Tension Builds (Part 3)

Espeon and I walked out of her den with conflicted emotions.  Espeon headed right for Umbreon.  She was going to tell him.  I looked over at Bolt.  I had to help him.

I shook my head and tried my best to look cheerful.  "Hey Bolt!  I'm going hunting!  Want to come?"

He looked up suddenly as I called to him, a slightly forced smile crossing his face.  "Sure."

Surf bounded up on the other side of me.  "I could come, too!"  I gave him a look that said "Not now."  He faltered.  "...But I have to... keep watch while you're away...?" 

I gave him a concealed smile.  "Some other time, perhaps."  He took my grateful look with a nod and walked slowly towards the lookout tree.  I looked back at Bolt.  He was a lot less perky than usual, and he had a melancholy air.  I had to think of a solution.  Fast.

Bolt inclined his head towards the entrance.  "Shall we?" he asked glumly.

I nodded and trotted next to him out of camp.  We walked in silence for some time.  Finally, Bolt broke the silence.  "What do I do!?"

I stopped walking and looked Bolt in the eye.  "Listen...  I think you need to talk to Espeon.  She knows that you like her, but I don't know what she would want me to tell you.  I say you talk to her ASAP.  She's talking to Umbreon right now, but..." I kept my eyes on his as he turned away at this news.  "But, if you ask me, hunt for a bit.  Think things over.  When you're ready... go talk to her."

Bolt looked at me like a wounded Growlithe.  "...Ok..." he finally conceded.  Without looking at me, he turned and walked off into the surrounding forest.  He didn't run.  He didn't bolt.  He didn't even trot.  He just walked.

I returned to camp alone.  I felt terrible.  How else was I supposed to tell him?  Espeon should be able to tell Bolt whatever she felt was right.  She was the one who was pregnant.  It wasn't my place.  Either way, though, I still felt like I kicked him out of the Clan personally.

Surf slid out of the exit tunnel as I staggered towards my den.  "Hey!  Snow's on watch.  What was all that about before?  And where's Bolt?  ...Why do you look so down?"

I looked at him, dragging my paws.  Even my tail was dragging in the dirt behind me.  "Surf... I... did a bad thing.  I really hurt Bolt."

Surf rubbed fins with me.  "Hey... It's ok.  I'm sure that, whatever happened, it'll be fine.  You always make the right decisions."

I sighed.  "Not this time.  I need advice.  I'm going to take a nap."

Surf nodded.  "He'll help you."

"Thank you, Surf.  For understanding."  With that, I half jumped, half fell into the water of the pond, sinking to my underwater cave, pulling myself out, and curling up in my soft bed.  Sleep was a welcome break from the stress.

I opened my eyes in the usual place I met Suicune, on the shore of a huge, clear lake.  I stood up and shook myself off.  "SUICUNE!" I called.  "I NEED YOUR HELP!  ...I did something wrong..."

The Legendary of the Water appeared on the opposite shore, racing across the glass-like surface of the lake at impossible speeds.  In a blur of motion, he was there beside me.  "It's ok, Splash..." he soothed.  He laid down next to me, getting on my level.  "What's wrong?  You seem terribly distraught."

"I am," I moaned, falling to the sand myself.  "I think I broke Bolt's heart."

Suicune shook his head.  "What on Earth makes you think that?"

I tried to say one word.  Instead I said everything.  It all came out at once.  I told him everything.  When I was finished, I was on the verge of a major breakdown.  Suicune was sympathetic.  He nuzzled my comfortingly.  It did actually make me feel a bit better.

"It'll all be ok," he soothed.  "You made the right choice.  There was no easy way to break that news to him."

"Then why do I feel so terrible?" I pleaded.

"Like I said, no easy way to do this.  It was good of you to get the stress out here, rather than in front of your Clan.  They look up to you.  They look to you as an example of what to do in tough situations.  It's ok to lose it every so often, but you should never lose it in front of your friends.  It's your job.  You need to tell them it's all right.  Give them someone to come to for comfort and advise.  You have me.  They have you."

What he said made sense.  I had to be strong for my Clan.  "But where do I go from here?"

Suicune was deadly serious.  "Find Bolt.  As soon as possible.  He's hurt.  He may do something rash."

I woke up with a gasp.  Leaping from my bed, I dove into the water, shot towards the surface like a rocket, and launched myself from the pond just as fast, landing on my paws and running for the entrance as fast as I could.

Surf was almost hit by my tail as I flew by.  "What's the matter?  What happened?"

"Tell you later!" I shouted.  "I have to find Bolt!"

I tore into the forest, searching for a flash of yellow fur.

"Bolt!?" I yelled.  "BOLT!?"

But Bolt was gone.

Tension Builds (Part 2)

I stood up and took a step towards Bolt.  "If anyone can help you with this problem, it's her!  This puts me in a really awkward position."

Bolt looked away.  "I know.  I was just hoping you could... give me some advice?  Or something?

"I..."  I stuttered.  What was I supposed to say?  "I... really think you should talk to Espeon."

Bolt still looked horrified.  "Nuh-uh!  No way!"  He went on stoutly refusing the idea as Espeon quietly padded up behind him.  Oh boy.  "I don't know if I can ever talk to anyone else about this!"

Espeon sat down behind the hyperactive Jolteon.  "Of course you can, Bolt.  We'll help you."

Bolt nearly had a heart attack.

I bit my lip.  Why was Espeon here!?

Reading my mind, Espeon responded.  "I know this is a bad time, Splash.  I need to speak to you in private."

What, was it Make Splash Feel Uncomfortable Day?

Espeon shook her head.  I leaned away a bit without thinking.  "Please stop."

Espeon nodded.  "Sorry.  But this is urgent."

Bolt finally regained his speaking ability.  "Go.  I'll... do something."

Espeon inclined her head towards her den.  I shrugged.  She got up and quietly walked over to the log and ducked inside.  I had no choice but to follow.  Umbreon gave me a nod as we passed, him walking towards the prey hole.  As I slipped into the cozy log den, Espeon sat down in front of her bed.

"What's so important?"

Espeon gave me an apologetic look.  "I'm sorry that I cut in with Bolt.  If it helps at all... but I don't think it will...  Bolt will just have to find someone else."

I was rather shocked.  Espeon had never been so blunt before.  "Either you're so blindly in love with Umbreon, you'll risk seriously hurting your friend's feelings, to put it extremely lightly, or something happened."

Espeon nodded.  "I have not told anyone what I'm about to tell you.  Not even Umbreon."  I leaned in towards her, officially curious.

The beautiful Psychic Type hesitated before finally continuing.  "Splash..."

"Yes?"

"I'm pregnant."

 

I almost fell over.  Espeon had to catch me before I hit the ground.  She laughed quietly as she helped me stand back up.  "Easy there!" she chuckled.

Words had abandoned me.  I could only stammer and stare.  Espeon purred in amusement as I struggled to find words.  Eventually, I found one.

"...What...?"

"I know.  It's a lot to take in." she purred.

"...What?"

"I wasn't positive until today."

"What?"

"It's kind of exciting and scary at the same time."

"What?"

"I know!  I can't believe I'll have kits of my own!"

"What?"

"Is that all you can say, Splash?"

"...No?"

"You don't sound too sure."

"I'm not."

She laughed again.  "I know it's a lot to take in, but I think we'll all be happy about it.  Even Bolt."

Bolt's predicament came back to me in a rush.  Espeon's future kits meant that she would be with Umbreon 24/7.  Bolt now had no shot at Espeon; not even the slightest chance.  His odds were low to begin with, seeing how perfect the Sun and Moon Pokemon were, but now it was impossible. 

I shook my head sadly.  "Maybe he'll be happy once you actually have kits, but for now?  How are we going to tell him?  It'll break his heart."

Espeon nodded, her joyous aura faltering.  "True...  But what are we supposed to do?  Not tell the rest of the clan?"

"No," I said with frustration.  "You definitely have to tell Umbreon, but I don't know about anyone else.  Clover and Snow tell each other everything.  At some point, someone else will hear about it, Surf will probably let something slip to Inferno, Inferno will blow it out of proportion and, without a doubt, tell Bolt!"

Espeon shook her head.  "I don't know, Splash.  I just don't know."

Tension Builds (Part 1)

I woke up rather slowly, blinking a few times at the sunlight filtering into my den.  A smile crossed my face as I recalled who shared my dream.

Suicune had been visiting me for the last two weeks in my sleep.  Ever since our daring rescue of the Legendary Trio, Suicune and I had gotten very friendly.  We talked at night, discussing what we've been doing lately, antics of our comrades and friends, and stories of our past adventures.  As expected, Suicune had much more to say on the last topic.  Generally much more interesting, too.  But the most frustrating part about my recurring dreams was that Suicune continued to dance around the meaning of his "parting gift" to me.

His last words to me tonight were "Bolt and Umbreon will be starting up their fight again soon."  Might want to take care of that first.

I rolled on my back, stretched out my legs and tail, then stood up and shook off, scattering dirt and water droplets.  The sun warmed my fins. 

Right on cue, Bolt's yelling cut through the air.  "I DON'T KNOW, UMBREON!  I JUST... DON'T KNOW!"

Aaaaaand time to intervene.

I hopped out of my den, trotted up to the warring males, and thrust myself between them.  "What is going on here!?"

Umbreon looked just as confused and lost as I did.  "I don't know!  Bolt just snapped at me!  We were just talking!"

I faced the other Eevee.  "And you, Bolt?"

Bolt's aggression suddenly drained.  He looked down at the ground, ashamed.  "I... need to talk with you, Splash."

I loosened up a bit.  "What's wrong?"

"Remember when I told you I had a problem I couldn't fix?  Before the whole Legendary thing?"

"Yes."

"I will tell you now.  I really don't want to hate you, Umbreon," he said, looking over my back to the Dark Type.

Umbreon nodded, satisfied for the moment.  I looked at Bolt.  "Let's talk in my den."  He nodded glumly, but followed anyway.  We walked over to the pond and sat near the side.  Surf was out hunting with Inferno, so they wouldn't bother us. 

I looked seriously at Bolt.  "This has been going on for a while.  Tell me what's going on."

Bolt was still looking down, hesitating and pacing.  "I... I just... I'm...  Wow, it feels like we've done this before."

I nodded.  "We have."  This was getting out of paw.  I was done with cushioning Bolt.  He needed to say this on his own.  Whether I was helping him get there or not.

Bolt stopped pacing and looked me straight in the eye.  I saw fear, anger, jealousy, and... love.  "I'm..."  He turned away to look at Umbreon, who was walking back inside his log den, greeted with a loving rub on the cheek from his mate.

Everything clicked.  "You're in love with Espeon."

 



Bolt visibly sagged.  "Yes.  And... that's why I've been so... touchy with Umbreon.  I just see how perfect they are together and..."

I let out a slow breath.  It was so obvious to me now.  How could I not have seen it?  The snippets of time snuck with Espeon when Umbreon wasn't around, the extra testosterone with Umbreon...

A thought struck me.  "You know Espeon probably knows, right?"

Bolt looked up at me suddenly, alarm written all over his face.  "Patrats!  You're right!  She'd see it before anyone!"  He resumed pacing quickly, nervous sparks jumping off his fur.  "Would she tell Umbreon?  I mean, if she did already, Umbreon would be a lot angrier at me, right?  But what if he gets it, so he wants to smooth things over?  Then I would have been acting like a jerk for no reason.  What if one of them told someone else?  What if-"

"BOLT!" I yelled.  He stopped suddenly and looked at me like a scolded kit.  "Stop!  Espeon would never ever tell a secret, no matter what!"

A look of shame crossed Bolt's face.  "True..."

Silence settled over the two of us.  "You know..." I said quietly, "You might want to talk to her about this."

Bolt looked terrified at this prospect.  "What?  No.  Nonononononono."  He resumed pacing.  "I can't talk to her now."

I looked at him incredulously.  "What, are you never going to talk to her again?"

He said "Yes, I will."  His face said "No, I won't."

A Storm of Rage (Part 3)

Bolt looked up at his Legendary idol.  Who'd of thought?  Raikou looked back at him, crouching at the edge of the tree line.  "Look carefully.  Do you see the wall?" 

True to his word and map, a large building dominated the clearing with dense trees ringing it.  Bolt scanned the side, spotting the damaged side fairly quickly.  "There," Bolt whispered back.  "It looks like there's a tarp over the hole.  ...And Surf was right.  Three guards."

Raikou narrowed his eyes.  "You're right.  You know what we're doing?"

Bolt nodded.  "Yes."

"You know this will be dangerous."

"Yes."

"You can always back out."

"Never."

The Thunder Pokemon turned to look at him.  "You're very loyal, Bolt.  I like that."

The Jolteon blushed and glanced away.  Getting a compliment like that from, say, Inferno or Splash was one thing.  Getting a compliment like that from the Great Raikou, the Legendary Thunder Pokemon, was another.

Raikou looked back to the building.  "Right.  Get on.  Be my lightning bolts."

Bolt felt like running 100 miles as he bent down.  This was literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  Riding a Legendary?  Oh boy! 

Bolt hopped up into the blanket of thunderclouds on Raikou's back.  They crackled and sparked as he landed.  Between the electricity, being the firing squad of the Great Raikou, and the super-soft and comfortable clouds that he was sitting on, Bolt didn't think he would ever want to be anywhere else.  Ever.  Even if he was riding right into an impossibly dangerous situation.  Even if it was only once.  Even if it might be the last time he ever-

No.  Don't think about that now.

Bolt shook his head vigorously.  "Whenever you're ready."

"Good."  Raikou stood up, causing the clouds to swirl a bit.  Bolt took a moment to get used to the sensation, then emitted a small discharge.

"GO!"

Raikou literally bolted forward, briefly turning into lightning as he blasted towards the building.  Bolt crouched low, both to keep his balance and to hide amongst the clouds.  As they neared the building, Raikou roared angrily.  Even knowing that the Legendary was his friend, Bolt couldn't help being severely intimidated and awe-inspired.

His roar attracted the attention of practically everyone within a 10-mile radius.  Bolt, blending in almost perfectly with Raikou's fur, summoned as much electricity as he could, getting ready for rapid-fire attacks.  The three men near the tarp were the first to overcome their shock, reaching for their pockets.

"Poke Balls!" Bolt called, just loud enough to be heard by the Legendary.  "Just focus on running and dodging!  I'll fire back!"  Raikou said nothing, only increasing his speed.  Anchoring himself and aiming carefully, Bolt let loose with Thunder, striking all three men with three blasts.  It wouldn't kill them, but it would definitely make them think twice about messing with the Legendaries.  As more men ran in, Bolt fired more and more Thunders, almost every one hitting its mark.  He hoped that they were drawing enough attention to let the rest of the Clan in.  He let four more Thunders fly.  He was almost firing constantly!  Whenever he struck one down, two more black-clad men seemed to take their place!

Before long, a Poke Ball zinged through the air.  Raikou easily avoided it, but Bolt was on edge.  He was doing his best, but there were too many!  "Ok, Bolt," he thought to himself as he fired more electricity.  "Don't just do this for the Great Raikou.  Do it for the clan!"  The thought gave him renewed vigor, firing Thunder with a new energy.  "FOR RAIKOU, ENTEI, AND SUICUNE!  FOR THE FATE OF THE WORLD!  FOR THE CLAN!"

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

I watched in fascination as Raikou practically flew by with Bolt clinging bravely to his back.  Thunder was striking everywhere.  I glanced back to the damaged wall, then to Surf, Inferno, Espeon, and Umbreon, then back to the wall.  Any time now...

Clover and Snow made a break for it, running from the cover of the trees to the corner of the building.

"There they are," I said quietly.  "On my count."  Everyone in the current group tensed, ready to run.  Snow peeked around the corner both ways before nudging Clover around the opposite side.  She looked right at us, raised her tail, and waved it three times. 

"Three..."  Snow followed Clover around the corner. 

"Two..."  A man that was running toward the wall suddenly fell on his face as his ankles were bound with vines.

"One..."  Raikou and Bolt disapeared around the back of the complex.

"Go!  Go!  Go!" I shouted.  Inferno was the first to run, followed by Espeon and Umbreon.  Surf paused until I ran as well, making sure everyone was together.  We only had a few seconds to reach the wall.

Just as we entered the shadow of the building, I noticed one of the masked men coming around the corner.  Fortunately, so did Snow and Clover.  A small patch of ice appeared right in front of him as he ran, causing him to slip and fall violently.  I winced as he smashed his head on the ground.  He looked at us in dull confusion.

"...huh?  Eeeeeevvvvees?" he slurred.  Clover hopped over the man, and vines followed her, binding the man's wrists, ankles, and mouth.

"There," Clover said, satisfied with her work.  "And he's tied to the ground, too, so he can't go anywhere."  She turned to Snow, who peeked around the corner.  "Nice job with the ice.  Perfect hit."

Snow nodded.  "Good.  Let's keep going."  With that, they turned and disapeared around the corner.

As I let out a sigh of relief, thundering paw steps caught my attention.  "They're coming back around!  Go!  Inside!"  I pushed everyone with my nose, shoving them under the tarp.  When I was sure everyone was under safely, I dove in as well, aided by Surf dragging me and Espeon pulling me in with telekinesis. 

"Next time, come with us," Surf scolded.  I just rolled my eyes at him.

"It's my job as leader to put my Clan's safety above my own, and to make sure that all of you are safe before hiding myself.  What if one of you had tripped?  Who would be there to help you?"  Now it was Surf's turn to roll his eyes.

Umbreon scowled.  "Let's just go."  So, we went.  I insisted on going first.  Surf gave me a look.  I went first anyway.  The sounds of shouting, roaring, and Thunder played behind me as I hopped over the lip of the giant hole in the wall.  Inside the building was like being in a completely different world.  Everything was clean.  Smooth.  Sterile.  It gave me the creeps.  To be honest, I was always relieved when I saw damage from Entei's attacks.  It gave me something to look for, a defining mark.  The rest of the Eevees slipped in after me, one by one.  No one said anything.  It was like we had to stay silent in this cold place. 

Finally, I managed to whisper orders.  "Espeon, Umbreon.  From what Raikou told us, the Legendaries are being kept in that direction," I said, flicking my tail to the right.  "It would stand to reason that they wouldn't want them near the important things, so you two should probably go left."

Umbreon nodded.  "Got it."  He and Espeon turned and raced off around the corner, until all I could hear of them was their paw steps.  I turned to Surf and Inferno.  "Ready?"

Inferno tried to look confident, but failed miserably.  "Whenever you're ready, Splash."

I turned and ran to the right, not giving anyone any time to turn back.  The Legendaries need our help.  Now, it was our job to save them. 

Hearing the reassuring paw steps of my clanmates behind me, I plowed ahead, diving around corners, through hallways, and past rooms.  Just as I was sure we were running in circles, Inferno tripped and fell down a flight of stairs.

"Inferno!" I called, running quickly but carefully after him with Surf at my side.  The Flareon was sprawled out on the stone floor, moaning quietly.  As we reached him, a small tremor ran through the ground.  "Are you ok?" I asked quietly.

He grunted and rolled over.  "...think so...  Just hit my head.  Ow..."

I started licking the bump on his head, when Surf tapped me with his tail.  "Um... Splash?"

"What?" I asked quietly.

"We're not alone in here.  Look."  I turned away from Inferno to see three giant cages with bars made of.... I wasn't quite sure what.  One was empty.  The other two were definitely not.  Each had a single Poke Ball wedged in between two reinforced metal plates, with thousands more in a chute above it.  A tube aimed Poke Balls at the current one between the plates.

As I watched, there was a bright flash of light in one of the cages.  I caught a brief glimpse of blue fur before another Poke Ball was shot out of the tube, hit the captive Legendary, and trapped him inside again.

I watched in horror.  "This is terrible!"  Surf nodded sadly without looking away, while Inferno could only stare.  We had to do something.  I looked carefully at the bars.  Upon closer inspection, they seemed to be merely metal bars with either a major amount of water or electricity flowing through them.

"Guys," I said seriously.  "We have to get them out of there.  I'll absorb the water on the bars of Entei's cage, I'm guessing.  Surf, find a way to stop the electricity.  Inferno, melt the bars once they're exposed."

"Got it."

"On it."

I ran up to the water pumping bars.  It didn't take much to make them burst open, a mere tail slap.  Inferno shrieked and ran.  It took a bit of effort, but I managed to get to the breech and insinuate myself in, absorbing the water as it pounded on my back.  After what seemed like an eternity, the water stopped coming.  I felt very... bloated.

There was a short zap, a yelp, and Suicune's bars stopped buzzing with electricity.  "SURF!?" I called worriedly. 

"I'm fine," his voice said from around a corner.  "I just got a short shock when I pulled the wires."

I let out a sigh of relief.  "Ok.  Good."

Inferno marched up to the cages, all traces of fear from the water gone.  "Out of the way!  Inferno comin' through!"  He stepped up to the bars, took a deep breath, and blasted them with fire.  It actually took quite a bit of effort to get them to melt, but I have to give it to him for determination.  Once finished he took a step back, panting.  "That's good," he huffed.  "Start on Suicune.  I'll do Entei in a minute."

I looked at Suicune's trap, intimidated.  A quick glance at Surf brought his words from earlier back to me.  Just be your normal diplomatic and respectful self, and you'll be fine.  I didn't feel too confident, but I had to.  Inferno was obviously scared.  I needed to show him that it would be ok.

I hopped over the red-hot remnants of the bars, stepped up to the trap, and thought.  I could feel the other two's eyes on me.  Don't mess this up.  I took another deep breath and blasted the trap with Blizzard, hoping that Suicune's next escape would shatter the ice.

Needless to say, I was right.

The move itself weakened the metal.  The ice froze and expanded the weak spots.  The escaping Legendary pushed it past its limit.  Suicune emerged with a furious but triumphant roar.  He almost ran me over.  Thankfully, he realized I was there and stopped short.

He huffed angrily.  "Who are you?"

Be diplomatic.  "Splash, Great Suicune.  I'm with the Great Raikou."  I kept my gaze down.

He calmed down a bit at the mention of Raikou's name.  "Oh?"

I nodded, moving my eyes up a bit.  "Yes, sir.  He's outside with one of my clanmates as we speak."

The Aurora Pokemon looked down at me, right in the eye.  He looked worried, but calm and serious.  "Then there isn't much time.  Free Entei."

I gave Inferno a look.  He turned around with a tiny yelp, then torched the trap with Flamethrower.  As before, it didn't take much before Entei exploded out of the trap in a fiery inferno.  Unlike Suicune, however, Entei didn't stop before barreling out of the cage, missing Inferno by inches.  In a blur of motion, Suicune leaped over me and the melted bars, ran in front of Entei, and slammed him in the shoulder.  The two stumbled for a bit before regaining their footing and staring each other down.

Entei growled.  "What?"

Suicune narrowed his eyes back.  "Just because I couldn't see what was happening doesn't mean I don't know what happened.  Do you want to draw more attention?"  He was perfectly calm but dead serious.

Entei relaxed slightly.  "...Fine.  Who are they?"

Suicune looked at me, clearly comfortable with having me around.  It felt good.  "This is Splash.  She's with me.  The others are with her."

Entei did not look impressed, but he seemed like he would tolerate us for now.  "...Ok.  And Raikou?"

"Outside with another Eevee," Suicune responded easily. 
Inferno stepped toward the pair.  "Yeah, um... maybe we should get out of here?  You know, get away before my best friend gets captured?"  I gave him a silencing look.  He ignored it.

Suicune gave him a stern look as well, but lead off of him anyway.  "He has a point.  We should go."

I did a quick head count.  "Surf, Inferno, Bolt, Espeon, Umbreon, Snow, Clover... Raikou, Entei, and Suicune."  Yep.  All present.  In fact, Raikou, Entei, Suicune, Bolt, Surf, and Inferno were talking closely.  Suicune stood up to his full height and beckoned to me.

Upon running over to them, Suicune bent down again to accommodate my height.  "We decided to give you four a thank-you gift of sorts."

Bolt and Inferno were bouncing with excitement.  "Great Raikou and Entei switched our moves!" Bolt exclaimed. 

"Yeah!" Inferno finished.  "Now I know Discharge and Bolt can use Lava Plume!  Totally useful in a double battle!"

Bolt continued.  "Yeah!  Like you and Surf using Surf together to heal each other!"

"Neat!" I smiled back.  It was true, that would be useful.

Surf trotted up to me.  "Great Suicune gave me a new move as well.  He said he'd never be able to use it, so..."

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"Dive.  The Great Suicune can walk on water, so I'd imagine it would be a bit difficult to swim underwater."

Suicune turned towards us.  "Indeed.  But, for you, Splash..."  Surf looked at the Legendary, took his cue, and padded over to Bolt and Inferno. 

Inferno piped up as he approached.  "What'd you get rid of?"

"Hydro Pump.  It misses most of the time anyway."

"Oh..."

Suicune watched Surf for a moment before continuing.  "For you, I have something better than moves to use in battle."  He paused for a moment, and I leaned forward a bit, curious and eager.  "...First off, know that us three will come whenever you need us.  You saved us.  We'll be at your side when you're in danger as well."

"Thank you," I said gratefully.

"But...  I wanted to give you luck."

"Luck?" I asked in confusion.

"Yes.  I can tell you have small Eevees on your mind at times..."  How did he know?  "So I'll give you luck with a future generation.  With all of your Clan."

I was at a loss for words.  Could they even do that?  Apparently so.  But even so, how did this work?  Did it-

"Don't think too hard," Suicune said with a sly smile.  "And just some advice?"

I was at a loss for words once again.

"Solve this dispute between Bolt and Umbreon.  And let Snow keep her secrets."  With that, all 3 raced off, Entei without a backward glance, Raikou with a grin and a wink aimed at Bolt, and Suicune with a gleam in his deep blue eyes as he looked at me.

What?

A Storm of Rage (Part 2)

I practically fainted right where I stood.  Raikou, the Raikou, needed us for a job!?  Fortunately for me, everyone else seemed just as shell-shocked as I was. 

Naturally, Bolt was the first to recover.  "What on Earth could we do that you, the Great Raikou, can't?"

Raikou had returned to being all business.  "Save Entei and Suicune."  Once again, we were all speechless.

I stuttered for a moment.  "W-What happened?"

Raikou became very sad.  The lightning ceased and the rain just fell in a melancholy way, as if to reflect his mood.  "Men in black suits and masks.  They captured Suicune at one of his favorite haunts near Olivine City.  From what I saw from the cliff top, the men knew he was coming.  They got him in a Poke Ball, then threw it as far as they could.  When Suicune escaped, they repeated the process.  Entei and I followed, trying to intervene, but not wanting to hit Suicune or get into a battle ourselves.  They eventually got into a big building.  Off map, of course.  After an hour or so, when Suicune didn't come out, Entei grew so furious that he charged in, blazing mad.  He managed to blast through two or three walls before the same thing happened to him.  I barely managed to escape myself."

Bolt bravely stepped up to the Legendary and leaned against his leg comfortingly.  "Raikou, when I told you we were the best of the best, I meant it.  You can count on us."  I nodded in agreement.

Inferno's voice floated out from his den.  "Why would anyone go to such lengths to capture the three Legendaries?"

Espeon stood up and shook the rain off her fur.  "Power, I would guess.  According to the legends, which we now know are to be believed, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune all deem Pokemon and trainers worthy of their assistance, humans with particular hesitance.  These people might want to force the Great Legendaries to assist or choose them."

Raikou nodded.  "Not that any of the three of us would ever give in..." he said with a growl like thunder.

Umbreon stood up next to Espeon.  "Another theory:  The Legendaries only intervene in times of crisis.  What if someone wanted you three out of the way so that they were free to do whatever they wanted to or with other Pokemon?"

Raikou let out a slow breath.  A spark jumped between his fangs.  "A more disturbing, and probably correct, thought.  There may be the bonus of controlling Legendary power," he said, acknowledging Espeon's idea, "but I believe Umbreon has the root cause right."

"So.." Clover said slowly.  "...What do we do?"

"We take the job!" I said.  "Who knows what these greedy humans have in mind?  The Legendaries have always protected us!  Now, it's our turn to protect them back!  Let's write a new one for the legends and stories!"

Raikou grinned, while Bolt jumped up and down next to him.  "Yeah!  Now we're talking!"  He stopped bouncing and looked up at the Great Raikou.  "Don't worry.  We'll do whatever it takes to get all three of you out safely."

Raikou nodded diplomatically.  "And I appreciate that."

I peered at the map that Raikou had drawn in the dirt with one of his claws.  All I could think right now was Holy Miltank, his claws are big.  Raikou had made the rain stop so Inferno could come out and look at the map.

Raikou pointed to a big rectangle in the middle with one gigantic claw.  "That's the main complex.  From what I saw when Entei smashed the walls, there were hallways here, here, here, and here," he said, carefully drawing said hallways in the proper locations.

Snow stood up.  "How long ago did Entei break the walls?"

"Two days," Raikou said without looking up from the map.

"Then the walls will still be very damaged, if they're fixed at all," Snow reasoned.  "That would be a good place for us to enter."

"But if it were me," Surf said, thinking aloud.  "...I would make sure to put a guard there of some sort, knowing that that wall was a weak point."

Snow glanced downward.  "True..."

I stood up.  "But that's not a bad idea.  If we could draw the guard somehow..." I trailed off, drawing an X where the guard would be and an arrow leading away, "...That would leave the wall wide open."

Bolt cocked his head.  "What are you suggesting?"

Raikou looked down at him, then at the map.  "Either she's suggesting, and if not, I'm saying, that I'll run past and draw the attention."  He planted a huge paw in front of my arrow, leaving his footprint.  "They'll be expecting me, not a bunch of Eevees."

Bolt looked up at the Legendary in a huff, then stamped his own paw print above Raikou's.  "If you're going, I'm going!" he said stubbornly.

I was about to turn him down, when Raikou nodded.  "Good thought.  I'd like having a trusty sidekick."  Bolt was about to either faint or explode.

I gave him an encouraging nod, trying to retain laughter.  "Ok, we'll pair up.  Great Raikou with Bolt, Espeon and Umbreon, Snow and Clover, and finally, Inferno, Surf, and I."

The Thunder Pokemon looked at me curiously.  "Why these groups?"

"You and Bolt, obviously.  You two will draw attention.  Espeon and Umbreon are... perfect together in every way. I think they know each other better than they know themselves."  The couple in question blushed profusely.  "You two can help scout out the rest of the complex.  Se if you can find out their true motives."

Umbreon nodded.  "You got it," he said firmly as he and Espeon, in perfect sync, places their paw prints on the building.

I turned to the next pair.  "Snow and Clover are best of friends.  They know each other really well, too.  Snow is naturally quiet, and I think Clover has learned her lesson about stealth..."  The Leafeon in question looked away in embarrasment.  "...so I'm trusting you two with incapacitating the humans.  Don't rush into it, just..."

"Yeah," Clover finished.

"As for Inferno, Surf, and me, We'll go in and rescue Suicune and Entei.  Inferno, being the Fire Type, will bond with and free Entei, and either Surf or myself will do the same with Suicune."

Inferno looked intimidated.  "You say that like it's easy..."

Raikou turned to him.  "It is easy.  He'll be able to smell me on you.  He'll trust you in a snap.  As for Splash and Surf, Suicune would be more likely to trust the Water Type that has been entrusted with leadership."

All I could say was ".........Oh."

Surf just smiled at me.  "Just act your normal diplomatic and respectful self," he said with a smile.

"I'll try," I shrugged.

Raikou stood up to his full, imposing height.  "Are we all in agreement, then?"

"YES!" the whole Clan chanted at once.

I jumped and flipped in midair.  "Then let's do it!"