I had to stop as my stomach cramped up again. It had been doing that more and more recently... Sunbeam paused and turned around as she sensed I wasn't following her, whispering quietly. "Splash? Are you okay?"
I only grunted quietly in response at first, but it started to go away after a few seconds. "...Yeah... My stomach's been bothering me for a few days... And I'm really tired... I think I have some kind of winter cold..."
She glanced back at her intended path. "...I know I'm holding you to your promise and everything, but if you don't feel well-"
"I'm fine," I interrupted, shaking my head and scattering water droplets from my fins. I could act normally again, but I still felt achy and exhausted, like I had just fought a hard battle, but I've done more in worse shape. "Keep going. I'm right behind you."
Sunbeam obviously saw right through my facade, but nodded and turned back around. Part of the reason I had to go with her was that, if I turned back, she would still follow Bolt. And since we found out that Buttercup belonged to a trainer (it made sense, wild Eevees like us were rare), I wasn't taking any chances.
A few minutes later, Sunbeam's thoughts entered my mind. I see Uncle Bolt... And that's the human den where Buttercup lives! Come on! We can watch from over here!
Slow down, wait for me... I thought back as she prepared to dash towards a lookout point. Heeding my words, she waited patiently until both of us reached a bush that gave us a good view.
Bolt was approaching the human den, leaf-wrapped package in his teeth as he looked up at the fence, then bounded up easily. He stayed on the top, looking inside the human's territory when a feminine voice spoke from around the far corner of the fence. "Bolt?"
The Jolteon turned around, then smiled and jumped back down, putting his gift on the ground upon landing. "Buttercup! I thought you'd be in there," he said as a female Jolteon stepped around the corner. She was shorter than Bolt, and had more weight on her (probably from not having to catch her own food, I though before I could stop myself [Sunbeam tried not to giggle]), but I could see why my clan member liked her. She was pretty, with striking green eyes and a small, confident smile.
"We can leave whenever we want. That's why I said I could meet you in the forest, if you wanted to."
"No, my clan might- wait, we?"
She smirked a little at his expression. "Yes, we. Blossom and Bubbles wanted to meet you, too." Hearing their names, a Flareon with a flower behind her ear and a Vaporeon with an ocean-patterned collar followed Buttercup around the corner of the fence.
Bolt instantly looked more uncomfortable. "Oh... Hi... Are-Are you all sisters...?"
Bubbles answered. "No. But our trainer would like to think we are."
"We're just friends!" Blossom said with a cheerful tilt of her head.
All Bolt could manage in response was, "...oh..."
Buttercup rolled her eyes with the same smirk as Bolt fumbled for words. "Besides. Three girls in one litter? What are the odds of that happening..." she said with a trace of sarcasm. I could see why Bolt liked her; she was spunky, but at the same time...
Bolt pounced on the possible conversation topic without thinking. "Actually, a friend of mine had a litter of five with three girls!"
"A friend of yours?" Buttercup asked skeptically.
"Yeah! An Espeon I used to..." I winced. Come on, Bolt, change the subject...
Bubbles apparently wanted the wild Jolteon to succeed, quickly asking a question before her Electric Type friend could turn Bolt away. "What's in the leaves?"
"Oh! Right!" Bolt said, picking up his package again and placing it in front of Buttercup. "I made this for you. ...Blossom has a flower and Bubbles has her collar, so I thought I'd give you something to wear..."
He finished talking as the female Jolteon unwrapped the bundle, lifting the necklace inside with her claws. The gift was very well-made. Bolt had used some of Clover's vines to weave everything together, since they would never fade and were next to impossible to break, holding the three gems in place with tree sap, the Electric Gem the obvious centerpiece. It was clearly made by paw, and it was very beautiful, especially for an art project from Bolt, who barely had the patience to wait until prey from the hunting patrols had been laid out. He must really like this girl.
Blossom gasped with a smile as Buttercup examined the necklace. "Wow... It's beautiful!" Bolt started glowing a little bit at the praise, even though it wasn't from the Jolteon herself.
She did finally speak, though. "...Did you make this?" The smirk was gone, replaced by a genuine smile. It looks like Bolt had saved his hide from his earlier slip-up. Or, at least, Bubbles had.
Bolt nodded proudly. "Do you like it?"
"I do..." she said, slipping it over her head. "Thank you, Bolt."
My vision suddenly blurred before I heard Bolt's response, but I couldn't make out words; everything was muffled, like I was listening from underwater. My stomach cramped up again, at least twice as painful as the last time, and my throat felt impossibly dry. My legs buckled, suddenly too tired to support my own weight, and my vision continued to haze until I was seeing double. Sunbeam was by my side instantly, trying to figure out what was wrong. I heard her calling my name, telling me to focus, but I could barely see her clearly anymore. Finally, I felt myself being lifted off the ground via telekinesis just before I blacked out.
Splash.
The familiar voice touched my mind, trying to wake me up. I wasn't ready to get up yet... I was too tired...
Splash. I know you're in there...
Espy... Go away, it's too early for this...
It's the middle of the day, Splash. Use Recover.
I'm too tired...
Recover, Splash. I don't think it's safe for you to soak in the pond.
That got my attention. Summoning what little energy I had, I forced myself to use Recover, instantly feeling at least a bit better and more aware. I was lying on the floor, not in my den. I could smell the other Eevees nearby, meaning I was in camp... What happened?
You passed out. Sunbeam brought you back. I'm giving you a Sitrus Berry, eat it, please.
I did my best as I felt the berry touch my nose, but the best I could do was swallow some of the juice. It made my throat feel better for a few seconds, but nothing else changed, and soon, I felt just as thirsty again. Being a Vaporeon, that was cause for concern. Didn't help much... Need water...
No water. I don't think it's safe.
What? Why?
There was a pause. ...You weren't the only one that passed out. Surf and Clover did, too, and everyone but Umbreon, Sunbeam, Moonlight, Inferno, and myself seems sick, too, at least to some degree.
Surf...
He was the first... We put him in the pond, hoping that he would recover from the water, but he hasn't. He's just gotten worse. Snow and Umbreon pulled him out just as Sunbeam came back with you. His skin is very dark blue, and it doesn't feel as smooth as it should.
It took me a few seconds to process that, but then it all made sense. Vaporeons' skin changed color from exposure to different water types. Aqua blue Vaporeons meant that the water was pure. Even when Surf had been living in the ocean before I met him, him in salt water and me in fresh, the difference between our coloration was barely noticeable. If his skin turned dark blue after soaking in the pond, that meant something wasn't right.
My other clan members' symptoms fit the theory, too. Clover, a Grass Type, was reliant on fresh water just like any plant. The three Eevees that were most dependent on pure water were the ones that were hit hardest and fastest, but since everyone else in the clan had been drinking the same water, it was beginning to affect them, too. Inferno wouldn't be affected yet, since he needs to drink a lot less water than the rest of us, being a Fire Type, Umbreons have good constitutions, since their fur is slightly toxic, and Espeons have a natural resistance to...
...Poison.
I had to test my theory. Espy, try a Pecha Berry. My friend granted my request within a few seconds, squeezing the juice into my mouth. The change was immediate. I suddenly had enough energy to open my eyes and sit up, though I still couldn't stand. "Thank you, Espy..." I said quietly, my voice still rasping slightly.
"Of course, Splash." She sat down next to me. "Anything I can do to help."
"Call the healthy clan members here... Did Bolt come back?"
"No, he's still out..." She called over her shoulder. "Splash is awake! She wants to talk to anyone who's fit!"
The four Eevees in question bounded over as quickly as they could, Sunbeam smiling worriedly at me. "How are you feeling, Splash?"
"Not great..." I answered honestly. "Listen. I think something's poisoning the pond."
"What!?" Inferno, Umbreon, and Moonlight shouted at the same time, but Sunbeam nodded after a second, either following my thought process on her own or following it directly through me.
"It makes sense..." the young Espeon said quietly. "But we checked the pond right before Clover passed out. We're not Vaporeons, but we couldn't find anything wrong with it."
"Besides," said Inferno, "didn't you say the pond is always clean?"
"Yes," I said tiredly, letting my eyes drift closed again, but staying awake. The Pecha Berry was wearing off... This must be bad... "The river flows through the pond... Little cracks in the side... Fresh water flows in... Washes any dirty water out..."
"Then it must be the river," Umbreon concluded. "If something is poisoning the river, the water coming into camp would already be contaminated."
"Exactly..." It was getting herd to stay awake again...
Espeon gave me a quick dose of mental sharpness, something her daughter wasn't experienced enough to do yet. "What do you want us to do, Splash?"
I thought for a minute. "...Inferno, stay here... Use whatever Pecha Berries are left to get Clover awake... So she can grow more... It's only a temporary solution, but..."
"Got it," the Flareon said with a serious nod. "What if other Pokemon come here because they drank the water and they need our help?"
"Treat them, too... If you can... Tell them not to drink... Espy, Umbreon, you two have to find a clean source of water... And figure out a way to get it here..." They'd need Espeon's teleportation to get back and forth, and while Sunbeam was getting better at it, she could only move herself.
"What about us?" Moonlight asked, just as serious.
"You and Sunbeam... Look for whatever's poisoning the water... The water in the pond... comes from the part of the river... near the Beech Trees... Has to be upriver from there... But it can't be too far..."
"Got it," both sisters said simultaneously.
"Good... I think I'm going to fall asleep again..."
"We'll hurry," Espeon assured me. I heard four sets of retreating pawsteps just before I slipped back into blackness.
No comments:
Post a Comment