Traces of Radioactivity (Part 3)

I took a breath, trying to stay calm and leaderlike.  "Ok...  What happened?  When did you last see him?"

Sunbeam closed her eyes tightly, trying to think.  "We...  Were talking to Jayna.  She was telling us about shiny Eevees."

"Ok, where?"

"Right here."

"Where are Jayna, Three, and Five now?"

Espeon answered this one.  "Three and Five are in our den, Jayna is with Clover and Umbreon."

I now remembered why she was such a good friend of mine.  "Thanks for taking charge...  What about Surf?"

"He's with Bolt.  They're looking for Four."

"Perfect.  I just sent Snow and Moonlight to find them...  Hopefully, they'll split up and make two search parties..."

Espeon nodded as I looked back towards the bush den.  "...I have to speak to Jayna," I said tersely as I rose to my paws and padded away from the Espeons.  Neither said anything, though I could feel Sunbeam's worried gaze at my back.

I slipped into the bush den to see Clover sorting through her herbs with Zan sitting a few steps behind her, Jayna on the other side of the den, and Umbreon standing near the entrance, looking both scarily intense and insanely worried.  It was a little crowded with 5 Pokemon in here, but it would have to work.  I went straight to Jayna.  "What were you telling Sunbeam and the kits a few minutes ago?"

She seemed a little thrown off by my confrontational manner, but I was past being polite at this point.  "Just about the four shiny Eevees that we know about..."

I sat down across from her, and I could sense Umbreon hanging on our every word.  Four wouldn't just get bored with a conversation and wander off on his own.  Any of his other siblings might, except maybe Sunbeam, but not Four.  He was too quiet and too polite.  "Give me details."

"All right...  I'm not sure why you want to know about this, but...  I told them about the skills and colorations of a shiny Vaporeon, Jolteon, Espeon, and Leafeon.  We've only met the Vaporeon and Leafeon."

I nodded slowly.  This had to have something to do with Four, but what...?

Jayna continued.  "I told them about what made being shiny different for them...  Oh!  I was about to ask Three the standard practicality questions when Four asked a question."

Umbreon took a quick step closer.  "What?" he practically barked.  Zan watched him closely, worried about his sister, but unsure of what to do about the angry father.

Jayna gave Umbreon a wary look.  "Just how we knew what colors the Espeon and Jolteon were if we hadn't met them.  I said we actually knew all of the colors through the database..."

"Database?" I asked.

Zan answered this time.  "Yes, it's one of the human resources we have access to."  Clover flinched almost imperceptibly.

I gave her a brief reassuring look before returning to Jayna.  "Did you tell them about that?"

"Yes, I said it was a small book somewhat like a Pokedex."

I leaned back and closed my eyes.  Umbreon looked over at me.  "What?  Splash, what are you thinking?"

"I hope I'm wrong, but I think I know where Four went..."

I burst out into camp, Umbreon hard on my tail.  "Espy?  Who's left in camp?"

"In terms of evolved Clan members, just the 5 of us."

I nodded and thought hard about what had to be done where.  Sunbeam stood up.  "Splash?  What happened?"

"Jayna said that there's a shiny Pokemon database.  It looks like a smaller Pokedex.  Four is always asking about different colors of shiny Pokemon, and since the only place where he knows he can find books are-"

"My library!" Sunbeam shouted, either putting the dots together or reading my mind.  Probably the latter.  "But he can't go there alone!"

"I know, which is why I'm going to organize a search and rescue party.  Umbreon, Sunbeam, start heading toward the library.   Espy, track down Surf, Snow, Bolt, and Moonlight.  Tell Snow and Moonlight to catch up with Umbreon and Sunbeam to help them look.  I want Surf and Bolt back here, Bolt so that he can help watch the kits, Surf to help Clover with the Meowstics."

Espeon nodded once, stood up, and raced for the camp entrance.  Umbreon went to follow her, but Sunbeam hesitated.  "What about you, Splash?"

"I'm going to stay here and hold down the fort until Surf and Bolt get here.  Then, I'll see where else I need to be."

"Okay..." she responded anxiously, looking back at her father.  Umbreon nodded encouragingly, only resuming his run into the forest when he knew his Psychic daughter was behind him.

I sat in the middle of camp.  Three and Five had orders from their mother to stay in their den, but those two were the most hyper of the five...  Maybe I should sit with them to be safe.  They were probably worried about their brother.  I stood up again and padded towards the log den.  Knowing Espeon, she'd have Bolt at least back here in a few minutes, tops.

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A few minutes later, as I was lying in the entrance to the log den, pawsteps caught my attention.  They were too big to be Four's, but light.  Something like Bolt's but not nearly quick enough.  And it wasn't Surf, either...  I knew what he sounded like by now.

I tilted my head back towards Three and Five, not taking my eyes off of the camp entrance.  "Kits?  Stay there.  I'll be right back."

The two bundles of silver and brown fur both nodded, huddled together in Espeon's bed.  As quietly as I could, I stood and crept out of the den.  The owner of the mystery pawsteps wasn't trying to be sneaky, but wasn't trying to attract notice, either.  It sounded familiar somehow...  But I couldn't place it exactly.

Finally, the owner of the pawsteps slipped into camp.  It was a Jolteon.  A shiny Jolteon.  He was somewhat small, so younger, definitely...  Something seemed familiar, but I had never met or seen a shiny Jolteon before.  At least, not that I knew of...

The Jolteon looked around the camp quietly, then perked his ears up when he saw me and smiled.  "Splash!"

I could only stare.  That voice...

"Well?  What do you think?"

The steps, the voice, and the color.  It all fit.  "...Four?"

"Actually...  It's Radioactivity now."