Behind the Gyarados and the other Pokémon she caught sight of Vance. Nothing had happened to him.
And from the way they all held themselves, their manner towards Vance was respectful.
Putting that together with the little she knew, the Zorua understood: these Pokémon had been caught by the man in front of her. They were his Pokémon — his property!
Property to be thrown into an experiment or into a battle whenever he pleased.
In that lightless base she had seen far too much of it.
That was why she recoiled from being caught by a human Trainer. She did not want to be a thing like that.
She was a Zorua. She was not property, and she did not want to become it.
Was the human in front of her that kind of man?
What he had done so far had made a good impression on her, and she rather liked him — but a feeling could be wrong. Was he worth following?
"Don't frighten her. Back up, back up — you especially, Gyarados."
"Roar??"
The Gyarados tilted his head, and a question mark might as well have appeared beside it.
Hang on. Why did that sound so wrong to him? And why single him out?
Luckily Vance's next words sent the Aerodactyl and the Slaking back as well, and everyone but the Kirlia withdrew.
Vance had seen the wariness in the Zorua's eyes deepening, so he sent back every Pokémon stronger than she was. Only the Kirlia, being weaker and no threat to her, was left where she stood.
"Roar, roar—"
Seeing the others going back too, the Gyarados looked a little easier. Everyone was going back together, then. As long as it was not only him.
At the same time he looked at the scruffy little black thing. Couldn't even take a hello, could she? What was all that wariness on her face for?
Eat her? She wouldn't fill a gap between his teeth.
And besides, what earthly use was being wary?
Vance's voice came to the Kirlia's ear, telling her to show some kindness and put the Zorua at her ease.
"Kirlia—"
The Kirlia called out softly to show she meant well. She could feel how tense and lost the Zorua was, and she understood it; not so long ago she had been in the same state herself.
So she knew it from the inside.
The Zorua did not change. She stared hard at the Kirlia, then looked at Vance again.
One look and Vance knew what she meant. This was not going to be an easy catch; the little thing had been through something.
"They're my partners. This is the Gyarados, this is the Aerodactyl... all of them hard workers. We train together and we grow stronger together."
Vance ran through his Pokémon for her.
Partners?
It was a new word to the Zorua, but she kept her guard up. Dimly she could feel that the way Vance was with his Pokémon was not the way those people had been — she could feel it in the small things, and in what passed between them.
"Had enough?"
Vance walked forward and crouched down in front of her.
None of the Pokémon stirred. They did not think Vance could come to any harm; at the Zorua's strength, she was nowhere near it.
The Zorua looked up at this human who seemed to carry a light about him, and did not react badly.
"Oooo—"
"Will you tell me about your past? I've found one or two things wrong with you. You must have been through a great deal of pain — the power of a Legendary Pokémon isn't something an ordinary Pokémon can carry."
Vance said it gently, his voice kind, like family asking after her.
Whether it was the concern in the words, or his having read her condition, or the working of the Viridian Power, it opened the Zorua's heart. Crying "oo-oooo", she told him her past, and everything that had been done to her.
She had been born in a forest whose name she did not know. One day she was taken. It was all a blur; she did not know what had happened. After that came the lightless experiments, and the sight of things no one should have to see.
What had become of her old companions and her old family she did not know, though in those cold rooms she had seen a few of the ones she used to play with, howling in agony.
Whatever she wanted to do, whatever she wanted to say, she could do none of it.
And the Legendary power they put into her, several kinds of it at war with each other, hurt her terribly, and left her body changed.
Yet while she suffered, those people were delighted, as though her pain proved them right.
At least she had lived.
A great many Pokémon could not hold on, and died on the table.
"Ah."
Vance stroked the trembling Zorua and found he had nothing to say.
Experiments on Pokémon were progress, to people. To Pokémon they were a catastrophe.
And it was not only the Godbeast Gang in this world who ran cruel experiments. Team Rocket had them too.
A good many of them.
He had seen a few with his own eyes, and been able to do nothing.
The Slaking felt the Zorua's words keenly. Looking back, he had come through the same thing.
What he was, he owed to those experiments too — except that he had survived.
And afterwards it was Vance's help that put him right and freed him of the after-effects.
"So what will you do next? Go home?"
Vance asked it. The Zorua was a pitiable thing.
"Home? I don't even know where home is."
Perhaps the Zorua had truly put her guard down. She did not mind his hand on her now, and let him see how fragile she was.
"Why not stay with me, then? When there's word of where you came from, you can go back. How would that be?"
Vance put it to her, offering that much.
"Stay?"
The Zorua hesitated. She did not dislike the man in front of her, not at all — but to stay...
She looked at Vance, and then at the other Pokémon, and shook her head after all, and hardened herself to it.
"I don't want to stay. Let me go."
In the end she would not stay.
And she watched Vance, to see what he would do next.
Would he do as she hoped and let her leave?
Or would the ugliness come out — would he keep her by force, mean to catch her, or trade her away for something, as that other man had?
"Very well. If you want to go, then I'll see you out."
Vance said it with a mild smile. He did not keep her; he let her go instead.
"You'll let me go?"
Eye to eye with him, she found his look so sincere that he could hardly be lying. He really would let her go.
The Zorua was moved. Something in her wanted to stay, and she pushed it down.
Behind them the other Pokémon looked at one another. So the little black fluffball was not going to be one of them after all.
Was following their boss so bad?
It was very good indeed. Never a worry about food or drink, training plans drawn up for you, guidance given, strength coming on fast.
And a crowd of companions all coming on together, and a fine noisy business it was.
Hadn't she seen that the Kirlia had come and offered herself?
Well, if that was how it was, never mind. They hoped she would be happier once she had gone.
"Be careful out there. There's a good deal out there that's dangerous for you. Let me put your body in order once more."
Vance called up the Viridian Power and set her body in order again, then took out several small, high-density energy cubes, put them in a little pouch, and fastened it on her.
So that she could eat when she was hungry.
"Come on."
His psychic power surged, and Vance and the Zorua vanished from inside the base and appeared on open ground outside.
"Good luck to you, Zorua."
"Thank you. You really are a good person."
The Zorua said it gratefully. She had met a good person, truly.
"There's good and bad out there. Learn to tell them apart."
Vance gave her a few light strokes and stood up.
"I'll be going, then."
"Goodbye, Zorua."
"Goodbye."
Vance watched the Zorua go until she slipped into the green grass and was gone. The Poké Ball that had bound her he had destroyed as well. She was free.
Catching a Pokémon came down to whether the two of you were meant for each other.
Then Vance's figure vanished from the spot as well, and where he went nobody knew.