Arcanine's slobbery tongue laps my face, I immediately notice something's missing.

I get up and go to the bathroom, he's not in there either. Type: Null is also nowhere to be found. Just as I think he's gone, I notice his backpack is still here.

I curiously peek out the blinds. There's the back of Gladion's head, along with Lillie and Hau's. I also see police cars and an ambulance. I hurriedly slip on my shoes and rush out the door.

The situation outside is very sobering.

A small crowd has gathered around the motel and a police officer is ordering everyone back. A second police officer is talking to Rosie, he writes in his notepad while she talks to him. She keeps wiping tears from her eyes, and at a certain point, she gets so upset she can no longer talk.

Paramedics wheel a stretcher out of the room next to us, a blanket is over the body, covering even the face. Tears begin to burn my eyes when I realize it is a corpse.

Ninetails cries out from the doorway as they lift the gurney into the back of the ambulance. My heart sinks when I hear its melancholy cry.

Hau and Lillie rush to Rosie's side, she buries her face into her apron and begins sobbing bitterly.

I sit down on the stoop next to Arcanine a burry my head in my hands. I'm overcome by a feeling of emptiness and disbelief.

The police man rubs Rosie's back sympathetically and the other officers tell the crowd to disperse. As the paramedic shuts the back door of the ambulance, Ninetails rushes up to the vehicle. It sniffs the back of the ambulance and lets out a sorrowful howl.

The paramedic comforts the orphaned Pokemon for a moment. Her radio sounds off and she gives the Pokemon one last pet before climbing up into the rig. The engine rumbles and the large vehicle pulls away towards the highway.

Ninetails lets out a whimpering cry and bolts down the road after the ambulance. Gladion jumps off the porch and sprints after it.

I follow them as fast as my feet can take me. The rocks and gravel cut my bare feet to shreds as I desperately try and catch up.

The ambulance turns onto the busy highway and accelerates down the road. Desperate screams cut the back of my throat as I watch the loyal Ninetails dart out towards the traffic.

I try with all my might to make it stop, but nothing I do can block out the sound of Gladion's voice, bellowing over the shrill screeching of car breaks.

After a few moments pass I open my eyes. Gladion is in the middle of the street, signaling oncoming traffic to stop. Once the commotion has come to a standstill, he walks up to the stopped semi and talks to the driver for a few minutes.

The driver honks his horn and Gladion gives him wave good-bye.

With a hiss, the semi pulls back onto the road, and drives away. Gladion looks incredibly sad, dread comes over me, I fear the worst. His hands are buried in his sweatshirt pocket and his head is hung low. He stops in front of me and inhales sharply through his nose.

He puts a hand on my shoulder for a moment, I stand there trembling. He reaches into his pocket and places a Pokeball into my hand.

"I think you should have it," he whispers.

Sweet relief washes over me as I wrap my arms around him, letting a few tears drop onto his bulky, black sweatshirt. Wiping the tears from my eyes, they happen to land on the strange Pokeball. It's a model I have never seen before. I study the strange pink orbs on the sides and trace the M imprinted in the middle.

"What kind of Pokeball is this?" I mumble.

"It's a Masterball," he explains, "It catches any Pokemon without fail. They are extremely rare," he pauses for a moment.

"I was hanging onto it for something special, I guess this was it."

We gaze into each other's eyes for moment. He places his hand on my tear stained cheek and lightly kisses my forehead.

"I'm giving it to you because I know you will be able to help it," he says softly.

Gladion grasps my arms and pulls me in closer, running his hand up and down my back. I let myself be comforted by him for a few moments. I notice him quickly wiping his red, glassy eyes. He didn't know Gordon or Ninetails, but he has no problem letting his emotions show.

We pull ourselves together and walk back to the motel. Lillie is sitting on the edge of my bed, crying into Hau's shoulder. Gladion shuts the door behind us and takes a seat next to Lillie.

In the doorway, I stand staring at the Masterball in my hands, remembering how the Ninetails risked its life to follow its partner's body.

A dark question enters my mind. Are Pokemon capable of becoming suicidal?

I remember Gordon telling me that he found it as an abandoned egg and carried it in his shirt until it hatched. It dawns on me that the Pokemon has probably never been in a Pokeball before. As far as I can tell, it just followed Gordon on its own free will.

I lower myself to the floor and release Ninetails from its ball. Its black, shiny eyes meet mine for a minute before uttering a terrible cry. It slinks off into the closet, hiding itself from me.

Trying my best to stay silent, I crawl to the closet and put my ear to the recumbent door. The Pokemon's pitiful whimpering can be heard on the other side, the sorrow in its voice breaks my heart.

Gladion crouches down next to me, listening to the heart broken creature cry. His hand lands on my shoulder, his touch feels, strangely comforting.

"I really hate to do this to you, but I have to leave now."

He gives me a quick kiss before heading out the door, leaving again, without a good-bye.

After the door shuts behind him, I turn my attention to Lillie and Hau. They are both peering down at me from the bed with red, puffy eyes.

We all sit on the bed in silence for a while. I find myself fiddling with Ninetales' empty Pokeball to distract myself from the grief.

Hau notices I'm still very upset and rests his head on my shoulder. We sit like this for a moment before he picks the empty Pokeball out of my hand. He examines it very carefully.

"Moon..." he asks in a very serious tone, "where did you get a Masterball?"

He sits up and I explain to him what happened with Gladion and Ninetails. When I finish, he places the empty Pokeball back into my hand. He stares at the ground and shakes his head.

"It's a good thing Gladion was there!" he says, wiping his runny nose with a balled-up tissue.

"My brother is a very intuitive guy," Lillie adds with a sniffle, "He tends to shut people out sometimes, but deep down, he is a very caring person. He just has a funny way of showing it. I think most people would consider him, a bit, different."

"It makes me really happy to see you two together," Lillie adds.

"Thank you for inviting him over last night. I know you had no way of knowing, but it means the world for me to know that my brother is still alive."

Arcanine rests its large head in my lap. I give it a big squeeze, burring my face in its thick fur to escape for moment. Thinking of Ninetails, I grab the old bucket I was using for Arcanines water and fill it full of fresh water from the bathroom

Placing the bucket down next to the closet, I peer inside. The creature's sad, dark eyes glimmer in the darkness. It slips its snout out and sniffs the air.

Reluctantly, Ninetails leaves the nook. It takes a few laps of water before returning to its grieving place.

I want so badly to hold the heart-broken Pokemon, but I know it's far too early for that. I'll let it be for now.