Half-falling into the cool water, I tried to pretend I wasn't disappointed that Surf wasn't there waiting for me. He usually was... Then where was he?
I increased my pace to jump out of the water, landing neatly on my paws. Immediately, everyone in the clan turned to look at me, some looking guilty and others just surprised. I tilted my head. "...What's going on here?"
Inferno shook off his surprise first. "Oh, Sunbeam, Moonlight, and Radioactivity were just going to have a 3-way battle."
"This was not my idea..." Radioactivity muttered.
I sighed. "I thought we were done placing bets on clan battles?"
Umbreon spoke, looking sideways at Bolt and Inferno. "We are. These two are not."
I looked up at Surf, who was standing atop the announcement rock. "And you? What are you doing up there?"
"Making sure no one actually gets hurt."
Clover spoke from the ground next to the rock. "But if someone does get hurt, Surf'll call the fight, and I have all of my supplies right here."
I sighed. "Whose idea was this?"
"Bolt's," Inferno responded quickly and loudly. Bolt gave his best friend/betrayer a large shock.
Tiny Five flicked her tail. "Uncle Bolt and Inferno bet their Fire and Electric Gems!"
Moonlight glanced back at her younger sister. "Do you even know what betting is?"
"Yes! ...A little!" Five shouted back indignantly.
I tried to hold back a smile. "That's two bets... Who has the third?" Most Eevees' eyes went to the announcement rock. My mate met my gaze head-on, that mysterious look in his eyes probably meaning that he was up to something, and knowing him, that something probably had to do with me. "...Why?" I asked, a slight puzzled smile on my face just from looking at him.
"I have my reasons," he responded with a shrug.
I couldn't say anything else to him. I never could. "...Fine. As long as no one gets hurt!"
Sunbeam smiled brightly, probably reading my mind. "We've set ground rules! Only three moves each. No Future Sight, no Phantom Force, no radioactivity poisoning. We'll be fine!"
"Okay..." I said as I padded to the other side of the announcement rock.
Surf raised his tail. "Battlers, ready!" Sunbeam, Moonlight, and Radioactivity all stood and squared their stances, forming a triangle, sister against sister against brother. Sunbeam waved her tail lazily over her back, Moonlight just stood frozen and poised to move, and Radioactivity twitched his paws a bit as his fur crackled slightly. He was imitating a shiny Jolteon to prevent hurting his sisters (and possibly bystanders), but a very slight aura betrayed his hidden excitement. Surf finally slapped his tail to the rock as he shouted, "GO!"
Moonlight immediately pounced towards Radioactivity, who bounced away just as quickly. Sunbeam took advantage of her younger sister's distraction to jump close and swipe her claws on Moonlight's flank with Quick Attack, then teleported away before Moonlight could retaliate. The shiny Umbreon changed targets, chasing after her sister now, who only had the skill to teleport once before resting. Sunbeam was still faster, though, and this gave Radioactivity a chance to use Charge, preparing for an attack.
I bounded up next to Surf as the chase went on. "Who'd you put your Water Gem on?"
"Sunbeam."
"Really?"
"Radioactivity's the fastest, Moonlight hits the hardest, and Sunbeam has speed, power, and brains."
"And a type disadvantage."
"That's why Inferno bet on Moonlight. She's the strongest. But battles aren't always about raw power."
"Says the macho Vaporeon..."
"To the unfairly powerful Vaporeon with an impossibly diverse moveset."
"...Fair enough."
He gave me a teasing smile and rubbed my fin as we both looked back at the fight. It looked like Surf had been right. Both Sunbeam and Radioactivity saw Moonlight as the main threat, and so both were attacking her. Moonlight was fast and had amazing reflexes, but so did her siblings, and they could run faster. If Moonlight landed a hit, they were in trouble, but as long as they could hit and fade...
Something was going on, though. Moonlight caught a break, landing a lucky hit on Radioactivity with Dark Pulse, which threw him off balance. Sunbeam had the perfect opportunity to use Psyshock on her brother and make it a one-on-one fight, but instead, she darted after Moonlight and struck her with Quick Attack again, then used Protect to block the Shadow Ball aimed at her. The change in attack flow gave Radioactivity a chance to get up and recharge. It was hard to tell, but Moonlight was getting tired. Did Sunbeam want Radioactivity in the fight just to be sure?
Moonlight finally did drop out of the fight, thanks to a well-timed Volt Switch from Radioactivity when the shiny Umbreon was off balance from chasing her Psychic sister. Snow and Clover quickly dove in to help get Moonlight out of the battle zone, despite her annoyed protests that she was fine. Inferno looked like he might explode.
My suspicions rose further when Sunbeam and Radioactivity stared each other down, both panting heavily. The scales seemed to be tipped towards Sunbeam. She would have ample warning to use Protect, since Radioactivity had to use Charge before each attack, she could read her brother's mind, and despite her age, like her mother, she was a very powerful Psychic. One well-aimed Psyshock could knock out the faux-shiny easily. Instead, however, the dance resumed. As a poorly timed Protect led to her being hit with Shock Wave, I wondered if maybe she wasn't reading his mind to make the fight more balanced, but she was still much more experienced than that...
As Radioactivity landed another attack with Volt Switch, this time, knocking her down, I knew what was happening. Umbreon's narrowed eyes confirmed it. She was telling him what to do. Sunbeam was purposefully throwing the fight. But why? Surf showed no reaction when Sunbeam was helped to the side by Snow and Clover, leaving Radioactivity victorious. Bolt, however, was a very different story.
A few minutes later, Bolt was about done flaunting his victory while I was helping Clover and Snow make sure all 3 siblings were all right. "How does that feel?" I asked Sunbeam as I squeezed Rawst Berry juice over one of her friction burns (earned when she slid across the ground from the force of Radioactivity's last attack).
"Much better... Thank you, Splash."
"Sure," I responded, looking over at where Snow and Clover were helping Radioactivity and Moonlight respectively. One had a much more willing patient than the other...
"I'm fine, Clover, really."
"Moonlight, please sit still..."
"Stop worrying about me and worry about how your leaves are wilting..."
"They're not wilting, it's just the cold... It happens every fall..." But she did sound more tired than she did earlier.
I shook my head and drew my attention back to Sunbeam, leaning a bit closer. "So, Sunbeam..."
"Why did I throw the battle?" she whispered back quietly.
"Wow, you have no reservations about mind reading, do you."
"No, not really," she said with a small smile. "And I helped Radioactivity because Bolt wanted the gems for something."
"He does? Why?"
She snuck a glance at the older Jolteon. "...Can you keep a secret?"
"Of course I can..." I whispered, following her gaze.
"He's going to make a necklace. For a girl Jolteon he met named... Buttercup?"
I had never heard the name before, but Bolt? Making a necklace? For a girl?
"He's going to give it to her in three days..."
I gave her a critical look. "Why are you telling me this?"
She looked away innocently. "...I was kind of hoping to follow him... ...And if you were with me, we could pretend we were hunting or something..."
I tried to say no. Bolt's private life was just that. Private. ...But I did want to know... Especially if this was him finally getting over Espeon, I thought before I could stop myself. Sunbeam either didn't hear or didn't react. Finally, I gave in. "...Fine. But just this once."
"Yes!" she cheered quietly.
I tried not to feel guilty that I was letting my kit-like curiosity overtake me, but still... Bolt finally looking for love again? This, I had to see.
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