Streak nodded. "Yes, why?"
I sat down and did my best to look and act diplomatic. "A pack of Mightyenas attacked us a short while ago."
Espeon's thoughts entered my head. "This might be good news, actually. It might mean that subject 470 is not among us."
I thought back to her, "But then why would they attack us so viciously?"
Espeon shrugged before thinking, "You have a point."
She stopped reading my mind as Streak continued. "A pack of about... 10 Mightyenas?" Night nodded to confirm his estimate. "They were walking past our tree last night. They looked like they were stalking something. Anyway, Night here flew back to the nest with a catch, and they saw her. They went crazy, barking, snarling, trying to climb our tree...."
Night, once again, finished Streak's thoughts. "Good thing they didn't have a fraction of the tree climbing skills that you do, Bolt." Bolt blushed. "Luckily, we both know Close Combat and were able to fight them off. Even so, it was close. I don't think we could have done it if we couldn't fly."
I nodded, thinking hard. Umbreon spoke up. "Was there a Mandibuzz with them by any chance?"
Streak shook his head. "No. No Mandibuzz. Or else we would have been in even bigger trouble."
I sent a deliberate thought to Espeon, telling her to quietly relax Clover and Bolt. No need for them to worry about something that might not be there. Mightyenas were common in the forest at night. It was a bit unusual, but not unheard of, for a pack of that size to form to hunt larger prey. True to her abilities, Bolt and Clover seemed to relax upon hearing this bit of information. I closed the conversation. "Well, thank you for letting us know. We'll keep an eye out."
"Thank you for helping us rebuild and reinforce our nest!"
"Anytime!" With that, I stood up, beckoned to my Eevees with a flick of my tail, and left. Bolt trotted out in front, as usual, Clover walked next to me at the back, and Espeon and Umbreon walked in perfect sync back to camp.
When we returned, Inferno tackled Bolt off his feet, and Snow, who was on watch, slid down the ice slide to greet Clover. Espeon and Umbreon padded back to their den just as Surf trotted up to me and nuzzled my fins in greeting. As I observed Bolt and Inferno getting into another Exploding Competition (Raikou and Entei switching Lava Plume and Discharge gave them a realm of new game possibilities), I gestured to Surf that, perhaps it would be better to catch up by the pond. I had a few things to ask him about.
"So," Surf began as we sat down with our tails in the water. "You look like you want to tell me something."
I nodded. "And I need you to be rational and calm about it, so just act like you normally do." He smiled warmly at me. "The Staraptors said that a pack of about 10 Mightyenas attacked them. That's what caused their nest to fall. But, Surf, they said that it looked like they were stalking something else."
Surf shrugged. "So? That could have been anything from a Patrat to a Tauros. Was there a Mandibuzz with them? No. There wasn't. That seemed like their calling card, don't you think? Besides, that Mandibuzz seemed to do the most against us. Why would they try again without their best asset?"
I sighed, feeling relieved. "How is it that you always know exactly what to say? You just took the weight of a Wailord off my back. Thanks."
Surf shrugged with a smile. "Anytime. I know you like the back of my paw, Splash. I know what to say."
We said nothing else, just leaned against each other and touched noses.
Meanwhile...
A man adjusted his lab coat and made a few marks on his clipboard. His meeting was about to start. Better be off. He strode down the halls with purpose, clipboard under his arm and carrying a small stack of papers. As he reached the double doors, a huge Houndoom stood in his way. The man let the guard dog sniff his hand, then step on the button on the floor that admitted the man to the main building of the compound.
He adjusted his lab coat again as he entered the conference room, scanning the assembled party. 4 other Scientists sat around the table, each with their Pokemon sitting next to them. The man sat at the head of the table, then released his Pokemon. The meeting began.
"As you are all aware," the man began, "I have some new design ideas that I believe we should implement. Testing should begin immediately."
Another Scientist with a Liepard spoke. "Subject 470 again, sir?"
The man nodded. The Liepard swished her tail hungrily. Her trainer stroked her head and scratched her ears. "Yes, my dear, you can play with them." He turned back to the man. "What do you have planned this time?"
Another Scientist with a Weavile standing behind him spoke. "Does it have something to do with that unauthorized experiment on Number 7b?"
The man nodded. "I wanted to see if my ideas were possible. They are. If this works, it could change everything."
The Scientist with the Liepard spoke up again. "What do you have in mind?"
The man unclipped a paper from his clipboard, then placed it in the center of the table, where everyone could see it. "This is the current model of subject 470." He took a pen out of his lab coat pocket and sketched on top of the picture. When he finished, he placed the new picture back in the center of the table. "And this is the upgrade."
Gasps were heard around the table. The Scientist with the Weavile stood up. "You can't be serious! We've had success before, but this!? This takes it to a whole new level!"
Another Scientist with a Shiftry spoke above the clamor. "It may not be as 'impossible' as you say. I've seen it done before with a move pairing."
The man nodded to him. "Exactly! Why not make the effect permanent?"
The Scientist with the Weavile yelled again. "We've made one into a shiny! That was a huge success! This is beyond impossible!"
Yet another Scientist with a Zoura on his lap stroked his Pokemon and asked, "Would they be functional?"
The man raised his hands to quiet the clamor, then responded. "Of course they would be functional. My test on Number 7b is a major step in the right direction." He glanced at the man at the opposite end of the table. "I just need more test subjects."
The head of the experimental committee crossed his arms. His Bisharp did the same. "How many? And do keep in mind that these things are incredibly hard to find."
The man smiled. This meeting was going his way. "Three should do. One for another test for this, another for the finished product, and a third in case something... goes wrong."
The executive leaned back in his chair. "Three. That will be rather challenging. However, I have faith in you. You have a high success rate, and this new idea of yours is beyond anything I have ever heard of before. Very well. I'll gather all of the Mightyenas to see what we can find."
The man smiled. "Oh, I already know where a few are." He sat back down. "Just make sure that those blasted Legendaries don't get in our way again." He pursed his lips and stroked his Mandibuzz thoughtfully.
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