades of grass from the ground in an obvious bout of frustration. Dropping the mangled grass blades, I turned to Black, who was looking at the sunset again. I felt a strange feeling then, but I couldn't put my finger on it….

Possessive? It was like an urge to be near him, just to sit next to him. I shuffled closer, and Black looked over at me, smiled, and took my hand again. My heart was sent into yet another frenzy at that kind smile, and again I found myself staring at those eyes.

Like I had thought so many times before, those eyes were so kind. Nothing like the other humans. The ones in the castle had hard eyes, unkind eyes, eyes full of contempt. It was scary.

But Black's… I felt as if I could dive straight into those pools of swirling copper and be wrapped in a blanket of compassion and gentleness. The thought made my head feel rather dizzy.

Black caught me staring, and apparently he didn't like it because he quickly turned his head away again. I suddenly felt empty without those eyes to stare at; but at least I had his hand in mine. I squeezed it, just to make sure it was still there. I felt as if my heart would burst when that soft hand squeezed back.

Day 323

"Zorua, c'mon, we need to think of something!"

Zorua scowled, "It's just a silly human tradition. Why bother?"

"Black, a human, took part in pokémon rituals more than once. We should return the favor."

He snorted, "More like, you want to suck up to him." He waved his tail, "I swear you treat him like an Arceus sometimes."

"I do not!" I yelled back, growing flustered.

He smirked, his eyes gleaming. "And the way you stare into his eyes, you'll just stare for minutes on end. I can sense his discomfort when you do that."

"I don't stare! I was just looking!"

"Whatever," Zorua replied with a snort. I shook my head, and stormed across my room. It was already evening, and I had to be in bed soon. I still had yet to get Black anything. Black had explained a human's birthday rituals, which I thought was strange. Gifts? On your birthday? Each year I had a small event to signal I was another year older. It wasn't much, but it told me how old I was. Other than that, there was nothing special. But then there was Black. He told me about parties and cake and gifts and huge dinners and balloons and gatherings- it was overwhelming! In the end I just asked what I should do about the gift, he said if I thought he was special enough, I should get him a present.

Yes, he was special enough. So now I sat in the center of my room, pondering what I could get him. I had to give him one of my belongings… I think. Did I have to give him my most valuable? What about a train? I casted a long glance at my large, elaborate train set. I couldn't possibly take it apart to give him one of the trains. I swept my gaze around my room, regarding each item with care. It was when my eyes trained on a small pile of pokémon plushies in the corner. They had all fallen from the shelf from an earlier rampage. I quickly dug into the pile, my eyes set on one thing: a Zekrom plush. It was one of my favorites, aside from Reshiram. I plucked the Zekrom from the pile and smiled at it. It stood a little over a foot tall, and what should be hardened scales was actually a soft material that felt nice to the touch. It's beady, red eyes almost glowed. For some reason they reminded me of Black's.

Day 324

Morning came surprisingly quick the next day. I woke with a bout of excite at what day it was: A day before Black's birthday. Since he was leaving tonight, he could only visit for a few minutes. I felt a pang of emotion, but I kicked it away as the Goddess' handed me the small meal of the morning.

"Good morning N, I trust your sleep was well?" The blond Goddess recited the same thing she did every morning.

"Yup!" I chirped with excitement. On a normal basis I did my best to act indifferent around the Goddess', but today was going to be a good day and I couldn't help if my exhilaration bubbled over.

She glanced up at me, her eyes reflecting a faint amount of surprise before she left, reminding me to go to my lessons. Ugh, lessons. I scowled at having to constantly do lessons each morning, I felt like I wasn't learning anything. On the particular days I did learn something though, it was often too much to comprehend. Stepping by a sleeping Mima and her child, I quickly made my way down the hallway.

Lessons seemed to drag on forever that morning, but once I was finished working on the long string of algebraic equations, I fetched Zorua from my bedroom and left the castle. Outside, the afternoon sun was bright. There had been good weather these last few days. Despite hating the heat, there was still a late winter prick of cold in the air, so I tolerated the sun easily, especially when I was in the shaded forest. In one hand, I was equipped with the zekrom plush that I had proudly found last night. One my other side was Zorua, who kept up a careful pace with me.

I noticed lately how irritated he acted. It was beginning to bother me.

Of course, all that bother went away when I spotted Black already waiting in the normal clearing. I didn't miss the new shirt he was wearing. It had yet to fade into a lighter hue due to days upon days of wearing it out. He didn't notice me right away, since he was busy staring at something rather interesting a tree trunk.

"Black!~" Instead of sneaking up on him for once I just trotted into the clearing confidently, all the foliage trembling as I brushed past it.

He was still taken by surprise because he jumped nearly a foot in the air before turning, "Hey, N."

"Happy 9th year of living~" I declared as I kept the zekrom behind my back.

"Still a day off." He chuckled, then eyed where I was obviously hiding something, "What's that?"

"What's what?" I replied innocently

He had an excited gleam in his eyes, "'Didja get me a present?"

I shrugged teasingly, "Perhaps I did. Wouldn't you like to know what it is?"

"What's behind your back?" Black whined, taking a few steps closer.

I walked away from him, still grinning fiendishly, "How do you know it's for you, hmm?"

"Why're you being a butttttt?" Black whined in a child-like manner.

I narrowed my eyes at the insult, but I could tell by Black's voice he hardly meant it, "Well that isn't very polite, Black."

I liked this game. I felt rather in control, and Black's pouting face was priceless. "Neither is keeping presents from the birthday boy." Black returned with a scowl.

"Pft fine. So greedy." I joked, but I showed him the plush anyway.

Black's eyes lit up as they spotted the zekrom plush. All his irritation was gone as he dived for it. "It's so cuteeeee."

I handed it to him and he gave it a death-hug. "And soft." He added, "This is one of the legendary dragons of Unova, isn't it?"

"Zekrom, the electric/dragon type pokémon, the legendary dragon of Unova that stands for ideals," I recited weakly, watching him cling to the plush like it was a life-source, "I have the reshiram plush in my room." I half smiled, "We both have the legendary dragons. Isn't that cool?"

Black thought about this for a moment before his eyes lit up. My breath began to become very strained; I was staring at those eyes again. "I guess that is pretty cool. I mean, we both have each of the legendary dragons..." he smiled softly as he gazed down at the plush.

"It's like being connected in some way..." I ventured.

"Yeah!" Black looked up again. "It'll remind me of you all the time."

"As will reshiram." I said, "Well I mean, it'll remind me of you." I corrected quickly.

Black giggled, and then walked closer to give me warming hug. "Thank you, N. It's a great present."

For once I felt nervous about hugging back. "I'm overjoyed you like it." And that was the truth. I felt so happy he liked my gift; I had been so nervous he wouldn't have liked it. "Will you take it with you to Nevuma town?" I asked.

"Sure," he chuckled back. "I will."

I felt lost when be released the hug and said he had to go. "Already?"

"I'm probably gonna get in trouble for being out here as long as I have..." he glanced down at the plush.

"And I'll have to explain this to Mom. Anyway, bubi, N."

I waved until he disappeared.

Day 350

"LEAVING? Again?" I blurted out. I felt my body tremble slightly at what I just heard.

"Yes... For about two weeks. This isn't new." Black replied slowly, clearly thinking I was being crazy.

"B-but-"

"Like I told you- how long ago? A month? Me, Mom and White all go to Johto to visit some family friends." he explained evenly. "I'm leaving tomorrow:"

"But you just left to go see friends!" I shouted.

"Like... A month ago. N, we see these people every year. They have a son named Gold; he's a friend of mine. Really funny to be around, though he can act kind of strange... Especially around girls. White has friends in the little city they live in, too. You know they have a world-renown pokémon professor there as well, I visited him once. He was also kind of weird. You know they speak in a weird accent over there? It's sort of hard to explain-"

"You're leaving for two weeks?" I finally cut him off from the gibbering I wasn't listening to.

He shrugged, "I know it's a long time, but I'll be back soon, 'Kay?"

Two weeks... Two weeks without seeing Black? Why is the thought making me was feel so hurt? Waves of emotion constantly crashed on me. Two weeks without Black! But... But... How could- how was that even- I shivered with fear. Even though the sun was filling the meadow near the cliff with a yellow warmth, I suddenly felt cold.

"N? Are you okay? Are you really that bothered about me leaving?" Black asked curiously as he leaned forward. Those copper eyes were swimming with worry.

I felt my heart nearly stop. Those eyes..."Not... Not really. I mean, you're a good friend. I'll miss you." I glanced away. That wasn't even half of the emotion I was feeling. I felt wrecked; heartbroken. I was so bothered by this...

"I'll miss you too, N. But it'll be fine; I'll be back in about two weeks." He smiled softly.

I bit my lip with a certain frustration. I was becoming slowly obsessed. My need to see Black was ridiculous. "I shall eagerly await your return..." I finally murmured.

"That's more of a spirit," Black replied with another smile. I glanced away, trying the force down my inner turmoil.

"We have to leave early tomorrow morning so I have to leave early," Black continued, oblivious to how much the child in front of him was breaking down.

If only that human knew what was going on in the other's mind. If only he wasn't ignorant to the turmoil taking over my mind, and over such tedious things! Like not seeing Black for two weeks.

"Let's just spend time together for a few more minutes. Alright?" I suggested finally.

Black bit his lip, "Only for a little while though... What do you wanna do?"

Hold your hand.

Look into those kind eyes and burn the image in my mind.

Just to drown out their faces.

But instead I replied, "Let's just relax and enjoy the cool spring air."

I thought I saw a flash of disappointment on Black's face, but it passed before I could be sure. Instead he smiled like he usually did and agreed with my decision. He wasn't a very assertive person, but I wondered if all my dominance and bossing around annoyed him.

"Hmmm…" Black glanced up from where he had been staring at this Nintendo DS.

"Huh?" I mumbled, still staring at the screen.

"We've been meeting each other for a year now right?"

"Huh? Oh, I guess we have." I said matter-of-factly, but really I already knew.

"You never mentioned when your birthday was."

"…."

"What is it?"

I shrugged, "The day where I turn a number older isn't very important to me."

He scowled, "Well it is to me. When was it?"

"It's in… three days."

His eyebrows rose, "Three days? Three days? Why didn't you say anything! I should have got something!"

I chuckled, "That is a silly human custom, Black."

"And yet you got me a gift anyway. I'm taking him to Johto with me," Black beamed. "And I will bring something cool back with me for you. Have you been to Johto?"

"I am not sure I'm familiar with it, although I believe I have some books in my room on the Johto region pokémon. Apparently they have trainers there too." I added the last sentence with a drop of spite.

"Of course," Black replied, "Gold wants to be a trainer. In fact, in that region they're allowed to leave home at ten years old."

"That's awfully young, how old is he?"

"Nine. That lucky ducklett gets to leave in about a year." Black scowled, "I have to wait…" he counted on his fingers before going on, "six years!"

"You can wait that long," I replied evenly. I was doing my best to keep my voice from fluctuating with my evident discomfort.

"I guess I'll have to," Black told me impatiently. "Anyway, I will get you something from the Johto region for your birthday!" he said eagerly. He pocketed his DS suddenly and stood up. I watched him, furrowing my brows in confusion.

"Time for you to go already?" I asked.

"Yeah." He told me, "I gotta pack my bags, too. I kept forgetting."

"Okay…" I cringed inwardly, "I guess this is... goodbye?"

He chuckled, "You make it sound like forever."

"Yeah, I guess I did." I replied back with empty laughter.

He held his arms out, "Goodbye hug?" he offered.

Hugs. Before I only knew the warmth of a hug from Mima. Now I had come to love the hugs Black gave me. Moving forward probably a bit too fast I hugged him back, doing my best to relish the last warmth I would feel from him for a while.

"Remember, two weeks." He told me as he pulled away and trotted into the foliage. I watched the blue back of his sweatshirt disappear in the overlapping green fronds.

Zorua glanced up at me, "What if he never comes back?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if he goes to this Johto place and stays there?" Zorua said suspiciously, "and he never returns?"

"…He will."

Zorua glanced up at me skeptically and I continued.

"I know he will."