Guilt overcame Two. She had gone against her father's wishes to get what she wanted, at night, which ended up with her gloating over the fight. She'd hit all three. "No, no, no... I didn't want this to happen... I wanted time, and options, and..." Two stammered while pacing. No, she couldn't even call herself Two anymore!
Meanwhile, the world was still moving around her. The two trainers watched the newly evolved shiny Umbreon stand stock-still near the boy's defeated Rhyhorn. Not even when he returned his Pokémon to its Poke Ball did she react. Was she waiting for something?
Sarah risked a glance at her bully, who had his eyes fixed on the Umbreon, but he couldn't do anything about it. He only had one Pokémon, and it was knocked out. She was in the same boat, but that Umbreon had appeared to save her... Did it want her to catch it?
She took a careful step towards the shiny Pokémon. "Umbreon? Do you want to come home with me? I can take good care of you..."
The Umbreon only responded by pacing slowly, as if bored of waiting.
She took her one Great Ball out of her bag. Her mother had given her three to catch a Pokémon, but she had lost one on Starly, having no way to tire him out. This Umbreon was tired and apparently willing to join her team. Only one way to find out...
The bully Matt took a step towards her. "Stop. You can't." He tried to look threatening, but he didn't scare her anymore.
"I can, actually. She wants to be with me!" She paused, hoping her next sentence would work. "...And if you don't want to see her in action against you again, you'll stay away from me!"
Matt stopped, then took a step back. He didn't say a word as he turned and walked back towards his house.
Sarah smiled, looking back towards the Umbreon, who had stopped pacing with her back to her. They had done it. She and this Umbreon had made Matt stop bullying her. And now she had a new friend! She tossed the Great Ball to herself. "Ready, Umbreon?"
The Umbreon who couldn't call herself Two anymore stopped pacing. "Ok... What do I do? I have to go back." But she couldn't face her father. He had been right. She'd have to either learn to accept this new form and be confident about it before she got back to camp, or-
Ping!
Something landed on her back. The next thing she knew, she was trapped in a space that she couldn't see! She stood in shock for a moment. What happened!? Then, she laid her ears back. "Lousy humans!" she snarled as she tried to throw herself against the sides of her enclosure. Trust them to take advantage of her while she was vulnerable! "Stupid, lousy, greedy, awful humans!" she growled, hitting a wall with every word she said. How could they!? She had a family and a clan!
Click.
The sides weren't giving way anymore. She was trapped.
Things started appearing around her that reminded her of home. A starry sky with a full moon overhead, a small tree to climb, a bed of leaves, and fresh food and water. She was stuck here.
The Umbreon who could longer be called Two slumped down to the floor, letting her head rest on her paws. She wouldn't have to face Umbreon now. She couldn't go back if she wanted to. Ever.
She closed her eyes, trying to force herself to appear back in camp. Sunbeam could do it, right?
Nothing.
She knew it wouldn't work, but it was the final blow. The second eldest of five, toughest and emotionally thick-skinned out of all of them, and newly evolved Two broke down and cried.
"TWO!?" I called again. No response. "I don't get it. This is the tree!"
Umbreon crouched down, then bounded up into the branches while Snow kept her nose low. "She was here," the Glaceon muttered distractedly as she continued to track. "She jumped back into the real world here, but then..."
Umbreon called down from the treetop. "Splash! There's a Noctowl up here who's seen her!"
"What did he say?" I called back, leaning back to see the yellow glow of his fur. I only heard a few hoots of the bird Pokémon, but I couldn't make out any words. After a bit, there was no other sound from the tree. "...Umbreon?"
The Dark Type jumped down at dangerous speeds. "She heard a human bullying another human and ran off to help!"
"Great!" I said bitingly. "Now humans are involved in this, too!"
Snow's head jerked up. "She went this way!" With that, she bounded away through the fallen leaves with Umbreon and I right on her tail.
It only took me a moment to gain my bearings. "The human town is this way!" Umbreon growled quietly in frustration and worry. The more I thought about it, the more confused I got. "She usually doesn't care about humans at all! Why would she do this?"
"Because she has a good heart," Umbreon answered. "She acts tough and callous on the outside, but she tries to do what's right."
Snow posed a question without turning from her trail. "Then why did she run away in the first place?"
"She hates being ordered around," Umbreon volleyed back. "When she wants something, nothing can stop her until she gets it."
"It's still not your fault," I offered, knowing what Umbreon was thinking. "You did the right thing. Clover would have been left alone with three kits and an undefended camp."
"But I should have promised her!"
My next words were cut off as Snow slowed to a trot near the tree line. At a glance, it was easy to see that a fight had taken place here, and recently. Umbreon took a step forward, keeping his rings lit. "Two?" he called quietly. Nothing was heard.
Snow and I stepped up next to him, Snow's nose going to the ground again. "She came this way. Recently. If she hadn't answered, I would have guessed that she was still here."
Umbreon turned to look at her as I walked onto the battlefield, looking for clues. "My daughter is missing near a battlefield where humans were involved. Please tell me that you can find her."
"I'm doing my best, Umbreon, but tracking in a battle is hard. I'll have to trace around the edges to see where she left."
Something on the ground caught my eye. Trotting over, I brushed the grass aside with one paw and peered closely at it. It was a bit of Two's shed fur, but it was black at the end. I sniffed it carefully. It smelled an awful lot like... My gaze trailed to the Dark Type, who was moving so closely to Snow that he looked like her shadow. "Guys? I think Two evolved."
"What!?" both yelled at the same time.
"I found some of her fur! It's half Eevee, half Umbreon! She must have shed some while she was evolving!"
Umbreon narrowed his eyes in thought. "She'd be satisfied that she won and got what she wanted, and she won a battle at night. It all fits."
Snow stood back up, worry written all over her face. "That explain why I can't find her scent anymore... But even with a new smell, nothing left this area except the two humans."
Umbreon froze. "...You mean..."
I stepped closer to him as Snow shrugged. "It's the only story that fits."
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