Like a sleek Liepard on the hunt, she waited calmly for her prey to approach.

Like a graceful Lopunny, she'd spring into action when the time was right.

Problem was, she was neither sleek like a Liepard, nor graceful like a Lopunny. But Muk didn't care much about that. She didn't seem to care about much, in fact. She was just happy the way she was. She didn't seem to pay attention to her smelly and slimy body, or the way people squirmed when they first saw her. There was really only one thing she seemed to care about.

And that would be hugs.

No one was quite sure were this trait of hers began, because she hadn't been like that at all when she had first entered the lab. In fact, Muk had started out as a distant and hard Pokemon, and aggressive to anyone that came near her. Once the leader of a rowdy group of Grimer, perhaps she had simply been bitter about losing her little gang. And maybe simply living with the caring Professor Oak had opened up her heart more than anyone expected. Though the reason didn't really matter, because now Muk was guaranteed to greet anyone that came near her with a giant, slimy hug.

Though this wasn't just a habit, but Muk treated it as an art.

The Professor was getting better at recognizing when she'd strike, so she had to keep her game up. Find new places to hide, discover different tactics of striking, learn when and where to expect the Professor, or anyone for that matter. She didn't care who was the victim of her suffocating hugs, though the Professor was her favorite. Muk shifted in her current hiding place, she was sure that she'd just found the perfect location.

She had never tested the limits of her body before, but it turned out that despite her size, she could fit in surprisingly many different places. Though she had needed to move the book shelf forward a few inches, it was barely noticeable. No one would suspect that behind the wooden bookcase was a sludge monster waiting to pounce. Her slimy body was currently thin and narrow, pressed up against the lab wall and cool wood of the book shelf. Dozens of science and research books were currently masking her location, and Muk couldn't stop a slight grin from crossing her face. Now she just needed to wait for the professor to come by...

"Hey, Professor Oak, have you seen Muk lately?" Tracey asked, his voice making Muk stiffen, "I have her lunch ready, but she hasn't shown up..."

Despite all of Professor Oak's efforts to transfer Muk to one of the many habitats on his ranch, she always had made her way back to the lab, banging on the windows and doors until he let her in. Yes, she did go outside and explore on occasion, but she preferred to stay in the lab, with her precious Professor Oak. He had been the first person to ever show her kindness, and she wasn't going to be left outside to rot.

"Hmm... Not that you mention it, I haven't..." Professor Oak said, voice sounding nervous, "Usually she'd mauled me by at least once by this time... She's never missed a meal either..."

Muk agreed, she hated missing meals. But she wasn't just about to give up her latest hiding place so quickly, not until she had gotten at least one hug-fest out of it! The Professor just needed to come grab one book... That's all... She could wait.

She heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor, a sign that Professor Oak had quickly gotten to his feet, "Is everything okay, sir?" Tracey asked.

"Something's not right," Professor Oak muttered, "I've gotten through my morning poetry with no interruptions, she has always smothered me while I write them! Every morning without fail! Something must be wrong, Bulbasaur!"

"Bulba?" Bulbasaur's voice replied.

"Go search outside, see if Muk's out there by some chance, though I haven't let her out... Tracey, help me search the lab. She could be sick or something!" Muk smiled as she heard concern in the Professor's tone, but she still didn't leave her hiding place. It had taken too much effort to get back here!

"Can a pile of sludge even get sick?" Tracey muttered, but followed Professor Oak. Muk bit back a giggle as she heard Professor Oak staring to desperately search the lab for her, his footsteps echoing through the building.

"Every Pokemon can contract some sort of disease," Professor Oak replied, voice frantic, "It depends on location, typing, and species... But yes, even a Pokemon that's made of sludge and grime can get sick and have reactions. Pokemon like the Grimer line, which naturally have more bacteria and microorganisms in their body, can react to different things... Even if it's not a sickness, they can have harsh allergic reactions..." Muk could hear the two humans moving about the lab, searching high and low for her. They even walked pass the bookcase she was hiding behind several times and hadn't noticed anything. This was the perfect place to hide!

"What would something like a Muk be allergic to?" Tracey asked, and Muk heard Professor Oak suddenly stop, "... Um, sir?"

"Oh no..." Professor Oak muttered, "I bought a new cleaning solution not that long ago... Many cleaning chemicals can be dangerous to those types of Pokemon... Some of the chemicals can kill the bacteria on their bodies that Pokemon like Muk need to survive... Oh no, what if..."

"Sir," Tracey said, "Please calm down. You only used a bit of that stuff last night, I'm sure that's not enough to cause serious damage to her... if it can at all. We'll find her, okay Professor?"

"Then where is she...?" Professor Oak muttered, "Why didn't I read the ingredients first...? She must have gone out to try to get away from it... I'm so stupid! How could I put one of the Pokemon under my care at risk! And Muk too... I don't like playing favorites, but... I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to her because of me! She's always in this lab, she feels more like my Pokemon than anything..."

Muk's smile faded a bit. Professor Oak really was worried... Was it worth hiding this long if he thought something was seriously wrong with her? While a little joke could be funny, a joke that made him stressed and guilty just didn't feel right. Muk sighed, twitching. No, this wasn't worth it.

"Muk muk..." Muk muttered, carefully squeezing herself out from behind the bookcase. Professor Oak wheeled around, relief on his face.

"Muk!" He cried, running towards her, and she gave him a small smile, "You're okay, right? How did you get back there?!"

Muk nodded, she was okay, "Muk," She said, shrugging in response to his second question.

Professor Oak let out a sigh, "Don't scare me like that again... You really had me worried there for a moment," He looked at her, "You haven't been feeling sick lately though, right? I'm still worried about that new cleaning solution..." Muk shook her head.

Tracey laid a hand on Professor Oak's shoulder, "See? She's just fine, you can relax now."

Professor Oak smiled, "Yeah, guess you're right... Sorry if I over reacted," He looked up at the giant purple blob, "I just didn't want anything to happen to you."

A huge smile crossed Muk's face, and she couldn't hold herself back, "Muk!" She cried happily, rearing up, arms wide open for a giant hug. Professor Oak and Tracey immediately paled, quickly turning, trying to escape the unavoidable and slimy hug.

Muk collapsed on top of the two humans, knocking both of them to the ground. She heard them crying for her to get off of them, voices muffled by her body, but she didn't care. These two humans cared so much about her, much better than the human city she had come from, where she had been treated as a pest. Professor Oak managed to shift her slightly off of him, and he gasped for breath, "M-muk... We can't breath..." He coughed as she wrapped a gooey arm around him, smiling. She knew that they were okay though, they had survived longer hugs than this before. She slid back a little, allowing Tracey to pull himself out from under her, but she quickly grabbed him with her other hand, bringing both lab workers into a gooey hug.

"Y-yeah," Tracey choked out, "We love you too... But if you don't let us go I can't... G-get you your lunch..."

Muk took this into consideration, gave them one more squeeze, then released them. They both stumbled out of her hug, coughing, lab coats covered in sludge. Tracey muttered something about needing a steel type working in the lab, then stumbled towards the kitchen to grab Muk's food. Professor Oak simply sighed, slipping off his dirty lab coat. He looked at Muk, smiling slightly.

"Thanks to you I have discovered one of the best stain removers out there," He said, chuckling a bit. Muk smiled, the Professor never complained about the way she showed her affection. Most people looked at her in disgust, but not the Professor. He was someone she could count on, and depend on. Muk gave him one more smile, then slid off towards the kitchen, wanting that lunch that Tracey had promised. She wondered in her new hiding place was now worthless, or if she could pull it off again. The Professor always grabbed books from it for his daily research, so it wasn't like he could just avoid it. He had been more worried about finding her that he hadn't seemed to realize that she was hiding there in ambush.

Yes, she would get another opportunity soon enough.

She happily took the food from Tracey, who wandered off to the upstairs of the lab, probably to clean himself up from her hug. Muk quickly gulped down her meal, glad that she could enjoy her food in the quiet of the lab rather than the crowded outdoors with Ash's other Pokemon. During her few walks outside she had discovered that she wasn't the only one of Ash's Pokemon that didn't eat with group. The Tauros simply grazed as herd, while food was personally delivered to Snorlax's various sleeping locations for when he woke up.

Then there was Palpitoad. Muk wasn't quite sure of what she thought of the water and ground type, but she was curious. She had only seen him on one occasion when she had gone down to the swampy parts of Oak's lab, curious to see if there were any Muk or Grimer at the lab besides her. She hadn't found any other of her kind, but she had caught the glimpse of the strange Palpitoad.

She tossed her food bowl to the side, sighing. Today was a good day. A full stomach, a new place to hide, and both humans in the lab had fallen victim to her latest hug. Not too bad of a day at all.