Dreams, Visions, and Futures (Part 2)

Sunbeam reappeared over the pavement near the human building, just as she had hoped.  However, she was a bit higher than she meant to be.  About 11 tail-lengths higher.  And upside down.

She started to fall as soon as she appeared, snapping her eyes open a letting out a small screech of terror.  Instinctually, she twisted her tail, flipping herself back over.  Seeing the edge of the roof of the building close by as she fell, Sunbeam extended her claws as far out as she could, barely managing to snag the gutter and let out another screech of pain as it felt like her claws were about to be ripped out.

And then she was stuck.  She was hanging by her claws, from the roof, the rest of her body hanging limp like a defeated Slugma.  Her claws hurt.  She had to get up onto the roof, or else risk injuring herself further.  She churned her hind paws uselessly, meeting only empty air.  "Come on, Sunbeam.  Pull yourself up!" she growled, trying not to wince, cry, or cry out in pain as she succeeded in pulling herself onto the roof.

Gritting her teeth, she inspected her injured claws.  She couldn't detract them all the way without her paws burning like Inferno's tail, and she could see a bit of blood beginning to form around the bases.  That couldn't be good.  She dug a Sitrus Berry out of Clover's leaf pouch, silently thanking the healer for being so intuitive and hoping that it would work.  Taking the berry in her jaws, she squeezed it slowly and let the juice fall onto her claws, swallowing the rest of the berry when she was done.  After a few seconds, the pain went away.  Perfect.

After silently congratulating herself on her quick thinking, Sunbeam stood back up and walked to the edge of the roof, using her newly healed claws to keep from sliding off of the slick tiles.  After a short hesitation, she jumped down, landing smoothly.  Much easier to land on her paws than her back or tail.

Sunbeam once again reminded herself to try and act like she belonged here, then stepped through the door as the next human exited, then immediately had to stop and stare.

It was beautiful.  Shelves filled the building, each one packed tightly with books.  Sunbeam loved books.  She had found one once as an Eevee when exploring with her siblings.  No one else had paid it much attention, but Sunbeam had loved it.  It told a story about the legends of Ho-Oh, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune.  And now here were so many books in one place!  Sunbeam didn't want to ever leave.  She wanted to read all of the books, front to back.  She shook her head and reprimanded herself.  She was here to find out about those Pokémon in her vision.

She walked around, scanning the shelves.  There were other humans with small, quiet Pokémon here, too, most reading one book or another.  Sunbeam spotted a friendly-looking Gardevoir and trotted over.  The tall Psychic Type turned to look at Sunbeam before she could say anything.  "Hello, there.  You must be new around here.  I don't recognize you."

Sunbeam smiled and remembered her manners.  "Sort of.  I'm passing through and I need some information."

The Gardevoir nodded.  "A library is a good place to find information.  What are you looking for in particular?"

"I need something to help me identify a kind of Pokémon I saw.  I'm not sure what it was."

The Embrace Pokémon crossed her arms, looking at Sunbeam thoughtfully.  "You're a wild Pokémon, aren't you?  All trainers have a Pokedex."  Sunbeam stammered, but the Gardevoir cut her off.  "Don't worry, I won't tell.  Even if I did, nearly all of the trainers in here wouldn't try to catch you.  They're kind people."

Sunbeam shrugged and followed her guide to one of the shelves.  "This is our informational section about Pokémon."  She ran a hand over to volumes, stopping at one and levitating it out onto a nearby table.  "Here we are.  This is our rental Pokedex.  Paper form.  Take all the time you need."

She started to walk away, but Sunbeam called her back.  "Wait.  Can you tell me how to use telekinesis so I can turn the pages without damaging them?  I just evolved recently."

The Gardevoir walked back towards her.  "It's very simple.  Just feel the object with your mind..." she said as she held a hand towards the book, lifting it up and angling it towards Sunbeam at a good reading angle, "...and move it how you want to."  She opened the cover, gesturing for Sunbeam to take the book from her.

It didn't require nearly as much focus as teleporting had.  In fact, it came somewhat easily to her.  Maybe because Espeon was so good at it.  Snow had told Sunbeam that she had seen her mother scramble and open two locks at one without even looking at them.  Sunbeam didn't think she'd ever be THAT good, but she hoped she had enough mental motor skills to telekinetically work this book.  She thanked the Gardevoir and focused on the book.

It took her a few tries to keep holding the book while focusing on the pictures and trying to match it to her vision, but after a small number of the book banging loudly on the table and a large number of times where she barely caught it before that happened, she got the hang of it.  It took a lot of focus, but she managed.  "Ok...  I know the Mightyenas..."  She paged through the thick volume, trying to resist the temptation of reading each article on each Pokémon as she went.  he recognized a few Pokémon that were in the cage with her mother, but she doubted that it would be much help.  She had to be quick.

Finally, she found one.  "Aha!  White fur, black arc.  That's it.  Absol..."  She read aloud.  "'Absol has the ability to foretell the coming of natural disasters. It lives in a harsh, rugged mountain environment. This Pokémon very rarely ventures down from the mountains.'  Well, there was evidently going to be one here...  Maybe one of the bad humans owns one."  She quickly scanned the rest of the page.  "Drat."  It's a Dark Type.  Well, she'd leap that stream when she got to it. 

Remembering the burns that her mother had, she flipped to the index and reverse looked up the Houndoom that the human had mentioned, figuring it was a Fire Type.  She was right, Fire and Dark.  "'Long ago, people imagined its eerie howls to be the call of the grim reaper.  In a Houndoom pack, the one with its horns raked sharply toward the back serves a leadership role. These Pokémon choose their leader by fighting among themselves.'"  It went on to say that Houndoom burns are thought to hurt more than any other Fire Type's.  Her tail drooped.  Poor Espeon!  And yet, her mother was still sitting tall, despite the pain she must be in.

"Are you all right?" a voice behind Sunbeam asked suddenly, startling her so much that she dropped the book again with a loud bang!  She spun around to see the Gardevoir again.  "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

Sunbeam shook her head.  "It's fine.  I should probably go anyway."  She telekinetically closed the book and shakily replaced it on the shelf. 

Gardevoir watched her before leaning closer and whispering into Sunbeam's ear.  "You know...  I couldn't help but overhear your reading.  I was curious, so I may have sneaked a peek at your vision.  Not very lady-like, I know, I apologize, but I have two things to tell you."  Sunbeam forced herself not to get upset that this Gardevoir had read her mind, nodding curiously instead.  "First...  That's a powerful vision.  Very few Psychics can use Future Sight that well."  She continued before Sunbeam could ask about Future Sight.  "And...  If you go to that building, try standing just behind it and to the left.  You should be able to telepathically communicate with your mother from there without being noticed."

"Really?  Thank you so much!" Sunbeam exclaimed quietly, jumping and bounding off of the table and racing for the door, opening it with her mind and a twinge of satisfaction.





 

Sunbeam stopped walking, glancing at the wall of the building behind her.  This was it.  If Gardevoir was right, this was where she's be able to contact her mother without getting into trouble.

 

Mother?  ...  Mother, can you hear me?

 

Sunbeam? came the quiet reply.  It was like Espeon was whispering, even telepathically.

 

Yes!  It's me!  I'm all right!

 

What happened?  Are you still waiting for me?

 

No, I'm going to save you!  I know Future Sight now, and I can get visions, and I teleported down from the roof of Bell Tower, and I can uses telekinesis, and I found a library, and oh, mother, I love the library, I want to read all of the books in there!

 

Her mother's voice stopped her, sounding tired.  Sunbeam, slow down.  You had a vision?  You know Future Sight?  How?

 

I climbed Bell Tower after we got separated.  I wanted to try and look for you.  I met a legendary Pokémon there named Cresselia!  Do you know of her?

 

I do.  She brings good dreams and visions.  I didn't know that she would be able to let you learn Future Sight ahead of your age!  She tried to sound happy, but Sunbeam could still hear pain in her thoughts.

 

I had a vision of how I would get you out, mother.  I don't know the finer details, but I know that you need to heal yourself and we need to switch places.

 

No.  You will not switch places with me.

 

Sunbeam was surprised at how strongly her mother was against this.  Didn't Espeon want them to escape?  Didn't they have to follow Sunbeam's vision to do that?  Mother, I have to.  Before you say no, I have a plan!  Please!  She could feel her mother's disapproval, but she said nothing.  Sunbeam continued.  You're more powerful than I am.  You need to call the police humans. and lead them to me.  I won't be able to convince them.

 

Espeon remained silent.  After a long time, she answered quietly.  ...I trust you, Sunbeam.  I don't want you to get hurt, but if this is the only way...  Do what you need to do.  I'll come to get you.

 

With that, their connection broke.  Now, how was she supposed to  get in...?  She hadn't thought this out.  She suddenly heard muffled shouts of outrage from inside the building.  Espeon must have made her move.  Should Sunbeam run, or stay put?

 

She felt eyes on her back.  Slowly turning around, she looked up to see a Pokémon on the roof of a nearby building.  An Absol.  It looked at her with unfeeling red eyes.  "Well, well, well.  Won't my master be pleased to see that he has not one Espeon, but two."

 

Sunbeam backed away, darting in between buildings to try and escape.  She knew it would lead to a battle eventually, but this was a predator.  Instinct told her to run.

 

Suddenly, the Absol dropped from the roof in front of her.  "You should learn to shield your telepathic conversations, Psychic."  Sunbeam swallowed nervously.  This Absol was big.  Bigger than the book had said they usually were.  At least twice her size, if not more.  "I might get rewarded handsomely for you."

 

Sunbeam took another subconscious step back, backing into a wall.  The Absol had backed her into a corner without her realizing it.  She was in trouble.  She tried to stall while she thought.  "...M-Might?"

 

The Absol tipped his head.  "The other possibility is that I get treated the same way I do every night.  Little food, no warm place to sleep, fighting the Houndoom pack for another scrap of meat we can find."  He looked her over.  "Or...  I could kill you myself.  Fresh meat," he hissed, displaying sharpened fangs.  "That would ensure me a good meal.  I'd be stronger."

Sunbeam extended her claws.  She was unable to speak, but that didn't mean she wouldn't fight her way out.  The Absol looked her claws haughtily.  "Come, now.  Don't put up a fight and I'll make it quick and painless."

Sunbeam tried to teleport away, but she couldn't focus with the Absol staring her down.  She thought of her siblings.  What would they say?  "You don't know how powerful I am," she tried, mimicking Two's small, confident smile.

The Absol only laughed.  "Oh, this'll be fun."

Ok, so threats didn't work.  She thought of little Five.  "Please don't hurt me.  There has to be something that I can do for you!"

"Hoping your mamma will save the day?"

"No!  I mean it!"

"What could you possibly have that I-" he stopped suddenly, his eyes fixed on Sunbeam's neck.  "That feather."

Sunbeam glanced down, seeing Cresselia's feather.  "This?  The legendary Cresselia gave this to me."

The Absol looked away, suddenly much less intimidating.  He looked... sad.  "So it's true."  Sunbeam said nothing.  After a few seconds, the Absol continued.  "The Houndooms give me nightmares wherever I sleep.  They despise me.  That feather prevents nightmares.  It only brings good dreams.  I haven't slept in days because of those dog Pokémon."

Sunbeam took a cautious step forwards.  "I'll give it to you if you take me to my mother and help me free her."

He glanced back at her.  "Too high a price.  I won't help you escape."

Sunbeam whisked her tail.  What else could she offer the Absol?  She wasn't sure if the feather was the cause of her vision, but she'd gladly give it up to save her and her mother's life either way.  She followed the Absol's gaze.  He was looking wistfully at a mountain in the distance.  She took a risk.  "You help me save my mother and both of us escape, and I'll give you both the feather and your freedom."

"My freedom?" he asked, turning back towards her.

Sunbeam nodded.  "We'll get you away from these awful humans.  You deserve to live free."  If he was attached to his trainer, she was dead for sure.

The Absol gave her a small smile.  "Deal.  You need to trade places with your mother.  I'll bring you back like I caught you.  I doubt anyone will be able to tell the difference."

"I have been told I look just like her."

"But...  In order for it to be convincing, I can't carry you in injury-free.  I need to rough you up a bit."  Before Sunbeam could get a word in edgewise, the Absol leapt at her.

Dreams, Visions, and Futures (Part 1)

Sunbeam sat up.  She was still on the roof of Bell Tower, but she knew that she wasn't awake.  Glancing over to her left, Sunbeam jumped as she saw herself, crumpled on the roof beside her and sleeping deeply.  She looked around for Cresselia, but the Lunar Pokémon had vanished. 

Sunbeam stepped closer to her sleeping self on the roof.  There was something tucked in between her paws.  She reached out to move her paws away, but her corporeal form passed right through her solid self.

She looked back out over the city.  Cresselia had told her that she would see how to save her mother.  Where is she? she thought to herself as she scanned the buildings.  Suddenly, spectral wings appeared on her shoulders.  There were exactly like Clover's!

Without Sunbeam giving her wings permission, they beat silently and carried her off of the roof.  She felt no different than she normally did, aside from the night air on her fur.  It was like the wings weren't even there.  Maybe they aren't, she realized. 

The wings seemed to have their own destination in mind, flying her towards one building in particular.  They headed right towards the wall!  They weren't going to turn!  Sunbeam braced for impact, trying to control these wings that weren't hers, but she passed right through the wall without difficulty.  In fact, she didn't feel it at all.  Nor did she feel a breeze of any kind as she flew.  Inside, she still felt the night air.  She was feeling what her real self was feeling, not her... dream self?

Her wings hazed and vanished.  Sunbeam was alone inside the building.  It was quaint, the inside looking much like what was on the outside.  Old style, oriental feel.  Sunbeam would have to find out more about this.

There were stairs leading downwards.  Sunbeam cautiously approached them, but the stairwell was empty, so she quietly padded downwards.  She still didn't feel the stone under her paws, just the warm wood of the roof of Bell Tower.  It was a strange feeling.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, a human suddenly turned a corner, and walked straight for her.  He was too close!  She didn't have time to move or run!  However, just as she started to try and escape, the human walked right through her.  Right.  I'm not physically here.  This must be what some Ghost Types feel like.

Her thoughts drifted some more as she continued the walk into the building's basement.  There were a lot of humans here.  All of them were wearing the same thing.  Sure, some wore black while some wore white, but they all had a big letter R on their shirts in bright red.  A few humans in white were having an intense conversation at a table near the corner of the room.

"We've got a lot of Pokémon already.  Let's just get out of here before the police catch wind of where we're hiding."

"But the boss wants as many powerful Pokémon as possible.  We can't get into Bell Tower, if Ho-Oh did somehow decide to come back.  We only got 17 Pokémon this round!  We have to go for more!"

"Don't forget that we have some powerful Pokémon here already."
"What do we have?  I didn't have time to take inventory."

The second human spoke again.  "Lucky for you, I did.  But I won't cover for you again, so get with the program."

Sunbeam crept closer.  If her wings had taken her here, it must have been for a reason.  One of the humans in black approached the table.  "Sir?  I'm sorry, sir, but it would have been 18 if it hadn't been for me.  I saw an Espeon, but it got away from me.  By the time I got Pidgeot out to chase it, it was gone..."  Sunbeam narrowed her eyes and laid her ears back.  He was talking about her.  He was one of the humans that had tried to catch her when she was running to Bell Tower.

The second human waved his hand at the human in black.  "Glad you feel guilty, pal, but we caught that Espeon.  It put up quite a fight, the wretch, but a quick tussle with Houndoom and his pack put the thing down."

Sunbeam's ears went flat against her head.  They not only captured her mother, but they beat her, too!?  How dare they!  But what was a Houndoom?  She heard Splash mention one once.  Clover had gotten into some trouble, right?  But what was it?  If she was going to save her mother, she had to find out.  First, though, she was going to find out where her mother was.

Turning away from the awful humans, Sunbeam walked to a door in the basement wall, which had a human guarding it.  She ignored the human and walked through the door without incident.  Inside the room was horrible.  A massive cage made up the back wall, and it was filled with beaten or tied Pokémon.  Three Mightyenas guarded the cage, snarling at any Pokémon that made so much as a sound.  Sunbeam scanned the cage.  There!  Sitting upright in the corner, bruised, burned and thoroughly beaten but still sitting up with her usual grace and poise, was her mother.

Sunbeam jumped through the bars, landing in front of Espeon.  "Mother!" she shouted happily.  But Espeon didn't see her daughter.  Sunbeam was still in her dream.  "Right...  You can't see me...  Think.  Ok.  I know where she is now, but how do I get her out?"

The end of her question made her wings reform, and they flew her off the ground.  Everything blurred around her.  At first, Sunbeam was worried that she was waking up.  Then, she only saw flashes of movement.  Time was speeding up in the room.  She was seeing the future.  Sunbeam tried to focus on the details.  Espeon healed.  Espeon in the cage suddenly got smaller.  That was me! she thought, her eyes widening as she realized that she had to be in the cage.  The flashes grew quicker.  An Espeon fought a larger white Pokémon with a black arc over its head.  An Espeon using her claws to open the lock from the inside, and humans in blue throwing the door open as she did so.  A torrent of water shooting over an Espeon's head to hit an unseen foe.  Two Espeons running from the building as it exploded.

Then, the vision ended.  Sunbeam found herself back on the rooftop of Bell Tower.  She was still sleeping.  She asked another question before the wings vanished again, this time knowing what she was doing.  How do I find out what those Pokémon were?  She needed to know if she had to fight them.  Her wings carried her off of the roof again, gliding around the buildings this time, instead of through them.  They finally stopped and vanished, leaving her in front of a building that was slightly larger than the others, but otherwise looked identical.

Figuring that she could puzzle that out later, Sunbeam went to ask another question, but everything around her started to fade away.  She was starting to wake up.  "No!  Not yet!  How do I save her!?" she shouted, trying to stay asleep-

-but her eyes snapped open just as the first rays of dawn touched Bell Tower.

 

Sunbeam scrambled to her paws, looking around for Cresselia.  Had the legendary given her that dream?  The young Espeon couldn't find a single trace of her.  Not even her scent was anywhere in the area.  However, she did find what was clutched in her paws.  It was a feather.  It was perfectly curved like a crescent moon, and colored to the legendary as well.  Had this feather given Sunbeam her dream?

She shook her head, trying to focus.  It was getting light.  She saw Espeons in her vision, but which of them were her?  Some of them had to have been Espeon, right?  She had to save her mother.  But first, she had to investigate that building that she had seen in her dream.  It had to have some kind of clue as to what those Pokémon were.

Sunbeam looked out over the roof.  She did not want to climb all the way back down those stairs.  She wished she could teleport.  She glanced down at the feather, and then at the pouch that Clover had given her, which was still hanging around her neck.  Maybe she could.  It would be dangerous, but her mother had touched on this briefly.

"You have to know where you want to be relative to where you are now..." Sunbeam muttered as she opened the pouch again, looking for the mental herbs.  "Just picture yourself there and force it to happen.  She continued to try and recall what her mother had taught her.  It was a brief lesson on all the different Psychic abilities.  This was incredibly unsafe, but she was going to try it anyway.  It would take too long to walk all the way back down, and it would tire her out too much.  "Always teleport above the ground, and where you're sure nothing is around you," she said to herself as she found the leaves that she was looking for.  She packed everything else back into the pouch, taking Cresselia's feather for good measure.

Sunbeam walked back to the edge of the roof.  Just picture yourself where you want to go and force it to happen.  Not too hard, right?  Willing herself not to back out of this, she bent down and took the mental herbs in her teeth.  The smell alone woke her up, but the taste was even more effective.  She felt a million times more perceptive, more alert, more powerful.  Nothing distracted her, and her mind was at an optimum level of focus.

She peered over the edge of the roof again.  There.  That building looked like the one in her dream.  Sunbeam smiled.  She never would have recognized it from this distance without the herb.  She found a clear spot of pavement near the building.  That looked like a safe place.  Doing some quick calculations that she didn't know that she was capable of, Sunbeam judged the distance between the pavement and her current position.  She moved her gaze up slightly.  She had to appear above the road.  A few inches would do.

Already feeling the effects of the mental herb starting to wear off, Sunbeam closed her eyes and tried to gather her energy.  She pictured herself above the street, so no part of her would appear in anything.  Gathering her power, she tried to bundle it around herself and move it to the spot.  Nothing happened.  She tried feeling as if she was in the spot that she pictured, but the result was the same.  She had to hurry.  The power was ebbing quickly.  She shut her eyes as tightly as she could, putting all of her focus into the spot that she wanted to be. 

Suddenly, a burst of rainbow colors flashed in front of her vision, through her closed eyes.  She vanished off of the roof of Bell Tower silently, though in her mind everything happened in a split second with a resounding CRACK!

Sunbeam's Quest (Part 3)

"Luxray!" she called again, sounding more happy than afraid.  Did she know this Pokémon?

"Espeon?" the gruff voice replied, now sounding less gruff.  The large Pokémon stepped out of the bushes, temporarily making Sunbeam freeze with fright.  That is, until the Electric Type's face lit up with a smile.  "It is you!"

Both shared a quick hug, putting one paw around the other as Sunbeam sat down in confusion.  Wait, what was she thinking?  She could read its mind!  Nice job acting like an adult...

She found that her Psychic Powers were amplified tenfold, making them much more powerful and easy to use than when she was still an Eevee.  She tried to focus her untrained mind on the Luxray's thoughts, trying to avoid detection.  It's been so long since I've seen her.  How long?  It was before the Shinxes, that's for sure.  Was it before I met-

Sunbeam cut her powers short when she noticed both the Luxray and her mother looking at her.  She felt herself go hot under her pink fur.  The Luxray spoke first.  "That's a bit rude.  Who are you, even?" he asked, some of his hostility returning.

Espeon skillfully diffused the situation.  "Luxray, this is my oldest daughter, Sunbeam.  I believe she was confused as to your motives."  Sunbeam only nodded in agreement, looking at Luxray's paws.  "Sunbeam, this is Luxray.  Umbreon and I met him a few years ago, before we joined Splash's Eevee Clan.  He helped us escape a ...persistent trainer."

Sunbeam tilted her head.  Was her mother keeping something from her?  "Why?" she asked Luxray.

He sat down as she answered.  "Well...  I always believed in true love.  When I saw the bond that your parents had, I knew it was something special.  They deserved to be together.  So I battled the trainer while they escaped."

Espeon nodded as he concluded.  Sunbeam smiled.  "That was really nice of you."

"Thank you."  Luxray peered at Sunbeam.  "You know, you look exactly like your mother, Sunbeam.  If there wasn't a size difference, I wouldn't be able to tell the two of you apart!"

Sunbeam flushed an even deeper pink, getting closer to red.  Espeon gave her daughter time to recover.  "Umbreon told me that he saw you here a while ago."

"Right, he was looking for you.  I guess he found you."

She smiled warmly.  "He did."

Luxray looked back and forth between the two Espeons in front of him.  "If he did, then what are the two of you doing out here without him?  Or the other Eevees?  Did any of your siblings evolve?"

Sunbeam shook her head as Espeon answered the first question.  "We're headed towards Bell Tower to help Sunbeam get more in touch with her new type and abilities."

A look of concern crossed Luxray's face.  "Bell Tower?  In Ecruteak City?"

Sunbeam stood up again.  "Is that what the humans call it?"

Luxray nodded.  "Yes, but you'll have to be careful.  It's not too far from here and I've been hearing about some not-so-nice things that have been happening there."

Espeon grew slightly worried as well.  "How bad?"

Luxray thought for a moment.  "Well...  I know you're a powerful Psychic, Espeon, so you two should be fine.  Just be careful and try to stay out of sight."

Espeon dipped her head.  "Thank you, Luxray.  We'll be careful."

"If you want, I could walk you there.  Most of the Pokémon in this part of the forest know me.  ...Or of me," he said with a grin.  "They wouldn't dare come near you if they see me."

Sunbeam was just beginning to wonder about that.  "Really?"

He nodded.  "And I can tell you have lots of questions that you want to ask me..."

"Oh, I do!" Sunbeam smiled, getting excited again.

Luxray gestured for them to follow, leading them through the dark forest and answering every question that Sunbeam asked as best he could.

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

 

Night was falling as Luxray and his two accompanying Espeons reached the edge of Ecruteak City.  Sunbeam gasped as she saw it.  "It's huge!"

 

Luxray laughed.  "Compared to some other human cities that I've seen, this is a pretty small one!"

 

"Really!?"

 

"Really!"

 

Espeon smiled, rubbing her daughter's shoulder.  "We should get going.  We'll climb the tower in the morning."

 

Luxray nodded.  "Before you go, it might better to sleep inside the first floor of the tower.  There are no humans there, and the few Pokémon who do live there are all about "peace and spiritual enlightenment."  Whatever that means."

 

"Sounds like what we're looking for," Espeon added with a small smile.

 

"But they won't fight unless they have to.  Bell Tower is a good shelter.  Probably because Ho-Oh is said to live at the top."

 

Sunbeam couldn't help but get excited every time that myth was mentioned.  "Do you think we'll meet him?"

 

Luxray shook his head.  "Sorry, kid, but Ho-Oh hasn't been spotted for decades.  Even then, nowhere near this place."

 

Sunbeam's face fell in disappointment.  Espeon nudged her daughter's chin up with one paw.  "Cheer up.  By the time we get back to the Clan, you'll be a full-blown Espeon," she said with a smile, quoting Inferno.

 

They thanked Luxray and said goodbye as he returned to the forest, soon disappearing from sight.  Sunbeam looked around at the old building style, which was nothing like the quaint little human town closer to home.  It wasn't hard to find Bell Tower, soaring over the rooves of the other buildings and human dens.  Nearby Bell Tower stood the charred remains of the Burnt Tower, also easy to recognize.  Sunbeam's gaze drifted back to Bell Tower.  "It's so tall!"

 

Her mother nodded.  "Let's get there before nightfall."

 

Sunbeam looked up at the beautiful crescent moon as it was rising above the treeline.  "How do we get to the tower without being noticed?"

 

"Simple," her mother answered.  "Just act like you belong.  Eevees are rather rare in the wild, so if a human sees us in a city, they'll just assume we belong to another trainer."

 

That made sense.  Espeon waited for her mother to take the lead, following her closely as they began navigating the streets of Ecruteak City.  It was actually rather peaceful here, despite the surprising amount of humans about.  They made Sunbeam nervous at first, but her mother had been right; none of them gave her a second glance.

 

Halfway across the city, a thunderous roar split the air, feeling like it made the ground itself tremble.  Espeon stood up straight, at full attention.

 

Suddenly, a human den nearby burst into violent flames, and humans began running away in fear, some in utter terror.  Sunbeam dove away to avoid being trampled by the sudden stampede, realizing a second later that her mother wasn't with her.  "Mother!?" she called desperately.  "MOTHER!?"

 

Sunbeam, run!  Go to Bell Tower!  I'll meet you when I can! Espeon shouted in her daughter's mind.  Afraid and not thinking at full capacity, Sunbeam did as she was told, dashing along the sides of the buildings and trying not to get run over by humans.

 

She wasn't sure how long she had been running, or how far she had gone, but eventually, she caught sight of Bell Tower, still standing tall despite the chaos happening around it.  Her gem lit up as she sensed a human with malicious intent running towards her.  Making a mad dash in the direction of the tower, Sunbeam managed to dart away from the human's outstretched hands.  She ran in a panic with her destination in sight, but letting fear rule her actions.  She slashed her claws against another human who wanted to intercept her, then dodged between his legs and pelted on.

 

Finally, she reached the tower.  There was a low wall blocking her out, but an adrenaline-fueled jump was all that she needed to clear the obstacle.  She landed on fallen leaves in the signature colors of autumn.  Reds, yellows, oranges, and browns crunched softly beneath her paws as she slowed down, pushing her fear down.  That was no way for an Espeon to react, letting her emotions get the better of her. 

 

She berated herself further as the unearthly silent atmosphere calmed her down.  It was like being in another place.  The only sounds were the wind rustling the leaves and her own tense pawsteps, crunching quietly on the ground beneath her.  She could see what Clover was talking about.  This did elicit mental focus.

 

"Ok, Sunbeam..." she muttered quietly to herself.  "Get ahold of yourself.  Mother told you to wait for her.  She'll be here.  She knows what she's doing."  She repeated these words to herself as she walked to the steps in front of Bell Tower.  With a final assuring nod, she sat down on the first step and waited, confident that her mother would return to her soon.

 

 

Sunbeam yanked her eyes open again for the...  She had lost count at this point.  The moon was almost directly overhead.   The same question that she had been asking herself all night played again in her mind.  Where was Espeon?

 

She stood up and shook herself out.  She had to do something.  Obviously, her mother was in some kind of trouble, otherwise she would be here by now.  She walked back in front of the tower, looking up towards the top.  It was a big city, and Sunbeam would never find her way around.  There was one other option.

 

Climb the tower.

 

If she reached the top quickly, she would be able to see the whole city from above.  It was night.  If Espeon was out, she'd have her jewel lit up to guide her way.  A light and pink fur shouldn't be too hard to spot at night, right?

 

She looked as high up the tower as she could from this position.  It was tall.  Nine floors, Clover had said.  How hard could it be?  Luxray had said that the Pokémon didn't fight unless they had to, so they wouldn't be a problem.  Maybe they'd even help her if she told them what happened.

 

Steeling her resolve, Sunbeam jumped the steps and raced into the tower.

 

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

 

Around the fifth floor, Sunbeam had to stop running.  She was panting hard and her legs screamed at her to stop.  She was already tired from her trek to Ecruteak City and the flight from the human stampede.  She still had four more floors to go.  She had greatly underestimated the amount of time and energy it would take to get to the top.

 

"I'm already more than halfway there...  I can't stop now..." she panted to herself, while her body told her very firmly that she can, would, and should stop now.  She laid down on the wooden floor before she collapsed there.

 

There had to be something that she could do.  Sleeping wasn't an option.  Nor was meditating.  She didn't have the time.  She was really hungry, too.  Could she hunt in Bell Tower?  Was that allowed?  Wait!  Clover's berries and herbs!  There had to be something in there!

 

She took the leaf pouch from around her neck, wondering why it hadn't occurred to her sooner.  Spilling the contents on the floor, she pawed through them.  "Berries, I can eat...  Revival Herbs...  Mental Herbs, maybe?  Probably not.  I need physical strength, not mental.  Not yet, anyway."

 

Right then, something took hold of her.  It was a Psychic presence, but an unrecognized one.  It looked her over, then faded away.  "Hello?" she called quietly.  Who's there?  She tried telepathy, but it reached no one.

 

Just when she thought it had been her imagination, the presence returned for a split second.  Within that fraction of a second, Sunbeam felt fully recharged, like she had just gotten a full night's sleep in an instant.  The Psychic presence vanished, but the energy remained.  Sunbeam quickly got to her paws, putting all of Clover's herbs back in the pouch.  "Thank you!" she called loudly, probably disturbing several Pokémon around her.

 

A tendril of a soft, melodic voice touched her mind.  Come and see the crescent moon.  I will help...

 

Sunbeam leapt to her paws with renewed energy, dashing for the stairs.  Four more floors to go.  She could make it.  She'd be tired when she reached to top, but she could make it.

 

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

 

Sunbeam staggered up the final flight of stairs with a very familiar feeling of tired achiness.  She could see the night sky.  There!  The perfect crescent moon!  She hauled herself up the last few steps, finally out in the open air.  She breathed a huge sigh of relief.

 

"Hello?" she called, just above a whisper.  She had the distinct feeling that this was a sacred place.  She had to be quiet.  She took in her surroundings.  There wasn't too much space on the roof.  Four statues of Ho-Oh stood watch on the four corners of the roof, each with their wings raised and looking in a different direction.  In the very center of the roof was an ornate bar.  The perfect place for an avian King of Legendaries to perch.

 

She looked around for who had called to her.  No one was present.  Her eyes strayed back to the perch of King Ho-Oh.  It couldn't be.  "...Ho-Oh...?"

 

"Close," a quiet voice whispered behind her.  Sunbeam spun around to see a hovering apparition.  Light pink rings floated around a Pokémon with pale blue skin, cream undersides, and a bird-like head.

 

Espeon stared in fascination.  She had never seen or heard of anything like this Pokémon before.  "...Who are you?" she asked in disbelief.

 

The mystery Pokémon responded with the same melodic voice that she had heard in her thoughts on the fifth floor.  "I am known as Cresselia.  I am the Lunar Pokémon, bringer of good dreams."

 

Cresselia...  "Are you...  Are you a legendary?"

 

Sunbeam could feel her mirth as she answered.  "Yes, young Espeon.  I am indeed.  I heard your plight for your missing mother.  While I cannot intervene directly, I can be of some help."

 

Sunbeam's eyes widened in stunned silence.  She struggled to find words that would show her respect and gratitude.  "Th-Thank you," she stammered ungracefully.  So much for that.

 

Cresselia didn't seem to care.  "Look over the city, young one.  You will see how to save her.  I shall give you a gift to help you."

 

Sunbeam nodded and slowly turned away from the legendary to look over the rooftops of Ecruteak city.  Evidence of fire was obvious in many places, but nothing serious was amiss.  She thought about Cresselia's  words.  You will see how to save her.  Something about the way she said the word "see..."

 

She heard Cresselia move closer to her from behind, then begin singing a quiet, but beautiful song.  It had no words, just a perfect melody.  Sunbeam wondered what the gift that Cresselia mentioned was.  The song was very beautiful.  Sunbeam stared to feel the effects of her climb again, the energy that Cresselia had lent her drifting away and leaving Sunbeam more exhausted than she had ever been.  She was so tired.  So tired...  So...

 

Sunbeam's eyes drifted closed, and she collapsed on the roof of Bell Tower.

Sunbeam's Quest (Part 2)

I woke up the morning after the party that the clan had thrown Sunbeam to celebrate her evolution.  Well, more like the afternoon after.  Surf was crammed into my nest with me, as the two of us had been talking after the celebration.  I must have fallen asleep with him next to me.  I smiled at his paw on my shoulder.   I loved him so much.

I laid my head back down and waited for him to wake up.  I could tell when he did.  His smooth, quiet breathing turned to shallower breaths, and a small smile appeared on his face.  I nuzzled his face.  "Hello, sleepyfins."

He sighed happily without opening his eyes.  "I must still be sleeping.  There's no way something this perfect could happen while I'm awake."  Realizing that I'd have to at some point anyway, I stood up and stepped out of my nest, stretching on the floor as Surf muttered, "Noooo...  Now it's too cold..."

I smiled and nudged him.  "Come on, we'll have to get up at some point.  Sunbeam and Espeon are leaving for Bell Tower today."

"Right..." he said, finally hauling himself up and flexing his back, tail, and legs before stepping out of my nest and leaning on me slightly.  "Such a shame.  I was really enjoying snuggling with you."

He slipped into the cool pond water before I did, waiting for me quietly.  Before I went anywhere in the water, he touched his nose to mine.  I held the kiss for a few more second before we broke apart, but the magic was still there.  Surf and I swam in sync to the surface, pulling ourselves out in tandem.

Sunbeam and Espeon were standing in front of Clover, the former looking like a slightly smaller copy of the latter.  The rest of my clan was either seated near Clover or milling close to mother and daughter.  Clover herself was making two bundles of herbs for the trip.  "I've packed you Pecha Berries, Rawst Berries, Chesto Berries, any kind of berry with curative properties, especially the Sitrus...  Here are a few Revival Herbs in case you get into a bad fight...  I put a few mental herbs in, too, just in case you need the mental focus, but I don't think that'll be necessary."

Espeon smiled.  "Thank you, Clover."

Umbreon ran out from his den and towards his mate.  "Wait, Espeon!"  He stopped in front of her as she turned around.  "I know that I can't come with you, but here.  Take this with you."  He dropped one of his remaining orbs of moon dust that he hadn't used when the clan was separated after the explosion.

Espeon smiled and looked up at him, slightly confused.  "Won't you need this?"

Umbreon shook his head, leaning closer to his mate.  "No.  You need it.  That'll remind you that I'll always protect you and be there for you, even if we're miles apart."

Espeon smiled in the way that she only did when she was with Umbreon.  "Thank you, Umbreon.  I...  What do I give you to show you that I will always love, cherish, and return to you no matter how far the distance?"

Sunbeam looked at her mother thoughtfully.  "What about the promise stone?"  I smiled.  Even though Umbreon had seen through Terror's lie about the red stone that Umbreon had, the couple had taken to calling it one anyway.

Umbreon smiled warmly, still keeping his eyes on Espeon in front of him.  "Perfect."  With that, the two of them touched noses and kissed lovingly.  Bolt and Inferno found other things to look at, each for their own reasons.

Sunbeam looked at me incredulously.  "Did I say that or did my mother?"

I smiled.  "You did.  They just don't like leaving each other."

"Even for just a few days?"

"Even for just a few minutes," I corrected.

The perfect couple broke away from each other, Umbreon finding my gaze.  "Splash isn't wrong."

Inferno ruined the moment.  "Dear Arceus, just go!"

Everyone rolled their eyes at the impatient/disgusted Flareon, most with smiles.  "Fine," Espeon said.  "We'll be back before the full moon."

"Goodbye!"

"So long!"

"Good luck!"

"Be safe, both of you!"

However, it seemed that shouting goodbyes just wasn't good enough for Sunbeam's younger siblings.  All of them, including Two, charged away from where Bolt had told them to sit and tackled their evolved sister, which now required more than one of them to do.  Sunbeam laughed, half musical, like Espeon, and half the same giggle that she had before she evolved.  "Guys!  Get off!  I have to go!"

"We know!" Five chirped as all four kits gave their older sister hugs.  "Did you expect us to just say goodbye and let you leave?"

Sunbeam managed to get back to her paws, throwing Two, Four, and Five off of her, but Three remained on her back.  "I expected you two," she smiled, looking between the shiny kit on her back and the smallest Eevee on the ground, "but not them."

Two sat up and shook the dust out of her fur.  "We were coerced."  I couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

Finally, Sunbeam managed to extract herself from her siblings' embrace.  "Bye!"  She called over her shoulder.  Everyone in the clan echoed her goodbye as she and her mother exited the camp and began heading towards Bell Tower.

Sunbeam was practically bouncing on her paws witch excitement.  Her light pink paws.  She loved being an Espeon already.  I wonder what my powers will be.  Probably mind reading, right?  I have experience with that already.  But maybe I'll be like my mother and be good at telekinesis.  Or something else!  There are so many choices!

Espeon turned to glance at her daughter.  "Try to calm down, Sunbeam.  You'll need all that energy later in the day.  It will probably take us a day or so to reach the city, and then we'll climb the tower during the day."

"Sounds good, Mother!" Sunbeam chirped back, trying not to bounce as much.  She tried to think more like an Espeon.  She was acting like an Eevee.  Calm...  Dignified...  Poise...  Elegance...  The two tips of her tail still twitched excitedly, but she maintained her composure.

She wondered what she'd see.  I'm the first one of five who is going outside the camp!  Outside the forest!  I bet I'll meet lots of different Pokémon.  I know Streak and Night, but what about other Pokémon?  Umbreon said he met a Luxray really, really deep in the forest.  They can see through stone!  That's cool!  I have Psychic power, but there are so many different abilities!  I want to know about them.  I like learning things.

Her mother probably hear her drifting thoughts, but she didn't say anything.  Sunbeam looked at the forest around her.  "Mother?  Is the whole forest like this?"

"Like what?" Espeon asked without turning around.  She knew where they were going.

"Like... this.  Bright and sunny, with the trees not too close together."

Espeon shook her head.  "Not quite.  Splash picked this part of the forest to build camp for that reason.  Most of the forest is actually much darker.  The trees grow very close together."

It sounded both scary and exciting to Sunbeam at the same time.  "Will we go through there?"

Espeon nodded, looking rather neutral.  "Yes.  We'll get there soon, actually."

Sunbeam didn't like the aspect of not much sun, but she was thrilled at the prospect of adventure.

They continued walking for a few hours in relative silence, on breaking the quiet when Sunbeam asked her mother another question.  "What kind of Pokémon live in the dark forest?"  "Do they see well in the dark?"  "Are there more nice Pokémon or aggressive Pokémon?" 

Finally, they entered the dark part of the forest.  Espeon was right; the trees grew a lot closer together here.  There was the occasional patch of sunshine of shaft of light shining between the leaves, but aside from that, everything was in shadow.  Sunbeam was nervous.  She, like her mother, wasn't the biggest fan of the dark.  After a few furtive glances at the surrounding trees, Sunbeam bounded next to her mother.  "Mother?  It's dark."

Espeon glanced in her direction, showing that the gem on her forehead was glowing slightly.  "Try doing this.  Tap into your Psychic energy, and it will glow."

"What do I do?"

"Just extend your awareness around us.  You can do it."

Encouraged by her mother's soft words, Sunbeam tried to feel what was around her, in a greater area than she could see, hear, or smell.  Listen...  Cast your senses out...

After a few unsuccessful tries, she managed.  Her jewel lit up, the pleasure of which almost caused her to lose focus again.  The light of her gem flickered as they traveled on, displaying her relative lack of skill in use of Psychic abilities.  By comparison, her mother's light never wavered, not even when answering Sunbeam's question about focus.  Splash was right.  Espeon was a powerful Psychic Pokémon.

Suddenly, Espeon stopped just as Sunbeam detected something watching them.  Something rustled through the bushes, getting closer and closer to them.  Whatever it was, it was at least twice their size.  A gruff voice shouted to them.  "Back away!  Turn around unless you want to be fried by lightning!"

Sunbeam froze as Espeon tried to fix her mind on the new presence.  The mystery Pokémon continued to threaten.  "Don't even try hiding!  I can see the two of you!"

Espeon found what she was looking for, shouting to the Pokémon nearby.  "Luxray!"

Sunbeam's Quest (Part 1)

I sat by the pond and watched the three Eevees coaching the five kits, the oldest of whom wouldn't be a kit for much longer.  Bolt had taken over for Espeon in teaching the kits with Umbreon, as the mother herself was now busy training Sunbeam about being an Espeon.

Bolt was showing off his electrical abilities and teaching Two through Five about Jolteons.  Umbreon looked like he was keeping Bolt in line just as much as his kits.  "Bolt, we know that you can summon lightning," or, "Bolt, you've been glowing since this lesson started, they know you can do it," and one time, "Bolt, if you use Charge Beam on me again, I will hunt you down and trap you in the shadow dimension!"  This particular outburst elicited giggles from the assembled Eevees.

I turned to watch where Espeon was coaching One, no Sunbeam, on the ways of the Espeon.  "Now, Sunbeam.  There are very large array of Psychic abilities for an Espeon to be good at.  Usually, you excel at one, are very skilled at another, and while you can use the rest, you may not be as good."

"What are your skills, Mother?" Sunbeam asked, already acting like an adult.

"My best skill is my telekinesis, with my telepathy and teleportation also being very good.  I can manipulate emotions, or make someone see things that aren't there, but those are not my best skills." 

I thought Espeon was underselling herself.  She was a very powerful Pokémon.  Frankly, so was everyone in the Clan, in their own way.  Surf and Umbreon were strong fighters, but didn't much show just how powerful they were unless the situation demanded it.  Bolt and Inferno were both deeply connected to their element, and though they liked to show it off, that didn't mean they were all talk and no show.  They were probably some of the best fighters in the Clan.  Snow and Clover both had perfect control over ice and plants respectively, but their strength was not only their abilities and quick thinking, but strong personality and resilience.

Sensing my drifting thoughts, Espeon looked in my direction.  "You're powerful, too, Splash.  Don't forget that."

"Thank you, Espy," I said with a smile. 

Just then, Surf, Clover, and Inferno returned from their hunting patrol.  Snow was keeping watch after I had smelled a familiar Mightyena.  I had told no one, just to keep Clover and the rest of the Clan from panicking, but I asked that we resume watches.  Just to be safe.  Espeon probably knew, but if anyone could keep a secret and not panic, it was her.

As the hunting party divided up the prey, Inferno trotted up to Espeon and Sunbeam.  "Hey!  How's training?"

Sunbeam answered.  "Pretty well, Inferno."

The Flareon got straight to the point.  "Where are you going to go for your Power Quest?"

I walked closer as I asked the question that Sunbeam was clearly about to.  "What's a Power Quest?"

Inferno tilted his head at me.  "You never went on a Power Quest, Splash?  It's when, either after or when you evolve, you go somewhere that helps you get in touch with your new type.  Like, I went to a volcano!"

I thought about it.  "Well...  I sort of did.  I guess.  I went to the ocean after I evolved...  That's where I met Surf, actually.  He had been living in the ocean until he met me."

Espeon and Sunbeam smiled nearly identical smiles.  Inferno rolled his eyes at them.  "So where are you going to go, Sunbeam?"

"Umm..." the Eevee stammered.  "I don't know.  I don't know about any Psychic places."

"I do!" Clover shouted from behind and making Inferno and I jump.  The excited Leafeon dashed over and sat down next to Inferno.  "I heard someone tell a story about it.  There's this big tower called Bell Tower in a human city, but no one is allowed to go there.  It's very tall and deeply connected power of every type.  It's nine stories tall, and at the very top, Ho-Oh, the King of Legendary Pokémon, is said to perch."

Everyone was amazed by the prospect.  I was the first to ask a question.  "But what does that have to do with Psychic Pokémon?"

Clover hesitated.  "Well...  Nothing directly.  But it's said that the closer you get to the top, the more connection you feel to the world, your surrounding, and your own mind.  I thought it sounded pretty close..."

Espeon nodded thoughtfully.  "That is what one needs to truly master Psychic power..."

A hopeful smile spread across Sunbeam's face.  "Can...  Can I go to Bell Tower?"

Espeon considered it, then responded slowly.  "...I suppose...  But only if you evolve first."

Sunbeam barely gave her mother time to finish speaking before tackling her in a hug.  "Thank you, Mama!" she cried happily, slipping back into her Eevee name for Espeon in her joy.

 

The next week was spent furtively training Sunbeam to Evolve.  Mostly, Espeon did the teaching, but today, she asked me to step in and teach her more advanced battle tactics.

 

"Ok, Sunbeam.  This is probably the best way to win any battle.  The easiest way to win is not to get hit."

 

"That make sense," she said with a shrug.

 

"Now, you have an edge that few Pokémon do to help you dodge."

 

"My mind reading," she said with a smile, not even letting me finish my thought.

 

I nodded and continued.  "Right.  It's much easier to dodge a physical attack than a special attack, so we'll start with that, then move on to special attacks after."

 

"Do you know any physical moves, Splash?"

 

"...No, but let's pretend I do.  Let's say... Iron Tail."  I had been thinking of Surf and it was the first move that came to mind.

 

If Sunbeam picked up that thought, she didn't say anything.  "Ok.  Whenever you're ready, Splash!"

 

I froze on my paws, waiting to try and catch her by surprise.  Even if I did hit her, it wasn't with a move, and wouldn't do much damage, but it would still hurt.  Nevertheless, she needed more experience.  I pounced unexpectedly, or so I thought.  I swung my tail wide, but she jumped out of the way easily.  I came at her again with the same result.  "Good!" I shouted as the chase continued.  "Now try and hit me back!"

 

It took her a few tries before she landed a hit with Bite, but I was never able to touch her.  She was sharp.  After she scored a few more hits on me, I called a halt to the battle.  "Good job!  All right, we'll take a break while I try and explain dodging special attacks."  Sunbeam nodded and sat down, so I continued.  "Usually, dodging a special attack is like dodging a physical attack, except without the verbal cue.  All you'd need to do most of the time is tell when the attack is coming and move out of the way."

 

Sunbeam tilted her head, more like an Espeon than an Eevee.  "But some attacks don't work like that."

 

"Exactly," I nodded.  "Some attacks, you can't avoid, or they chase you, which is when teleportation is handy.  But other attacks just have a very wide range."

 

"Like Surf and Blizzard!" she called out, naming my moves.

 

"Right.  If that's the case, you need to find a safe zone, somewhere that you won't get damaged.  It's harder, but not impossible."

 

"Try me!" Sunbeam shouted, jumping to her paws again.

 

This time, I leapt at her without warning, using "Iron Tail" again, but she dodged just as easily as the first time.  I moved on to Stone Edge, targeting specific areas that she could jump away from.  I didn't actually want to hurt her.  After a few tries, she hit me with Tackle, so I stepped up my game and started using Surf and Blizzard.  Showing just how attentive she was, she held still until right when the large wave of snow and ice was coming at her, then used Quick Attack to avoid getting hurt, and jumped into surrounding trees to dodge Surf.

 

She caught me with a few more attacks before I finally caught her unaware.  I let her use Quick Attack on me, then used Surf immediately.  She clearly knew it was coming, but couldn't dodge fast enough.  The water carried her squealing into a nearby bush, and I stopped my attacks.  She was probably going to jump out and attack me the second I came close, but better safe than sorry.

 

I walked closer, dropping my attack stance.  "Sunbeam?  Are you ok?"  The foliage waved wildly in response, followed by a snarl that definitely did not come from and Eevee.  Suddenly, Sunbeam burst out of the foliage, running for her life and hiding behind me just as a large Mightyena exploded out of the bush after her. 

 

I squared my stance as Sunbeam quivered behind me.  "I can't read its mind."

 

"I know, it's a Dark Type, you won't be able to use Psychic abilities on them.  Just use what you know and attack!" I yelled, using Stone Edge to block the Mightyena and hit from below.  Sunbeam mustered her courage and jumped out from behind me and prepared to fight alongside me.  I couldn't read her thoughts, but she could read mine.

 

I used Surf as the Dark Type rushed Sunbeam, sweeping it off of its paws but missing Sunbeam herself.  Pairing with my attack, she darted in while her enemy was off balance and used Quick Attack, darting away before it could retaliate.  I used Stone Edge again, which Sunbeam complimented with Tackle.  We fell into a rhythm.  Hit, hit, dodge.  Hit, hit, dodge.

 

Suddenly, vines snared the Mightyena from below as it tried to attack Sunbeam.  Snow and Clover rushed in at top speed, firing attacks on their own wavelength.  With four Eevees attacking it, the Mightyena stood no chance and fainted.

 

Panting heavily, the two best friends turned towards Sunbeam and me.  Snow spoke first.  "Nice job.  We were tracking him after we caught his scent on patrol, but it looks like you handled it well enough."

 

Clover nodded in agreement.  "Yeah, you did great, Splash!  We'll tell Espeon how well you defended Sunbeam!"

 

I glanced down at the Eevee.  "Actually, she did a pretty good job defending herself!"

 

Sunbeam nodded proudly.  "Yeah!  I..."  She stopped suddenly as she started to glow bright white.

 

Clover lit up.  "Sunbeam, you're evolving!"

 

We watched in amazement as the brilliant shape of an Eevee shifted, reforming to have wider ears, a thin build, and a long split tail.  The light finally died down, revealing the new Sunbeam, complete with thin pink fur and a red jewel on her forehead, nearly a perfect mirror of her mother.

 

Sunbeam looked over her new form with a smile.  "...I'm an Espeon!"

A Beam of Sunlight (Part 3)

I laid down next to the pond, the tips of my paws touching the water’s surface.  My tail was stretched out and curved behind me as I looked up at the night sky.  The stars were especially bright tonight, even though night had just fallen.  The rest of the clan was asleep, or about to be.  I closed my eyes and smelled the forest around me, the crisp chill of autumn, the familiar scent of home.  Around me, I heard the songs of Kricketot, saw the Zubats flying overhead and hunting small Bug Types, felt the night air settle around me.  It was infinitely peaceful.

Soft pawsteps padded up behind me, halting next to me.  My visitor laid down beside me, letting his fluked tail rest on top of mine.  Both of us were silent for a few long moments before I broke the ambient night noises with a whisper.  “Surf…  I missed you.”

“I saw you all day today!” he said quietly.  I could hear the smile in his words.

I couldn’t help but smile back as I continued to look at the stars.  “I know.  One moment away from you is too long.”

Both of us fell silent again.  I never wanted the moment to end.  Surf shifted closer to me and pointed his nose at the sky.  “You see that cluster of stars, the one that looks like a rectangle with a tail?”  I followed his eyes and nodded.  “That’s one of my favorite constellations.  Ursaring.  She protects her little Teddiursa, over there.”

I broke my eyes away from the stars and looked over at my mate, whose skin was speckled by the starlight that she was looking at.  “How do you know that?”

He answered without turning away from the sky.  “Oh, I overheard Umbreon telling Espeon that.  It seemed romantic, so I thought I’d give it a try.”

I smiled and laughed.  “Well, mission successful!”

We sat in silence for a long time, with me watching the stars again.  Now that Surf had pointed it out, it did look like an Ursaring.  I almost dozed off, thinking about the mother Ursaring in the sky, protecting her baby all throughout the night.  I thought about the baby Teddiursa and how it looked it its mother for protection against all the dangers the sky had to offer.  I wondered if there were any Eevee constellations.

I looked drowsily over at Surf, with his skin gleaming with pinpricks of starlight.  He was my constellation, I thought as I drifted off.  He was bright and strong, and even though I couldn’t always see him, I knew he would always be there for me.  No matter what life threw at us.  Just as the constellations always stayed in the sky, like the stars of Ursaring would always watch over her baby, so too would Surf always be at my side.

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

I was gently roused from my sleep by a tiny paw nudging my shoulder.  “Splash?” the small voice asked.

I shifted in my nest.  “Ugh…  Five more minutes, Surf…”

The small voice and paw were insistent.  “It’s not Surf.  It’s Two.”

Swallowing a groan of annoyance at being woken up, I sat up and shook out my fins groggily.  Two hopped out of my nest as I stretched out with a yawn.  Wait, how was I in my nest?

I blinked a few times to get the sleep out of my eyes, then looked down at the shiny Eevee watching me patiently.  “…I thought I fell asleep next to the pond…” I muttered.

“You did,” Two responded.  “Surf brought you into your den.  He didn’t want to wake you up.”

I yawned again.  “Well, I’m up now.  Did you need something?  Is everyone else up?”

Two shook her head, drops still on her ears from the swim to my den.  “No, it’s still pretty early in the night.”

I stopped.  I wanted to yell “Then why did you wake me up!?”  Instead, I said it more calmly.

“I wanted to watch the moon,” Two responded simply.  When I said nothing, she continued.  “Dad said that tonight the moon would be blue.  I wanted to watch it, but he said he had to stay with the other kits.  You told us that we shouldn’t go outside on our own unless we’re with an evolved clan member, so I came to ask you to come with me.”

I sighed quietly.  At least she was responsible about it.  From what I had seen, she would have either asked someone to take her, or she would have run off and gone herself.  I was glad she chose the former.  “All right, Two, I’ll come watch the moon with you.”

A rare smile crossed her face.  “Thanks, Splash.”  She turned and walked slowly towards the water, unlike her brothers and sisters, who would have run.  Instead, she even paused at the hole, waiting for me to join her.

I slid into the water first, gently grabbing Two by the scruff as she followed.  We swam slowly to the surface, exiting the pond in the same fashion.  The only noise or sudden movements we made was when Two shook the water out of her fur.

We exited the camp in silence, just listening to the night noises as Surf and I were doing earlier.  I watched Two as she led the way, apparently knowing where she was going.  She was always so calm and quiet.  And independent.  On more than one occasion, I had heard someone else try to tell her what to do, but she would have none of it.  The quiet shell broke, and she got furious.  She yelled and refused to do as she was told, occasionally ending up in her running off and someone else having to track her down.

Eventually, Two stopped near a tree.  I paused next to her, unsure of what she was doing.  “Do you need a rest?”

“No,” she said simply.  She then crouched low and sprang up as high as she could go, catching one of the lower branched in her paws and hauling herself up onto it.  She never made a single sound, except for that of her claws and fur scraping the bark.  I watched from the ground as she continued to hop from branch to branch, working her way up until she was near the top.  She situated herself and called down.  “Can you see me from down there?”

“I can,” I answered, sitting down.  The shiny Eevee only looked away at the horizon in response, the pale blue light of the moon illuminating the blue tones in her fur, matching it almost exactly.  I smiled.  Forget a blue moon, that’s a Two Moon!

I glanced around the camp as everyone started to wake up.  I had been busy night hunting, so no one needed to do that today.  I figured that my clan could probably use a break.

Bolt, as expected, was the first one outside.  He spotted me and bounded over.  “Woah, Splash!  I never thought this day would come!”

I tilted my head.  “What day?”

“The day when you’re awake before I am!” he laughed.  I bumped his shoulder, which ended up backfiring and shocking me.  That just made him laugh more.  I settled for just looking at him disapprovingly until he calmed down, which ended up being when most of the clan was up and about.

Umbreon walked over as Bolt stopped laughing.  “Good morning, Splash.  Thanks for bringing Two back in.”

Bolt suddenly became Uncle Bolt, comedic attitude gone.  “Bringing Two back?  What happened?”

“Nothing serious,” I assured him.  “She wanted to watch the moon, but Umbreon had to stay with the rest of his kits, so she asked me if I could go with her.  We went out and she climbed a small tree, then she watched the moon until she fell asleep.  It was a bit of a pain having to climb up to her, but she woke up when I got there and climbed back down with me.  I ended up carrying her back to Umbreon half asleep."

Umbreon nodded.  “She really appreciated that, Splash.  Sorry that you lost a night of sleep because of it, though.”

I shook my head.  “It’s fine.  It was actually kind of worth it to…” I was cut off as my body betrayed me with a yawn.  I saw Bolt watching me.  “Shut up,” I said before he could comment.

Instead, he turned to Umbreon.  “Going out in the middle of the night to watch the moon?  I think someone’s taking after her daddy,” he said confidently.

Umbreon looked thoughtful.  “Well, Espy and I have been teaching the kits about the different evolution paths.  They’re about old enough to start choosing.”

Bolt lit up.  “Which means that Inferno and I will have to start grabbing stones soon!”

“Not necessarily,” said Snow’s voice as she walked silently up behind us with Clover in tow.  “They may not want to take a stone.  And for the record, I could see Two becoming a Glaceon just as easily as an Umbreon.”

“No way!” Bolt shouted.  “It’s close, but she loves the night.  Moonlight Pokémon all the way, 100%, I called it.”

I looked at the Jolteon.  “You called it?”

“Yep!  I said that Two is going to evolve into an Umbreon before any of you did.”  He looked very proud of himself.

Clover, however, looked confused.  “But... you weren’t.  Umbreon said that first.”

Umbreon just looked at Bolt quizzically.  “Besides, what would you get if you’re right?”

The Jolteon just shrugged.  “Satisfaction?  Bragging rights?”

I was about to comment that those would only work with Inferno, but One interrupted, bounding over to us with joy and excitement in her eyes.  “Daddy!  Daddy!  Daddy!” she called loudly.

Umbreon sat down and bent over a bit to look at her.  “What is it, One?”

The excited Eevee bounced up and down, reminding me greatly of Bolt when he was excited.  “I know what I’m going to evolve into!”

Shocked glances were passed around the assembled Eevees, and everyone leaned closer to her.  Umbreon played it cautious.  “Are you sure?  Once you make up your mind, you can’t unevolve.  There’s no going back.  You have to be completely sure.”

“I am completely sure!” One chirped, none of her excitement or glee lost and no trepidation obtained.  “I want to be an Espeon!  Like Mommy!”

Smiles and congratulations were heard all around.  The rest of the clan had gathered to listen, commending her for the choice and commenting on how well it suited her.  I heard Umbreon still questioning her, but he seemed to sense that she wouldn’t budge from her choice.  “Why an Espeon?” he asked with a curious smile.

One sat down in front of her father.  “Well, I really like all the things that Mommy can do with her mind.  And I love the Psychic abilities that I already have.  I don’t want to lose those.  And I love how Mommy looks.  I want to look that pretty and elegant,” she said, fixing her posture to mimic her mother’s, who was smiling happily next to her daughter.

I walked closer to the family.  “One, if you want to be an Espeon, now you have to pick out a name for yourself.  Do you know what you want it to be?”

She was quiet for a while before speaking again softly.  “Well…  I knew I wanted to be an Espeon when I had a dream last night.  I dreamt that I was walking in the forest, but the trees were farther apart.  It was so sunny and warm.  I jumped up on a rock and let the sun warm my fur…” she said, remembering the feeling with her eyes closed.  “Then a beam of sun touched my forehead, and I got a jewel there, and I became an Espeon.”

I was intrigued.  Judging from her expression, so was Espeon.  I had never heard of dreams like that.  I made a mental note to ask Espeon about that later.  “But, One, do you have a name in mind?”

Umbreon subtly gestured for everyone else to be quiet, which they did.  One had her eyes closed again, trying to feel the sunbeam on her forehead again.  “Um…” she said with her eyes still closed.  “Well, the ray of sunlight was what told me that I wanted to be an Espeon, so…  Call me…”

The rest of the clan listened closely.  “Sunbeam.  Call me Sunbeam!”