With a Spark and a Buzz (Part 2)

Talons wrapped around Radioactivity's midsection as a massive bird Pokemon grabbed him with only one foot, then latched onto the collar with the other and lifted off into the sky, taking the younger Jolteon with it.  Radioactivity couldn't see what exactly was holding him, but he wanted down.  Bolt was down there!  He had to follow him!  He had to save him!

"Put me down!" he yelled to his captor, getting no response.  Radioactivity fought on, trying to wiggle free, but that only ended up with the collar around his neck nearly choking him.  They were gaining altitude fast.  What could he do!?

Wait.  Type matchups.  He was an Electric Type, and bird Pokemon were all Flying Types.  All he had to do was deliver a big enough jolt, and he'd be released!  All he had to do was figure out how to work his powers before they got too high for Radioactivity to fall.

Starting with his born ability, he focused as much energy as he could on the bird Pokemon above him, though his panic forced some of his radioactive energy to remain buzzing around him.  Barely deterred, the bird Pokemon circled higher.  Wouldn't it be coming back to a trainer by now...?  Radioactivity shook his head and fought on.  Come on, lightning!  Work!

Trying to recreate the feeling of surging power that he had felt when he had stuck his nose in the power socket, Radioactivity managed to summon a small jolt, and while it only struck his captor because he was touching Radioactivity (apparently, he had discovered how to shock himself...), it still should have at least dealt the Flying Type some damage!

Radioactivity prepared for another attack, trying to figure out why he wasn't making any impact, when his captor spoke in a harsh voice that reminded Radioactivity of static.  "Stop attacking me, will you!?  I'm not going to hurt you."

Radioactivity did stop his attacks, though he didn't retrieve his radioactive energy.  "Put me down!  Please!  My uncle is down there, he's in trouble!"

"I know!  I'm trying to help them, but you're not making it easy!"

That threw him.  "...But you're kidnapping me!"

"I'm trying to get your trainer's attention."

"What trainer!?  I don't have a trainer!"

His captor paused, thunder cracking nearby.  The bird Pokemon didn't seem at all afraid of the storm...  "...You're wearing a collar.  Why would you be wearing a collar if you didn't have a trainer?"

"To make the humans think I did so they wouldn't try to catch me!  It was my uncle's idea!"

His captor -actually, Radioactivity wasn't sure he was malevolent anymore- paused again, flapping somewhat haphazardly as he began to glide to a lower altitude.  Radioactivity quickly reabsorbed his energy.  If this bird really did want to help...  "...You're not going to hurt me?"

"Of course not.  I protect Jolteons, not hurt them."

"What?"

"Do you know who I am?" the bird Pokemon asked, sounding a bit irked.

Radioactivity tried to look up, but the mystery Pokemon's grip on the collar kept him from looking anywhere but forward or down.  "...I-I can't see you, your talons are digging into my head..."

Instead of answering, his captor(?) swooped low as terrifying speed, then pulled up suddenly and dropped Radioactivity.  He only screamed for a second before he landed in what felt like a dense tree.  No...  Not a tree, he realized as he stood up and shook himself off.  A nest.  Not a nest in a tree, either.  He peered over the edge, recognizing the building that he was perched on top of instantly.  We're on top of the Power Plant!  But that meant...  If Sunbeam's books were right...

The bird Pokemon landed heavily on the other side of the nest, spiked yellow and black feathers framing a small face with a long, needle-like beak and eyes filled with lightning.  He peered intensely at Radioactivity.  "How about now?"

The young Jolteon could only whisper the name in shocked reverence.  "Zapdos..."

A few minutes later, Radioactivity was sure that, yes, this was really Zapdos, the Legendary Thunderbird Pokemon, and no, he was not dreaming.  In fact, he was fairly sure that the powerful Electric Type actually kind of liked him, or least felt responsible for him.  When Radioactivity had been explaining what had happened that led him and Bolt to Saffron City, the young Jolteon mentioned his lack of skill with his Electric Type powers, something that Zapdos was now coaching him on while Radioactivity finished his story.

According to Zapdos, Radioactivity's trouble summoning lightning wasn't his or Bolt's fault.  It was his radioactivity's.  When he was still an Eevee, he was a Normal Type, a type defined by its ability to use almost any type's energy flexibly, including the radioactive glow that Four possessed.  Normally, when an Eevee evolves, it gains a lot more affinity for certain types while all but dropping the ability to harness most other types' power.

Radioactivity, however, had his own classification.  When he was Four, he was a Normal and Radioactive Type, or, at least, this was the closest comparison.  When he had evolved, he was forced to keep his "Radioactive Type powers," even though his entire biology had changed.  More in tune with his glow than his lightning, it made it difficult for Radioactivity to summon electricity, and nearly impossible for him to use powerful blasts quickly.  Luckily, Zapdos had offered a solution.

"So now you want to find your uncle, save him, and then go home.  Use Shock Wave."

"Right," Radioactivity said as he focused his energy, using Charge first to separate his electricity from his radioactivity, then sealed his buzz away and threw the charged power out in a dome around him.

"Good.  Just use Charge for a bit longer.  The longer you use Charge, the more powerful your lightning will be."

"Got it.  So, why are you here?  If you don't mind my asking, of course..."

"I don't.  Use Shock Wave again."  He began telling the story as Radioactivity kept training, using Charge before any Electric Type move.  "Recently, a group of humans has been kidnapping Electric Types for some malicious purpose, but the last time I went to intervene, they were ready for me.  Volt Switch."

Radioactivity used Charge again before breaking into a dash and striking an imaginary target.  "What happened?"

"...You're good with Volt Switch by now, keep working on Shock Wave.  They nearly captured me is all I want to say about it.  Luckily for me, I know Drill Peck, but they won't fall for the same trick twice.  Unlike some other Legendaries, I rather like humans," he said with a fond smile tugging at the corners of his beak.  Radioactivity smiled, too, almost asking before Zapdos fixed him with another scarily intense look.  He quickly got back to training.  "So, I went looking for a trainer that enjoyed the company of Electric Type Pokemon that would assist me."

Radioactivity put the pieces together.  "And when you saw me alone wearing a collar, you thought I had escaped and was calling for my trainer."

"Exactly.  Shock Wave again.  I made as big of a spectacle as I could, but no one came forward.  Now I have to make sure that you know what you're doing, so I don't leave you alone and unable to fight."

Radioactivity paused.  "...Well, what if I helped you free them?"

"By yourself."

"Yes," he pressed on, ignoring the highly skeptical tone and look that the Thunderbird Pokemon was giving him.  "You said yourself that I'm not a normal Electric Type."

"You are one Jolteon.  One very young and inexperienced Jolteon with barely enough power to use Volt Switch, let alone the hard-hitting moves like Thunder or Discharge."

"It's not all about power," Radioactivity said before he could stop himself.  Zapdos fixed him with a look so intense that he could feel the static building in his fur as he shrank away slightly.  "Uh...  I mean..."

"I know what you mean.  ...And I think you're right.  I have a plan."

With a Spark and a Buzz (Part 1)

The train slowly started to move, momentarily throwing Radioactivity's balance off.  He slowly climbed back down the pile of suitcases, trying to comprehend what had just happened.  Bolt, gone?  How could this happen?  Who would show the very young and even more inexperienced Jolteon how to do anything?  He barely knew how to use his Electric Type powers!

He glanced out the window at the world going by, moving faster and faster until everything blurred, and he could only focus on one tree or bird Pokemon for a second at most before it was past the frame of the window and he couldn't see it anymore.  Kind of like running at top speed...

Radioactivity slumped to the floor, his anxiety preventing him from keeping his glow on the inside.  The hum was faint, but it was there.  What could he do?  He had lost sight of the bad human that had taken Bolt, so he couldn't follow him.  Even if he could, the human was almost definitely a trainer, and Radioactivity couldn't fight.  His only battle-worthy skill was the one he was named after, and that was a long-term effect.  He was fast and agile, but not even Bolt could jump and dodge until something akin to Toxic took down all of his opponents.  The Pidgey and Rattata that Radioactivity had caught before had happened only because he was bigger and faster than they were.  What could he do?

He was supposed to learn how to use his Electric Type powers at the power plant.  But that was near...  Lavender Town, Sunbeam said?  Right?  But the train was going to Saffron City.  He barely knew his way around the forest near his own clan's camp.  Even if he could make himself leave Bolt until he could fight properly (or, at least, even remotely knew what he was doing), how would he find his way?  Bolt was his guide.  Without his uncle to lead the way, he was lost and defenseless.

Right about then, he almost heard Moonlight's skeptical and slightly acidic voice in the back of his mind.  Seriously, Radioactivity?  Lost and defenseless?  Learn to take care of yourself.

I can't, he responded to his imagined shiny sister.  I don't know what I'm doing.

Then figure it out.  The whole point of being evolved is to NOT be helpless.  So quit feeling sorry for yourself and go do something about it.

Radioactivity sighed.  This was why he worked better in groups.  He wasn't good at being alone.  But fake Moonlight was right.  He was alone now, and he couldn't just sit here.  ...Well, he had to until the train stopped, but once it did, he'd figure something out.

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

As it turned out, Radioactivity didn't have long to wait.  True to Bolt's word, the train pulled into the Saffron City station only a few minutes later.  Part of him wished that it had taken longer...  He still had no idea what or how-

No.  Stop. You're not an Eevee anymore, you're a Jolteon, the faux-shiny admonished himself.  He had to stop being Four and start being Radioactivity.  But what to do...  Well, if Bolt was great at being a Jolteon, and at least 90% of his actions were based purely on impulse and instinct...

The second the door to the baggage car opened, Radioactivity bolted for the exit, going as fast as he could while weaving in between legs, bags, and carts.  Lots of humans shouted in surprise as he finally made it off the train and into the station, but Radioactivity ignored them.  He pushed logic away and let instinct take over, dashing through the station as he searched for any sign of his uncle.

There!  A cart with lots of covered cages!  That seemed like a likely place to hide a kidnapped Jolteon.  "UNCLE BOLT!?" he shouted as he dashed towards the cart, staying very aware of the human that was pushing it.  It wasn't the bad human that had taken Bolt in the first place, but he didn't trust this human any more.  "UNCLE BOLT, ARE YOU THERE!?"

Bolt shook his head out, trying to see where he was.  He had fought as hard as he possibly could while the human had held him, only thinking to use Lava Plume as he was being wrestled towards a cage.  The human had thrown him in surprise (and hopefully a little pain, Bolt thought, both smug and guilty), making his head slam against the sides of the cage, stunning him.

And now he was awake and in the dark.  Great.  With a bit of focus, since he was still recovering from a bad headache, he managed to turn on his internal light bulb.  Yep.  He was locked in a cage.  With a cover over it.  Great.  Barely any space, too!  He hates-

Wait!  What happened to Radioactivity!?  He was stuck in the baggage car!  Bolt had to get to him!  But the cage was being moved!  He could feel it!  What if Radioactivity had gotten captured, too!?  What if he hadn't!?  Who would protect him!?  If something happened to her son and Bolt escaped, Espeon would kill him!

Ok.  Slow down.  Short circuiting.  Right.  Slow down.  There would be no dashing in circles here.  Not enough space.  Bolt bit back a groan.  He needed spaaaaaaace...

"UNCLE BOLT!?"  Radioactivity?  "UNCLE BOLT, ARE YOU THERE!?"  Yes!  That was him!

"BUZZ!  IN HERE!" Bolt yelled back, trying to crank up the brightness as much as he could.  Hopefully, his nephew could see it through the cover!

Bolt heard pawsteps that mirrored his own approach, staying close, but not too close.  Smart kit.  "Uncle Bolt!  Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, buddy!  Just a little stuck!"  Bolt could smell fresh air.  They were getting close to the outdoors.

Radioactivity's pawsteps retreated for a few second before coming closer again.  "What should I do?"

Bolt froze up.  Why hadn't he thought of an answer to that?  Obviously, he was hoping to stage a rescue.  At least, Bolt hoped he was.  But his nephew wasn't exactly the most competent battler.  He could barely summon a spark, let alone a thunderbolt.  An idea came to him, remembering Sunbeam's and Espeon's Power Quest.  "Are you still wearing that collar!?"

"Yes!  Why!?"

"Get human help!  Like police humans that Espeon got to help Sunbeam!"

"What!?  How!?"

"Act like your trainer got kidnapped or something!"  Maybe not the best plan Bolt had ever thought of, but it would work.  He smelled electricity on the wind.  There must be a storm brewing...

"But how will I know where you are!?"  Patrats.  This kit was smart.  "...Uncle Bolt!?"

"I'm thinking!" Bolt barked, not meaning to be so harsh.  Radioactivity was panicking.  And high energy levels tended to rub off on Bolt.

Finally, Radioactivity made his own decision.  "I'll follow you-"

CRACK!  BOOOM!

Lightning strikes?  Already?  Something was off here...  Radioactivity, apparently oblivious to the unusual weather, tried again.  "I'll follow you so I know where to bring help!"  Humans started screaming.  Even Radioactivity himself was starting to sound edgy, though Bolt could tell he didn't know what was going on.  What WAS going on!?

"Buzz, just...  Take cover!  I don't know what's going on out there, but it sounds bad!"

"It's just a big sto- whoooaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"  His voice got fainter, as if he was getting farther away.

Bolt tried to rip the cover off of his cage with his teeth, bit it was stuck fast.  "Radioactivity!?" he called out, getting more and more panicked when his nephew didn't answer.  "RADIOACTIVITY!!"

Radioactivity's Quest (Part 3)

Radioactivity could only stare at the awe-inspiring sight in front of him.  "It's huge!" he gasped, unable to find a better word.  Just before reaching Goldenrod City, Bolt had taught his nephew how to climb trees 'properly,' as the older Jolteon had put it, choosing an easy, but still towering, tree to climb.  Even from the very topmost branches, they still couldn't see the far edge of the city.

One question stuck in the young Jolteon's mind.  "...How in Arceus's name are we going to find the train station in all this?"

Bolt bounded higher still into the leaves, trusting his weight to the very thinnest of branches without fear.  Radioactivity was impressed.  He wasn't afraid of heights per say, but he didn't actively seek them out like his uncle did...  Bolt scanned the city from his elevated position, actually managing to look kind of regal from below.  "Let's see...  That might be it..."

"Look for where the tracks are.  Humans can't build things over train tracks if they still want them to work..."

"Good idea.  You're pretty sharp, Buzz."  Radioactivity tried to refrain from rolling his eyes.  "...There's a line there...  And there's the station!  Perfect!  It's close by, too, so we don't have to run through the city."

Radioactivity nodded, relieved.  Running through the forest with somewhat widely spaced trees was one thing, but racing at that speed through a crowded city with lots of humans walking around?  He didn't think he could do that...  Thinking about it...  "Hey, Uncle Bolt?"

The older Jolteon responded as he bounced back down through the branches, making Radioactivity follow him quickly.  "Yeah?"

"How do we get through the city without any humans noticing us?"

Bolt jumped the rest of the way to the ground, something that Radioactivity was not willing to do.  "Well...  Normally, if you act like you own the place, humans assume you belong to a trainer, but in your case, we might have to make it more convincing..."

"Why in my-  WHOAA!" Radioactivity yelled as he misjudged the distance of his jump, landing too short and falling backwards off the branch.  At least he didn't land badly.

Bolt barely reacted.  "Why in your case?  Well, unless I'm wrong, you'd keep your inner glow?"

"You mean keep my radioactive energy on the inside?" Radioactivity asked as he got to his paws.  "Yeah."

"Then you look like a shiny Jolteon.  If there's one thing humans react to, it's shiny Pokemon.  And since Eevees are rare to begin with..."

"They'd know I didn't belong and want to catch me."

"Exactly."

"Then what do I do?"

Bolt tilted his head.  "I have an idea...  But you have to swear you won't tell your mother, your sister, or Splash?"

Radioactivity didn't exactly like where this was going...  "Which sister?"

"Um...  All of them, but especially Moonlight."

That made Radioactivity a little worried.  Then again, that could mean it's pretty much anything that was even remotely related to humans...  "How do you expect me to keep a secret from my mother when she can read my mind?"

Bolt did that thing when someone asked him a question that should have been obvious and he froze up while he thought of both an answer and a reason as to why he didn't think about it.  Finally, he just shrugged.  "I don't know.  Just...  go with it.  I'll be right back.  Don't move!"  Before Radioactivity could ask why, what Bolt planned on doing, or what he himself could do while he waited, Bolt blasted away towards the city in a crackling yellow blur.  Radioactivity sighed.  Had it not been for his namesake characteristic, he probably would have picked Glaceon...

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

Bolt returned only a few minutes later, just as Radioactivity was getting back from hunting.  He still wasn't entirely sure how to use his Electric Type powers, so he relied on speed, agility, and radioactivity.  Seeing as this was his first hunt, he didn't think he had done too badly.

Bolt apparently thought the same thing, speaking through a small bag that was clutched in his teeth.  "Hey!  Look what you did!"

Radioactivity smiled proudly.  "I caught both myself!"

"Not bad!  Especially for your first-  thaaaaat Pidgey is glowing."

Radioactivity looked at his catch.  "...I figured I would have that one..."

Bolt shrugged, dropping the bag.  "Fair enough.  Here, put this on."

"Put what on- oh no," Radioactivity said as Bolt pulled a glittery gold collar out of the bag.

"Come on, it's brilliant!  The humans will think you belong to someone!"

"Splash'll kill us...  Moonlight'll kill us!"

"That's why I told you not to tell them.  Come here."  Radioactivity bounced away as Bolt tried to loop the collar over his head.  He was NOT wearing that.  Bolt kept chasing him.  "Come on!  It's the only way!"

"I'd rather take my chances with the humans than have the clan find out about this!"

"They won't find out!"

The chase went on for some time, neither of them actively running until Bolt suddenly blurred, using Extreme Speed and slamming Radioactivity in the shoulder before he could react, knocking him over.  "OW!"

"Sorry!" Bolt said as he triumphantly leaned his weight on his nephew's shoulder, preventing him from escaping while he slipped the collar over his head.  Radioactivity shook his head out.  It wasn't quite what he had imagined...  He didn't like it there, but it wasn't quite as... strangle-y as he imagined.  "See?" Bolt said, finally getting off of the younger Jolteon's shoulder.  "Not so bad, right?"

"I still don't like it..." Radioactivity complained as he got to his paws.  He felt more restrained.

"It's just for getting on and off the train."

Radioactivity sighed.  He was patient...  He could put up with it...  He was always the most easygoing of his siblings, so he could deal with this.  As long as he took it off again as soon as they got to the power plant.

Radioactivity crouched under a bench next to Bolt.  They had made it to the train station without a problem, but apparently, Pokemon weren't allowed to be out of their pokeballs when they were actually in the station, and especially not on the train.  Radioactivity had a suggestion as to how they could slip on, but...

"I'm not doing that," Bolt whispered, shaking his head again.

"Come one, Uncle Bolt, it's not that bad.  You said so yourself.  The trip only takes a few minutes."

"No."

"I put the collar on, that worked.  Why won't you try this?  It's easy."

"I'm not getting in a human suitcase."

Radioactivity sighed.  It seemed like the only way...  "Please?"

"Still no..."  Why did Radioactivity feel like he was more mature and patient than his uncle sometimes?

A perfect opening presented itself as a human put down two bags, then left them while he strode to the ticket window.  He looked back at Bolt.  "Uncle Bolt..."

"No..." Bolt replied, mirroring Radioactivity's tone.

The mock-shiny Jolteon suddenly recalled one of Moonlight's favorite tricks from when she was still Two.  He broke into a sudden dash for the bags, claws skittering on the tile flooring as he fought for traction, made it to the bags unnoticed, and glanced back at his uncle as he gripped the zipper in his teeth and pulled it open.  Bolt was standing under the bench, poised to run with one paw raised, and looking extremely angry with Radioactivity as he made a wide enough opening, made sure all of his energy was on the inside and wouldn't rub off on anything, and slipped inside.  If Bolt wanted to stay with him, he now HAD to follow the bags.  Radioactivity knew it was kind of mean, but it was the only way that he could see...

Peering out through the open spot in the zipper that he had left, Radioactivity discovered that Bolt did in fact have another way of getting on the train.  Just as the human who owned the two bags came back to retrieve them (Radioactivity held his breath to keep his anxiety down and his buzz off), Bolt broke cover as well, rubbing up against another nearby human and pretending she was his trainer.  Splash basically couldn't find out about any part of this Power Quest at this point...

Two official-looking humans came over to the one that Bolt had chosen as his fake trainer.  Radioactivity couldn't hear what they were saying, but they were probably saying that she wasn't allowed to have a Jolteon out in the train station.  The woman responded, probably saying that it wasn't her Jolteon.  Bolt kept up the act until enough people were distracted with each other that he could slip onto the train, tailing the human with the two bags as he stepped onto the train himself and Radioactivity lost sight of Bolt.

The human kept walking for a bit until he finally set the bag down.  Radioactivity still didn't dare to move.  He could hear lots of other humans putting their bags down, too...  Finally, a fake-sounding human voice spoke.

"Welcome aboard the Goldenrod City Express Magnet Train, our highway in the sky to Saffron City. For those of you standing, please hold on to the hand rails throughout our journey and stay clear of the doors. For the comfort of others, no smoking please. As you board, please move across your car to make room for everyone, and kindly offer available seating those needing special assistance. If you are standing, please hold on to the hand rails and stay clear of the automatic doors, they will be closing in a moment. The Magnet Train will depart momentarily for Saffron City. Thank you."

Saffron City?  It doesn't go directly to the Power Plant?  Oh well.  Bolt probably knew how to get there...

Radioactivity suddenly heard the door slide shut followed by a muted wham.  Carefully sniffing the air outside to be sure there were no humans in the car, he slipped out and looked around.  Judging by the amount of bags and suitcases around, this must be the 'baggage car' that Radioactivity read about on one of the signs in the station.  "...Uncle Bolt?" Radioactivity called out quietly.  He didn't see the Jolteon anywhere...

Quiet scratching at the closed door to the car caught his attention.  Bounding on top of a few stacked bags, Radioactivity could see through the window and into the next car.  Bolt was on the other side of the door, trying to get the door open to get to him.  He hadn't made it to the baggage car!

The humans in the car were watching Bolt, pointing and saying things that Radioactivity couldn't hear through the closed door.  Bolt ignored all of them, still trying to get the door open.  One man wearing a hat, black rubber gloves, dark glasses, and a black leather jacket stood up and walked up behind the oblivious Jolteon.  Radioactivity saw a white shirt underneath the jacket, catching a glimpse of a bold, red letter R hidden by the jacket.  Radioactivity's eyes went wide.  That's what Sunbeam said the humans who kidnapped all the Pokemon in Ecruteak City wore!

"BOLT!  LOOK OUT!" Radioactivity shouted, to no avail.  Bolt couldn't hear him.  The man grabbed Bolt around the middle and lifted him off the ground as the train started moving, the Jolteon growling and trying to shock the human, but the man's gloves protected him from any damage.  He turned and carried Bolt away from the baggage car, the door between passenger cars opening automatically.  Radioactivity could only watch.  Bolt had just been kidnapped by bad humans.

And it was probably Radioactivity's fault.

Radioactivity's Quest (Part 2)

Radioactivity followed his uncle out of camp, anxiousness prickling at his paws.  Or maybe that was his new Electric Type powers.  He couldn't tell.  He was leaving camp for a new place to go on an adventure, just like he and his siblings had always pretended!  It was all a little sudden, but he supposed it was better to learn to use his powers in the wild than back at camp.  That made sense.

Bolt was still talking about all of the perks of being a Jolteon.  "...run faster than any other Eevee!  And a lot of other Pokemon!  Seriously, a LOT of other Pokemon.  We're fast, even for Electric Types!"  Radioactivity secretly wondered if all of the things that the older Jolteon told him were true, or if he was just really, really proud of both of them for choosing the Electric Eevee.

Radioactivity hadn't chosen Jolteon for being a Jolteon.  Bolt may have done it for the speed, the lightning, the agility (which was what he was currently talking about), and everything else, but Radioactivity had used that thunderstone purely to gain control over his energy.  He liked being close to other Pokemon, but he was always afraid of hurting them and giving the radiation poisoning by accident.  Even from when he and the rest of his siblings were kits, he had to have his own bed so that he wouldn't hurt his own siblings.  Even then, he'd have to change out the moss lining every so often because it would start glowing.

"Hey!  Radioactivity!  What are you doing?"  Radioactivity shook his head out, tuning back in to Bolt's speech.  He didn't want to be rude...

"Nothing, just trying to figure out where we're going.  I'm listening."  He felt bad for lying, but there was a lot to think about...

"Oh.  It's ok, I know how to get there.  We get to take the train!"

"Train?"

Bolt lit up at the chance to explain something to his nephew.  Secretly, Radioactivity knew what a train was from Sunbeam, but he wanted to make up for lying to his uncle.  He knew how much Bolt loved showing off what he knew or was capable of.  "You know what cars are, right?"

"Yeah," Radioactivity said with a nod, still following Bolt as we wove between the trees.

"It's like a bunch of cars stuck together end to end, and humans ride in them.  It follows a track really really quickly, so you can cross regions in just a few minutes."

"Cool!"

"Yeah!  Really cool!  And the one that we're taking runs on electricity!"

"How are we going to get on if it's for humans?" Radioactivity asked with a smile.  Bolt stopped walking.  The radioactive Jolteon turned to look at him.  "...Uncle Bolt?"

"...uh..." was the older Jolteon's only reply.  "...I'll think of something."

He fell back into step with Radioactivity as he asked another question.  "How did you get to the power plant last time if you didn't take the train?"

"...I was a lot closer to the power plant at the time.  That was before the Eevee Clan..."  Why was he so uncomfortable with that?

Radioactivity pushed his curiosity away.  He didn't want to make anyone upset...  But he knew the perfect way to cheer his uncle up.  "Hey Uncle Bolt!  I bet I can beat you in a race now!"

Bolt's demeanor changed instantly, lighting up and crackling with static at the challenge.  "Not in a million years, kit!" he yelled before bolting off at incredible speeds.  Radioactivity worked his paws, getting ready for the chase.  Time to see if running as a Jolteon really was all it was cracked up to be...

Radioactivity skidded to a stop, narrowly avoiding crashing into Bolt.  He was panting heavily and was rather exhausted, but...

Bolt turned to face his nephew.  "So?  What do you think?  Fun, right!?"

"Yeah!  That was... amazing!" Radioactivity panted, sparks still popping around his fur.  He had always been fast as an Eevee, faster than all of his siblings, but this had taken it to a new level.  He had covered so much ground!  And so quickly!  It was like everything had happened in slow motion, and his paws had almost floated over the forest floor.  It was more exhilarating than anything he could have ever imagined.  No wonder Bolt loved it so much...

"Welcome to Jolteon-hood.  You're a little rough around the edges, but you'll get there!"  He hardly seemed winded at all...

Radioactivity kept trying to catch his breath.  "Thanks...  How... much farther?"

Bolt grinned.  "We're halfway there."

Already?  The young Jolteon looked up at the sun, which had barely moved in the sky since they had started the race.  Sunbeam had said that Goldenrod City, the place where they could board the train, was really far away.  About twice the distance that the Eevee Clan was from Ecruteak City.  And yet...

Sure enough, Bolt led the way through a few bushes, revealing the human city, complete with two towers, one burnt nearly to the ground.  What had taken Espeon and Sunbeam almost a full day to walk had taken the two Jolteons just over an hour at a run.

Bolt trotted down to the street.  "Come on!  We can refuel here, then dash to Goldenrod!"

Radioactivity wasn't sure if the prospect of another run made him excited or even more tired.  "What about Clover's berries?"

"Those are for status problems!"

"Well, what can we hunt here?"

"Power sockets!" Bolt shouted happily, breaking into bounding dash towards one of the buildings.  Radioactivity didn't even bother asking, just sighing and following at a quick trot.  His paws protested a bit, but he summoned a quick jolt of electricity after a few seconds, which seemed to do the trick.  He really needed to learn how to use his power...

Bolt led him near one of the many buildings in the city, which turned out to be a restaurant of some kind with an open door.  "Perfect.  Come on, Buzz!"

"Buzz?" the mock-shiny Jolteon asked as he hesitantly followed his uncle through the door.  Didn't Splash say to stay away from things like this?

Bolt looked back over his shoulder.  "Well, Radioactivity is kind of a mouthful.  It's a good name, but it's a mouthful.  And since I can't call you my buzzy wonder anymore, because you can stop buzzing..."

"You just went with Buzz," Radioactivity finished for him.

"Yep.  And it works.  Here we go," he called, trotting to a spot in the wall with two sets of three holes in the wall.  Radioactivity could feel the electricity inside.  Huh.  Being a Jolteon is pretty cool.

"...What do we do with it?"

"This!" Bolt shouted before sticking his nose directly into one of the holes.  Sparks exploded all around him, popping loudly and startling several humans and Pokemon, Radioactivity included.  Bolt pulled away after a few seconds, urging his nephew closer.  "Hurry!  Before they chase us out!"

"Chase us out?"  Were they doing something wrong?

"Hurry!"  The younger Jolteon sighed.  As long as they left right after this...  He copied Bolt's actions, pressing his nose into one of the holes in the wall.  Electricity immediately surged through him, making his entire body feel tingly, from his paws to the ends of his spiked fur.  He could feel his energy levels recharging, the weariness from their run dissolving away with every spark that popped and snapped around him.  Finally, when he instinctively knew when his power levels were back to full, he pulled away, shocked into amazement.

Bolt wasted no time, not giving his nephew a spare second to process what had just happened before shoving him towards the door, a huge grin on his face.  "Come on, run!"

Radioactivity glanced back at him as he picked up his pace, dodging around the humans that were, sure enough, coming to chase them outside.  "Run, or RUN run?"

"Bolt!" Bolt shouted.  "We don't have all day, let's get to Goldenrod!"  And with that, he blasted off in a crackling blur of glowing yellow fur, leaving Radioactivity no choice but to take off after him, going faster and faster until his paws barely brushed the ground as he raced after his uncle, barely aware of anything except the yellow glow guiding him and the exhilaration of speed.