Living Mysteries (Part 3)

Inferno pelted after Bolt, who still looked closer to Radioactivity's color than his own, but Inferno knew better than anyone that once Bolt made up his mind about something, especially when it came to his nieces, there was almost no chance of changing his mind.  But Inferno should try.  Even though he was running at top speed and Bolt was still outpacing him, he knew his best friend was not going slower to humor him, no matter how much he pretended otherwise.

"Come on, Inferno, keep up!"

"No, you slow down!  I'm going as fast as I can and you shouldn't be going at all!"

"I'm fine!  Moonlight needs my help!"  Thanks, pal, not like your best friend isn't here, too...  "...But fine, I'll slow down!"

Whoa.  Red alert.  Inferno had never heard those words from the Jolteon in his entire life.  He must REALLY be sick...  "...Bolt, you know I c-"

KABOOOM!

A shockwave shook the trees, causing the master battle pair to stumble, Bolt almost falling on his face.  Inferno slowed to a stop next to his best friend.  "...That was Moonlight, right?"

"It had to be..." he panted.

"I've only heard about her powers from Umbreon, but he said her Shadow Balls explode..."

"Yeah, it was her...  She's fine...  Come on."

He picked up a trot as he gradually started to speed up (another hint that he was putting on a brave face), the sounds of an epic battle becoming clearer in the distance, but Inferno paused, a flash of movement darting through the bushes in his peripheral vision.  He jerked his head towards the motion, but it was gone.  A nervous tremor went through his paws, but he forced it away with a small temperature increase.  It was probably nothing.  Just a Patrat.  Whatever it was, he could handle it.  No one could defeat Inferno.

"Come on, Slowpoke!  We've got Dragon Types to fight!" Bolt called over his shoulder, already a number of lengths ahead of him despite being at a loping run.

Inferno had no choice but to follow, despite the unease prickling at his pelt.  Whatever that had been, it was nothing he couldn't handle.  The contest between his anxiety and his ego escalated sharply, however, when something leapt onto the path ahead of them, turning the bend around more dense bushes and trees before Inferno could get a clear look at it and leaving him only with a glimpse of purple fur and a long, thin tail.  "What was that!?" he shouted to Bolt, hoping his battle partner was close enough to have seen it clearly.

"No idea!  But it was heading towards Moonlight!  I'm going ahead!"

"Bolt, wait!" Inferno shouted, running as fast as his paws could carry him.  Bolt was already rounding the bend, lengthening the distance between them, despite being sick...  Inferno had to stop him.  "You can't fight without me, you're not-"

"YOW!!"

Inferno ran even faster, shedding embers as he went before stopping short after the curve in the path, narrowly avoiding trampling Bolt.  He was lying on the ground, legs in the air as he tried to bite at something stuck in his front left paw.  "Bolt!?"

"Thorns!  In my pads!" he yelped before managing to pull one free, spitting it on the ground.  Inferno moved to help, but stopped, looking at the discarded thorn that wasn't a thorn.

"...Those are spikes.  Toxic spikes!"

"Oh great!  Now I'm really going to get sick..." he mumbled, already turning greener.

Inferno just bounded over to help pull the rest of the spikes out before any more damage could be done.  "That was on purpose, why would someone do that..."

"I'll tell you why," stated a harsh female voice from atop a nearby rock.  Inferno jerked his head towards it, already heating up to defend his friend, but he had no idea what he was up against.  Magenta fur faded into dark purple where it bristled into spikes not unlike a Jolteon's, but the large ears, long tail, and general build were almost reminiscent of an Espeon.  She was about the right size, too, but her eyes were a bright neon green and tail was unsplit with an arrow-shaped barb at the end.  Another barb was tied around her back left ankle, this one an item instead of a natural defense.  Inferno had never seen anything like this Pokemon.  What was it?

She continued her speech when neither Eevee on the ground said anything.  "You want to help that demon attack my friend.  And with one down..."  She bristled her fur, curling her tail to poise over her head threateningly as she stared Inferno down.  "You're next."

Inferno squared his stance, preparing for a fight, but hoping he could avoid one.  "Wait, I think there's some mistake here..."

"Coward!" she spat, making Inferno flare up, all traces of anxiety gone.  No one was allowed to call the mighty Inferno a coward.  But this could be avoided...

"Your friend is the Dragon Type we can hear out there?"  Another small explosion went off as he finished his sentence, followed by a furious draconic roar.

"Yes...?" she drawled, tail drifting out of its battle position.  Her expression clearly read 'And where are you going with this?'

"We were going to help the Umbreon ...he's fighting?" he guessed, taking a stab at the gender.  When the mystery Pokemon didn't respond, he just forged ahead anyway.  "...That Umbreon is our friend!  He attacked her after he fought off the Mightyenas, I think he thought she was with them, and..."  He had nothing else to say.  It made sense...

"And why should I believe you?"

Inferno froze, having no way to answer.  It just made sense.  All three of them were only trying to defend their friends.  Or niece, for Bolt.  Sunbeam had even said she tried to stop the fight before it started...

BAM!!

Another shockwave rippled through the forest, and the battle went silent.  Inferno, Bolt, and the strange new Pokemon looked towards it, all three wanting to race towards it to see who won, but not wanting to leave their possible opponent.  

Bolt was the first to move, struggling to his paws despite barely being able to stand.  "...I'm...  Going...  To find Moonlight...  You two..."  He stopped as he swayed on his paws, then staggered to a bush to throw up.  Inferno winced, but the mystery Pokemon looked like she thought this was amusing.

"...All right, Prickles, have fun with that."  And with that, she turned tail and dashed off through the trees towards the battleground.

Inferno couldn't let her get there first, but he also couldn't leave Bolt here...  "Bolt?"

"...Go...  Find Moonlight..."

Secretly, Inferno was thrilled.  The smell was already getting to him, and even though he did feel sorry for his friend...  "I will.  I'll be back with as soon as I can with Clo- Wait, no, she's sick, too.  ...I'll come back with someone!"  With that, he turned tail and raced after the mysterious Poison Type, determined to get to Moonlight first.  A lifetime of chasing after the fastest Pokemon on four paws really teaches a Flareon how to sprint...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He caught up to the Poison Type just before the clearing was visible.  She glanced at him over her shoulder as he ran, calling out, "Not a bad pace, Puffs!  For a Fire Type..."  

Inferno tried to ignore her, but it still somehow stung a little.  "It's Inferno, not Puffs!"  He could see the infuriating grin on her face...  "What are you, anyway!?"

"Ugh!" she scoffed, pretending to be insulted.  "Is that any way to talk to a girl?  You call yourself a male!"  Inferno bit his tongue.  Just ignore her...  She's trying to get to you, don't let her...  Any retort he would have come up with was cut short anyway, as they reached the clearing.  Or what was left of it...  Fresh dirt had been thrown everywhere thanks to several craters from either explosions or Draco Meteors, trees had been broken or uprooted completely, rubble littered the ground, and no place Inferno looked, aside from straight up at the sky, did not have some form of debris.  

Moonlight and the Dragon Type were both still standing, though both looked like they would faint any second.  The Dragon Type was covered nearly inch for inch in bruises, a number of slashes and open wounds also peppered his scales, and one wing hung at an awkward angle.  Nevertheless, he seemed determined to take Moonlight down, who, despite still clearly having her shadow powers active (Inferno could assume the glowing eyes and Dark aura were safe indications), was faring just as poorly, also covered in gashes and bruises.  The Dragon Type forced himself into a charge, barely keeping his paws straight while Moonlight reared onto her hind legs and channeled the dark energy into the ring on her forehead, lacking the energy to jump, both into the air and between dimensions.  They met each other head-on for one last attack, Moonlight's Dark Pulse creating another shockwave, this one visibly black as she turned her opponent's Iron Head against him, making him stagger, then finally fall.  Inferno didn't think she could even register her victory, since the extra energy drained from her the second the attack hit, causing her to revert back to her normal and very injured self, where she, too, instantly collapsed.

Inferno and the Poison Type shouted at the same time, racing forward.  "Moonlight!!"

"Drake!!"

Inferno ignored her completely as he looked Moonlight over.  She was beyond unconscious, though her eyes kept flicking around under her lids, like she was still fighting in her dreams.  Inferno thought hard.  He had to do something, but Clover was sick, so she couldn't grow berries...  He wished he could remember how much of everything she had...  But either way, he had to get her back to camp before she bled out.  "Hang on, Moonlight...  Uncle Bolt's not so hot right now, but I'm here to help..."

He carefully slipped the shiny Umbreon onto his back, fluffing his fur to help stop the bleeding as he walked.

"...Wait."

He paused, looking back over at the Poison Type, who was hovering near her friend.  "...He needs help, too."

"I'm not a Leafeon."

"What?"

"...Never mind."

She sighed, clearly swallowing her pride.  "...Look, wherever you're taking her, it must be somewhere that you have supplies, right?"

"Yes?  Don't you have a place like that?"

"No."

That caught Inferno by surprise.  Did she not have a home?

"... Even if we did, I can't carry him.  I'd poison him."

"...Are you asking for my help?"

She took a second to answer.  "...Yes."

Inferno took a deep breath.  She had attacked his best friend, she was rude, called him names, and he didn't even know who either of them were.  But he knew what the right thing to do was...   "...Fine.  Help me get him on.  But hurt Moonlight and I'll scorch you."  He talked tough, but there was no weight behind it.  He wanted to help.

She gave him a grudging smile as she helped pull the very heavy Dragon Type onto Inferno's back behind Moonlight.  "You're not half bad, Puffs."  Then, after a few seconds, she added, "Toxeon."

"What?"

"You asked earlier.  Name and species.  Toxeon."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AC- Hello again, dear readers!  I have a few very important things to say, so PLEASE READ TO THE END OF THIS AUTHOR'S COMMENT.  Thank you for your time.

First off, hello!!  I have returned!  I finally received a comment requesting a story continuation (I accidentally deleted the notification post before I wrote down your name, but you know who you are, and thank you!!!) and I will hopefully return for good!  I am starting school again, so I may be less hard on myself about posting on time, but I will always post a notice if I'm going to be late.

Secondly, thanks to two artists for today's drawing!  The first is my sister, who drew up the concept art for all three of these new Pokemon, but with a busy schedule, couldn't color them in or create anything beyond Aveon's adorable picture, so the color and shading is where our second artist comes in, one of my very good friends, Sam!  Everyone cheer for Sam!  Yaaaay Sam!  Thanks for getting that done on such short notice!

Thirdly, I was back a week earlier, for those of you who saw my post last Saturday, but in case you didn't, my screen was cracked.  Thanks to my minor OCD, I could not focus on my writing with a line running across my entire screen, so I had to get it fixed before I could post.  Thank you for your patience, sorry for the delay and FOR THE LOVE OF ARCEUS, NEVER FLY AMERICAN AIRLINES IF YOU WANT YOUR BAGS INTACT.

Lastly, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, (for those of you who are skimming and don't care what I have to say (that hurts)), I finally got ahold of my friend who recommended a third medium on which to share my work.  It's apparently by writers for writers, so hopefully, I can get some constructive criticism there.  I'm not moving yet, but I may start next Saturday, and that means no new content will be posted until that medium is caught up with this one.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO KEEP WRITING ANOTHER TRIO OF POSTS BEFORE THEN, please comment.  I will see it and continue the storyarc for another three weeks before stopping again.

As per usual, comment, comment, comment, follow, follow, follow, and let me know if you want me to keep writing!

~Chief

Living Mysteries (Part 2)

Espeon stayed close next to her mate as they continued through the forest.  She was focused on finding clean water for the clan, as she promised Splash she and Umbreon would do, but her thoughts were still spinning behind the focus.

Her first worry, of course, was for her kits, Splash, and the rest of the Clan.  It might have been Sunbeam's and Moonlight's job to discover the source of the poison in the river, but that wasn't going to stop their mother from speculating.  Her worst fear, of course, was the humans from the white building we behind it, but they were far upstream...  It would have to be either a strong toxin or deliberate poisoning to have effects this strong this far downstream.  Even so, she wouldn't put it past them...  She hoped to Arceus that, even if it was coming from the white building, her two eldest kits wouldn't get caught up with them.  They may technically be adults, but that wouldn't ever stop Espeon from worrying about them.

And then there was the meeting that she and Umbreon had before they parted company a few minutes ago.  Espeon was only slightly ashamed to admit that she snuck a peek at Bolt's thoughts before he had taken off.  Poor Bolt...  It really wasn't his fault...  She was tempted to ask Bubbles to introduce her to Buttercup later, to see if she could set the record straight, but not only did she have bigger things to worry about, but Bolt would be mortified if he found out about the meeting.  Espeon set it lower on her list of priorities, but she definitely wanted to help Bolt find love somehow.  The poor Jolteon deserved it...

"Espy, look!"

Espeon blinked once to bring her thoughts back to reality, then bounded over to where her mate was standing.  There was a very small pool of water a few steps in front of him, easy to miss, but it was there.  As Espeon watched, the surface rippled slightly.  "A spring!"

"That has to have clean water," Umbreon said, looking at her with a smile.

Espeon took a step forward.  "I'll make sure..."

"No, I'll get it," Umbreon said, stepping in front of her.  Espeon smiled.  She would be fine...  If anything, she would be able to detect impurities more accurately than he would.  But he always had to make sure she was safe, and she loved that he protected her, so she let him.

He lapped quietly at the water, expression cautious at first, then relaxing.  "It's clear, all right..."

"Then let me have some.  All this talk of water has made me thirsty..."

A screech cut through the air before Espeon could drink from the spring, causing both of them to flinch towards the ground and look sharply towards the sky.  They knew that call.

"Mandibuzz!" Umbreon growled, voicing Espeon's thoughts and fears.

Both bolted for the trees, finding suitable cover, but still able to see the sky.  A blur streaked past overhead, but it was white, not dark brown like Mandibuzzes should be.  Espeon frowned as the real Mandibuzz came into view, chasing whatever they could see overhead.

Espeon reached out her Psychic powers as far as she could to touch the mind of the Mandibuzz's quarry, unable to transmit her own thoughts, but able to catch snippets of their thoughts.  He knew he could outfly the Mandibuzz.  But he had to get past it.  Someone was waiting for him.  He has a job to do.  He had to look for them, but he had never-

He cut off sharply as the Dark Type bird used Smack Down, firing a small rock that struck the other Pokemon squarely in the chest.  The wind knocked out of him, his wings locked and he plummeted towards the ground.

Espeon wasted no time.  "Umbreon, run!  We have to save him!"

Umbreon said nothing as he tore after his mate as she tried to trace their trajectory.  The Mandibuzz would either try to snatch the other Pokemon before he hit the ground, not letting him escape, or it would try to ensure that he hit the ground.  From that altitude?  A bad fall might kill him.

They finally stopped, close enough to where the fall would occur.  Umbreon growled as Espeon tried to find the other Flying Type with her eyes before she stopped him with her mind.  "Espy, help that other Pokemon.  I'll take care of the Mandibuzz..."  With that, he bounded up into one of the nearby trees, waiting for an opening to strike should the vile bird Pokemon come too close.  Espeon was worried about him, but no one was tougher than Umbreon when he wanted to be.

Espeon locked on to the falling Pokemon just before she also saw the Mandibuzz swooping after him with extended talons.  Apparently, retrieval was this bird's job.  Espeon tightened her focus.  She had to time this perfectly.

The other Pokemon was starting to regain control of his flight too late, rolling onto his back before he would have hit the ground...  Espeon stopped him with powerful telekinesis when he was only about a tail-length off the ground, leaving him with a stunned expression as he watched the Mandibuzz streak towards him, then get intercepted and knocked aside by a furious Umbreon with a Dark Pulse-fueled tackle, bringing both of them to the ground.

The mystery Pokemon stayed frozen for a few seconds, then churned his paws in the air.  He was no bird Pokemon.  He was about Umbreon's size, had four legs and light cream-colored fur except for a sky-blue ruffle around his neck and what looked like boots of the same color, with a few wispy feathers trailing off the back of each one.  His tail was also comprised of short feathers that matched his fur color, and he wore a pair of flight goggles on his forehead, caught now by his short, triangular ears.  When Espeon thought most spectacular, however, was the pair of large, beautiful wings that extended from his shoulders.  From a distance, they looked white, but in the sun, Espeon could see the slight glimmer of sky blue in his feathers.

She had never seen anything like this Pokemon before.  The basic shape looked familiar, though, especially with the wings...  Suddenly, she remembered.  The Pokemon hit the ground as she forgot to hold him in shock.

He looked eerily similar to Clover.

Espeon shook her head out and bounded out from her hiding place to help him up, the overturned Pokemon kicking his paws at the air and beating his wings against the ground as he tried to get up.  "Careful, careful, here," Espeon whispered, levitating him back into the air and onto his paws.  

His eyes darted back and forth between Espeon, whom he thought was a bit too close for comfort right now, and Umbreon, still wrestling with the Mandibuzz.  Despite being grounded, the bird was putting up a fight, the two battlers well-matched, but Umbreon still having a clear advantage.  Still, the Dark bird wasn't going down without a fight.  The mystery Pokemon stammered quietly.  "Wh-Who...?"

"I'm Espeon, that's my mate, Umbreon.  We're here to help.  Come here, we can hide."  He followed her hesitantly, clearly still somewhat in shock.  Espeon was trying to push down her own surprise and not read his mind (yet).  She had to make sure he was safe first.  Leading him to a small bush and holding the twigs apart with her mind, she slipped through first and tried to ensure that he had enough space to follow, wings included.  He was able to pull them surprisingly close to his shoulders, however, pushing himself in after her.

Espeon let the bush fall back into place, then let out a loud call to tell Umbreon that they were safe.  Her mate immediately took her signal, kicking off of the Mandibuzz to bound into the Shadow Dimension with Phantom Force.  The Bone Vulture Pokemon struggled to her feet, looking around with glaring eyes for Umbreon before taking off and scanning for her quarry.

The Pokemon beside Espeon started to whisper something, but Espeon mentally cut him off.  Shh, stay quiet.  Think whatever you wanted to say.

Why did you save me?

You needed saving.  We know that Mandibuzz.  It has attacked one of my good friends many times...  Any enemy of that bird is a friend of ours.

...Oh...  She finally gave in and glanced at his memories, trying to hold back a reaction.  He knew about the white building.  He had been inside.  That was why the Mandibuzz had been chasing him.  They wanted to get him back.  But that wasn't what surprised Espeon the most.

The white walls and small cages were all that he had ever known.

The outside world was new to him, huge and, though he pretended he didn't think so, terrifying, at least for the first time.  He had never seen wild Pokemon before, though he knew what an Espeon and Umbreon were.  He was desperate to believe that Espeon was his friend and ally, but the only friends that he knew of before this were two others from inside, the ones that he had been trying to search for.  He trusted Espeon for now, but they were the only ones that he REALLY trusted.

Umbreon suddenly jumped back into the real world behind them, scaring the poor Pokemon out of his feathers.  Luckily, he stayed quiet.  "It's okay, it's just me," Umbreon whispered quietly.

Espeon was immediately worried as she looked her mate over.  "You're hurt..." she said quietly, eyeing the slashes that the evil bird had given him.

He shook his head a bit, smiling slightly.  "I'm fine.  I dealt worse than I got.  That thing'll have to land soon, I poisoned it with Sludge Bomb..."

Surprisingly, the new Pokemon didn't react to that, only nodded silently.  Espeon whispered to him, "Are you okay?"

He nodded.  "Just a bruise...  I'm fine..."

"Good..." Umbreon said as his mate nodded.  After a few seconds, Umbreon spoke again, this time voicing the question that had been echoing around Espeon's mind since she had seen this Pokemon clearly for the first time.  "...Who... are you?"

He replied quietly, still watching the Mandibuzz overhead.  "I'm Aveon."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Comments- I am putting this here today, because I have an important update.  PLEASE READ THE IMPORTANT UPDATE.  You probably saw the art and read the post last week (or, at least I sincerely hope you did), but the design for the mystery Pokemon in Part 1 has changed slightly.  The shape remains the same, but the colors are different.  My sister is redrawing a picture, saying that, quote, "The first one looks like crap on a screen."  However, we are both seriously impressed by the art featured in this week's post (three cheers for my sister!!), and I have seen the amazing work that she has done thus far on the updated artwork.  I will change the post correspondingly (and show you the changes after whatever post it happens on for those of you who are too lazy to scroll back to look (I'd be one of those people, if it helps at all)) when it is finished.

Comment, comment, comment, follow, follow, follow, and tell me what/who you think these new characters are!!

~Chief

Living Mysteries (Part 1)

Moonlight pelted on after her sister, eyes never straying from their destination.  Suspiciously, the sounds of the massive battle weren't originating far from that white human building, but Moonlight wasn't entirely surprised.  Humans ruined everything...

Sunbeam called over her shoulder.  "I say we copy Uncle Bolt!  Go treetop and see what's going on!"

"Fine by me!"  That was another thing Moonlight was good at, and Sunbeam wasn't so bad herself.  Her older sister fell back to let Moonlight take the lead, since she knew from experience what trees where perfect for getting a good view.  Normally, she'd be looking at the sky, but it was the same principle.

Finding a suitably tall oak, Moonlight charged, then bounded high, catching three out of four paws on the bark, but quickly and easily pushing herself the rest of the way up and stepping aside to give her sister room.  Sunbeam wasn't as accurate, also getting three paws on the branch, but overshooting her mark.  Moonlight lunged forward and grabbed her scruff to pull her back up before she fell.  "Thanks, sis..." she panted.

"Sure...  Come on.  We can't waste time," Moonlight said curtly, leaping up into the higher branches.  With easier jumps, Sunbeam kept up easily until they reached the top.

Unfortunately, the view wasn't as perfect as Moonlight had hoped.  They could only see about half of the fight, a massive pack of maybe 20 Mightyenas trying to attack something underneath more trees.  "Sis, what's going on?" she barked.

"Hang on..."  Her Psychic sister already had her eyes closed, probably casting her senses to find the target of the pack's rallying attack.  Finally, her eyes snapped open again.  "There's just one other Pokemon down there!"

"One!?"  Against an entire Mightyena pack!?  How had they survived this long!?  Moonlight made a split-second decision.  "I'm going in!  Something's going on here..."

"Me, too!  Mightyenas don't usually have packs this big!"

"Humans..." Moonlight snarled, already bounding down towards the ground.  It had to be humans.  She was a little worried for her sister with that many Dark Types around, but hopefully, she could hit and fade.  Her telekinesis was getting better, maybe she could find a weapon...  But if worst came to worst, Moonlight would protect her.  The shiny Umbreon's paws hit the dirt below just as Sunbeam mustered enough focus to teleport to the ground, the two taking off again in perfect sync.  Just like their parents, her uncle had once said.  He wasn't wrong.

They finally slowed down at the edge of a small clearing, where the battle was taking place.  True to Sunbeam's word, the entire Mightyena pack was rallying around a single opponent, but somehow, the pack was losing.  The number of Mightyenas already lying unconscious scattered around the clearing put the original pack size at at least 30, but was now down to only half that number in the few seconds that Moonlight wasn't watching.  Even as they arrived, two more Mightyenas went flying, smashing into trees and knocking them out cold, if they weren't already from the force of the attack.  Moonlight narrowed her eyes, trying to see what could possibly be winning in these impossible odds, but only caught a few glimpses of silver in between the mass of black and gray fur.

Sunbeam voiced Moonlight's thoughts as three more Mightyenas got knocked out.  "What...  in Arceus's name...?"

Finally, the impossible battler leaped above the pack, beating a pair of draconic wings to stay aloft. It was bigger than she and Sunbeam were by a definite margin, but still smaller than the Mightyenas it was fighting.  The bright sliver scales that Moonlight saw were complimented by electric blue wing canvas, spikes ridged down its back, and a pair of tiny horns in front of large ears.  Intense blue eyes glared at its opponents, and a small purple orb hung on a string around its neck, glowing faintly.  It hovered in mid-air, flaring its wings wide and throwing its head back, aiming a surprisingly loud roar at the sky, using Draco Meteor, Moonlight discovered as she and Sunbeam had to step back to avoid being hit.  The miracle battler let itself fall back to the ground, charging at what few Mightyenas were left without mercy.  There was still barely a scratch on its scales.

Moonlight watched with wide eyes, speaking quietly without averting her gaze.  "...Sis?  What is that?"

"I..."  She tilted her head.  It had to be a Dragon Type, that was for sure, but Moonlight had never seen anything like this before.  Then again, she wasn't a walking Pokedex like her sister was.

Then, however, Sunbeam said the three words that Moonlight thought she would never hear from her Psychic sister.  "...I...  Don't know."

Moonlight finally looked away from the fight to stare at her sister.  "...You don't know?  I thought you practically swallowed a Pokedex!"

"I did!  I memorized the whole thing!  I've never seen anything like this before!"

Just then, the mystery Dragon Type smashed the last Mightyena away with a crushing Iron Head, then looked straight at Sunbeam and Moonlight.  It narrowed its eyes and squared its stance.  It thought they were waiting to attack.  Sunbeam backed up a step.  "...Uh-oh."  Moonlight was inclined to agree.  This beast showed no sign at all of just having defeated 30 Pokemon.  A single bite to the shoulder and a scratch on its opposite flank were the only indicators that it had even been in a fight at all.  She was tough, but she wasn't sure she wanted to tangle with this thing even if it had been seriously injured.  Sunbeam tried to avoid confrontation.  "We're not here to fight...  We were just worried..."

"Sure you were..." growled the Dragon Type, rough voice dripping with hostility.  He didn't believe them.

Moonlight only saw one possible course of action.  She didn't like it, but if it kept her sister safe...  "Sis.  Run."

"What?"

"Go.  Warn the clan.  I'll hold him off."

"Moonlight...!"

"GO!" Moonlight shouted as she drew energy from the shadow dimension, her reactions and senses getting a million times sharper and raw power coursing through her veins.  The hostile Dragon Type growled threateningly as Moonlight's eyes turned deep purple and dark energy leaked in wisps off of her fur.  Moonlight had taken on the toughest that the Clan of Darkness had to offer in this state with no idea what she was doing.  Hopefully, she could at least keep this beast from hurting her sister.

Sunbeam took a few steps back, the dark energy from Moonlight affecting her merely through proximity, then dashed away as fast as she could.  Moonlight ignored her, not taking her eyes off of her opponent.  This was going to be one heck of a fight.  Hopefully, the forest would still be standing after it was over.

Sunbeam raced into camp, severely out of breath, but in a state of panic.  "Splash!?  Mother!?"

Neither answered her, one passed out and the other not present.  Bolt and Inferno, however, rushed over as fast as they could.  Inferno was the first to speak.  "Sunbeam?  What's wrong?"

"Where's Moonlight?" her uncle asked, looking closer to Radioactivity's fur color than his normal yellow, but ignoring his nausea to worry about his nieces.

"Fighting...  Something."

"Something?" asked Inferno with a tilt of his head.

Sunbeam spilled her story as she struggled to catch her breath.  "I don't know what it is...  We were looking along the river just like Splash told us to when Moonlight smelled a Mightyena and we got ready to fight but it didn't attack us but then another one from farther away howled to signal something Mightyenas don't howl like that we think humans might be part of this-"

"Slow down, down," Inferno cut her off, giving her time to breathe again.  Bolt looked like he might explode, his worried thoughts travelling a mile per minute.  "Mightyenas?"

"Yes...  A lot of them, we found out..."

This time, it was Bolt who spoke.  "How far upriver did you go?"  Sunbeam didn't understand why he was so worried about the location...  Until she read his mind about it.  The place where Clover got her wings and her nightmares, humans poisoning an innocent Leafeon when he wasn't useful anymore, where Espeon, and then Four, got radioactively charged, and the prison of the Legendary Trio...  She shuddered before she could stop herself.  No wonder they were warned to stay away from there...

Bolt took a step closer.  "Careful...  Are you okay?"

"Yes...  Just tired..."

Inferno glanced at his best friend, then looked back at Sunbeam.  "Go slow...  But keep going."

She took another breath, trying to follow his advice.  "We heard a battle...  A BIG battle...  We went to investigate, we saw an entire pack of Mightyenas, maybe 20 or 30 of them, attacking one Pokemon..."

"What!?" both shouted at the same time.

"That's what we thought, so we went to help..."

"You went to take on 30 aggressive pack Pokemon?  That are Dark Types?" Bolt asked as if she was crazy.

"Yes!  We couldn't just do nothing!"  She kept talking to stop Bolt from doing the same.  She needed to get Moonlight help.  "But we didn't have to!  It beat the whole pack on its own!  Easily!  It was barely hurt at all..."  Her audience only stared, so she continued.  "I don't know what it was, just that it's a Dragon Type...  It saw us and thought we were going to attack, too..."

"Huh..." Inferno muttered.  "You'd think that any Pokemon that doesn't actively attack you and isn't a Mightyena is a friend...  At least not an enemy...  Moonlight didn't actively attack it, did she?"

"No," Sunbeam said with a shake of her head, not even questioning Inferno's assumption that it would only be Moonlight.  He was probably right to.  "Not until it tried to attack us...  She told me to run and turned on her shadow powers..."

The two older Eevees looked at each other.  "...You're going to go help, aren't you."

"Of course I am, she's my niece."

"You almost got sick again a few minutes ago."

"So?"

"So, you shouldn't go fighting Dragon Types capable of taking down two packs' worth of Mightyenas single-pawed!"

"Moonlight'll be there.  She's tough without the extra power.  And I was hoping I could count on my battle partner, too."

Inferno sighed, torn between wanting to help Bolt fight and being responsible like Splash asked him to.  Sunbeam took a step towards them.  "Please, Inferno?  I'm really worried about her, and I can take care of everyone here!"

That was all the Flareon needed.  "...Fine."

"Ha," Bolt said, tiredly nudging his best friend's shoulder, but trying to look energetic.  "Come on.  Let's go fight stuff."

This might be a very bad idea... Inferno thought as he helped the trying-to-be-hyper Jolteon out of camp.

Sunbeam tried not to worry that he was right.  Three of the strongest battlers in the Eevee Clan.  They could do it.  They could.

...Right?

Sparks of Romance? (Part 3)

Bolt plodded back through the forest towards camp, paws dragging at the ground.  He had blown it.  REALLY blown it.  If he had a tail, it would be dragging in the dirt behind him.  It had been going so well...  Or...  Not terribly, at least...  But then...

Next to him, Bubbles had offered to walk him at least part way home, watching him in concern.  "Are you feeling any better?"

"Physically, a little..." he muttered without looking up.

The collared Vaporeon gently nudged his shoulder.  "Hey...  It's not your fault..."

"It kind of is..."

"Unless you did it on purpose, I don't think it was."

"Of course I didn't do it on purpose..."

"Then it's not your fault!  Stop beating yourself up over-"

"I didn't do it on purpose, but I still got sick on my new girlfriend!"

Bubbles winced slightly.  "...Look...  I'll try to talk to her.  You made her a beautiful necklace, you two were really starting to get along, you clearly feel awful about it..."

"No, she'll still stay far away from me..." he said certainly, still not looking at her.  "That's just the way my luck works..."

"Don't be like that, you'll find someone," she said cheerfully, bumping Bolt's shoulder slightly harder than she should have at this point.  He stumbled heavily, almost falling over, but catching himself in time.  What was wrong with him?  Normally, he could jump from one tree to another while running at full speed, even if there was a defining gap between them and he was in the thinnest, topmost, and most flexible branches.  Now he could barely move his paws right on solid ground?  Even apparently being sick, that shouldn't bother him.  What was wrong with him?

Bubbles made sure that he was all right before coming closer again.  "Sorry..."

"It's fine...  This is really throwing me off...  I might need a drink, I'm parched..."

"No water, Bolt," came another female voice from nearby, just as Espeon and Umbreon stepped out from behind a nearby bush.

Bolt's throat went dry from both thirst and embarrassment.  What were they doing so far from camp?  Bubbles, however, was far more polite.  "Oh.  Hello."  The couple nodded in greetings.  "You two know Bolt?"

"Of course," Espeon responded.  "We're in the same clan as he is."

"Oh...  I honestly thought it was just a whole pack of Jolteons!"

Espeon laughed in that amazing way that she did while Bolt just tried to hide the fact that he was going redder than Inferno's fur.  He was over Espeon...

Umbreon was smiling slightly, but still watching the new Pokemon.  "And you are?"

"I'm Bubbles.  A friend of Bolt's.  Well, a friend of a friend, really.  Why shouldn't he have water?"

Espeon instantly grew more serious, but it was Umbreon that spoke.  "...Bubbles, you should go home."

"What?  Why?"

Espeon answered.  "Almost everyone in our clan is sick.  We think something is poisoning the river, and I don't want to risk you getting sick if-"

Bolt finally spoke, interrupting her words.  "Wait, everyone's sick?"

Umbreon nodded once.  "Everyone except the two of us, Sunbeam, Moonlight, and Inferno."

Bolt's immediate thoughts were of Three and little Five.  The poor kits...  "...I have to go help..." he said, already preparing for a run.

The Vaporeon took a step closer, looking concerned.  "Bolt, you could barely walk earlier, you shouldn't be running!"

"I have to go!  Three and Five need someone to look after them!"  He didn't let anyone else say anything before he bolted off into the woods, back towards camp.  Forget his failed love life.  If Espeon and Umbreon couldn't be there, then he would.  Those five always came first.

Moonlight trotted alongside her older sister as they continued upriver, just as they had been doing for about two hours now.  Sunbeam was walking with her eyes closed and her split tail curled slightly around Moonlight's so that the Espeon wouldn't crash into any trees, trip over any rocks, walk into her sister, fall into the river, etc. as she cast all of her senses towards the river, trying to detect anything wrong with it.  Moonlight was getting slightly impatient, since that was all they had been doing for the last hour, but it was for the good of the clan...

"Nothing yet..." Sunbeam finally said, opening her eyes again to take a reality check.

Moonlight paused so that her sister could re-orient herself.  "I thought Splash said it couldn't be far."

"We have to be close by now."

Moonlight nodded curtly, then offered her tail again, muttering as Sunbeam anchored herself again.  "I swear to Arceus, if we missed it..."

"We didn't miss it, the plant life under the water is still wilting..."

Moonlight said nothing, just resuming walking slowly and being the lookout.  They were getting awfully far from camp...  And their parents had told them not to come this way when they were younger...  Oh well.  Any tough Pokemon that came at them, they could handle.  They had proven that multiple times.

Still, Moonlight couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking towards something they shouldn't be...  Apparently, Sunbeam felt the same way.  "...Sis, do you feel kind of weird?"

"Like we should turn back or something?"

"Yeah...  It's giving me the creeps..."

Moonlight lifted her nose to the air, about to respond, but froze instead, then addressed her sister in a harsh whisper.  "Sis.  Mightyena."

Sunbeam snapped to attention, ready to move.  She couldn't sense Dark Types, but she could still fight, especially if both she and Moonlight stayed together.  After a few tense seconds, however, when nothing happened, Moonlight crept forward.  It wasn't attacking them...  They were right in the open...

A howl from another Mightyena a fair distance ahead split the air, and the Mightyena that Moonlight had smelled bolted out of hiding, completely ignoring the two Eevees to run towards its packmate.  Moonlight watched it go, then glanced back at Sunbeam.  "...Was that just me, or was that weird?"

"Definitely weird," said the walking encyclopedia.  "It's like it was watching for something until that other Mightyena gave the alert.  That's not a natural behavior."

The shiny Umbreon looked at her sister, the question not needing to be asked aloud.  They were sent out for a reason, but something was up here.  Should they investigate?

A furious roar and a howl of pain rang out from where the Mightyena's howl had come, followed quickly by sounds of a massive fight.  Sunbeam spoke without taking her eyes off of the direction of the battle.  "...We should go check that-"

"Yeah," Moonlight said with a nod.  Something weird was going on, and Moonlight somehow sensed it could be connected to the river.  But what would a pack of Mightyenas acting strangely have to do with her sick clan?  And, she wondered as she and Sunbeam raced towards the sound of the commotion, why was that big, white human building she could see so far away from anything else that reeked of humans?

Sparks of Romance? (Part 2)

I followed Sunbeam's forked tail as it slipped through the undergrowth, trying to stay quiet.  I probably shouldn't have been doing this, but I had made the somewhat poor choice of promising the young Espeon that I would come with her to watch Bolt present his necklace to his new girlfriend.  Sunbeam never forgot a promise, and though I only admitted it to myself (but Sunbeam probably knew anyway), I did want to see what would happen.

I had to stop as my stomach cramped up again.  It had been doing that more and more recently...  Sunbeam paused and turned around as she sensed I wasn't following her, whispering quietly.  "Splash?  Are you okay?"

I only grunted quietly in response at first, but it started to go away after a few seconds.  "...Yeah...  My stomach's been bothering me for a few days...  And I'm really tired...  I think I have some kind of winter cold..."

She glanced back at her intended path.  "...I know I'm holding you to your promise and everything, but if you don't feel well-"

"I'm fine," I interrupted, shaking my head and scattering water droplets from my fins.  I could act normally again, but I still felt achy and exhausted, like I had just fought a hard battle, but I've done more in worse shape.  "Keep going.  I'm right behind you."

Sunbeam obviously saw right through my facade, but nodded and turned back around.  Part of the reason I had to go with her was that, if I turned back, she would still follow Bolt.  And since we found out that Buttercup belonged to a trainer (it made sense, wild Eevees like us were rare), I wasn't taking any chances.

A few minutes later, Sunbeam's thoughts entered my mind.  I see Uncle Bolt...  And that's the human den where Buttercup lives!  Come on!  We can watch from over here!

Slow down, wait for me... I thought back as she prepared to dash towards a lookout point.  Heeding my words, she waited patiently until both of us reached a bush that gave us a good view.

Bolt was approaching the human den, leaf-wrapped package in his teeth as he looked up at the fence, then bounded up easily.  He stayed on the top, looking inside the human's territory when a feminine voice spoke from around the far corner of the fence.  "Bolt?"

The Jolteon turned around, then smiled and jumped back down, putting his gift on the ground upon landing.  "Buttercup!  I thought you'd be in there," he said as a female Jolteon stepped around the corner.  She was shorter than Bolt, and had more weight on her (probably from not having to catch her own food, I though before I could stop myself [Sunbeam tried not to giggle]), but I could see why my clan member liked her.  She was pretty, with striking green eyes and a small, confident smile.

"We can leave whenever we want.  That's why I said I could meet you in the forest, if you wanted to."

"No, my clan might- wait, we?"

She smirked a little at his expression.  "Yes, we.  Blossom and Bubbles wanted to meet you, too."  Hearing their names, a Flareon with a flower behind her ear and a Vaporeon with an ocean-patterned collar followed Buttercup around the corner of the fence.

Bolt instantly looked more uncomfortable.  "Oh...  Hi...  Are-Are you all sisters...?"

Bubbles answered.  "No.  But our trainer would like to think we are."

"We're just friends!" Blossom said with a cheerful tilt of her head.

All Bolt could manage in response was, "...oh..."

Buttercup rolled her eyes with the same smirk as Bolt fumbled for words.  "Besides.  Three girls in one litter?  What are the odds of that happening..." she said with a trace of sarcasm.  I could see why Bolt liked her; she was spunky, but at the same time...

Bolt pounced on the possible conversation topic without thinking.  "Actually, a friend of mine had a litter of five with three girls!"

"A friend of yours?" Buttercup asked skeptically.

"Yeah!  An Espeon I used to..."  I winced.  Come on, Bolt, change the subject...

Bubbles apparently wanted the wild Jolteon to succeed, quickly asking a question before her Electric Type friend could turn Bolt away.  "What's in the leaves?"

"Oh!  Right!" Bolt said, picking up his package again and placing it in front of Buttercup.  "I made this for you.  ...Blossom has a flower and Bubbles has her collar, so I thought I'd give you something to wear..."

He finished talking as the female Jolteon unwrapped the bundle, lifting the necklace inside with her claws.  The gift was very well-made.  Bolt had used some of Clover's vines to weave everything together, since they would never fade and were next to impossible to break, holding the three gems in place with tree sap, the Electric Gem the obvious centerpiece.  It was clearly made by paw, and it was very beautiful, especially for an art project from Bolt, who barely had the patience to wait until prey from the hunting patrols had been laid out.  He must really like this girl.

Blossom gasped with a smile as Buttercup examined the necklace.  "Wow...  It's beautiful!"  Bolt started glowing a little bit at the praise, even though it wasn't from the Jolteon herself.

She did finally speak, though.  "...Did you make this?"  The smirk was gone, replaced by a genuine smile.  It looks like Bolt had saved his hide from his earlier slip-up.  Or, at least, Bubbles had.

Bolt nodded proudly.  "Do you like it?"

"I do..." she said, slipping it over her head.  "Thank you, Bolt."

My vision suddenly blurred before I heard Bolt's response, but I couldn't make out words; everything was muffled, like I was listening from underwater.  My stomach cramped up again, at least twice as painful as the last time, and my throat felt impossibly dry.  My legs buckled, suddenly too tired to support my own weight, and my vision continued to haze until I was seeing double.  Sunbeam was by my side instantly, trying to figure out what was wrong.  I heard her calling my name, telling me to focus, but I could barely see her clearly anymore.  Finally, I felt myself being lifted off the ground via telekinesis just before I blacked out.

Splash.

The familiar voice touched my mind, trying to wake me up.  I wasn't ready to get up yet...  I was too tired...

Splash.  I know you're in there...

Espy...  Go away, it's too early for this...

It's the middle of the day, Splash.  Use Recover.

I'm too tired...

Recover, Splash.  I don't think it's safe for you to soak in the pond.

That got my attention.  Summoning what little energy I had, I forced myself to use Recover, instantly feeling at least a bit better and more aware.  I was lying on the floor, not in my den.  I could smell the other Eevees nearby, meaning I was in camp...  What happened?

You passed out.  Sunbeam brought you back.  I'm giving you a Sitrus Berry, eat it, please.

I did my best as I felt the berry touch my nose, but the best I could do was swallow some of the juice.  It made my throat feel better for a few seconds, but nothing else changed, and soon, I felt just as thirsty again.  Being a Vaporeon, that was cause for concern.  Didn't help much...  Need water...

No water.  I don't think it's safe.

What?  Why?

There was a pause.  ...You weren't the only one that passed out.  Surf and Clover did, too, and everyone but Umbreon, Sunbeam, Moonlight, Inferno, and myself seems sick, too, at least to some degree.

Surf...

He was the first...  We put him in the pond, hoping that he would recover from the water, but he hasn't.  He's just gotten worse.  Snow and Umbreon pulled him out just as Sunbeam came back with you.  His skin is very dark blue, and it doesn't feel as smooth as it should.

It took me a few seconds to process that, but then it all made sense.  Vaporeons' skin changed color from exposure to different water types.  Aqua blue Vaporeons meant that the water was pure.  Even when Surf had been living in the ocean before I met him, him in salt water and me in fresh, the difference between our coloration was barely noticeable.  If his skin turned dark blue after soaking in the pond, that meant something wasn't right.

My other clan members' symptoms fit the theory, too.  Clover, a Grass Type, was reliant on fresh water just like any plant.  The three Eevees that were most dependent on pure water were the ones that were hit hardest and fastest, but since everyone else in the clan had been drinking the same water, it was beginning to affect them, too.  Inferno wouldn't be affected yet, since he needs to drink a lot less water than the rest of us, being a Fire Type, Umbreons have good constitutions, since their fur is slightly toxic, and Espeons have a natural resistance to...

...Poison.

I had to test my theory.  Espy, try a Pecha Berry.  My friend granted my request within a few seconds, squeezing the juice into my mouth.  The change was immediate.  I suddenly had enough energy to open my eyes and sit up, though I still couldn't stand.  "Thank you, Espy..." I said quietly, my voice still rasping slightly.

"Of course, Splash."  She sat down next to me.  "Anything I can do to help."

"Call the healthy clan members here...  Did Bolt come back?"

"No, he's still out..."  She called over her shoulder.  "Splash is awake!  She wants to talk to anyone who's fit!"  

The four Eevees in question bounded over as quickly as they could, Sunbeam smiling worriedly at me.  "How are you feeling, Splash?"

"Not great..." I answered honestly.  "Listen.  I think something's poisoning the pond."

"What!?" Inferno, Umbreon, and Moonlight shouted at the same time, but Sunbeam nodded after a second, either following my thought process on her own or following it directly through me.

"It makes sense..." the young Espeon said quietly.  "But we checked the pond right before Clover passed out.  We're not Vaporeons, but we couldn't find anything wrong with it."

"Besides," said Inferno, "didn't you say the pond is always clean?"

"Yes," I said tiredly, letting my eyes drift closed again, but staying awake.  The Pecha Berry was wearing off...  This must be bad...  "The river flows through the pond...  Little cracks in the side...  Fresh water flows in...  Washes any dirty water out..."

"Then it must be the river," Umbreon concluded.  "If something is poisoning the river, the water coming into camp would already be contaminated."

"Exactly..."  It was getting herd to stay awake again...

Espeon gave me a quick dose of mental sharpness, something her daughter wasn't experienced enough to do yet.  "What do you want us to do, Splash?"

I thought for a minute.  "...Inferno, stay here...  Use whatever Pecha Berries are left to get Clover awake...  So she can grow more...  It's only a temporary solution, but..."

"Got it," the Flareon said with a serious nod.  "What if other Pokemon come here because they drank the water and they need our help?"

"Treat them, too...  If you can...  Tell them not to drink...  Espy, Umbreon, you two have to find a clean source of water...  And figure out a way to get it here..."  They'd need Espeon's teleportation to get back and forth, and while Sunbeam was getting better at it, she could only move herself.

"What about us?" Moonlight asked, just as serious.

"You and Sunbeam...  Look for whatever's poisoning the water...  The water in the pond...  comes from the part of the river... near the Beech Trees...  Has to be upriver from there...  But it can't be too far..."

"Got it," both sisters said simultaneously.

"Good...  I think I'm going to fall asleep again..."

"We'll hurry," Espeon assured me.  I heard four sets of retreating pawsteps just before I slipped back into blackness.

Sparks of Romance? (Part 1)

I woke up as the sunlight that filtered through the pond touched my prism rock, casting a rainbow directly at my face.  It got me awake, but that didn't mean I had to like it...  I still felt exhausted...  and my stomach kind of hurt...  But that might have been from stuffing myself full of celebratory Magikarp when Bolt and Radioactivity had returned.  Nevertheless, Bolt had gotten that rock for me or Snow Day for a reason.  It was time to get up.

Half-falling into the cool water, I tried to pretend I wasn't disappointed that Surf wasn't there waiting for me.  He usually was...  Then where was he?

I increased my pace to jump out of the water, landing neatly on my paws.  Immediately, everyone in the clan turned to look at me, some looking guilty and others just surprised.  I tilted my head.  "...What's going on here?"

Inferno shook off his surprise first.  "Oh, Sunbeam, Moonlight, and Radioactivity were just going to have a 3-way battle."

"This was not my idea..." Radioactivity muttered.

I sighed.  "I thought we were done placing bets on clan battles?"

Umbreon spoke, looking sideways at Bolt and Inferno.  "We are.  These two are not."

I looked up at Surf, who was standing atop the announcement rock.  "And you?  What are you doing up there?"

"Making sure no one actually gets hurt."

Clover spoke from the ground next to the rock.  "But if someone does get hurt, Surf'll call the fight, and I have all of my supplies right here."

I sighed.  "Whose idea was this?"

"Bolt's," Inferno responded quickly and loudly.  Bolt gave his best friend/betrayer a large shock.

Tiny Five flicked her tail.  "Uncle Bolt and Inferno bet their Fire and Electric Gems!"

Moonlight glanced back at her younger sister.  "Do you even know what betting is?"

"Yes!  ...A little!" Five shouted back indignantly.

I tried to hold back a smile.  "That's two bets...  Who has the third?"  Most Eevees' eyes went to the announcement rock.  My mate met my gaze head-on, that mysterious look in his eyes probably meaning that he was up to something, and knowing him, that something probably had to do with me.  "...Why?" I asked, a slight puzzled smile on my face just from looking at him.

"I have my reasons," he responded with a shrug.

I couldn't say anything else to him.  I never could.  "...Fine.  As long as no one gets hurt!"

Sunbeam smiled brightly, probably reading my mind.  "We've set ground rules!  Only three moves each.  No Future Sight, no Phantom Force, no radioactivity poisoning.  We'll be fine!"

"Okay..." I said as I padded to the other side of the announcement rock.

Surf raised his tail.  "Battlers, ready!"  Sunbeam, Moonlight, and Radioactivity all stood and squared their stances, forming a triangle, sister against sister against brother.  Sunbeam waved her tail lazily over her back, Moonlight just stood frozen and poised to move, and Radioactivity twitched his paws a bit as his fur crackled slightly.  He was imitating a shiny Jolteon to prevent hurting his sisters (and possibly bystanders), but a very slight aura betrayed his hidden excitement.  Surf finally slapped his tail to the rock as he shouted, "GO!"

Moonlight immediately pounced towards Radioactivity, who bounced away just as quickly.  Sunbeam took advantage of her younger sister's distraction to jump close and swipe her claws on Moonlight's flank with Quick Attack, then teleported away before Moonlight could retaliate.  The shiny Umbreon changed targets, chasing after her sister now, who only had the skill to teleport once before resting.  Sunbeam was still faster, though, and this gave Radioactivity a chance to use Charge, preparing for an attack.

I bounded up next to Surf as the chase went on.  "Who'd you put your Water Gem on?"

"Sunbeam."

"Really?"

"Radioactivity's the fastest, Moonlight hits the hardest, and Sunbeam has speed, power, and brains."

"And a type disadvantage."

"That's why Inferno bet on Moonlight.  She's the strongest.  But battles aren't always about raw power."

"Says the macho Vaporeon..."

"To the unfairly powerful Vaporeon with an impossibly diverse moveset."

"...Fair enough."

He gave me a teasing smile and rubbed my fin as we both looked back at the fight.  It looked like Surf had been right.  Both Sunbeam and Radioactivity saw Moonlight as the main threat, and so both were attacking her.  Moonlight was fast and had amazing reflexes, but so did her siblings, and they could run faster.  If Moonlight landed a hit, they were in trouble, but as long as they could hit and fade...

Something was going on, though.  Moonlight caught a break, landing a lucky hit on Radioactivity with Dark Pulse, which threw him off balance.  Sunbeam had the perfect opportunity to use Psyshock on her brother and make it a one-on-one fight, but instead, she darted after Moonlight and struck her with Quick Attack again, then used Protect to block the Shadow Ball aimed at her.  The change in attack flow gave Radioactivity a chance to get up and recharge.  It was hard to tell, but Moonlight was getting tired.  Did Sunbeam want Radioactivity in the fight just to be sure?

Moonlight finally did drop out of the fight, thanks to a well-timed Volt Switch from Radioactivity when the shiny Umbreon was off balance from chasing her Psychic sister.  Snow and Clover quickly dove in to help get Moonlight out of the battle zone, despite her annoyed protests that she was fine.  Inferno looked like he might explode.

My suspicions rose further when Sunbeam and Radioactivity stared each other down, both panting heavily.  The scales seemed to be tipped towards Sunbeam.  She would have ample warning to use Protect, since Radioactivity had to use Charge before each attack, she could read her brother's mind, and despite her age, like her mother, she was a very powerful Psychic.  One well-aimed Psyshock could knock out the faux-shiny easily.  Instead, however, the dance resumed.  As a poorly timed Protect led to her being hit with Shock Wave, I wondered if maybe she wasn't reading his mind to make the fight more balanced, but she was still much more experienced than that...

As Radioactivity landed another attack with Volt Switch, this time, knocking her down, I knew what was happening.  Umbreon's narrowed eyes confirmed it.  She was telling him what to do.  Sunbeam was purposefully throwing the fight.  But why?  Surf showed no reaction when Sunbeam was helped to the side by Snow and Clover, leaving Radioactivity victorious.  Bolt, however, was a very different story.

A few minutes later, Bolt was about done flaunting his victory while I was helping Clover and Snow make sure all 3 siblings were all right.  "How does that feel?" I asked Sunbeam as I squeezed Rawst Berry juice over one of her friction burns (earned when she slid across the ground from the force of Radioactivity's last attack).

"Much better...  Thank you, Splash."

"Sure," I responded, looking over at where Snow and Clover were helping Radioactivity and Moonlight respectively.  One had a much more willing patient than the other...

"I'm fine, Clover, really."

"Moonlight, please sit still..."

"Stop worrying about me and worry about how your leaves are wilting..."

"They're not wilting, it's just the cold...  It happens every fall..."  But she did sound more tired than she did earlier.

I shook my head and drew my attention back to Sunbeam, leaning a bit closer.  "So, Sunbeam..."

"Why did I throw the battle?" she whispered back quietly.

"Wow, you have no reservations about mind reading, do you."

"No, not really," she said with a small smile.  "And I helped Radioactivity because Bolt wanted the gems for something."

"He does?  Why?"

She snuck a glance at the older Jolteon.  "...Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course I can..." I whispered, following her gaze.

"He's going to make a necklace.  For a girl Jolteon he met named...  Buttercup?"

I had never heard the name before, but Bolt?  Making a necklace?  For a girl?

"He's going to give it to her in three days..."

I gave her a critical look.  "Why are you telling me this?"

She looked away innocently.  "...I was kind of hoping to follow him...  ...And if you were with me, we could pretend we were hunting or something..."

I tried to say no.  Bolt's private life was just that.  Private.  ...But I did want to know...  Especially if this was him finally getting over Espeon, I thought before I could stop myself.  Sunbeam either didn't hear or didn't react.  Finally, I gave in.  "...Fine.  But just this once."

"Yes!" she cheered quietly.

I tried not to feel guilty that I was letting my kit-like curiosity overtake me, but still...  Bolt finally looking for love again?  This, I had to see.

With a Spark and a Buzz (Part 3)

Radioactivity crept towards the humans' building complex, trying to remember how to get where.  Zapdos had flown overhead a few times with Radioactivity perched on his back this time (Best.  Experience.  EVER.) so that both of them could make a map in their heads.  After a few passes with Radioactivity quietly wondering how he missed the electrical cracks and pops the Legendary's wings gave when he flew with him the first time, Zapdos had explained the plan.  Radioactivity wasn't sure he liked it, but it sounded like it would work...

"Power storage...  Power storage..." Radioactivity whispered to himself as he trotted quietly between buildings.  "It has to be somewhere nearby..."  An open building looked promising, so he dashed inside as quickly as he could, but slow enough so that he could stay quiet.  Luckily, being quiet was one of his strong suits.

This HAD to be the place.  The inside of the building looked unreal.  The main focus of the room was something that resembled a giant battery, with lots of wires and cables connecting both to a glass dome directly underneath the battery and the numerous cages around the room, most of which had Electric Types trapped inside.  Radioactivity could only stare at first, but snapped back to attention when a Raichu in a nearby cage spoke quietly.  "...Who are you...?"  He sounded exhausted.

The faux-shiny Jolteon stopped, sneaking closer as he answered.  "I'm Radioactivity.  I'm going to help you get out."

The Raichu nodded weakly.  "Thank you...  They're draining all of our power..."

"What?" Radioactivity asked, horrified.

"They're using it...  For something...  Any time we make so much as a spark..."  Radioactivity looked back at the massive battery.  If Zapdos was right, adding his buzz to that thing would cause the system to fail, but he didn't want to risk getting these poor Pokemon hurt because of it...

Radioactivity suddenly remembered his and Bolt's pit stop at Ecruteak City.  "...Okay.  I'm going to try something.  Touch the wire that connects to that thing in the middle, but don't use any electricity.  Tell the other Pokemon to do the same.  Just be quiet!"

The Raichu nodded, lifting his tail and touching the tip to the wire, then leaning over and whispering to the Pokemon next to him to do the same.  Radioactivity watched for a few seconds as word started to spread around the room, the energy from the previously defeated Pokemon slowly becoming more hopeful.  The younger Jolteon smiled.  He did that.  He couldn't make other Pokemon feel only uncomfortable.  His presence was making them happy now...  But only if his plan actually worked.

Bounding to the glass dome in the center of the room, Radioactivity tried to quell his fears.  It wasn't hard to figure out how this worked...  and the door was open...  He swallowed his anxiety and stepped inside.  Just a single radioactive charge...  No big deal.  It should force the electrical energy out to try and compensate for the new energy coming in.  At least, that's how Zapdos explained it.  Neither of them had known whether this would work at all...  But he had to do something.

He pushed all of his energy into the glowing aura that hummed around his fur, then forced every ounce of it into a tight beam and shot it straight up.  "Come on..." he muttered, gritting his teeth.  "Keep going...!"  So focused on overloading the machine, he didn't keep track of just how much energy he was using until his vision started to haze, he swayed on his paws, and then he collapsed on the floor and passed out.

Radioactivity woke back up with a jolt as something blasted him with electricity, causing him to leap to his paws, fur bristled and sparks of both electricity and radioactivity jumping around his fur.  At least his glow was back, too...

His attacker/helper jumped back.  "Easy, there, Buzz!  Just snapping you out of it!"

He shook his head out, looking at the other Pokemon in shock.  "Uncle Bolt!?"

"Yeah!  The Electric Types that you freed are starting a revolution!  They're fighting off the humans!"

"Really?" Radioactivity said with a growing smile.  They had done it!

Bolt grinned.  "Your new friend got me out of my cage.  He mentioned teaching you how to be a Jolteon, and he was really worried when you didn't come out."

"Zapdos..." Radioactivity whispered again.  The Legendary Thunderbird Pokemon had been worried about him?  "Where is he?"

"Outside, helping to fight the humans.  You charged enough?"

"I think so..."

"Good!  Come on!"  Bolt didn't even wait for his nephew to respond before blasting outside again in a familiar, crackling yellow blur.  Radioactivity smiled, then dashed after him, emerging into the sunlight to complete and utter chaos.  Thunderbolts were flying everywhere, some with weak charges to re-energize teammates, others with as much power as they could pack into them.  Several flew back and forth from the sky, where Zapdos was circling overhead, firing a staggering amount of attacks of his own, but also powering Electric Types that needed it when he spotted them.  Many of them were returning the favor, making sure the Thunderbird Pokemon stayed in the air and leading the attack.

Bolt jumped headlong into the fray, firing Thunder, Thunderbolt, and Lava Plume at any trainer that he saw, switching tactics to Extreme Speed when facing a Ground Type.  Luckily, most of the Pokemon seemed to know at least one move that wasn't Electric...  And if they didn't, they'd swap with someone who did.

Suddenly, Radioactivity heard Zapdos cry out in fury, except the Legendary himself hadn't opened his beak.  Without warning, two Zapdoses rose into the air, flying at high speeds towards the real Legendary.  Zapdos himself gave a furious call.  "HOW DARE YOU USE DITTOS TO IMITATE ME!" he thundered, sweeping his wings forward to launch a wicked Zap Cannon at one of the impostors, his attack finding its mark, but only slowing one of them down.  One, he could handle easily, but two?  Someone had to do something!

Radioactivity looked around desperately, but the only thing the Electric Types on the ground could do was give the real Zapdos more energy to fight.  If the fight became physical, which, since Zapdos had mentioned knowing Drill Peck, it would, there wasn't much anyone could do.  If Zapdos fell, so would the rest of the Electric Types.  Some might escape, but not Zapdos.  It would be over for him.

Unless Radioactivity did something about it.

He looked for height.  The tallest thing around was the building...  He just hoped that it would be tall enough.  Scanning the chaos quickly, Radioactivity spotted a levitating Magnezone and dashed towards it.  "Sorry, I need a lift!  I need to get on top of the building!  Hurry!"

Though seeming a bit confused at his request, the Magnezone floated low enough for Radioactivity to jump on top of it, then slowly rose into the air until the glowing Jolteon could make the second jump to the rooftop on his own.  "Thank you!" he called before turning back to the trio of Zapdoses.  He could tell which one was real based on the direction of the attacks, but they were still too high up for Radioactivity to move his energy to the fakes.  That would weaken them, and Zapdos could easily fight them off.  But they were flying too high...  Radioactivity couldn't move his glow that far!

Bolt's shout came from below.  "Radioactivity!?  What are you doing!?"

"I can't reach the fake Zapdoses!" he called back without removing his gaze from the aerial battle.

Instead of responding, Bolt fired a weak Thunderbolt at Zapdos, then focused and launched a much stronger Thunder at one of the fakes, making it flinch and giving the real Zapdos a second to breathe, but it barely did any damage.  Radioactivity could only watch as Zapdos started to get pushed back, even with the second that Bolt had bought him.  There was nothing he could do...

Wait.  If Bolt could reach them, why couldn't he?  Because you can't use Thunderbolt, his mind said quietly.  Radioactivity tried to shut it out, an idea coming to him.  A crazy idea.  But it was the only thing he had.

Squaring his stance and using Charge like Zapdos had taught him, the glowing Jolteon focused on summoning both his electricity AND his radioactivity, forcing the two together.  "One..."  He tried to aim and direct the energy, rather than just throw it out around him.  "Two..."  He gritted his teeth as the combined power threatened to overwhelm him.

"THREE!" he shouted, somehow firing a radioactive Thunderbolt that struck one of the fake Zapdoses squarely in the back.  The Ditto seized up, glowing and crackling, before it plummeted to the ground, dropping out of the fight.  Radioactivity swayed on his paws, decidedly yellow-furred and without power of either kind, watching as Zapdos gained a second wind, raining blows onto the other Ditto until it, too, fainted.

Radioactivity couldn't hold himself up any more, collapsing for the second time, but remaining conscious as he watched the fight finally swing towards a decisive victory.  They had done it.  Zapdos flew in his direction, landing heavily on the rooftop beside him.  "Well done, Radioactivity."  The young Jolteon smiled weakly, hearing Zapdos's last three words before he fell asleep.

"You did it."