Shadows of Nightmares (Part 2)

Brightclaw paced in her den, occasionally throwing glances over her shoulder at Umbreon, who was sitting quietly in the corner.  Disaster, the Absol that served as Brightclaw's guard, sat beside him, never taking his eyes off of the prisoner.  That other shiny Umbreon...  Moonlight, her name was?  She would come back for her father. 

But Brightclaw had seen the look in her eyes.  Despite what her advisor had said to her, she wouldn't come without a fight.  Brightclaw hated to kill a Pokémon with Umbreon's kind of skill set, but a clan leader has to do what a clan leader has to do sometimes.

She turned back around and walked to the opposite wall again, hoping that Moonlight hadn't found the altar to Darkrai.  Or, even worse, the thin barrier between this world and the reverse world that stood behind it.  When the Great Giratina created the reverse world to counter the physical one, patches of both could sometimes overlap, creating places where one could step through into the realm of Giratina.  Simply walking in the reverse world could cause massive amounts of destruction in the physical world, and that's without mentioning the risk of incurring the wrath of the creator of antimatter herself.  Giratina is known in all of the legends for being violent and vengeful.  A careless Pokémon like Moonlight finding that overlap?  The risk of calamity was great.

The Clan of Darkness had been founded to serve Darkrai, the legendary who kept watch over the rift between this world and the reverse world.  He gave every member of Brightclaw's clan the knowledge of jumping dimensions with Phantom Force in exchange for them serving him and helping him protect the rift.  Brightclaw had been the one to negotiate the deal.  Great power, the support of a legendary, and the promise that anyone who defied her would face Darkrai's wrath?  How could Brightclaw have said no?

She shook her head, bringing herself back into the present.  Moonlight posed a large threat and would not walk away without a fight.  Brightclaw had sent her best fighters on the extraction team for this reason, but something was still making the fur on the back of her neck stand up. 

How had she even slipped past the guard she had posted anyway?  There was only one entrance to the den, and she doubted that any Pokémon was that stealthy.  Even if she had done that, she would have had to walk directly through the center of camp to get to the entrance to Dark Cave, then slip past Earthquake, the Tyranitar guarding the entrance, who was so large that he blocked the entire entrance.  No Pokémon was that good.

Unless...

Brightclaw stopped pacing.  It couldn't be possible.  How would she know the Clan of Darkness's signature move?  Unless someone had taught it directly to her, Brightclaw didn't think Moonlight was sharp enough to pick it up on her own.  Brightclaw had instructed her clan not to use the move while these two foreigners were in their territory, but perhaps someone had used it and Moonlight had seen it.  That was slightly plausible.  If it was the case, then someone was going to be in very big trouble, but it didn't seem likely that Moonlight would have been able to figure out how to jump dimensions after only seeing it just the once.  So, how could she have learned it?

The clan leader's gaze trailed back to Umbreon.  She remembered an incident from several years ago that involved a recruitment in process suddenly vanishing after one of the more careless members had taught them about Phantom Force.  If she recalled correctly, it was an Umbreon that had run away with the Clan's secret. 

Could this be the same Umbreon?  If so, had he passed on the move to his daughter?  It didn't sound crazy...  It could be.  But that would mean that she would have to kill both him and Moonlight to protect her clan.

Oh well.

 

Moonlight opened her eyes, breathing heavily and rapidly.  What had just happened?  Darkrai had spoken to her, then put her to sleep...  Moonlight shuddered as she remembered the nightmares that had followed.  She felt like she was still on an adrenaline rush.  How had that helped her?

 

The shouts of the team that Brightclaw had sent after her were just outside the room.  Moonlight squared her stance on the altar, preparing to fight her way out.  She felt the dark energy around her, giving her strength.  She suddenly knew how to channel it.  Was that what Darkrai had given her?  Knowledge of how to properly use her Dark Type powers?  It might not have been quite on the same level as Sunbeam being able to see the future, but hopefully, it would be enough to get her and Umbreon out of this.

 

The first three Pokémon burst into the room, a Krookodile, Drapion, and Hydreigon.  Already, Moonlight's odds looked slim.  She bared her fangs and stood firm as the Drapion hissed at her.  "You are disssssressssspecting sssssacred groundssss, Umbreon."

 

The Hydreigon spoke with all three heads, each in turn.  "You will-"

 

"-come with us-"

 

"-or die!"

 

Moonlight faced the impossible odds.  "I won't go anywhere unless I want to," she said, managing to keep her voice steady.  She drew more confidence from the dark energy around her.  Was there this much of it when she had come in, or was there something else at work here?

 

The Krookodile snapped his jaws.  "Death it is, then."

 

Time suddenly seemed to slow as all three moved to attack.  Moonlight summoned every ounce of dark power that she could, resulting in an explosion of spectral energy forming around her.  She crouched low, feeling more powerful than she even had before.  Her three foes stumbled backwards, staring at her.  She felt stronger, faster, and sharper than anything she had known before.  She liked this feeling. 

 

"I am not going down without a fight!" she snarled as she leaped off the altar and prepared to attack.

 

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

 

Umbreon watched Brightclaw.  She knew.  He could see it in her eyes.  She was probably going to try to either convince him and Moonlight to join the Clan of Darkness or just kill them on the spot.  He tried to keep his expression and breathing neutral.  What in the world was he supposed to do now?

 

Brightclaw turned back towards him, a hard glint in her eye.  She considered him carefully before starting to speak in a quiet, cold voice.  "You know, I almost didn't recognize you.  Such a shame that an Umbreon with abilities like yours will-"

 

BOOOOOOOM!

 

Every Pokémon in the den jumped as a huge explosion went off nearby.  All three paused to process what had just happened before racing to the entrance of the den.  A portion of Dark Cave had exploded, collapsing in on itself and creating a large cloud of dust that rose into the air. 

 

Fear sparked in Brightclaw's eyes.  "...This can't mean..."  she rounded on Umbreon.  "Do you have any idea what your daughter has done?  She's brought the wrath of the reverse world onto us!"

 

"What are you talking about?" Umbreon shouted back.

 

"Disaster, leave us.  Go help anyone who was near that!" she barked.  When the Absol hesitated, she glared at Umbreon.  "I'll deal with him."

 

Disaster said nothing as he bounded silently out of the den.  Umbreon steeled his resolve and prepared for a fight while trying to deny the inevitable.  Moonlight had been inside the cave.  There was no way she could have made it out in time. 

 

Umbreon barely had time to finish this thought before Brightclaw leapt at him, fangs bared.  He bounded away and into the shadow dimension just as she would have grabbed a purchase on his throat.  He backed away from her as she, too, jumped into the same plane that he was on, landing with a Dark Pulse.  Umbreon took it in stride and launched a charged-up Sludge Bomb that barely deterred her.  The battle waged on, both opponents just as fast and powerful.  Umbreon used a Dark Pulse that she easily avoided, followed quickly by her spraying poison at him with Toxic.  Barely managing to dodge, he used Sludge Bomb again, already feeling the effects of being in the shadow dimension for so long, but he was not about to jump back and give her an opening to attack him without him being able to dodge.  She took the full force of his attack, then used it against him with Payback.

 

Neither was gaining an edge.  Both were perfectly matched in speed and ferocity.  The battle continued, both Umbreons trading blow for blow and dodge for dodge.  Brightclaw eventually managed to catch Umbreon with Toxic, something that his ability quickly spread to her.  Now, both were being worn down by their existence in the shadow realm and the poison at the same time.

 

Finally, Brightclaw gained an edge.  "I guess you are a terrible father!  Helping Moonlight slip away to find my Clan's secret, only to die in a collapse at her own paws!" 

 

The remark struck home.  Umbreon paused at the exact wrong moment to have Brightclaw strike him dead in the shoulder with Payback, knocking him down.  Umbreon tried to jump back to his paws, but Brightclaw was quicker, scoring him in the same place with her claws.  Umbreon pulled a desperate ploy, rolling over to intercept her with bared claws and fangs, but she fired Dark Pulse while in the air, making him flinch as she aimed for his throat.

 

Suddenly, a glowing blur slammed full-force into Brightclaw, knocking her away and creating a shockwave of dark energy as the leader of the Clan of Darkness was thrown clear, falling through the wall of her own den with the force.  Umbreon rolled back upright, staring at the third party battler.  Black fur, a lithe build, black wisps of energy that spun off of their fur, and rings glowing so brilliantly blue it almost hurt to look at them in the dim lighting of the shadow dimension.  She spun around, revealing eyes that were glowing just as brilliantly in a ghostly purple hue.  "Dad, go!  Get back into the real world before you have no energy to jump back!"

 

Umbreon stared in shock.  "Moonlight!?"

 

"I said go!" she shouted back as Brightclaw jumped back through the wall, charging up a Dark Pulse and glaring daggers at Moonlight.  Umbreon struggled to his paws and summoned what little strength he had left to make the jump as Moonlight leapt to dodge the attack, summoning all of the dark energy that floated around her and concentrating it into a glowing ball into front of her nose.  She twisted her head around, hurling Shadow Ball in Brightclaw's general direction.  Umbreon forced a hole open between the physical and shadowy worlds, landing just as the den was rocked by another explosion, much smaller than the first, but enough to bring down the half of the den that the two shiny Umbreons had been dueling in.

 

With no time to waste, Umbreon ripped open his berry pouch, swallowing a Pecha berry as soon as he could.  He felt the poison dissipate as he anxiously watched the rubble.  Both had been in the shadow dimension, so the rocks wouldn't have hurt them, but...

 

Finally, Moonlight jumped back into the real world.  The dark energy that had returned to trailing wisps after her faded into the air as her eyes returned to their normal yellow color.  "Dad!  Are you ok?"

 

"I think so..."  How had she done that?  He had never seen anything so powerful.

 

"Brightclaw won't be a problem.  I knocked her out..." she trailed off, suddenly swaying on her paws.  Umbreon jumped up and tried to steady her. 

 

Even with his help, her knees buckled and she collapsed on the floor of the den, yanked into a fitful sleep.  "Moonlight?" Umbreon whispered to her, trying to wake her up.  "MOONLIGHT!"

Shadows of Nightmares (Part 1)

Umbreon blinked awake.  His sixth sense was telling him that something was wrong.  He had only just fallen asleep a few minutes ago.  What could have happened in such a short period of time?  No one else was in the den.  What could be giving him such...

Wait.  No one else was in the den.

He quickly got to his paws, looking for any sign of his shiny daughter.  "Moonlight?" he hissed quietly.  He knew that Brightclaw had posted a guard outside because she didn't trust Moonlight, something that was apparently rightly placed.  Umbreon stifled a growl.  "Moonlight...  What did you do?"

It was the same incident that had caused her to evolve all over again!  Except instead of Umbreon, it was Brightclaw and exchanging the human girl in distress for an apparently large secret.  Moonlight was predictable.  Brightclaw had told her what to do, so Moonlight had done what she wanted anyway.  Now, the only question was how Umbreon was going to get her out of this before they were up against the entire Clan of Darkness.

Clearly, she had jumped dimensions again.  Could he do the same?  Could the Pokémon in this clan know how to tell when someone was using Phantom Force?  It seemed likely.  If all of them could use the move, what were the odds that one of them were currently in the reverse dimension and could see him perfectly?  Or Moonlight?  What if she had already been spotted?

Espeon's voice seemed to speak in his head.  Slow down...  You're overthinking.  Umbreon took a deep breath.  He'd give her a few minutes.  Maybe she had just stepped outside for a bit.  Maybe she had gone to watch the moon.  There was no need to immediately think the worst, right?

"...Who am I kidding, this is Moonlight after someone had blatantly kept a secret from her.  Of course that's where she went."  But that still left the question of what he did.  Should he go after her?  Wait until she came back?  Tell someone in the Clan?

Going after her would probably yield the best results for Moonlight's safety.  He knew her better than she would ever admit.  He could probably track her down and possibly convince her to leave.  On the other paw, Dark Cave was huge.  Finding Moonlight in there could take all night, especially if she leaned on Phantom Force to evade detection.  That, and Brightclaw would be MUCH less forgiving if she caught both of them inside, rather than just one of them.

But Umbreon didn't know if he could wait until she returned.  Sure, she was right when she said she could handle herself in a fight, but what if she was outnumbered?  She couldn't run; they could follow her.  But she was cunning.  She would probably find a way to lose them in the extensive cave passageways.  But then could she make it back out without getting lost?  And while he could plead innocence, could he still verbally protect his daughter when/if she was seen and brought back?  He was good at diplomacy, but Splash was really the best at it.  She could talk a Heatmor away from a Durant nest.

Even with all of that considered...  Telling someone that she went missing might be best.  Brightclaw would be upset with Moonlight, of course, but Umbreon could write it off as her being young and rebellious, which she was.  The Clan would find her, bring her out, then both of them could go home.  However...  That would almost definitely result in Moonlight hating him for a long time.  She liked to figure things out on her own, even if it was self-detrimental.

Umbreon sighed.  He knew which option was best, but he'd permanently stain his relationship with his daughter.  Right now, he was the only one that she really trusted, aside from her siblings.  Could he give that up to keep her safe?

Before he could decide anything, Brightclaw barged into the den, flanked by a Weavile and an Absol.  She turned on Umbreon, fury in her eyes.  "Where is your daughter!?"

Umbreon stammered.  Brightclaw narrowed her eyes at him.  "Do you know, or are you just a terrible father?"

He looked down at the ground.  There was no safe way out of this.  He told the truth.  "She waited until I was asleep and snuck out...  I just woke up a minute ago and saw she was gone...  I was just about to tell someone."

"Lies!" she spat.  Umbreon forgot that not every Pokémon could smell a lie like he could.  "How did she get out?  Where did she enter?  How did she slip past the guard?"

Umbreon said nothing.  This was not going to end well.  She was clearly a smart Pokémon.  It wouldn't take long for her to realize what Moonlight could do.  And when she did?

Both of them were in huge trouble.  And Moonlight didn't even know it.

Moonlight trotted around another corner.  No one was in here.  She had left the shadow dimension a while ago, constantly being on guard for another Pokémon or a patrol of some sort, but apparently, Brightclaw had been telling the truth when she had said that she doesn't let anyone in without a good reason.  "That's the worst way to guard a secret that I have ever heard of..." she muttered to herself as she walked.

The cave was, as the name so eloquently suggested, dark.  Moonlight was pleased with how well she could see only by the light of her light blue rings, but it also made her a bit of a beacon.  She had seen Umbreon do this sort of thing before.  She just had to turn her glow off and manipulate the many shadows to camouflage herself.  Easy.

She stopped walking, taking a bit of focus to turn the light from her rings off completely.  She had dimmed them before, but never needed to turn them off.  It was now pitch-black.  Yet somehow, Moonlight could still see very well.  She smiled.  Umbreons have night vision, even with no light at all.  Cool.

She trotted on, keeping a map of where she had been, but unsure of where she was going.  She just let paws take her where they felt like going.  There were no other scents in this cave.  At least, none that were fresh.  She'd be able to tell if she was going in circles.

She tried to connect with the darkness around her, melt into it like her father could.  Nothing.  She tried to close her eyes and do the same thing.  Nope.  She shrugged.  She could figure it out later.

She wasn't really sure how Sunbeam had suddenly been able to use all of these Psychic powers of hers when she had gone to Bell Tower.  The only thing that had changed was when Cresselia had given her Future Sight, right?  Surely, one dream couldn't have opened up her capacity to use all of her abilities?

Moonlight gave a quiet sigh.  This is what everyone in the Clan that had consciously went on a Power Quest had said.  It just happened.  "Fat lot of help that..."

She stopped as she rounded a corner.  "...does me," she finished in a whisper.  In front of her stood an altar of some sort.  The room, unlike the rest of the cave, had perfectly smooth walls and floors, along with a large, arching ceiling.  Carved images filled the stone walls depicting a Pokémon that looked familiar, but Moonlight couldn't put a name to.  She had seen the picture in Sunbeam's book of Legends.  Which one was he...?

Moonlight cautiously ascended the stairs to the alter.  Behind it on the wall, she could see the only blank spot on the wall, framed by ghostly purple lights that gave the room its light source.  Moonlight let her rings light up again.  What was this place?

The bare spot on the wall seemed to shift imperceptibly.  It stayed where it was, and yet Moonlight could sense something ...off about it.  Like there was something that she couldn't see.   Maybe it was an illusion?  Was there something behind there?

Just as she started to step closer, a voice spoke in her head.  Old.  Female.  Spiteful.  You.  You are intruding on sacred grounds.  Leave now.

"Why should I?" Moonlight said aloud.  How was this possible?  Dark Types were immune to Psychic powers.  Telepathy shouldn't be possible.

We have your father.  Moonlight froze.  How could they...?  Brightclaw is sending in a team to retrieve you.  If you want him to stay alive, you'll come quietly.

Moonlight said nothing.  She didn't need Sunbeam to tell her that, even if she did as whoever that voice was told her to and left without a fight, she and Umbreon were not going back to the Eevee Clan any time soon.  She had to do something.  She was running out of time.

She looked around, searching for anything that could give her an idea.  Her eyes stopped on the altar.  She normally didn't pray much, but this was clearly a shrine to a legendary Pokémon, and judging by the placement, a Dark Type.  Maybe they'd listen to her.

She put her front paws on the edge of the altar.  "I don't know who you are, but I need help.  My father is in danger, and I need to save him."  Nothing happened.  Shouts reached Moonlight's ears.  The team had entered the cave and were tracking her.  Time was running out.  She screwed her eyes shut and tried to feel for some kind of powerful presence.  Please.  I need help.  Help me save my father.  If the Clan of Darkness worships you, I won't hurt any of them.  I just want my father back.

For a long time, nothing happened.  Then, she felt a dark essence nearby.  Who are you that intrudes on my domain and defies those that serve me?

Moonlight.  I just want help saving my father.

Another pause.  ...Do you have something to offer me in exchange?

Moonlight paused.  Did she?  All she had were the berries around her neck.  She didn't think that would be good enough.  Wait!  She might know of something!  All I have with me are a few berries, but my father has what I think is a Dusk Stone.  Would that work?  She secretly hoped that this legendary was ok with an IOU.

...Perhaps.  What kind of help do you seek?  Moonlight didn't answer.  She didn't know.  Any help would be appreciated.  ...You are young.  Inexperienced.  Capable of wielding great power, but only explores one field of Darkness.  You are on your Power Quest, are you not?

Moonlight paused.  Was it the air in the cave giving her the chills on her back?  ...Yes.

Then I will teach you how to truly connect with the Dark.  Do with it what you will, but keep in mind that great power has a price. 

Before Moonlight could ask what he meant, her paws carried her into a jump onto the altar without her telling them to.  She stood in the middle, unsure of what was happening, but her fear level was rising.  Her paws were rooted to the spot.  She couldn't run.  the voices of the team were coming closer.  ...Who are you? she thought fearfully.

Darkrai, the voice responded just as a black void opened up around Moonlight, making her collapse into a fitful sleep.

Moonlight's Quest (Part 3)

"Moonlight!" Umbreon called loudly from the ground, shaking Moonlight out of the light sleep that she had slipped into.

She blinked awake and sat up on the branch.  "I'm up, Dad..." she called back, annoyed by his punctuality.  Usually, she was up before him.

"Come on down so that we can keep moving."  Moonlight grunted in response, standing up on the bough and mapping out her climb down.  Having wings like Clover's didn't seem like a bad thing.  She honestly had no idea why the Leafeon was so keen on hiding them and pretending they didn't exist.  If Moonlight had wings, it would make climbing the really big trees a snap.

She jumped to the ground just as Umbreon pushed a Pidgey towards her.  Moonlight tried to hide her annoyance.  He had woken up before her and had time to hunt?  She muttered a 'thank you' and took the prey to eat a short distance away.  Oh well.  They'd reach Dark Cave today, if they kept up the same pace as yesterday. 

Moonlight tried to ignore all of the tiny warning signs that she had seen thus far.  Her father's premonition, the Murkrow...  All of it was pomp and circumstance.  Murkrows flew at night.  That was a fact.  Just because she had seen one didn't meant that it was bad luck.  As for Umbreon's bad vibes...  Nothing she couldn't handle.

Umbreon padded over to her as she finished.  "Ready to go?"

"Of course I am."  She stood up and readjusted her herb pouch, then trotted ahead a short ways before slowing back down to a walk to let her father keep pace.  Neither said anything, though Moonlight could tell that Umbreon wanted to.  Moonlight kept her eyes ahead.  She despised small talk.

After a while, it seemed like Umbreon couldn't stand the silence any longer.  "Are you ok?"

"Fine."

"You're awfully quiet."

"I'm always quiet."

He didn't have a comeback for that.  Moonlight knew what she was doing.  Spending your entire life around your chatty oldest and youngest sister really teaches a Pokémon how to end conversations to get some quiet time.

Moonlight's thoughts drifted.  She wondered what everyone else in the Clan was doing.  Splash and Surf were probably being annoyingly sweet to each other, as her own parents so often did, and Sunbeam was probably trying to dream about Moonlight every chance she got...

She stuck on that.  Sunbeam's Power Quest really did help her orient herself as an Espeon.  She learned how to use her powers, she gained new ones, and tried ones that she hadn't before, branching out to become a very powerful Psychic Type for her age.

Moonlight, on the other paw, already knew a lot about her powers as an Umbreon.  Sunbeam had only known about her telekinesis before her Power Quest, but Moonlight already knew how to jump dimensions (something that most Umbreons couldn't do anyway) and she had been working on controlling the light from her rings.  She knew that there were a few other things that she could work on, but it didn't seem like she needed a Power Quest to figure them out.  Just practice.

Her thoughts were interrupted by an unfamiliar scent.  She stopped, her father doing the same behind her.  She could feel his anxiety level climb as he picked up the same scent.  It was something that Moonlight had never smelled before.  What was it?

Her sharp ears picked up movement from a fair distance away.  It sounded like pawsteps, but from something bigger than her.  So, it wasn't prey...

Umbreon stepped up next to her.  "We're close to the cave.  The last time I was here, I had a not-so-nice run-in with a group of Pokémon who lived nearby."  So that's what he hadn't told her about this place.

She spoke without looking back at him.  "So?  What's your theory?"

"That sure seemed to me like a patrol.  Looks like their numbers have grown over the years..."  That made Moonlight pause.  If this was in the middle of a hostile Clan's territory...

She'd really get some practice with her Dark Type powers.

Without asking for her father's advice, she forged ahead with a small smile.  Dangerous hide and seek.  This was going to be fun.  Umbreon ran after her.  "Moonlight!" he hissed, stopping in front of her.  "What are you doing?"

"Dark Cave is this way.  That's where I'm going," she said frankly.

"And the aggressive Pokémon that will attack us if they find us here?"

"All the better to train with my powers.  We're Umbreons.  We're stealthy."

"Stealthy doesn't keep us alive if we get caught."

"You're right.  Fighting skills do.  Stealthy keeps us from getting caught in the first place.  Let's go."  Moonlight tried to step around her father, but he blocked her path again.

"And diplomacy lets us pass through without the need for stealthy."

Moonlight rolled her eyes and scoffed.  "I don't do diplomacy.  Splash does."

Umbreon narrowed his eyes at her.  "You should learn to.  It's a good skill to have."

"I'm perfectly fine with stealth and fighting skills, thanks."

An unfamiliar female voice spoke from behind Umbreon, smooth, but hard.  "And who, pray tell, are you?"

 

Ten minutes later, Moonlight and Umbreon were practically pushed into a tiny cleared space that was apparently an empty den.  Moonlight didn't think anyone would ever want to sleep here, but she said nothing. 

 

It turned out that her father had been right about the whole diplomacy thing.  The Liepard that had found them (It wasn't Terror.  Moonlight had asked.) had been going to call for backup from her apparently massive Clan and force Moonlight and Umbreon out, but her father's smooth-talking had saved them.  He told the truth, telling her that he had been taking Moonlight on her Power Quest when they walked past the Clan's borders without realizing it.  The Liepard had grudgingly accepted his story, then led them back to their camp and told them to wait in the den where Moonlight was currently sitting until someone else came to talk to them.

 

The shiny Umbreon sat sullenly towards the back of the den while her father paced closer to the entrance.  "If any of them recognize me, we're done for..."

 

"Dad, relax.  Even if someone did recognize you, which I have no idea why they would, you said it was a really long time ago, we can both get out any time we want."

 

"And they could still chase us.  This is where I learned Phantom Force in the first place."

 

Moonlight blinked in confusion.  "...What?"

 

He stopped pacing, then sat down with a sigh.  "When I was younger, freshly evolved into an Umbreon, I wandered into these Pokémons' territory.  The Clan of Darkness, they called themselves.  They tried to get me to join, baiting me with all kinds of promises of power, including teaching me about jumping dimensions, their best ploy.  But then I met Espeon.  They didn't like it.  Even though I didn't know where she had gone, they told me to drop her or else."

 

Moonlight frowned.  "They don't sound like a great group..."

 

"They're not bad Pokémon, they just...  Have a lot of self-interest."  When Moonlight said nothing, he continued.  "So I ran.  I left with one of their best-kept secrets to chase a Psychic Type who wasn't even close to the Clan of Darkness."

 

Everything fit together.  "And now you're here again, a runaway Umbreon who took his knowledge of Phantom Force, is mates with an Espeon, and is here with his daughter who knows the same technique that they do," she finished.

 

"Exactly."

 

Moonlight thought about it logically.  "It still happened a long time ago.  I doubt anyone would recognize you.  So as long as we don't give away that we know Phantom Force, we should be able to get out of this."

 

Umbreon nodded, but he still looked worried.  Pawsteps reached Moonlight's ears.  These sounded familiar.  Almost exactly like...

 

She had to blink a few times to be sure she wasn't imagining things.  It was like looking into a mirror.  In the entrance to the den stood another shiny female Umbreon.

 

Moonlight couldn't believe it.  She was told that shiny Pokémon were exceedingly rare, and yet, she now knew of three of them, herself included.  The other two Umbreons looked just as surprised as she was.  Finally, her double spoke in a clipped and stern voice.  "Who are you two, and why did you intrude on the territory of the Clan of Darkness?"  Moonlight immediately liked her a little.  She got right to the point.

 

Umbreon answered, trying to be nonchalant about it.  "I'm Umbreon, this is my daughter, Moonlight.  She just evolved and we were going on her Power Quest."

 

"I see..." she said, looking Moonlight over.  Moonlight subconsciously sat up a bit straighter.  "I am Brightclaw, head of the Clan of Darkness."  She was the leader of this huge clan?

 

"A pleasure to meet you," Umbreon said with a polite nod.  Moonlight copied his actions.

 

No one said anything about the two Umbreons who glowed blue rather than yellow.  Moonlight finally took a risk and broke the silence.  "We came here hoping to go to Dark Cave."

 

Brightclaw immediately bristled at the mention of the cave.  "Training in Dark Cave is strictly forbidden.  No one is allowed inside."

 

Moonlight laid her ears back.  "Why not?"

 

Brightclaw locked eyes with her, matching her gaze.  The leader's authority clashed with Moonlight's rebelliousness.  The silent battle waged on as she responded.  "It is a sacred place.  No one goes in without a very good reason and my permission."

 

"So give us permission, then," Moonlight shot back with a hint of an attitude.

 

Umbreon watched the two nervously.  "Moonlight..."

 

Both ignored him.  Brightclaw still didn't break eye contact with Moonlight.  "I can't do that.  More to the point, I won't do that."

 

"Why not?" Moonlight challenged.  Sparks could almost be seen between the two.

 

"I can give you permission to use the training yard outside of camp, but that is all I will do."

 

"You didn't answer my question."

 

"In a minute, you won't even have access to the training area and I will send you out of my territory, by force if necessary."

 

Umbreon finally cut in, putting himself between the two aggressive females.  "That's a very kind offer, Brightclaw, thank you.  We'll take you up on it."

 

Both shiny Umbreons looked at him, one with a hint of pleasure, the other with poorly-hidden annoyance.  Brightclaw spoke again.  "Wise decision.  You can stay here while you train.  If you need anything, Darksight will be just outside," she said as she exited the den.

 

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

 

Moonlight was still upset with her father by the time night fell.  They had trained in the designated area, mock fighting each other and a few other Pokémon that were there, but they could have done that back home.  I know I said that all I needed was practice, but this is not what I had in mind.

 

Finally, she and Umbreon had retired back to their den, Moonlight still not saying anything.  Brightclaw was hiding something, dang it, and she wanted to know what it was.  What was so special about Dark Cave that no one was allowed in?

 

Umbreon tried for the third time to mend thorn barriers.  "I can really tell you're getting better.  And that's without jumping."

 

Moonlight, for the third time, ignored him.  Her father finally gave up, sighing and laying down on one side of the den.  Moonlight picked a spot on the other side, still deep in thought.  She really wanted to know what Brightclaw was hiding in Dark Cave.

 

...And she could find out easily.

 

She could almost hear her father telling her not to, but she had to know.  She stayed where she was, waiting for Umbreon to fall asleep and ignoring the voice in the back of her head that was telling her to look at what happened the last time she did something like this. 

 

This was different.  This time, she wasn't going to get distracted.

 

This also has a lot higher stakes than last time.

 

So this time, she wouldn't fight anything.  She'd just go in, investigate, and come out.  No harm, no foul.  Stealth was her specialty.  If no one was in there, this should be a breeze.

 

Umbreon finally fell into a light sleep.  Moonlight would have to tread lightly, literally and figuratively.  She slowly stood up, then, making sure that no one could see her, she jumped silently into the shadow dimension.  She smiled.  Brightclaw wouldn't be keeping any secrets from her!

 

Stepping through the wall of the den, Moonlight trotted through the camp, avoiding walking through any of the Dark Types (seemed to be the only type that this clan consisted of, the typists) just for safety.  It wasn't long before she found the entrance to Dark Cave, which was guarded by a massive Tyranitar.

 

Moonlight looked up at him, then walked around to the wall of the cave.  She smiled to herself as she stepped through.  No one had to know.