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Night

I sighed again. The day was less than half over, and I had already run out of things to think of. Despite the fact that I had a new home, a figurative 'master', a typically normal Pokémon that slept near me, an injured leg and almost no reason to live, my mind was blank. If I was sitting on the cliff outside my old home I wouldn't be like this. I would feel the wind through my fur, I would hear the birds call, and trainers either barking orders, muttering incoherently or trying to coerce one of the wilds into a ball. I still couldn't understand how the Luxray, or Nion as I should call him, can stand to live with these humans. Because, although I was caught in the end, I had beaten Nion. He had passed out from the extreme power his attack required, while I was only paralysed. I had won the battle, but he won the war.

Just thinking about what happened yesterday made my blood boil. I would to slice Nion to bits right now if it wasn't for the trainer sitting in the armchair halfway across the room from me. He was watching the strange black box that was now showing shots of a fire through a valley. Much like if you were standing atop MountCoronet and looked down on the world. I still hadn't figured out how the small box could hold such a large space, but it was something the humans made, so, I didn't care. I could hear Nion's heavy breathing coming from behind me. He had been asleep for about an hour now, and the noise was now beyond just annoying.

I stood up on my cushion, being as quiet as possible, making sure that the trainer didn't hear me. I stepped towards the yellow pillow and stood over Nion. I wasn't really worried about what he might've thought after I did this, but it wouldn't be anything I should worry about. After all, he was only just over a foot bigger than I was.

"Hey!" I shouted into the electric-wolf's ear, causing him to jump awake immediately. While he was in that shocked state, I turned around slowly and made it back to my cushion. I glanced at the trainer who obviously heard my call and he just looked at me confused as to why I made the noise. Nion, however, wasn't as confused as he was angry.

"What did you do that for?" He shouted back, taking a defensive stance on his cushion. I took my time in sitting back down onto mine, making him wait for a few moments before I would at least look like responding. I glanced at the trainer once more, who almost looked like he was going to get up. "I asked you a question! Why did you wake me?"

"Why are you so insistent on making those annoying noises?" I knew that I had pushed too far. I could tell that Nion had struggled to live beside me, or at least that's what he made it out to be. I knew that he still held some answers that I wanted, and I suppose by waking him up like that he wasn't going to share them anytime soon. It was times like these that I wished I thought things through a little more. I assured myself that I would make a note of it.

"What noises? I was asleep!" Nion straightened his stance from being defensive to straight-on once more. Again, it was strange. I figured that he would've only gone defensive from instinct alone, but to change that quickly must've meant something.

"Exactly. So, either you move your bed, or, I'll move it for you. If there's one thing I can't stand more than being here, is being here and listening to you breathe every two seconds!" I paused for a moment. Sure, it sounded pretty stupid, but he knew what I meant.

"How would you know if you hate it or not if it's never happened before?"

His comment struck a cord within me. He was smart, smarter than I had expected. I was completely taken aback by his words. But he was right, and I wasn't going to doubt that fact in my mind. But on the outside however, I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. "If it wasn't for you then I wouldn't be here, and if I wasn't here, we wouldn't be like this." As much as I felt like having an intelligent argument with Nion, I found reasoning overrated for those who can make a point in simpler terms. I stood up from my bed, and whipped around quickly, causing my blade-point tail to slice across his face. I immediately turned around and slid into a defensive stance, only to hear the trainer shout something at me. I didn't care though, words were such a waste of time if you have the power to replace it.

Nion wasn't exactly hurt from my attack, or at least he shouldn't have anyway. There was a small cut on the left side of his face, but that was all. Nion stood still, not making any move. After a few moments of standing still the Luxray sat down and licked one of his paws, then using it to clean his face. There was no whimper, no whine, no noise whatsoever. The trainer was standing over me, threatening with the ball once more, I figured that after the last time he tried that he wouldn't have the guts to put me away. By the time that he had finished shouting at me, the trainer disappeared into another room and came back holding a small spray bottle. He sat down beside Nion and tried to get a look at the wound, only to have Nion push him away and leave it untreated. I watched as the trainer tried to convince Nion otherwise, but he was persistent in being left alone.

They struggled against each other for several minutes, until the trainer gave up and said that if Nion wanted him to heal it, all he had to do was ask. I found this amusing though, how would he know?

When the trainer had sat back down on his chair, and Nion his cushion, I couldn't help myself but ask. "Why didn't you retaliate?"

"I had no reason to." Was his only answer. "Since you have no idea on what is going through my mind, I will leave it at that. It is something that you will never understand."

I laughed at his statement. "Try me."

"It is for another day. You will find out eventually, but until such time. You will remain oblivious."

This time I growled. It was as if he had learnt my character in less than the day we've been around each other. He knew what annoyed me the most without even trying. I didn't want to let him go like that unpunished. But I didn't have a choice. Although I didn't believe the trainer was ever going to put me back in the ball, I didn't want to push my luck. There were actually some things that might just end up good in this situation, no matter how bleak it might seem. I had time to think again, which was going to be used thoroughly. Because this time, I needed it.

* * *

The rest of the day followed that morning, aside from the occasional sir from Nion, all he did was sleep, and all I managed to accomplish was the usual on a day where I couldn't really move without pain. Nothing. But ever since I had put the gash across Nion's face he hadn't said a word. I thought that he was trying to give me space for some unknown reason, but he wasn't afraid of me because the Luxray had forced off his trainer who continued to try and offer aid to the wound. But he would never accept it.

The trainer had put out another bowl of food for us just under half an hour ago when he decided to disappear into another room, this time closing the door. Night had come and so I assumed that was where he slept. From the lights of the city the room I was in hung with an eerie purple glow. I figured that the street-lights from outside would've been a fair distance from the room as it felt like I had been pulled up a fair way by the metal contraption I entered after we first arrived. But it wasn't something that bothered me. I spent my life sitting on the edge of a cliff where whatever humans did walk past looked no bigger than a single of my forepaws. I did occasionally test my strength by climbing up the mountainside, but I always made it home before nightfall, for if I had have left my cave empty for one night, something else would use it and then I would have a fight on my hands.

Nion shifted his position once more, stretching out his legs then turning limp on the cushion once more. When he slept this time though, it was silent. I smiled inwardly knowing that my action had gotten what I wanted, and from what I could only guess, the reason Nion didn't fight back was either because I was injured, or his master was watching. But the main point was that I had gotten what I wanted, with almost no loss. Maybe the trainer didn't like me just that little bit more, but who was I to care? Although the only reason I could come up with was because he wanted me on his good side, and I guess that was another reason why Nion might not have attacked. Oh well. I guess that explains why he didn't attack me the moment his trainer left the room. But again, I didn't care. I was a free prisoner. I could do whatever I felt like, but, I had to stay wherever they left me. And unfortunately, I would happily give away free action to live in my own home.

I sighed softly, not wanting to give Nion any reason to attack me if he felt the want to. Sure, I had free run over whatever I wanted to do, but I wanted to at least try and make some pleasantries. Because as he explained it himself, we were both forced to live under the same conditions, and I did actually want someone to talk to since I had nothing to look at all day. I would have my fun sometimes, but for it only being the first day of us living together, I didn't exactly give a good first impression. Although thinking back on it now, I could see my little attack on him as payback, since he used sneak attacks on me when I was in my home, I had the right to retribution.

I leant forward towards the bowl of lumps and snacked on a few, filling the gap which had emerged since after lunch. But otherwise there was nothing else to do. I yawned expansively, making a slight yelping noise like I normally did. I glanced at Nion for a moment, then back at the far window which sat on the opposite wall from where my bed lay. I was tired, and so, I decided to try and get some sleep, although I knew that it would be easier than falling asleep on a pile of snow. The warmth that the cushion retained was immeasurable, which I knew would allow for a quick turnaround into morning, which was something that I almost looked forward to, as the sooner morning came, the closer I would be to full health, which would only mean one thing. I would escape this room and re-enter the world. Unfortunately it would be with Nion and the trainer at my side, I shuddered at the thought.

"Are you awake?" I heard Nion whisper out if not only just. He was facing away from me as usual so I wasn't surprised that it was so quiet. "Absol?" It was then that he turned around to look at me. He looked somewhat, different, in the dimmed lights, like his entire mood changed as the sun disappeared. It was strange. As he looked at me and shifted the rest of his body to do so as well I was trapped, I had no choice but to talk to him. Although I didn't owe him anything, I was sure that he was smart enough to put together we were now on even terms, even if I hadn't thought about it at the time. "Do you have a name?" He continued to speak, as if not even wanting to wait for me to reply.

I paused for a moment, in truth, no, I didn't, but I guess that because I was now a, 'trainers', pokémon, I didn't have much of a choice. "No." I grumbled out, not really caring what he thought at the time. It wasn't something that I needed, so I never had one. Or at least I think I never had one. The Luxray gave no response, but he continued to stare at me like something was going to happen. Although I did slash him just before lunch with no reason, didn't mean that I was going to make a habit of it. "Can you stop staring at me?"

The wolf quickly darted his eyes back to mine. "Why don't you have a name? Didn't your parents give you one?"

I sighed again. Did I really want to share my life with the thing that caused me to give it up, even though he had shared some of the more important details of his with me? No, no I didn't. "No." I answered again, trying to keep the same tone as before.

"So, what do I say if I want to talk to you?" My eyes dropped, surely he couldn't be that stupid.

"Since I'm the only one that can understand you, I guess you could say anything." I fixed my gaze back on him, only to see that he was staring at another part of me, again. "What is wrong with you?" I asked, wondering if he could actually give an answer.

"Do you remember what I said about how I found you up in the mountains?" I nodded slowly, as if I was talking to a mere Shinx. "Well, it's happening again."

"So, what? You're going to find me again?"

I received no answer as he turned around back to his usual position. Again I started thinking. Why would he tell me that? It's not like I was going anywhere. I turned away from him like he had to me, wondering what the point of the conversation was anyway. I guess it was an attempt at learning my name, which I didn't have. So ultimately for him, it was a waste of time. But then the thoughts swelled through my mind again, as if he was purposefully trying to annoy me with the answer to a question that he had caused me to acquire. I lay still for several minutes, wondering if he was going to say anything else to me. And for the most part, nothing came.

"What if I told you that you were the first pokémon I have actually talked to, that wasn't in a battle?"

I stayed my position, as I hadn't heard Nion move, so obviously he wasn't facing my back. I probably had better use of the energy than to turn around and talk to him. But it was only nice to do so. "You do know you're the first one I have ever talked to, and received an answer from."

"Yes, I do know that. But the only difference between you and me, is that I hatched to a trainer, and you hatched to the world."

"No, the only difference between you and me is that you have lived with someone besides yourself in your life, while I only ever had me. And even though now I do have you to talk to, everything that I want to know, you keep hidden from me. You are worse company than myself, because at least when I couldn't find an answer, I knew it was out of reach, but you know my questions and their answers, yet continue to keep everything from me!" I'd had enough of talking. Either he was going to leave me alone, or I was going to force the answers out of him.

It was then that his facial expression changed back to its normal perception. As if my little rant had woken him up again. "The reason that I don't tell you anything is because I want to try stay remotely friendly with you. I know that if I tell you the answers now, you will either attack me, or leave here with no further statements." I had pushed him too far. Sure, I wanted my answers and I didn't care what the cost was to get them. But he seemed insistent on the 'friends' concept. But if we had to live together, I guess that we didn't have a choice but to be friendly with each other. I heard Nion sigh heavily, I figured that he was waiting for a response, but I was going to wait for him to talk to me again.

Several moments passed in silence. I lay still, but Nion's breathing had become heavy once more, and the moment I turned my head around to tell him to stop the noise, he spoke again. "You don't understand what I've seen, and what it's like to live what I have." He was quiet once more, a sense of understanding was clear but he also spoke with more passion than I had heard before. Maybe he was holding things from me for a good reason, not that it was going to stop me from trying anyway.

"I may not understand what you've seen, but I fail to believe that I wouldn't understand."

"Then why can't you see it? It is right in front of you and you don't even realise it. Your answers don't have to come from me, they are around you. Just look at the big picture for a while." He paused for a moment after taking another deep breath. "Maybe you can understand what I'm talking about. But maybe you just haven't seen it before in the world."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked quickly. If the answer was right in front of me, then I think I would've found the answer by now already. It sounded like he was addressing me as a child, like I had just hatched. Speaking of answers before my eyes. Of course I would've seen it by now, he's just trying to lead me off track.

"Goodnight, Absol." Nion answered softly.

"Wait, why did you say that if it meant nothing? I think I would've seen it if it was right before me." I argued back, but received no answer.

I sighed heavily. My thoughts of sleep that occurred no more than ten minutes ago, had completely vanished from my mind. But now I would have to try and grasp what he was trying to say. I doubted if what he said was true, but it wouldn't have been said for nothing. There must've been a clue in his words that is the answer. I growled inwardly at myself. I was sure that the answer had been said, or at least a clue to it anyway, but I couldn't put anything together. He said that the answers didn't have to come from him...

No, they must because I have never heard of what he said before, that was a lie... I had to look at the big picture. What picture? I couldn't look into the future, but that would've meant that I needed to learn from my mistakes. But what would my mistakes have to do with anything? All I could see was me being forced to live with him until the trainer decided to either let me go, which I knew was never going to happen. Or, he caught another pokémon. But if he searched for a year to find me, without catching another one, why would he randomly catch another?

I growled at myself silently again, Nion did this on purpose. He wants me to get distracted by this, allowing him to get away with it again. I'll get him in the morning, it's not like I have anywhere to go. But either way, it was going to be a long night.