Splash's Eevee Clan

Splash_Vaporeon · Nov 18, 2017

Espeon and I walked out of her den with conflicted emotions. Espeon headed right for Umbreon. She was going to tell him what happened... I looked over at Bolt. I had to help him.

I shook my head and tried my best to look cheerful. "Hey Bolt! I'm going hunting! Want to come?"

He looked up suddenly as I called to him, a slightly forced smile crossing his face. "Sure."

Surf bounded up on the other side of me. "I could come, too." I gave him a look that said "Not now." He faltered. "...But I have to... keep watch while you're away...?"

I gave him a concealed smile. "Some other time, perhaps." He took my grateful look with a nod and walked slowly towards the lookout tree. I looked back at Bolt. He was a lot less perky than usual, and he had a melancholy air. I had to think of a solution. Fast.

Bolt inclined his head towards the entrance. "Shall we?" he asked glumly.

I nodded and trotted next to him out of camp. We walked in silence for some time. Finally, Bolt broke the quiet once were safely out of earshot of camp. "What do I do!?"

I stopped walking and looked Bolt in the eye. "Listen... I think you need to talk to Espeon. She knows that you like her, but I don't know what she would want me to tell you. I say you talk to her ASAP. She's talking to Umbreon right now, but..." I kept my eyes on his as he turned away at this news. "But, if you ask me, hunt for a bit. Think things over. When you're ready... go talk to her."

Bolt looked at me like a wounded Growlithe. "...Ok..." he finally conceded. Without looking at me, he turned and walked off into the surrounding forest. He didn't run. He didn't bolt. He didn't even trot. He just walked.

I returned to camp alone. I felt terrible. How else was I supposed to tell him? Espeon should be able to tell Bolt whatever she felt was right. She was the one who was pregnant. It wasn't my place. Either way, though, I still felt like I kicked him out of the Clan personally.

Surf slid out of the exit tunnel as I staggered towards my den. "Hey. Snow's on watch. What was all that about before? And where's Bolt? ...Why do you look so down?"

I looked at him, dragging my paws. Even my tail was dragging in the dirt behind me. "Surf... I... did a bad thing. I think I really hurt Bolt."

Surf rubbed fins with me. "Hey... It's okay. I'm sure that, whatever happened, it'll be fine. You always make the right decisions."

I sighed. "Not this time. I need advice. I'm going to take a nap."

Surf nodded. "He'll help you."

"Thank you, Surf. For understanding." With that, I half jumped, half fell into the water of the pond, sinking to my underwater cave, pulling myself out, and curling up in my soft bed. Sleep was a welcome break from the stress.

~oOo~

I opened my eyes in the usual place I met Suicune, on the shore of a huge, clear lake. I stood up and shook myself off. "SUICUNE!" I called. "I NEED YOUR HELP! ...I did something wrong..."

The Legendary of the Water appeared on the opposite shore, racing across the glass-like surface of the lake at impossible speeds. In a blur of motion, he was there beside me. "It's all right, Splash..." he soothed. He laid down next to me, getting on my level. "What's wrong? You seem terribly distraught."

"I am," I moaned, falling to the sand myself. "I think I broke Bolt's heart."

Suicune shook his head. "What in Arceus's name makes you think that?"

I tried to say one word. Instead I said everything. It all came out at once. I told him everything. When I was finished, I was on the verge of a major breakdown. Suicune was sympathetic. He nuzzled my comfortingly. It did actually make me feel a bit better.

"It'll all be fine," he soothed again. "You made the right choice. There was no easy way to break that news to him."

"Then why do I feel so terrible?" I pleaded.

"Like I said, there was no easy way to do this. It was good of you to get the stress out here, rather than in front of your Clan. They look up to you. They look to you as an example of what to do in tough situations. It's okay to lose it every so often, but you should never lose it in front of the Eevees that look to you to lead. As hard as it may be, it's your job. You need to tell them it's all right. Give them someone to come to for comfort and advise. You have me. They have you."

What he said made sense. I had to be strong for my Clan. "But where do I go from here?"

Suicune was deadly serious. "Find Bolt. As soon as possible. He's hurt. He may do something rash."

~oOo~

I woke up with a gasp. Leaping from my bed, I dove into the water, shot towards the surface like a rocket, and launched myself from the pond just as fast, landing on my paws and running for the entrance as fast as I could.

Surf was almost hit by my tail as I flew by. "What's the matter? What happened?"

"Tell you later!" I shouted. "I have to find Bolt!"

I tore into the forest, searching for a flash of yellow fur.

"Bolt!?" I yelled. "BOLT!?"

But Bolt was gone.

~oOo~

AC- Poor Bolt... Alas, another week, another post full of simple sentences. At least I can tell it's starting to improve, as promised.

Splash_Vaporeon · Nov 25, 2017

I tore through the forest, calling Bolt's name until I was hoarse. The hyperactive, loudmouthed, friendly, and protective Jolteon was nowhere to be found. Only when Snow saved me from a Mightyena in the dead of night did I finally agree to return to camp, heartbroken.

No one asked me any questions or said anything to me as Surf gently guided me to the pond. He slid into the water gently, while I fell in and sank to the bottom. Surf, loyal as ever, swam after me, settling on the bottom as well.

"Hey. It'll be all right."

"No it's not," I moaned. "Bolt's gone and it's my fault!"

He was so gentle with his words. "No, it's not. Espeon told me what happened when you ran off like that. It's not your fault at all. You just got caught in the middle."

I shook my head. "No, you don't understand. I told him to go hunt on his own and come back when he was ready to talk to Espeon about it. I drove him off!"

"Not on purpose, right?" When I shook my head, he added "Then it isn't your fault at all. You only wanted to make things better. Bolt left because he couldn't face Espeon, not because of anything you ever did or said!"

I looked up at him. "You're right. But I still didn't do my job as leader. I didn't help him feel better or give him any useful advice! What are you supposed to say to someone who's in love with someone else who's pregnant with another male's kits!?"

He cocked his head at me. "Espeon's pregnant?"

Oops. "...You didn't know about that." What started as a question turned into a statement.

Surf slowly shook his head. "No, Espeon just made it clear that there was no way that she could be with Bolt. She never gave a reason."

"Oh, Zapdos strike me down now..." I muttered in frustration. "Espeon's going to kill me. That was supposed to be top secret. You can't tell anyone. Umbreon is the only other one who knows right now."

"I can keep it that way," Surf promised.

"Thank you," I replied gratefully. For some reason, I felt better already. Maybe Surf's mystical powers over me were working their magic again. I always felt better after talking to him.

He noticed my returned confidence. "You ready to take charge again?"

I took a deep breath of the clear water, then swam above the bottom of the pond. "Yes," I finally said with an astute nod.

"Eevee Clan!" I called the next morning, watching as everyone walked out of dens, from the Prey Hole (Inferno), or from a sunny spot (Clover). After a minute or two, I had 6 pairs of eyes fixed on me. "A short while ago... Bolt left the Clan. Whether he plans on coming back or not, I don't know." A disquieted murmur ran through the Clan. Inferno looked shell-shocked. His posture sagged, his ears drooped, and his mouth hung agape in disbelief. Snow leaned on his shoulder comfortingly. His best friend had just left. Umbreon seemed somewhat hurt, probably thinking that Bolt left because of him. But Espeon could stand it no more.

She teleported up onto the rock with me. "Eevees!" Espeon yelled. Espeon never yelled. The rest of the Clan snapped to attention, realizing that as well. "....Bolt left because of me. He was in love with me and..." at this point, the others were up in arms.

"Bolt!?"

"In love with Espeon!?"

"That can't be right!"

"But Espeon's never wrong about feelings!"

"But Bolt!?"

"Didn't he realize that she's with Umbreon!?"

"That's probably why he left, dummy!"

I narrowed my eyes. "QUIET!" I yelled over the clamor. Everyone stopped talking immediately. Espeon gave me a thankful look. I nodded back before she returned her focus on the Clan.

"That is not why Bolt left, though it was the cause of the fights with Umbreon," she stated in a much louder voice than normal. I could easily detect the distress coming off of her in waves. She felt even worse about this than I was. I then realized, it actually was her fault right before she finished her speech.

She closed her eyes. "Bolt left... Because-"

She was interrupted by a whole pack of Mightyena streaming into the camp, ignoring the size of the entrance, and crashing through it anyway. I took charge immediately.

"BATTLE PAIRS, TEAM UP! INFERNO! GO WITH UMBREON AND DEFEND ESPEON!"

Inferno dove towards the couple just as I leaped over the rest of the clan and let out a powerful Surf, swamping the pack with water. Surf himself took advantage of the giant wave, letting it carry him toward the disjointed Dark Types. He then took full advantage of the move that Suicune had taught him, Diving out of range of attacks, then appearing directly under a Mightyena, tackling it off balance and getting physical with Iron Tail. Just as his target began to recover from the shock, Surf dove under again, repeating the strategy with a different foe.

I focused on wide-range attacks, finding a group of Mightyena, then using Surf or Blizzard to knock them down and keep them down. The whole Camp became a battlefield, Clover taking full advantage of her unusual knowledge of the move Aura Sphere, Inferno shooting Flamethrower at any dog-like enemy that came close. Umbreon was not holding back, either. I saw more than a few Mightyena running away from him, covered in toxic chemicals from Umbreon's ferocious Sludge Bombs. Snow and Clover were in perfect sync, one using a close-range move as the other used a long-range one, healing at the same time, and matching each other blow for blow.

Just as I thought we were holding our own, a shadow swept over the Camp. With a rush of wings and a screech, Clover was pulled off the ground by a massive Mandibuzz, rising into the night like a malevolent shadow. Clover screamed and thrashed about wildly, but the Mandibuzz's talons were digging into her skin tightly.

Inferno saw it trying to fly away. He dashed off while yelling to Umbreon "TRY TO HOLD THEM OFF WHILE I GO SAVE CLOVER!"

"Here!" I yelled, seeing his plan. "I'll give you a boost! Hurry!" Inferno leaped up onto the rock just as I swept my tail under him, made the highest jump I could possibly make, then turned into a powerful front flip while swinging my tail forward, sending Inferno flying towards the Mandibuzz.

"Hang on, Clover!" he yelled as he let loose with Discharge, managing to shock the Mandibuzz's tail feathers. Unfortunately, gravity had other ideas. Inferno fell back to earth, fortunately landing in a fern bush.

As I fired another Blizzard at an incoming Mightyena, I watched Clover being slowly carried away and the voracious dogs starting to overwhelm Umbreon. We were two members short, with emotional turmoil wearing us all thin. And right now, it was starting to show. We were losing.

~oOo~

AC- Okay, NOW I feel like we're picking up! Sorry for posting late, though, Thanksgiving break is almost over, and I wanted to spend time with my friends at home, but also completely forgot: 1. My laptop, and 2. That it was Saturday. Sorry about that if anyone was counting on me to post exactly on time! I'll do better next week!

~Chief

Krazyfan1 · Nov 25, 2017

If only there was a Flarion that knew flame charge...
since, ya know...moves like that can let their users fly/fake it really well

Splash_Vaporeon · Nov 27, 2017

Krazyfan1 said:
If only there was a Flarion that knew flame charge...
since, ya know...moves like that can let their users fly/fake it really well

Yeah, Inferno doesn't know Flame Charge... He says Bolt is the speed and he's the muscle.
~Splash

Krazyfan1 · Nov 28, 2017

Splash_Vaporeon said:
Yeah, Inferno doesn't know Flame Charge... He says Bolt is the speed and he's the muscle.
~Splash

You think he'd want to learn after this?
i mean, knowing that he COULD have been able to save them if he had just known that move...

Splash_Vaporeon · Nov 29, 2017

Krazyfan1 said:
You think he'd want to learn after this?
i mean, knowing that he COULD have been able to save them if he had just known that move...

He says maybe instead of Endure, though both would be helpful. We'll see if he goes through with it.
~Splash

Splash_Vaporeon · Dec 16, 2017

I fired Blizzard at the escaping Mandibuzz, but he was just barely out of range. I could see frost edging its wings, but it wasn't hindering its flight at all. Clover was still fighting, attempting to use Leaf Blade, but her strength was ebbing.

Behind me, Umbreon was wearing thin as well, being overrun by the Mightyenas trying to get to Espeon. While his Sludge Bombs were effective, they could only hit one Mightyena at a time. I turned briefly around and used Surf, but it knocked them back only for a moment.

Snow wasn't doing so well without her partner at her side. While her Blizzards were keeping multiple foes away and conveniently freezing some of them, they were coming at her from all sides, Biting her legs and Shadow Pulsing her when she wasn't looking. When she used Recover, that only gave them the chance to attack all at once. She didn't know where to turn, where to run, how to attack, or where to attack!

Espeon was hiding in her log den with the safety fake end of the log up. They could still smell her. Clover's vines could hold a lot of exertion, but the wood might not. It was never tested. She could hear Umbreon fighting valiantly just outside, but she could feel that he was getting tired. Even without being able to fully read his mind, she could tell by his emotions that her mate was being overrun.

Inferno climbed out of the fern bush, disoriented. Luckily for him, none of the Mightyenas seemed to notice him. While the fern bush had cushioned his fall, there were some thorns in there somehow. Those hurt. It didn't help that there was a rock under the ferns. He was dazed, hurt, and slightly confused. What was happening? He felt like he should be fighting with Bolt. That was it. Where was he?

I glanced around at my Clan, which was doing badly. We were short two members! Three, since Espeon was pretty much useless in this fight. How would we make it through this?

CRACK! BOOM!!

As if in answer to my plea, a massive bolt of Thunder cleaved the sky, striking the Mandibuzz with extreme ferocity. It and Clover plummeted to earth, Clover making a soft landing for herself with some rapidly grown clover, ironically. I paused. The Thunder was huge and powerful, but not quite as big as the Great Raikou's.... That could only mean...

A blur of yellow blasted into camp, braking in front of Espeon's log den, revealing a very angry Jolteon. Bolt had returned.

His normally spiky fur was even more bristled with rage and crackling with electricity. His ears were pinned back, flat against his head. Narrowed eyes filled with fury scanned the confused pack of Mightyena. He spoke only ten words.

"You want her? You'll have to go through me first."

With that, he unleashed a massive discharge of electricity, striking every Mightyena and not a single Clan mate. The Dark Type dogs yelped as the miniature lightning bolts struck them, charring their previously glossy fur and massively injuring them. Bolt kept the electricity coming, firing smaller charges as the pack fled, the shocks prodding their retreating backs and tails, giving them extra encouragement. Within 30 seconds, the Mightyenas were gone.

Bolt sagged visibly when he was sure the pack was gone. Umbreon was by his side in an instant, catching him with his shoulder as he almost fell.

Inferno and I said the same thing at the same time. "BOLT!" He was back. And judging by his joyous smile, he was here to stay.

I looked at Espeon and Bolt behind me on the announcement rock. Espeon looked none the worse for wear, though she was a little shaken. She was calm and confident. "You sure you want to do this?" I asked.

She nodded. "Five of the eight members already know. Why keep it a secret?"

Bolt looked at her kindly. "Thank you for telling me personally, by the way."

Espeon purred. "I don't want to hurt you, Bolt. I really don't."

Bolt shrugged. "Well, now I get why you didn't want to leave Umbreon. Not that you'd leave him anyway," he said with a knowing smile.

I looked at Bolt. "Where did you go when you left? I couldn't find you anywhere!"

Bolt spoke without looking at me. "I was never going to leave forever. Just for a few days to think things over. I met up with Raikou in a dream, he told me to meet him. When he did, we talked my situation over. He pointed out that Espeon and Umbreon were soul mates. I may have loved her, but it would never work. That didn't mean I couldn't be friends with her."

"Why didn't I think to say that?" I said, more to myself.

Bolt answered anyway. "You don't have to think of everything, Splash! But anyway, he sensed you were in trouble, charged me up to the max, and sent me back to the Clan. Good thing I did..."

"Yeah," I responded. "I don't think I've ever seen Inferno so happy."

Espeon touched my shoulder with her split tail. "The others are getting impatient. We should start."

I nodded, turning to the other 5 Eevees. "Eevees! We have big news! First off, as you all know, Bolt has returned!" Bolt stepped forward, smiling as the others cheered for him. Just for show, he struck himself with a small lightning bolt. After a bit, he jumped off the rock, landing next to Inferno, who all but hugged his best friend.

Espeon stepped up next to me on the rock. "Eevees! Before the attack started, I was about to say something very important." Everyone leaned forward slightly. "I will be having kits soon!"

~oOo~

AC for this post and the two accompanying it- I AM SO SORRY ABOUT NOT POSTING FOR THREE WEEKS. Between finals and then coming back home, life intervened and I barely had time to think for myself. However, as you can probably tell, I'm making up for it by posting three story posts in one weekend, so I hope that evens things out!

AC for this specific post- I know it seems like I dug myself into a bit of a hole here, what with only two parts out of three up and the main conflicts solved. To that, I say just keep reading. Things heat up again soon. You also may have noticed I returned to poor writing style. To that, I say... Sorry. It, too, should pick up soon (permanently, I hope).

Splash_Vaporeon · Dec 16, 2017

An explosion of cheering met Espeon's announcement. She beamed with pride at her Clan mates' joy. Umbreon looked just as proud, sitting straight up with his eyes closed and a huge smile plastered onto his face. Just when the cheers started to die down, Espeon jumped off the rock and landed next to Umbreon. The perfect couple entwined their tails and touched noses, making everyone, Bolt included, go insane again.

After a while, the cheers went down for real this time. I stood on the edge of the announcement rock, looking at my Clan's happy expressions. Eventually, all eyes returned to me. I just had to wrap up the meeting.

"Our Clan is whole again and will soon be expanding! Those of you with injuries from the attack, please see Clover. All others, enjoy this perfect respite!" Everyone cheered respectfully as I finished. I jumped back down to the ground as the Eevees started milling around camp, most heading towards Clover's and Snow's den. I figured that my minor cuts and scratches could wait, heading instead towards Espeon and Umbreon, who were still touching noses. They were completely oblivious to the fact that the meeting had ended.

I sat down next to them. No reaction. I cleared my throat. No reaction. Only when I tapped Umbreon on the shoulder to get his attention did they come out of their trance.

"What?" he asked, more confused than annoyed.

"I need to talk to you guys about the attack," I said quietly, not wanting anyone else to overhear and be alarmed.

Espeon nodded. "Of course. Our den?" she asked, tilting her head towards the log.

"Sure," I nodded.

We padded to the log in a row, me next to Espeon next to Umbreon. Once inside the log den, we all sat down to confer with each other. "Espeon, I know they were Dark Types, but could you pick up on anything?"

She shook her head. "No, just vague emotions. Anger, hunger, a little fear in the beginning, and loyalty."

Umbreon looked at her in confusion. "Loyalty?"

She nodded. "Yes. It was faint, but it was definitely there. Especially on that Mandibuzz."

I was puzzled. Then, a horrifying thought struck me like a lightning bolt. "Please tell me this had nothing to do with what you guys found out.... a while ago?"

Both thought for a bit, knowing what I meant. Finally, after a terse silence, Umbreon spoke. "Possibly. But the files that we found in there were all about 'physical alterations' and 'mutating individuals' on a subject... 470 I believe." Espeon nodded in confirmation.

I was still unconvinced. "What's subject 470?"

"No idea," Umbreon shrugged. "But this stuff was weird. Whatever this subject was, they did all kinds of nasty things to it. They used chemicals to change their color, stuck on an extra tail, did something with their eyesight..."

"Yikes," I winced. That did sound nasty. "But what, if anything, does this have to do with the attack?"

An uncomfortable silence settled over the perfect pair. I gave them the look that said 'well?' Finally, Umbreon spoke again. "One of the files.... said there was a shortage of subjects..."

I tilted my head in thought. "So there are multiple subject 470's..."

Espeon finally spoke. "It might explain why they were so coordinated. Nothing like a wild pack. And with a Mandibuzz? It just doesn't add up. But if humans were involved, it would make perfect sense. It would also explain the loyalty they had."

A growing sense of dread settled over me. "So... You're suggesting that the Mightyenas were here to pick up subject 470? Whatever or whoever that is?"

Espeon and Umbreon looked just as worried. Umbreon spoke up nervously. "Bolt sent the pack running. How do we know that they didn't run straight back to their trainers?"

Espeon answered him just before I could. "We don't."

Umbreon continued to voice his concerns. "Should we move? If the pack knows where we are, they could lead these... sick humans right to us!"

I shook my head determinedly. "No way. We put a lot of effort into this camp and we are not leaving it. And the time we temporarily left to lead trainers off our scent doesn't count," I added just as Umbreon opened his mouth to point that out. "We've hidden from humans before, easily. And if they bring their Mightyenas, so what? Espeon can put up scent and sound barriers. Nothing she hasn't done before."

Espeon spoke up again. "What if they bring a Psychic type?"

"Then Umbreon will block their searches. Again, nothing he hasn't done before. As for right now, everyone will be on guard while hunting. We were just attacked in our own camp. We have a night watch. If we need to, I can assign a day watch, too, if it makes you feel better."

Umbreon nodded. "It would make me feel better. I need to protect Espeon more than ever now. It's my job!"

Espeon accepted his brief nose-touch, but then pulled away. "But look at how happy everyone is now! Do you really want to spoil that? Besides, I'm willing to bet that those Pokemon aren't half as resilient as we are. They'll be licking their wounds for some time. Let everyone enjoy the peace. No need to worry over something that isn't there."

"Espeon's right," I said to Umbreon. I'll put up a day patrol, but strictly for the reason that I want to be cautious."

"All right..." Umbreon conceded. "But they won't be gone for good. You can be sure of that."

~oOo~

AC for this post and the two accompanying it- I AM SO SORRY ABOUT NOT POSTING FOR THREE WEEKS. Between finals and then coming back home, life intervened and I barely had time to think for myself. However, as you can probably tell, I'm making up for it by posting three story posts in one weekend, so I hope that evens things out!

AC for this specific post- Here's the suspense! Anyone care to hedge any guesses about what Subject 470 is? It's not a random number!

Splash_Vaporeon · Dec 16, 2017

I heard movement in the bushes. Quietly, I signaled to Surf. In almost complete silence, he crept around the bush, being sure to stay downwind. We didn't need this thing detecting us. His tail swept back and forth as he walked, hovering over the leaves and twigs on the ground that would give us away. When he was in position, I heard a small splash. I tensed up.

Surf used Dive right underneath my feet, spooking the Pidgey and making it take flight. Using the momentum from Dive, I pounced as high as I could, stretching out a paw and smacking the Pidgey right out of the air. Just as I landed, Surf used Iron Tail to finish the job.

"Nice jump," he said as I trotted back over to him.

"Well, that was mostly you."

He shrugged and picked up the Pidgey. "Either way, I think it's safe to say that we've still got it."

I nodded once. "Absolutely. We are in sync." To prove my point, we walked side by side, paw step for paw step and tail sweep for tail sweep in perfect time with each other.

As we came back into camp, Bolt zipped up to us. "Hi guys! Hey, nice catch! Also, Splash, you have a customer waiting for you by the pond."

I nodded. "Thanks, Bolt." I then turned towards Surf, who was still holding the Pidgey. "Can you take that to the Prey Hole? Make sure Inferno doesn't get his paws on it before you do. I'm going to see what our customer wants and then divide up the catches, ok?"

He nodded astutely. "Rodger." He and Bolt left as I turned towards the pond, making sure that I had no Pidgey feathers stuck to me anywhere. That wouldn't make a good first impression.

Sitting by the pond were a pair of Staraptors; mates, by the look of it. I trotted up and sat next to them. "Hello, I'm Splash."

The large birds nodded in response. "I'm Streak and this is my mate, Night. We came for your assistance." Night shook my paw as her husband continued. "We had a little skirmish with a group of Pokemon, and in the fight, our nest fell from our tree. We put a lot of work into that, and we don't want to have to do it over again."

Night picked up where Streak left off. "The problem is, it kind of folded in half when it landed, and now it's pretty damaged. We figured we could hire you to either fix or replace our nest."

I nodded thoughtfully. "I'd have to see the damage for myself. Let me just grab Espeon, Umbreon, Clover, and... Bolt." They agreed to wait, and I got up to inform the appropriate Eevees. Espeon could levitate the old next back into the tree if we could fix it, and Umbreon would not go anywhere without her, now that she was pregnant. Clover might be able to grow a new nest, if the need arose, and Bolt was particularly good at climbing trees.

I hit Espeon and Umbreon first. The couple was, as per usual, in their log den, talking. "How many do you think?" I heard Umbreon's voice. They must be talking about her kits.

"I don't know," Espeon responded. "I definitely think either three or four."

I ducked in and interrupted. "Four? That's fantastic!" Usual Eevee litters ranged from 2-4 kits, so this was a big deal.

Espeon purred. "Thank you, Splash."

I didn't sit down, instead standing in the entrance. "Hey, Espy? We have a pair of Staraptors whose nest fell from its tree. Can you come? You might be able to levitate it back up."

As I expected, she said yes just as Umbreon cut in. "Not without me. I'm coming, too."

I laughed. "I figured you would. Can you be ready to go in about 10 minutes? I still need to get Clover and Bolt and figure out a bargain."

The perfect pair agreed, and returned to their conversation, this time discussing kit names. I left, going towards Snow and Clover's den before realizing that they had just returned from hunting as well. So, I spun on my tail and trotted over to them.

Clover agreed to come, as did Bolt. After bargaining for the price of a Shiny Stone (that we could trade to someone else for evolution stones, should the future kits need one), we set off. Bolt ran directly underneath the flying Staraptors and we followed Bolt. It made me smile to see him so happy and integrated into Clan life once again. He and Espeon had even become closer friends, with him often taking part in conversation with her and Umbreon. Finally, Espeon and Umbreon named Bolt caretaker of their future kits. It would be his job to watch them in the couple's absence.

I tripped over a branch, snapping me out of my thoughts. The Staraptors had landed on a thick, high branch of a tall, study tree. "This is where our nest used to be!" Streak called. The branch I had tripped over was part of the fallen nest. As described, it appeared to folded down the middle. With a little shove, I opened it back up, revealing that the damage was not quite as extensive as I had thought.

Without me saying a word to her, Clover touched her nose to the damaged nest. Soft vines and leaves started weaving their way in and around the nest, repairing and reinforcing it. She even went so far as to add felt-like leaves all over the inside of the nest, making it something I would want to sleep in on a daily basis. When she was finished, she pulled away and looked at her work. "There," she stated simply. "Those vines will make it super-sturdy. You could drop it off a cliff now and you wouldn't lose a leaf."

I only had to glance at Bolt before he bounded up into the tree, from one branch to the next to the next to the next to the next to the next, all the way to the branch upon which the Staraptors were sitting. "Wow," Streak commented. "He is good at climbing trees."

Bolt nodded. "Thank you." He then looked down at Espeon. "Hoist the nest up! I'll tell you when and where to drop it!"

Espeon said nothing, only nodded and focused her mind on the cozy nest. It started to float into the air, up onto the high branch. Bolt nudged it with his nose, flinching a bit as the Staraptors took off to make room for the incoming nest. "Ok..." he muttered, just loud enough for us to hear. "A little more to the left... A little more... That's too much... Perfect! Set it down slowly!" The nest inched towards the branch, finally resting in the elbow between the branch and the trunk. Clover made vines that wound around the tree trunk and nest, securing it in place. Knowing Clover, that nest could withstand an earthquake and never fall.

The Staraptors coasted to the ground, landing next to each other. "Here's your stone... We don't have much use for it, anyway..."

I nodded and Streak dropped the gleaming evolution stone on the ground. As I collected it, Bolt piped up. "What caused your nest to fall in the first place?"

Night answered him. "A pack of Mightyenas tried to attack us."

We all froze.

~oOo~

AC for this post and the two accompanying it- I AM SO SORRY ABOUT NOT POSTING FOR THREE WEEKS. Between finals and then coming back home, life intervened and I barely had time to think for myself. However, as you can probably tell, I'm making up for it by posting three story posts in one weekend, so I hope that evens things out!

AC for this specific post- More suspense! Though I mainly used this post to introduce new characters. Since they just moved close to the Clan, expect to see them after this. Also, when I call this chapter "The Calm Before the Storm," I MEAN the calm before the storm. Things will be exploding soon. Possibly literally.

Splash_Vaporeon · Dec 23, 2017

I finally mustered up the courage to speak. "Did... did you say Mightyenas?"

Streak nodded. "Yes, why?"

I sat down and did my best to look and act diplomatic. "A pack of Mightyenas attacked us a short while ago."

Espeon's thoughts entered my head. "This might be good news, actually. It might mean that subject 470 is not among us."

I thought back to her, "But then why would they attack us so viciously?"

Espeon shrugged before thinking, "You have a point."

She stopped reading my mind as Streak continued. "A pack of about... 10 Mightyenas?" Night nodded to confirm his estimate. "They were walking past our tree last night. They looked like they were stalking something. Anyway, Night here flew back to the nest with a catch, and they saw her. They went crazy, barking, snarling, trying to climb our tree...."

Night, once again, finished Streak's thoughts. "Good thing they didn't have a fraction of the tree climbing skills that you do, Bolt." Bolt blushed. "Luckily, we both know Close Combat and were able to fight them off. Even so, it was close. I don't think we could have done it if we couldn't fly."

I nodded, thinking hard. Umbreon spoke up. "Was there a Mandibuzz with them by any chance?"

Streak shook his head. "No. No Mandibuzz. Or else we would have been in even bigger trouble."

I sent a deliberate thought to Espeon, telling her to quietly relax Clover and Bolt. No need for them to worry about something that might not be there. Mightyenas were common in the forest at night. It was a bit unusual, but not unheard of, for a pack of that size to form to hunt larger prey. True to her abilities, Bolt and Clover seemed to relax upon hearing this bit of information. I closed the conversation. "Well, thank you for letting us know. We'll keep an eye out."

"Thank you for helping us rebuild and reinforce our nest!"

"Anytime!" With that, I stood up, beckoned to my Eevees with a flick of my tail, and left. Bolt trotted out in front, as usual, Clover walked next to me at the back, and Espeon and Umbreon walked in perfect sync back to camp.

When we returned, Inferno tackled Bolt off his feet, and Snow, who was on watch, slid down the ice slide to greet Clover. Espeon and Umbreon padded back to their den just as Surf trotted up to me and nuzzled my fins in greeting. As I observed Bolt and Inferno getting into another Exploding Competition (Raikou and Entei switching Lava Plume and Discharge gave them a realm of new game possibilities), I gestured to Surf that perhaps it would be better to catch up by the pond. I had a few things to ask him about.

"So," Surf began as we sat down with our tails in the water. "You look like you want to tell me something."

I nodded. "And I need you to be rational and calm about it, so just act like you normally do." He smiled warmly at me. "The Staraptors said that a pack of about 10 Mightyenas attacked them. That's what caused their nest to fall. But, Surf, they said that it looked like they were stalking something else."

Surf shrugged. "So? That could have been anything from a Patrat to a Tauros. Was there a Mandibuzz with them?" I shook my head. "Good. That seemed like their calling card, don't you think? Besides, that Mandibuzz seemed to do the most against us. Why would they try again without their best asset?"

I sighed, feeling relieved. "How is it that you always know exactly what to say? You just took the weight of a Wailord off my back. Thanks."

Surf shrugged with a smile. "Anytime. I know you like the back of my paw, Splash. I know what to say."

We said nothing else, just leaned against each other and touched noses.

Meanwhile...

A man adjusted his lab coat and made a few marks on his clipboard. His meeting was about to start. Better be off. He strode down the halls with purpose, clipboard under his arm and carrying a small stack of papers. As he reached the double doors, a huge Houndoom stood in his way. The man let the guard dog sniff his hand, then step on the button on the floor that admitted the man to the main building of the compound.

He adjusted his lab coat again as he entered the conference room, scanning the assembled party. 4 other Scientists sat around the table, each with their Pokemon sitting next to them. The man sat at the head of the table, then released his Pokemon. The meeting began.

"As you are all aware," the man began, "I have some new design ideas that I believe we should implement. Testing should begin immediately."

Another Scientist with a Liepard spoke. "Subject 470 again, sir?"

The man nodded. The Liepard swished her tail hungrily. Her trainer stroked her head and scratched her ears. "Yes, my dear, you can play with them." He turned back to the man. "What do you have planned this time?"

Another Scientist with a Weavile standing behind him spoke. "Does it have something to do with that unauthorized experiment on Number 7b?"

The man nodded. "I wanted to see if my ideas were possible. They are. If this works, it could change everything."

The Scientist with the Liepard spoke up again. "What do you have in mind?"

The man unclipped a paper from his clipboard, then placed it in the center of the table, where everyone could see it. "This is the current model of subject 470." He took a pen out of his lab coat pocket and sketched on top of the picture. When he finished, he placed the new picture back in the center of the table. "And this is the upgrade."

Gasps were heard around the table. The Scientist with the Weavile stood up. "You can't be serious! We've had success before, but this!? This takes it to a whole new level!"

Another Scientist with a Shiftry spoke above the clamor. "It may not be as 'impossible' as you say. I've seen it done before with a move pairing."

The man nodded to him. "Exactly! Why not make the effect permanent?"

The Scientist with the Weavile yelled again. "We've made one into a shiny! That was a huge success! This is beyond impossible!"

Yet another Scientist with a Zoura on his lap stroked his Pokemon and asked, "Would they be functional?"

The man raised his hands to quiet the clamor, then responded. "Of course they would be functional. My test on Number 7b is a major step in the right direction." He glanced at the man at the opposite end of the table. "I just need more test subjects."

The head of the experimental committee crossed his arms. His Bisharp did the same. "How many? And do keep in mind that these things are incredibly hard to find."

The man smiled. This meeting was going his way. "Three should do. One for another test for this, another for the finished product, and a third in case something... goes wrong."

The executive leaned back in his chair. "Three. That will be rather challenging. However, I have faith in you. You have a high success rate, and this new idea of yours is beyond anything I have ever heard of before. Very well. I'll gather all of the Mightyenas to see what we can find."

The man smiled. "Oh, I already know where a few are." He sat back down. "Just make sure that those blasted Legendaries don't get in our way again." He pursed his lips and stroked his Mandibuzz thoughtfully.

~oOo~

AC- NOW we're talking suspense! I felt like this one was more my speed, though it still needs work (on the other hand, though, I could write War and Peace and say it's not perfect and needs work, so I'm not the best judge of my own writing). Any ideas about any of the mystery topics? I do love talking with my readers, since that reassures me that you exist, so feel free to comment and ask anything!

Splash_Vaporeon · Jan 13, 2018

I can say this for certain. Clover's new Emergency-vine-that-you-can-only-pull-on-in-desperate-situations-as-in-SOS-someone-is-dying-and-I-need-to-contact-Splash-immediately works pretty well. The slack is hidden under a rock, and the rest of the vine snakes though a small tunnel underground that Clover made with Dig. Because my bed is in an air-filled space under the pond, it's kind of hard to contact me in case of emergency, so Clover tied the other end of the vine to my bed. That way, if someone moved the rock aside and pulled on the vine, my bed would rise up and slam against the ceiling. I have been told I sleep very deeply, so... Since the possible threat of another Mightyena attack, I had Clover install it.

Needless to say, it works perfectly.

WHAM! "OW!" I shouted as my head hit the ceiling. I rubbed my brow with a paw. The mechanism worked all right... Oh, wait. Emergency. Right. As I slid into the water, I thought to myself "I swear, if this is Bolt or Inferno playing a prank on me, I will seal them in their rock den for a WEEK." As I reached the surface however, it appeared as though Bolt and Inferno were safe. Espeon and Umbreon had pulled the alarm.

I pulled myself onto the ground, not even bothering to shake the water off of myself. The pair looked rather eerie in the moonlight, with Espeon's jewel giving off a light aura and Umbreon's yellow rings glowing brightly in the dark. I looked back and forth between the two. "Okay... when I said that the Emergency Vine was only for emergencies, I meant it.... I am losing valuable sleep here... What's going on?"

Umbreon spoke first with a note of urgency in his voice. "I've had a premonition."

I was too tired for this. "What?"

"A premonition." he repeated. "You know, a feeling of what's to come."

"Like Future Sight?" I asked, still somewhat dazed from my head trauma.

Espeon responded this time, soothing my head while she spoke. "Something like that, yes."

I used Recover to fix my bump on the head, my drowsiness forgotten with Espeon's help. "How? You don't know Future Sight." I gave a nod of thanks to Espeon as Umbreon explained.

"I don't. But ever since Espy and I have been together, we've kind of... picked up a few tricks. You know, like Bolt built up a resistance to fire since Inferno tends to explode in his sleep." I nodded. Inferno was prone to sleep-splosions. Umbreon continued. "Well, I've picked up two things from Espeon. One you know about; I can sense lies?"

"Oh yeah," I recalled. "All those times we've almost been scammed or cheated..." Umbreon was my lie detector. He was always present during customer negotiations to make sure our customer could and would pay.

Umbreon nodded and kept going. "Right. But the other one developed much more recently. I can sort of... sense when something bad is going to happen."

Uh-oh. "And... you sensed this just now?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Woke me up. Someone in the Clan is in danger. I can't tell who, but..."

I nodded seriously. "I'll tell everyone to be on high alert. I'll station two Eevees on watch and make sure anyone who goes outside the camp is with their battling partner."

Umbreon sighed in relief. Espeon spoke. "Since we're already awake, why don't the two of us relieve Snow? She's up there right now. It's only midnight."

I groaned. "Thank you for reminding me of that fact... Sure, go ahead. Let her sleep. And in the morning, put... Bolt and Inferno on watch. Tell them that if there's too much chitchat and not enough watching, I'll box them around the ears."

Espeon chuckled. "Will do." With that, they walked off together, exited the camp and jumped up to the lookout post just as Snow slid down the ice slide. The Glaceon shook her fur out and then walked casually to her thorn-bush shielded den with Clover. I smiled, replaced the rock on top of the extra vine, and slid back into the water. I swam into the small opening in the side of the pond, surfaced in my cozy little den, and laid back down in my bed, drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, I was grumpy from sleep deprivation. Fortunately for everyone else, Surf met me in the middle of the pond. I told him what happened the night before, and he not only complimented me on how reasonable I was, but rubbed fins with and swam with me for a good half hour, melting my bad mood away like ice in the morning sun.

Together, we swam to the surface. As we pulled ourselves out of the water, we were met by Snow and Clover. Clover gave me a bright, sunny smile. "Good morning! We wanted to go out on a hunting patrol, if you Love Pidoves would like to join us."

I smiled at the analogy. Surf just looked slightly embarrassed. I nodded. "Sure. We'd love to. Just one second." I left the three of them by the pond and walked over to Espeon and Umbreon, who, despite their long night, were eating by the prey hole, sharing sunny looks with each other. If my calculations were correct, Espeon's eggs should be coming along in the next week or so.

I trotted up to the amicably. "Morning. How are you two this morning?"

Umbreon gave me a coy smile. "You seem in a good mood, despite your late night."

I shrugged it off. "You'd be surprised what Surf can do."

Umbreon leaned on Espeon. "Oh, I know."

Espeon spoke, her soft voice like sunlight. "Did you want to ask us something?"

I shook my head. "No, tell you. Snow, Clover, Surf and I are going out hunting. I want you two in charge at camp. We'll have four out and four home."

She nodded. "Absolutely. Be careful, though," she finished seriously, referring to Umbreon's prediction.

I nodded firmly. "I will. I'll be careful and make sure everyone else is, as well."

They nodded in thanks. I turned back to the other three by the pond, sweeping my tail towards the entrance to signal to them that we were good to go.

Ten minutes later, the four of were padding side by side across the forest floor, keeping our noses and ears tuned for signs of prey... and danger. Clover voiced my thoughts. "Does anyone else find it a tad odd that it's right in the middle of fall, the leaves are turning and falling, and there's not a single sign of prey anywhere?"

"Yeah..." I agreed. "Maybe we should head back. I don't like this... Everyone be on your guard. Back to camp." We turned around and started walking back home. I couldn't shake the sense that we were being watched.

As it turns out, I was right.

Shuffling in the bushes caught Surf's attention. He nudged my shoulder, and silently alerted the others to the threat. Therefore, we were ready when the same pack of 10 Mightyenas exploded out of the thicket. They surrounded us. They had obviously been tracking us for a while. Thinking quickly, Clover thrust thorny brambles up from the ground, circling and shielding us from the ferocious dog Pokemon. She turned to me. "I can dig a hole back to camp! Stay here and keep them occupied!"

"Go!" I shouted. Clover sprang to the middle of her bramble circle and used a rapid and panicked Dig, drilling into the ground with alacrity. Surf, Snow, and I remained outside the tunnel, drawing the Mightyenas' attention. The three of us fired moves through the thick brambles, trying to disable or knock out any that we could, but it was hard to aim. Our foes on the outside snarled and barked, trying to get into our protective circle. All we could do was wait for Clover to return and give us the all clear.

Suddenly, Espeon's voice shouted in my head. "Splash! The pack is back! They're at the camp! Don't come back! Wait for them to leave! We're in hiding, better this time."

I stopped in dread. I sent a desperate thought back to her. "We're being attacked as well! Clover's digging back to camp! Tell her to come back!" No response from Espeon. "Espeon? Espeon!" I turned to Surf. "Espeon just contacted me! She said they're under attack at the camp, too! There are more of them!"

His first concern was the same as mine. "What about Clover?"

I shook my head. "I tried to tell her, but she's not answering!"

Surf thought hard and fast. "Maybe that warning to you might have given them away. The less time in contact with you, the better."

"Not in this case! Clover's in danger!"

Snow whipped around to face us. "Splash, you go after her! You can use Blizzard to freeze the tunnel in case of possible collapses!"

"Good idea!" I called back. With that, I dove into Clover's hole, pinning my fins to my back and sides to avoid scraping them on the tunnel walls. As I tore through the dirt tunnel, coming closer and closer to camp, I grew concerned for Clover's safety. Finally, to my relief, I spotted her.

The good news was, she was fine. The bad news was, just as I caught sight of her, she opened the other end into camp.

At first, I saw no Mightyenas. Apparently, neither did Clover, because she stepped out into the open. As she turned around to come back into the tunnel and reinforce it, something heavy stepped on the ground above the hole, exactly on the spot between Clover and me. The extra weight caused a cave in between us before I could warn her. I could only launch Blizzard to keep the tunnel from caving in on top of me.

The only problem with this strategy was that I also ended up freezing the soil in front of me. As I scraped and scrabbled my claws against the ice, I heard Clover crying out in surprise and pain. She was in trouble! Finally, I had the idea to use Stone Edge to shatter the ice in front of me. However, by the time I was able to start digging, Umbreon was joining in from the other side.

As he dug me out, and Inferno and Bolt joined in, pulling me from the soil. I glanced frantically around camp. "Where's Clover!?"

Espeon shook her head. "That Mandibuzz came back. It snatched her right off the ground while the Mightyenas kept us busy. It's my fault, Splash. I should have took the thought you sent. She's gone."

~oOo~

AC- Soooo sorry again for not posting for so long! Once again, as it is wont to do, life got in the way. However, like the last time this happened, I will be mass-posting to keep up. Also, you see now what I meant about the calm before the storm? The next few posts will be split in two; the first half (before the Eevee picture I use as a break) will follow the events happening within the Clan, as usual, while the second half will shadow Clover. Keep commenting, by the way! It helps reassure me that I have readers that actually exist!

Splash_Vaporeon · Jan 13, 2018

I glanced in panic around camp. Clover, gone!? "This is beyond a worse-case scenario!" I shouted.

Inferno leaned on my shoulder, calming me down a bit. "Splash, what about the others? Are they still out in the forest?"

I took a deep breath, trying to clear my head. "Yes. They are. Bolt, go treetop and see if they're still under attack!"

"Roger!" Bolt shouted before zipping up his safety tree and rapidly leaping from one tree to another. I could only watch the yellow blast leap away. A thought entered unpermitted into my head. Was Surf okay?

As if reading my mind (probably because she was), Espeon rubbed my cheek comfortingly. "He'll be all right. In fact, I think the Mightyenas attacking them are leaving..."

As if to confirm this, Bolt blasted back into camp, through the entrance this time. "They were still there, but I scared them off with a bit of lightning." Espeon gave him a look to say "really?" Bolt shrugged. "Fine, they were leaving just as I got there. Everyone else is okay. Clover's barriers worked wonders."

I groaned. "She would have been safe if she'd stayed with us!"

Umbreon turned to face me. "Look, Splash," he said roughly. "Would those barriers have had any protection against the Mandibuzz? No. Everyone would have been too distracted by the Mightyenas to notice its approach." He cut me off before I could respond. "BUT it doesn't matter! What happened, happened! Now it's YOUR job to stay level and come up with a plan!"

It wasn't exactly a pep talk, but it grounded me. Umbreon was right. I had a job to do. And on my roster right now was saving Clover. "Thanks, Umbreon. Alright. If we want to go after Clover, we need the rest of our Clan. Let's go get Surf and Snow, then we'll start tracking the Mightyenas. I'm positive they'd be going to the same place."

The rest of the clan nodded their consent, but Espeon stood up. "Umbreon and I will stay here, just to be sure there won't be another ambush when we get back."

I nodded to her. "Good thought. Everyone else, let's move. Now!"

Clover thrashed about desperately, trying to escape the Mandibuzz's cruel talons. She was getting cuts all over the place. She tried using Leaf Blade again, but to no avail. She just wasn't in the right position.

Where had this even come from!? She opened up the tunnel into camp and had seen nothing threatening. Next thing she knew, a Mightyena attacked her from behind! Leaf Blade had saved her then, but just as she was driving it off with Aura Sphere, the Mandibuzz appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her!

She resumed thrashing, but the Mandibuzz squeezed her harder, driving her talons deeper into Clover's skin. She yelped and quit moving. Even if she could escape, they were too high off the ground. She'd never survive the fall. Another horrifying thought struck her. What happened to everyone else!? Last she knew, Splash, Surf, and Snow were still in her thorn barrier and the camp was obviously under attack. Was everyone at camp okay? What about Espeon? And her kits? Did anyone in the forest follow her tunnel? Did they get attacked?

Concerns flooded through Clover's mind. She took a breath to focus herself. She had to help her clan, but helping herself came first right now. She had to escape. Obviously, the Mandibuzz was taking her somewhere. Clover might be able to make another, unexpected escape attempt when they were closer to the ground. Heck, if she could manage, she could Dig back to camp, this time into the shelter of Bolt and Inferno's rock den. She could fix the hole later.

They flew on for several minutes. Clover thought she recognized some of the foliage... That oak tree looked familiar. But when had she been here before?

The answer came when the Mandibuzz made a banking turn towards a large building in a clearing. A very familiar large building in a clearing... With a start, she realized where she'd seen this area before. That's the same building where Entei and Suicune were captured!

With horror, Clover realized that this was their destination. She screamed and thrashed in terror, not caring anymore how tightly the Mandibuzz held her. Her feathered captor let out a piercing screech, making Clover wince. A man in a white lab coat and a clipboard under his arm stepped out of the building, looking up at the Mandibuzz. He removed a Poke Ball from his lab coat pocket and held it up.

"NO WAY!" Clover screamed, fighting for her life. She refused to become a slave to this terrible man! The Mandibuzz flew up to the man and hovered in front of him. Clover froze, wishing she could disappear like Umbreon or Espeon.

The man spoke. "Well done, Mandibuzz. You didn't steal this one from another Trainer, now, did you?" The Mandibuzz shook her head and shook Clover. She shrunk away from the man in pure, unadulterated terror. He peered at her, then held up the Poke Ball. "Let's see if it cooperates."

The next thing Clover knew, she was trapped! She threw herself against the sides of an enclosed space she could not see. It gave way. Clover tumbled back into the sunlight. She scrambled to her paws and tried to make a run for it, but suddenly the Mandibuzz was on top of her, pinning her to the ground! The man walked slowly in front of her, regarding her. "All right..." he said, seeming a bit indifferent. "Whatever works for you, Leafeon."

He reached out a hand. Clover tried to bite him. The Mandibuzz put one foot on her head, pushing her muzzle into the dirt. A cold, sterile hand clutched her scruff, and hauled her off the ground, causing the Mandibuzz to push off her back to take flight, giving her more serious slashes. Nevertheless, Clover fought the man. He shook her by the scruff, causing a lot of pain. She yelped again, but continued to fight.

Finally, the man grew frustrated and threw her hard into a tiny, handheld cage near the door of the building. She hit the side hard, with the tightly woven wires digging into her cuts. Stunned by the pain and the impact, Clover could only lie on the floor of the cage as the man walked up to it, closed the cage door, and locked it with a resounding click.

~oOo~

AC- I distinctly remember how hand my heart was pounding when I wrote this! When you're in the zone and writing so intensely that you feel exactly what your characters are feeling, in my book, you're doing something right. Even so, I still say this is not my best work, this time due to a lack of writing experience, but at the time I wrote it, it was amazing for my skill level.

As a side note, did anyone happen to notice that 470 is Leafeon's Pokedex number?

Splash_Vaporeon · Jan 13, 2018

"Stand back!" I yelled. "Inferno, light it up!" Through the thorny brambles, I could barely see Snow standing in the dead center of the bramble circle, while Surf paced around closer to the outside. Inferno used Flamethrower to light the thorny branches on fire, sending flames rapidly spreading around the ring. Surf quickly put out any stray fire with a well-aimed spray of cold water.

Finally, the brambles burned enough so that Snow and Surf could easily jump over them. Surf extinguished the last of the flames with Surf, causing Inferno to squeal and try to climb a tree. Surf bounded over the ashes of the brambles, raced up to me, and skidded to a halt with his nose touching mine and his fins rubbing mine. He leaned into me. "I was so worried about you..."

I welcomed his caresses, some of the panic of Clover's abduction melting away. Some. "Me too... But Clover's gone. She was taken by the Mandibuzz."

Surf pulled away in disbelief. His mouth was open slightly, whether from shock or he wanted to say something, I couldn't tell. Inferno fell from the tree with a soft thud. Surf ignored him and shook his head. "What do we do?"

I closed my eyes and took a breath. "We go back to camp, regroup, and track the Mightyenas. I have a definite feeling that they're in cahoots with the Mandibuzz. They must be going to the same place. We find the pack, we find Clover."

Snow finally mustered up the courage to jump out of the ring as well. "We'd need some serious help if we plan to save her."

I turned towards her. "Exactly. Back to camp. I think I might have an idea."

After a brief mental contact with Espeon to make sure the camp was safe, the six of us marched in through the once again ruined entrance and sat in a circle, Espeon and Umbreon joining between Bolt and Snow. There was an open spot next to Snow, where Clover normally sat.

I did my best to ignore that fact and continued. "Okay. Who here has good tracking skills?" Everyone stood up. I shook my head and sat back down again. Everyone else followed suit as I spoke. "Okay, never mind. Four Eevees in the Search Party. Myself, Snow, Espeon, and Umbreon.

Surf stood up again. "No way, Splash. I am not letting you out of my sight again until this threat is resolved."

I gently pushed him back into a sitting position with my tail. "Surf, the reason I want you here is that, 1. you can handle yourself in battle. If the camp came under attack, you'd be fine. 2. You're a good commander. If we do come under attack again, Bolt and Inferno would follow your instructions to the letter. I've seen you in action."

Inferno nodded in agreement. Surf looked at the ground in defeat. "Fine... But if you get hurt out there, I will never forgive myself. Understood?"

I smiled at him. "Yes, sir."

Snow stood up. "With all due respect, Splash, tracking her down is all well and good, but how are 8 Eevees going to stand up to 20 Mightyenas and a Mandibuzz? Who knows, there might be even more foes than that! We'd need some serious assistance!"

I turned towards her with serious eyes and a ghost of a smile. "I was just getting to that. I think that the Search Party should track Clover down, get a location, then come back. Then, Bolt, Inferno, and I will take a nap."

~oOo~

I watched Snow put her nose to the ground again, trotting along the scent trail of the Mightyena pack. Espeon was searching for Clover through brain waves, trying to get a hold of her by thought. Umbreon was keeping an eye out for danger. He said he hadn't had any more premonitions, but better safe than sorry.

I raised my head from the ground, looking at Espeon. "Anything?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Something must be wrong. I might have found her, but she's not responding."

Snow's head jerked up. "Can you zero in on her location?" she said, much louder and quicker than usual.

Espeon shook her head again. "No. She'd have to tell me where she is, and I'm not close enough to her to wake her up."

I looked at Espeon, deducing what was going on. "So she's unconscious?"

"That's my best guess." Snow said nothing, just slowly returning to her tracking. Espeon sent a thought to me. "She's extremely upset over the loss of her best friend."

I sent a thought back while resuming tracking myself. "She's not dead, Espeon. You just said that."

The thought came back in a very quiet whisper. "I said that for Snow's benefit. She seems distraught now, but she's broken inside. Clover is the one Eevee she really trusted with all her heart. She trusts us, as well, but no one as much as Clover. I said that to keep her from breaking down even more. The truth is, I can't tell if she's alive or dead."

I thought nothing in response. My mind was blank. I could tell that Espeon was distinctly regretful that she sent that thought to me. I was worried enough. I focused on tracking the Mightyenas. If she was anywhere, they might tell us where... and if she was okay.

~oOo~

Time passed. How much, I wasn't sure. I was just trying to fix my mind on tracking. Any thoughts about Clover I shut out as fast as I could. They were all concerns, and concerns would only distract me and make me even more upset.

So caught up in tracking, I didn't notice that Snow had stopped until I bumped into her. She was frozen. Umbreon gasped. I could feel the fear and concern radiating off of Espeon in waves. I looked up and saw what everyone was concerned about. We were there. Umbreon finally spoke where no one else could. "...Yeah. We're going to need that help."

Clover slowly came to consciousness. Her first feeling was that of pain. A lot of it. The second was that she was cold. Not the familiar kind of cold that she was used to, like the chill from Snow, but a different kind of cold. She didn't like this new kind of cold.

Clover forced her eyes open. She saw shiny walls, like metal. She sensed no danger around her, no sign of the terrible man, his Mandibuzz, or any Mightyenas. Making herself stand up, despite how much it hurt, Clover turned around, making sure that she wasn't dreaming... or more accurately, having a nightmare. Blank metal walls on three sides around her. The floor was also metal, explaining the uncomfortable cold. Behind her was a cage door, comprised of metal bars. The gaps between them was far too small for her to slip through. She could stick her paw through, but not much else.

She used Synthesis to heal all of her cuts and scratches. The pain subsided. Clover took a shaky breath and looked around her cage again. There wasn't much. She had a total of three things in here: two red plastic... things that slightly resembled a Pitcher Plant, or a Weepinbell. They were bolted to the wall using more metal. There was metallic-smelling water in one and some brown mush in the other that smelled disgusting. The only other thing in this cage was... a sand box! Clover smiled. She may be captured, but there was no reason she should be uncomfortable here.

Having nothing else to do, Clover pawed at the sand, spilling it all over the floor of her cage. Trying not to think about the rest of the Clan, especially Snow, Clover dutifully smoothed out the sand with her tail, making sure it was even. Then, she went over to the water container thing. She hesitantly poked it with her paw, just to make sure it wouldn't hurt her. It didn't. She then set about slopping some of the water around the sand, making sure to leave a bit for herself. She wasn't sure when she would get more...

Wait. She was inside. No rain. No rain meant no water that would get in that red thing naturally... that had to mean that... humans came and gave her water! That wasn't good. From her experiences, humans were nothing but awful. That man had really hurt her. She was not keen on letting anyone near her.

Clover shivered and shook herself out, as if to get rid of the touch of that horrid man that she could still feel on her neck. If she was to protect herself, she'd better finish this project. Walking carefully over the sand and leaving seeds where she stepped, she stood in the far corner of her cage as she finished and focused on the new seeds. It wasn't much, but it would have to work. The water that she had sprinkled on the ground helped the tall grass and flowers that Clover grew, making sure that all of them had thorns. She purposefully left a clear space from the door to the red things, so that her water could be refilled later. As terrifying as the notion was, Clover needed that water, both for herself and for her plants. For when the occasion arose that a human did come near her cage, Clover also wove a nice den of flowers, perfectly sized for her. The thorns faced away from where Clover would be walking, from her makeshift flower den, to the opposite corner, where Clover had grown some berry-yielding plants and herbs, to the red things, so that she could get more water later.

"There." Clover said quietly, partly to reassure herself, partly to hear something in this desolate place. It was unnervingly quiet in here. "Protection and comfort. Not exactly home, but it'll have to do until I escape."

"Escape?" a raspy voice said from a few feet away, making Clover nearly jump out of her skin. "There is no escape. Not for you, not for anyone."

~oOo~

AC- A nice, creepy ending to make up for the general lack of quality of this post. I was definitely distracted while writing it. Oh well. It's still better than other posts... Talk to me, people reading my work! I want to know you're out there! Ask questions, pitch ideas about the scientists' "design influences," future plot points, anything! I know I was out for three weeks, but now that break is over, I promise I will respond!

Splash_Vaporeon · Jan 20, 2018

I stared at the white walls, the open ground, the barren soil. Entei's hole in the wall was fixed. None of us moved or spoke. Umbreon had fallen silent again. How could we contend with these forces? I finally mustered up the strength to speak again. "Back to camp. Now. Hurry," I said in a quiet whisper.

Snow turned tail and fled. I followed suit, half wanting to make sure she was safe, half wanting to run away from that place myself. Espeon followed right behind me, and Umbreon brought up the rear. No one said anything as we pelted back to camp, home, safety, familiarity. We didn't stop, slow down, or break stride until we ducked through the entrance in single file at top speed.

Snow crashed head-on into Inferno, who let out a small "Oof!" as he was knocked over. I barely managed to skid to a stop in front of Surf, who was running to greet us.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he shouted as I hit the ground and he jumped over me in a perfectly timed maneuver. "What's the matter? Something after you? You look terrified."

I stood back up, panting. "No, Surf, it's worse."

Bolt piped up. "Did you lose Clover?"

"Worse," I said tersely. "We found her."

Inferno cocked his head. "What does that mean?" he asked critically.

I looked him with dead seriousness. "We tracked the pack. I was right, Snow smelled the Mandibuzz, too. But the worse part of it is... She's there."

Bolt and Inferno looked at each other, Inferno with fear, Bolt with concern. Inferno looked at me. "Well... What do we do?"

"Conference," I said. "Now!"

We rushed to sit in the meeting circle, the empty spot for Clover still present. I tore my eyes from it and started. "This is a serious problem."

Bolt stood up quickly. "I have a solution."

Everyone turned their eyes to him. Umbreon spoke with a hint of criticism. "What would that be?"

Bolt turned to face him, gravely serious. "Simple. Splash, Inferno, and I take a nap."

Espeon nodded. "I move for that to happen immediately. We need the help."

Snow nodded in agreement. "If there was ever a time, it would be now."

I stood up. "Are we all in agreement?" All other Eevees nodded. "Good. The Clan moves for the assistance. Bolt, Inferno, den. I will do the same. Espeon, help us fall asleep faster." She nodded solemnly. With that, Bolt and Inferno dashed off towards their rock den while I dove into the pond, swimming up into my den and jumping into my bed, turning in a circle, and laying down. Where it probably would have taken hours for me to get any sleep normally in this situation, Espeon's power made me fall asleep in a few minutes. Soon, we'd go and save Clover.

~oOo~

I opened my eyes again on the shore of the familiar clear lake. I took a steadying breath. "SUICUNE!" I called loudly. For a few seconds, he didn't appear. "SUICUNE!" I called again, getting nervous. Again, no one came. "Suicune?" I asked quietly, starting to give up hope. "I need you..." I said, now talking to no one but myself. Suicune had never stood me up before. I had spoken to him not 3 days ago. Why wasn't he here?

I waited for a few more seconds before slowly turning around, my tail dragging on the ground. He wasn't coming. I started trudging sluggishly away from the lake, back towards the distant forest that would wake me up. I'd have to figure this out on my own. Hopefully, Inferno or Bolt could get Entei or Raikou to help.

"SPLASH!" a regal voice shouted from across the lake. I turned back around. He was there! Suicune was racing towards me at full stride, so fast that I could barely see him in motion. His majestic power put me in awe as always. He seemed grim, yet determined. "Splash! Don't go! I'm here!" he called. I raced back to the lake shore, meeting him on the sand where the minuscule waves lapped at my paws as the Aurora Pokemon swept up to me like the North Wind he was said to embody.

He stopped perfectly, right next to me. "I don't have much time," he said seriously. "I only came because you said you needed me. I indulge in idle banter today."

"I didn't come for idle banter," I said quickly. "What's got you in such a rush?"

He remained standing, unlike most of our meetings, when he would lie down to stay on my level. "There is an oil spill over a reef. A lot of Water Type Pokemon are in danger. I was in the midst of purifying the water when you called. I assumed you needed something, since you called me in the middle of the day, so I took a minute. What's the problem?" he asked quickly, but calmly.

I looked him right in the eye. "Clover's been taken. Normally, I would handle this myself, but-"

"Nonsense," he said, finally laying down beside me. "You were right to call me, then. Try and find out where she is while I finish at the reef. Then, I'll come and help you rescue her," he said comfortingly.

"We know where she is. That's where the problem lies," I said with trepidation. "She's... you know. There."

Suicune's red eyes filled with hatred. "Those humans..." he growled. "I despise them so. Insolent, impudent, disrespectful, hateful humans!" he snarled, making me draw back a step. He looked at me. "I'm sorry, Splash. I didn't mean to frighten you. I just despise humans like that... And they have Clover... I doubt they want her for ordinary purposes. We need to get to her as soon as possible."

"No," I said, surprising both myself and Suicune. "The Pokemon on the reef need your help more. There are more lives in danger there. Clover would be the first one to agree."

Suicune nodded thoughtfully. "Very noble, Splash. I admire that." I smiled. Suicune looked away and frowned. "You know..." he began, his powerful voice tinged with suspicion. "...Raikou and Entei also had emergencies that they had to take care of. I thought nothing of it at the time, but now..."

I spoke what I guessed he was thinking. "Was this set up?"

Clover froze. The strange voice didn't speak again. For several minutes Clover didn't move or speak. Finally, she whispered in a barely audible voice. "Who's there?"

It took a few seconds for the voice to respond. "I'm in the next cage over. A Leafeon, like you," it said in a grating voice.

Clover forced up the courage to respond. "Wh- Why do you sound so weird?"

The strange Leafeon spoke again after a few seconds. "The humans did things to me. I'm permanently blind, my leaves are wilted, I'm tired all the time, and I seem to have two tails." He sounded tired already, just from their conversation.

Sadness and horror crept over Clover, and she took a step towards the door of her cage, being careful not to get too close to her thorny plants. "Who are you?" she asked quietly. It seemed wrong to talk loudly.

"I don't have a name. Just a number," the Leafeon said listlessly. "7a. There was a 7b, but he died a short while ago, after the humans did something to him, too."

Clover could think of nothing to say. This was horrible! They might try and do something to her, too! "I have to escape!" she said desperately.

"There is no escape!" the Leafeon said again. "I've tried! It's hopeless. I've been here for months, at the least, years at the most. I've lost all track on time."

Clover shook her head, refusing to believe it. "No. I have a Clan. They'll come and save us, you'll see! And Snow! Snow's my best friend. She'll do anything to help me," Clover said, confident in her Clan's abilities.

"Keep thinking that," the other Leafeon said, without any hope.

That upset Clover. One should always have at least a smidgen of optimism. And how could he doubt Snow like that!? Another thought struck Clover, one that excited her. The Legendary Trio! That's probably what Splash and Snow had in mind. If anyone could help Clover, it was Snow, Splash, Raikou, Entei and Suicune! She started to say so, but then recalled that the three had sworn the Clan to secrecy unless absolutely necessary. She could tell the buzz-kill Leafeon later. Right now, she had to get out of this cage.

Suddenly, a door opened. Clover dove into her makeshift flower den, quivering in fear. The smell of a human washed over her. "Well," a cold human's voice said. "Isn't this cute." There was the click of the latch on Clover's cage being opened. Clover shrunk further into her shelter. "Heeeeere, Leafeon..." the scary man crooned mockingly. Clover didn't move, hardly daring to breathe. "Ok, then," the man said, taking a step back. Clover heard him release a Pokemon from its Pokeball. "Find it, Liepard," the human commanded.

Clover felt the sand move beneath her feet a bit as the predatory cat Pokemon searched for Clover. Thinking quickly, she quietly built up an Aura Sphere, then waited until the Liepard got a bit closer. It hissed in annoyance as it encountered Clover's thorny plants. Finally, it reached the flower den.

Clover released Aura Sphere, knocking the Liepard away. As it fell to the floor, Clover mad a mad dash for the cage door, leaping from the edge towards the floor. Halfway through her fall, the human caught her, putting his sterile hands around her tightly! Clover screeched in terror, failing wildly and trying to use Leaf Blade, but to no avail. The human just squeezed the breath out of her, then started walking, Liepard by his side. He turned to look at his Pokemon as he walked. "Good girl, Liepard. This one's feisty. You'll have fun with her..." Clover almost passed out in terror.

~oOo~

Then cold human finally arrived at a small fenced in area with many twists and turns, like a small maze. He forcefully threw Clover inside, causing her to hit one of the walls and see stars for a second. She heard the door open, and the human's voice saying "Go get it."

Clover stood up, trying to clear her head. She couldn't see the exit or the Liepard. She'd have to navigate the maze, and hope she found the first before the second. Just as she started walking in one direction, the Liepard appeared right in front of her! She swished her tail and purred silkily. "Hello, lunch."

Clover turned tail and fled as fast as she possibly could. As she rounded a corner, there it was again! "Oh, don't run away! Make this easy for me!" she purred as she pounced at Clover, long claws extended. Clover tried to change direction, but slipped on the metal floor, giving her foe a chance to slash at Clover's tail, tearing her leaf tail. She squealed and raced on, around corners, down walkways, around bends, not sure of where she was running, nor caring. A few seconds later, the Liepard reappeared again! "At least tell me your name, lunch!" she said before swiping at Clover flank as she turned a corner. Luckily, the claws missed. The Liepard appeared at the next bisection as well, this time aiming a bite at Clover's legs. "Tell me!"

"Clover!" Clover squeaked as she turned the other way, feeling the air quiver where the Liepard's teeth snapped shut on empty air.

"What a cute name, lunch..." the Liepard growled as Clover raced away. "The others here call me Terror." An apt name, Clover thought as Terror reappeared next to her. "Well... enough with the formalities. I'm hungry."

Clover screamed and ran. She didn't care where, she just wanted out! Terror seemed to be everywhere at once! Clover caught glimpses of the hunter all around the maze! She was off to the left! No, there she was on the right! Right behind her! Around that corner! Behind that wall! She was closing in! Pawsteps from behind her! She was catching up! Just as Clover started to increase her pace, Terror leaped over a wall in front of her, landing silently. Clover was going too fast to change directions! She slipped on the metal floor landing on her side and sliding right to Terror's paws. "Well..." Terror purred as Clover shut her eyes and tried to brace herself for the killing blow. "That's convenient..." the Liepard purred, dragging a single claw down Clover's body, freaking Clover out even more. "This was fun, Clover, but I have things to do." With that, Terror lunged towards Clover's neck with her fangs bared...

And grabbed Clover's scruff.

At which point, Clover fainted from fright.

~oOo~

AC- Once again, this was definitely high on my writing level at the time, but now I'm a little underwhelmed again. Oh well. It's getting better. Am I just being hard on myself, or is this actually somewhat poor writing? Please let me know!

Splash_Vaporeon · Jan 27, 2018

I awoke with a start. They had thought of everything. They knew that the Legendaries might come to the rescue, so they created situations that called for their help more urgently elsewhere. I dove into the water, swimming towards the surface. Maybe Raikou or Entei could finish with their planned disaster quickly. Suicune had said that it would take at least another day to solve the oil spill. Clover would have that much longer to wait for massive assistance.

I surfaced in a leap, landing on the ground. Surf looked at me hopefully. "Well?"

I shook my head. "More bad news. Suicune is busy with an oil spill over a reef. It's threatening a lot of Pokemon." Surf looked down in disappointment. "I said that the lives of all of those Pokemon outweigh Clover's needs right now. The weird part is, I think they were set up."

Umbreon looked at me in confusion. "Set up? How?"

I sat down. "Suicune and I both agreed. Don't you think it's a little odd that, according to him, all three Legendaries just happened to be needed at three different disasters almost exactly when this whole thing started?"

Espeon sat down next to Umbreon, her belly bulging a bit at this point. "You're right. There's no way that's a coincidence."

Just then, Bolt and Inferno came running out of their rock den. Both started talking at once. I held my tail up for silence, then looked at Inferno. "I couldn't get a hold of Entei at all. I mean, we're not exactly best buddies like Bolt and Raikou are, but I appeared at the hot, boulder-strewn place we met that one time. He didn't show."

Bolt led off of his best friend. "I was able to meet Raikou, same as always, but it took him a bit to show up. As if that weren't weird enough, he said he had an emergency to take care of. Even after I told him about Clover, he said that he needed to finish this up first! He'd come as soon as he could, but..."

I nodded. "Yeah, same thing happened with Suicune. Some oil spill out over a populated reef. I think they were set up."

Inferno's eyes went wide. "So that they couldn't help us!?"

I looked out towards the forest. "More like they couldn't help anyone. I seriously doubt that anyone outside of this clan and the trio themselves know about our connection. They tried to stop the Legendaries once, they're doing it again. Indirectly, this time. Plus, if they're targeting Leafeons, this would kind of fall outside their jurisdiction..."

Snow finally spoke. "Then why stop them at all?"

Umbreon looked at her. "My guess is, whatever they're doing there is so horrible, the Legendaries would come no matter what type they're doing it to."

Snow's eyes filled with tears. "Clover..." she whimpered before running into her bush den.

Espeon looked at her mate chasteningly. "That wasn't the right thing to say."

"It was most likely the truth."

I shook my head. "Regardless, we need a new plan."

Clover woke up in her cage again. All of her flowers had been torn out. The sand was disturbed. There was only one berry in the corner for her to eat. On the bright side, her water had been replaced. A door opened. She head squealing. It sounded like that of another Leafeon. It couldn't have been Soursap, as she'd taken to calling the brown-leafed Leafeon. The screams were too high and clear.

Thinking quickly, Clover flopped back down on her destroyed garden, pretending to be unconscious again. She carefully kept one eye open a crack, trying to see what was happening. The man with the Mandibuzz strode into the room, with his demonic bird Pokemon sitting on his shoulder. Sure enough, the man was gripping a struggling Leafeon in one hand. He opened one of the cages between Clover and Soursap and shoved the Leafeon inside. Then, he slammed the door shut and locked it.

As the man strode towards the door, it opened again. A familiar smelling Liepard walked into the room alongside her trainer. The two horrible men began talking. "How'd testing go?"

"Not as well as I'd hoped. 7d's legs are paralyzed. It can only use the back ones now."

"Hit a muscle?"

"Yeah. Last one before the boss cuts my funding. Gotta make 7e work."

"You'll find a way. Liepard's already clawed some sense into it, so I think it should behave itself..."

Clover almost had a small heart attack. Was 7e her? What were they planning on doing to her? The Leafeon they just brought in couldn't use her front legs!? What were they doing!? What were they planning on doing to her?

As if sensing her fear, Terror put her paws up on the edge of Clover's cage. "Hello, Clover," she purred silkily. "Glad to see you up so late."

Clover froze. How did she know that Clover was awake? Terror tilted her head. Feeling no other option, Clover whispered. "Late?"

"Mmm-hmm. You've been out for the whole day. I must have given you quite a fright yesterday..." she purred as she casually pulled a strip off of one of her claws with her teeth.

Clover remained on the floor of her prison, trying to avoid detection from the two horrible men. "You mean... It's been three days?"

"...Yes."

"My clan still hasn't come for me..." Clover said aloud without meaning to.

"Hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but they aren't coming," Terror meowed bluntly. Clover turned her head to look at her in horror. Snow wouldn't rest until Clover was safe! When the scared Leafeon didn't respond, Terror continued. "This building is impenetrable. Once, the humans here even captured the Legendary Trio. No way your friends could get in. Even if they could, they'd never get out."

"Not Raikou," Clover automatically corrected. Terror raised an eyebrow. That was the biggest reaction Clover had ever gotten out of the Liepard. "...And he helped the other two escape," Clover finished uncertainly. She only hoped that Terror couldn't tell when someone was lying like Umbreon could...

"You know this how?"

Clover froze. "...Snow told me," she finally finished.

Terror gave her a peculiar look. "I'll buy that for now. I'll come back and ask again when you wake up."

Another jolt of fear swept through Clover. "Wake up?"

Terror smiled. "Why yes. You're 7e. The humans need you to experiment on. That's why I'm here. To make sure that you behave." The horrible men walked up behind Terror, who let herself fall back onto four paws. "Just do what they tell you, and we won't have to have another run around the maze."

Clover certainly didn't want that. Then again, she didn't want these humans touching her at all. Which was worse? Even if she picked Terror over the men, they'd almost certainly try again. At some point, she'd have to give in.

There was one other option she could try...

"Fight me!" Clover shouted, leaping to her paws. She knew Aura Sphere, and if she could win, it might afford her a chance to escape!

Terror growled with a hint of amusement. "And why would I do that?"

"I'm scared to death of you and these despicable humans! One of my friends is going to have kits soon! And I need to be there to help her! And, most importantly, I need my clan and they can't help me!" Clover shouted, letting all of her fears show.

Surprisingly, Terror paused, then nodded. Her trainer nodded. "Get it, Liepard. Don't hurt it too badly, though."

Not believing this was actually happening, Clover jumped down, feeling her paws touch the unnaturally smooth and sterile floor. She squared her stance, swishing her tail. Terror took her place opposite her, taking a more relaxed position. She paused, waiting for Clover to make the first move. The size difference made Clover feel slightly uneasy. Nonetheless, Clover waited out the stare down.

Finally, Clover fired Aura Sphere. Terror easily bounded over it, using Slash on Clover's flank. Clover quickly used Leaf Blade as Terror passed her, giving the Liepard her own slash on her side. Just as quickly, Terror used Dark Pulse, but Clover barely managed to dodge, returning the attack with another Aura Sphere. This time, Terror rolled to avoid the attack, using Hone Claws.

Just as Clover began using Dig, a sharp pain suddenly hit her shoulder. She yelped, looking at what caused the pain. What appeared to be a pink feather on a long metal splinter was stuck in her shoulder. Clover pulled it out irritably. It hadn't done any damage...

Terror made a wide swipe at Clover again with Slash, one that Clover should have been easily able to avoid. But for some reason, her reactions were dulled. She barely dove out of the way. Even then, it was hard for her to get back up. By the time she was steady on her paws again, her Aura Sphere failed. How did that work? Clover became unsteady on her paws. She stumbled and fell over. Her vision hazed. What was wrong with her?

The two men walked over to her. She tried to use Leaf Blade to defend herself, but could barely lift her tail, let alone attack. The men scooped her off the ground, and put her in a cage. Clover could barely think. All she saw was Terror's expression of indifference before she passed out.

~oOo~

AC- I have to keep this short, seeing as I should be writing an essay about William Blake rather than about Eevees. I miss talking to my readers! Please allow me to do that again!

Splash_Vaporeon · Feb 3, 2018

We sat in our conference circle for the third time in the last four days. I didn't even look at Clover's empty spot this time. I just focused on Espeon and Umbreon on the other side of the circle. Snow was still teary-eyed. I clenched my eyes shut, took a deep breath, and attempted to speak in a steady voice.

"As you all know, the Legendary Trio can't come to help us. They're being kept busy. We have to devise our own way to rescue Clover. Suggestions?"

Everyone was silent. Inferno spoke without standing. "How are we going to pull this off? Last time, just to get in, we needed Entei's hole in the walls and Raikou as a distraction!"

Espeon stood up. "While I have no definite plan, I can highlight our strong points. We have the size, versatility, adaptability, and sneaking skills that the Legendaries don't have. We can operate in stealth mode. I've even been working on masking a Pokemon's presence."

Surf tilted his head at her. "How?"

She turned to face him. "Simple. I use distraction methods. I mask the ally's scent and sounds while focusing the foe's attention on something else."

Umbreon looked at his mate. "Does it work on Dark Types?"

Espeon shrugged. "I don't know. I've never tried."

I looked at her incredulously. "Well then, let's try it!"

~oOo~

Ten minutes later, I was hiding in a bush near Bolt and Inferno's rock den. I peered through the leaves at Umbreon, who was sitting in the middle of camp, and then moved my gaze to my intended destination, which was his and Espeon's log den. Espeon was sitting on top of the log, closing her eyes and focusing. Finally, she waved her tail. That was our signal to move.

I watched Bolt and Inferno creep out of hiding first, as they were the first group to try and beat Umbreon. Both had unnaturally silent pawsteps as they snuck behind the Dark Type, probably the work of Espeon. Umbreon had his ears up and eyes alert, but instead of detecting the pair of males less than two tail-lengths behind him, his attention was fixed on a tree above camp. At one point, his gaze strayed from the tree, but soon fixed on another random piece of foliage. Espeon was trying insanely hard to make this work. Finally, Bolt and Inferno crept into the log den.

Next, it was Snow's, Surf's, and my turn. Snow, who already had very quiet paws, reached the log den with perfect silence before Surf and I were halfway there. I placed my paws lightly on the ground, worried that I would give myself away.

"AH-HA!" Umbreon yelled, not at me, but at Surf. "Got you! ...Which is not good news for us."

Espeon jumped down gracefully, despite her swollen belly. "Doing three is harder. Snow already has soft steps; maybe she can do without the sound muffling." Snow nodded in agreement.

I sat down and looked at Espeon. "Ok, so we can sneak around Dark Types... But that still doesn't mean that we can get in at all. We need a way to get the humans away from the weird white den."

Bolt jumped out of the log. "I can be the distraction!" Everyone turned towards him. "Not only do I know the Great Raikou's fighting style, he can hit from afar! If I hide in a tree and cause a big lightning storm, they might think that Raikou came back! It helps that he'd probably be the most likely to help anyway."

Umbreon led off of him. "That'll draw their attention... Then we can sneak in. I remember seeing a square hole in the wall with a plate of metal over it. If Espeon can pull it off while Bolt is keeping everyone else busy, she can levitate us in before anyone notices."

I finished. "We'll split up and go in pairs, Snow with Espeon and Umbreon. Best to have one more fighter on their team if it comes to it, because they seem so fittingly fixated on Dark Types."

"Yeah... Frankly, I'm disgusted with my type right now..." Umbreon muttered.

Wingbeats sounded from overhead. We tensed and prepared for battle as the shadow of a large bird Pokemon swept over us. Then, two forms landed on a low branch of Bolt's emergency tree.

"Mind if we help with this?" Streak asked.

I smiled at the two Staraptors. We might not have the Legendaries, but we might be able to hold our own now. "Ok everyone, rework the plan to include these two!"

~oOo~

I tried my best to balance in the treetop, using my tail to steady myself. How did Bolt do this so easily? Next to me stood Surf, Umbreon, and Inferno. Umbreon was the only one among us who looked marginally comfortable in the branches. On another nearby branch sat Streak and Night, both of them analyzing the odds of Espeon and Snow on the ground.

Inferno was trembling. "We're supposed to... jump?" he asked shakily for the 50th time.

Night answered the same way she did the last 49 times. "Yes."

Umbreon looked at Streak and me. "What if you were to hold him instead of Splash? He wouldn't get hurt because of all his fluff, and he wouldn't be able to Torchic out of this."

Streak and Inferno spoke at the same time.

"Good idea."

"NO WAY!"

I rolled my eyes. Do it, Streak. I know him, he'll be fine. He'll make a racket in the process, but as long as he's covered by Bolt's lightning, we should be fine."

Streak nodded as Inferno continued to protest. "All right. Then, we'll find that Mandibuzz."

Espeon's voice sounded melodiously in our heads. "All clear for now. Bolt, start your diversion when you see Streak and Night take off. Staraptors, wait at least 30 seconds before circling back. We'll move when you drop."

I took a deep breath. "Ready when you guys are."

"I am not!" Inferno shouted. We ignored him. The Staraptors turned around on their branch, putting our back to us.

I looked at Umbreon. "Ready?"

He nodded with a small smile. "Are you?"

Together, we jumped off of our branch, landing on the Staraptors' backs at nearly the same time, me on Streak, Umbreon on Night. Hooking our paws over their wings as they instructed, we got settled in and prepared for flight. Then, the two powerful birds took off, almost throwing me off before Streak's flight balanced out, giving way to the smooth freedom of the air that I had always imagined. The wind blew over my fins, making them wave in the breeze. I closed my eyes and breathed in the smell of the fresh, open air.

"Enjoying yourself?" Night asked as she flew up alongside Streak, matching him wingbeat for wingbeat, just as Umbreon and Espeon did with their pawsteps.

"I wish I could do this all the time!" I called back. I looked over at Umbreon, who seemed like he was all business, but I could tell he was secretly having fun, too. I looked back towards the remaining Eevees in the treetops. It almost looked like Surf was wrestling with Inferno. "Let's go back and pick the others up! I think Inferno is trying to escape."

With a single flap of his wings, Streak flew ahead of Night and extended his talons. Seeing this, Surf grabbed Inferno, rolled over, and shoved him upwards just as Streak grabbed the alarmed Flareon. In another perfectly timed maneuver, Surf got to his paws without falling and jumped, giving Night the perfect opportunity to catch him as well. The six of us rose into the sky with two pairs of wings.

That's when the lightning started.

CRACK!! BOOM!! CRASH!!

Blinding bursts of electricity flashed everywhere, just as Raikou would have done it. So far, the plan was going smoothly. The two Staraptors made a banking turn, despite Inferno's screaming, and soared over the desolate white den. On Espeon's silent signal, they dropped Surf and Inferno. Espeon stopped their fall with telekinesis just before they hit the top, then released them. Surf landed perfectly on his feet. Inferno did not.

Streak and Night started to circle back. "Ready?" my Staraptor asked. I nodded seriously. Umbreon and I counted down in our head before letting go and free falling.

For a few terrifying seconds, I just fell. Just before I hit the smooth, hard roof, I stopped in mid-air. Espeon had caught me. I hovered for a full second before gravity resumed working on me, and I landed solidly on the ground.

Umbreon, who had apparently jumped after me, was still falling. But he wasn't stopping. Espeon's voice screeched in my head in terror. SPLASH!! Her telekinetic powers didn't work on the Dark Type! Thinking quickly, I jumped into the air and gave Umbreon a solid thwack from my tail, sending him to the side and slowing him down a bit. Ever in sync with me, Surf tackled Inferno, shoving him directly into Umbreon's path.

POOF!

"OW!!" Inferno yelled as Umbreon landed on him. Neither seemed hurt, though Umbreon looked rather shaken, and Inferno looked extremely irritated. The Flareon's fluff had protected both of them. I bounded over to the pair of males.

"Are you two okay!?"

Umbreon staggered to his paws. "I think so... That scared me. Quick thinking, you two."

Surf nodded thanks as Inferno whined. "What is this, pick on Inferno day!? Umbreon, I'm glad you're all right, but seriously, you are much heavier than you look."

Umbreon, getting his normal friendly attitude back, tilted his head at Inferno. "Is that an insult?"

Espeon's scared voice whispered in my head again. ...Is he okay? Is my Umbreon okay?

I sent her a thought back. He's fine. Surf and I made sure he had a soft landing on Inferno's back. They're both ok.

I heard a mental sigh of relief. Good. I can't believe we didn't think of that. Thank you for being so quick on your paws, Splash.

I smiled. No problem. Just make sure that you and Snow are safe.

Inferno stood up and shook himself off, fluffing himself up even more. "Anyway..." he muttered. "Bolt can't keep going forever. Let's get in, save Clover, and get out."

Naturally, that's where everything went horribly wrong.

Clover was in pain. A lot of it. Breathing hurt right now. She didn't dare move. That would make the pain worse. Anyone who knew a thing about healing knew that. Still, she had to breathe. Still with her eyes shut, she took a quick, jagged breath through her mouth before holding her breath again. That hurt. A lot. So much pain. Clover took another quick breath.

What had happened? Clover could only recall fragments. She took another sharp breath. The last clear memory she had was fighting Terror. Another breath. The metal thorn. That had obviously done something to her, as she could remember scant details after that. Another breath. Lots of humans in white cloth-furs surrounding her. Another breath. The harsh cold of metal beneath her. Another breath. Unbearable pain in her back...

That pain was still there. Clover couldn't stand it. She took another breath, wishing she was unconscious again. She realized she was lying on her belly. Why? Another breath. If Snow were here, she could numb the pain. But Snow couldn't save her. Clover took another breath, this one edged with a sob. She might never see Snow again. Or Splash. Or Bolt or Inferno or Espeon or Umbreon or Surf.

The combined pain and emotional blows were too much. Clover started to cry. Tears leaked out of her eyes and every breath she took was laced with pain. How did this happen? How did everything go so wrong?

Clover dimly heard pawsteps. She was too busy with hurting to care. She just wanted it all to stop. Another tear splashed onto the unyielding metal floor. Something jumped up onto the platform her cage was on, shaking it. Clover yelped in pain, more tears flowing freely before she clenched her eyes shut and whimpered.

A female voice spoke. "Oh, gosh! I'm so sorry!"

Clover whimpered back, barely forming words. "Go away, Terror. Leave me alone..."

"Not Terror. Zorua. I'm here to help you feel better."

Clover still didn't move. "Don't wanna talk. Hurts too much..."

"I know, I know," Zorua mumbled soothingly. "I know it hurts. The humans have done this before, but with very little success. You got lucky, really."

Clover took a steadying breath that was still rough, still not opening her eyes. "...Don't feel lucky..."

"I know... Here. These will make you feel better." Clover smelled Zorua's paw near her nose, along with two things that smelled a bit like food. "This is a cookie. It sort of melts in your mouth." Clover whimpered, smelling something akin to... what did humans call it... bread? It had a starchy smell to it. When she didn't move, Zorua stepped close to her, making sure not to touch her. "Here. I'll help." She gently pushed the 'cookie' into Clover's mouth.

Zorua was right, Clover thought. The cookie did taste pretty good, and it melted in her mouth. She was able to swallow it without much effort. The food made her feel a bit better. "And this," Zorua continued, "is what I call chew sap. It's like thick tree sap, but it doesn't stick to everything. It's super sweet and has a bunch of stuff in it that'll make you feel better."

"Okay..." Clover managed to mumble. Once again, Zorua put it in her mouth so that Clover didn't have to move. It did require chewing, which hurt, but Zorua was right. It did taste good. It had a hint of... honey, Sitrus Berry juice, and a few things that Clover couldn't identify. As she finished the chew sap, the pain subsided a marginal bit. Clover was able to open her eyes now, without as much pain.

The first thing she noticed was that it was dark, like night. She was in a cage all right, but one with no door. The platform that the cage was resting on was a rather large height off the floor, but there was a larger area below, with walls to close her in, of course. A small bunch of dry grass was in the corner, and bigger pitcher plant things with more water an icky stuff inside. More water was good. The best part was, there was another sand box in the opposite corner!

Clover yelped as she leaned a bit to see more, the pain starting to come back. The small black fox Pokemon in front of her helped her ease back into lying down. "Shhhh..." she murmured. "Don't move yet. It's okay. You'll get better. Just give it a few days. You'll be up and walking in no time."

Clover breathed evenly now, though she was still in immense amounts of pain unlike anything she had ever encountered before. "I don't want a few days..." she sighed, still sobbing a bit. "I want Snow. And my Clan. I wanna go home."

Zorua sat down next to Clover. "Listen... As much as I'd love to tell you that that's possible, I don't think it is." When Clover didn't answer, she continued. "On the bright side, the humans won't bother you for a bit."

Clover turned her head to ask why not, but the movement sent a wave of pain over her, making her wince. Zorua, being careful not to touch the distressed Leafeon and cause further pain, instead moved closer to her. "It's okay, it's okay. Don't move yet... You have a really low pain threshold, huh?"

"Yeah," Clover squeezed out through clenched teeth. "I've been told... But why won't they bother me?"

Zorua looked towards the door. "I don't know, to be honest. I think there's some kind of disturbance outside or something."

Despite all of her pain, Clover smiled. The Clan was coming.

~oOo~

AC- Sorry for posting a little later than usual! Writing Clover there was based on actual experience; while recovering from surgery for scoliosis, my pain meds gave out at one point, and the button I had to give me another dose via IV stopped working. The situation was thankfully resolved quickly, but it was still not fun. Which leaves the question: What did the scientists do to Clover?

Splash_Vaporeon · Feb 10, 2018

A blaring noise blasted through the air that sounded something akin to an Exploud's screech of pain. Humans started pouring out of the white den, more than we had originally thought possible. They all rushed towards Bolt, along with a pack of about 50 Mightyenas! Bolt cranked out the lightning as much as he could, but, no matter how much his attacks looked like it, he was not the Great Raikou.

Inferno ran to the edge of the den's roof, despite Surf's warnings. "Bolt's being overrun!" he shouted. "His distraction is working too well!"

Seeming to realize this himself, Bolt backed up on his branch, looking for an exit as the Mightyenas tried to climb the tree to get to him. Bolt took one look at the pack of ferocious dog Pokemon and ran, using his skill set to the max as he bounded from tree to tree with amazing agility.

A Staraptor's cry pierced the air behind us. "LOOK OUT!" Streak screeched just before the Mandibuzz swooped in and snatched Inferno. For the fourth time that day, however, his fluff protected him from any serious damage. Streak lived up to his name as he and Night flew after them with astonishing speed.

"Streak! Night! Get back!" I yelled. "Inferno! GO!"

Whatever the Mandibuzz was expecting, it wasn't Discharge.

Barely managing to stay in the air (that's one tough bird Pokemon...), it released Inferno, dropping him to the ground near the humans. It then let out a raucous screech as the Flareon tried to sneak away, causing several humans to turn around and spot Inferno.

Inferno shot Flamethrower over his shoulder and ran as fast as his paws would carry him. I couldn't tear my eyes away as Bolt zipped by in a tree parallel to his best friend... and then as a quick Gliscor that was pursuing the Jolteon cut down the tree he was in.

My paws were rooted to the spot as Bolt fell next to Inferno, both where they could be easily attacked. They took one look at each other, then blew up. Bolt zipped away with a recharge, and Inferno turned to fight with the power-up.

Espeon's voice sounded in my head as Streak, Night, and the Mandibuzz met in mid-air, clashing a spectacular display of prowess. Splash, we're clear! That may not be safe for Bolt or Inferno, but Snow and I have a perfect clearance to the den! How do you want to do this?

I though for a moment before speaking aloud so that Surf and Umbreon could hear me as well. "Listen, I know this is unsafe, but those two can hold their own. We need to continue with the plan and save Clover."

Everyone nodded their assent. Umbreon trotted to the edge of the roof where the metal plate was. As Surf and I followed suit, the grate glowed blue before popping off the wall, exposing a rectangular hole that was perfectly Eevee-sized. I looked at the two males stranding next to me. "Umbreon, can you get in without Espeon's help?"

He nodded seriously. "It'll definitely be more difficult, but I can manage." With that, he leaned over the edge. Helping out as much as I could, I grabbed the end of his tail in my teeth and braced my paws. Umbreon mumbled thanks as he took all four paws off of the roof, trusting me to hold his weight before finding the opening with his front paws. "Okay," grunted to me. "I've got it. You can let go." Trusting that the Dark Type knew what he was doing, I released my hold on his tail, and he fell. For a heart-stopping moment, Umbreon just hung there before he pulled himself into the hole, his tail vanishing into the foreboding white den.

"Surf next," I said aloud. Just as my mate began to protest, Espeon picked him up with telekinesis and carefully maneuvered him into the gap as well, this time, much smoother than Umbreon's entrance.

I did a final check on my clan as Espeon started to pick me up as well. I didn't like what I saw. Bolt was trapped between a whole group of humans and half of the Mightyena Pack, which was about 25. On the other side of my field of vision, Inferno was fighting valiantly, but was surrounded by an ever-closing circle of humans and Mightyenas, every human holding a Poke ball, a cage, or both.

Movement caught my eye as I was lifted over the roof. Snow was running from the safety of her hiding spot towards the treeline! Following her line of sight, I spotted Espeon, who had her entire focus on me and not on the three humans and Mightyenas behind her! I sent her a frantic thought as she turned me around and started moving me into the square hole. ESPEON! BEHIND YOU!

I couldn't see anything, as I was half in, half out of the squashed passageway, but within the next second, I dropped out of the passage as Espeon's telekinetic focus broke. My small paws slid helplessly across the metal until I hanging out of the den by my claws. I tried to scrabble for purchase with my hind legs, but that only succeeded in making one paw come loose! "Surf!" I yelled, hoping that he could save me.

The smell of Mightyenas and the stink of a human hit my nose before Surf could even respond. The human's voice was sickening. "Well, well, well. Look what we have here. What trainer put you up to this? Let's find out. Mightyenas, get it."

His scent retreated as the Dark Types began jumping and snapping at my tail. I could feel their breath on my flukes! I tried to hold my tail up and away from them, but that only made one of my claws slip off!

Finally, Surf arrived. "Splash! I've got you! Hang on!" He leaned out to grab my fins in his teeth, trying not to touch my claws. His face moved just short of mine, trying to reach my fins. "Splash, your fins are vibrating! I can't..." As he tried to reach me again, I put as much effort as I could into stopping my fins from moving. A Mightyena barely caught the corner of my fluke in his fangs. He slipped off immediately, but it was all my claws could take.

I slipped and fell.

BOOSSSHHH!!
A massive geyser of water erupted underneath me, saving me from the ravenous dogs. I screwed my eyes shut as the water died down, expecting it to have come Surf in a last-ditch effort to save me, but I knew it wasn't enough. Instead of landing on the ground, however, I had a soft landing onto what felt almost like cloud. I opened my eyes. A purple cloud-like mane. I looked up to see a familiar, hexagonal, cerulean blue crest and the serious red eyes that I knew all to well.

"I thought you might need some help," he said with a ghost of a smile.

"Suicune!" I said. I was never happier to see the Legendary of the water. I stood up on his back. He must have caught me by appearing in that geyser!

FWOOOOON!

CRACK! BOOOOOOOM!

Entei and Raikou appeared by their favored Eevee as well, Entei stepping out of a massive column of fire near the human holding Inferno in a cage, and Raikou's massive thunderbolt striking the ground between Bolt and his human pursuers.

Entei took a step towards the human carrying Inferno. His posture said it all. "Let... the Flareon... go. NOW!" he roared. The human didn't need any more encouragement. He dropped Inferno and ran. Entei engulfed the cage in a blast of fire that would have killed any other type of Pokemon, but when the smoke cleared, Inferno was standing in the middle of a puddle of molten metal, his fur giving off heat waves from the fire.

I dimly heard him murmur. "Best. Power-up. Ever!" With that, he jumped clear of the remnants of the cage and unleashed a powerful Flamethrower, which ended up turning into Blast Burn, scattering the Mightyenas around him!

Raikou, meanwhile, turned his head slightly to check on Bolt. Agile as ever, the Jolteon leaped up to his favorite perch on Raikou's back, recharging with the lightning that was angrily crackling among the thunderclouds on his back. Bolt spoke while looking at the humans and Mightyenas in front of them. "Boy am I glad to see you!"

Raikou responded in kind. "Friends don't let friends get captured by humans!" he rumbled before charging into the mass, both Legendary and Jolteon firing thunderbolts like crazy.

The Mightyenas surrounding Suicune and I growled uncertainly. The Aurora Pokemon's smile at me vanished, replaced by his usual seriousness in bad situations. He stared down the pack around us, then threw his head back and roared loudly, sending the dog Pokemon fleeing like Abras.

"Where am I going?" Suicune growled back to me, all business.

"I think I saw them take Espeon inside the building! Clover's in there, too!"

He nodded and signaled to Entei, who, grudgingly, let Inferno climb onto his back as well. The second that Inferno was settled in, the Volcano Pokemon charged at extreme speeds, thick fur flying. Just before he hit the wall, he lowered his head and extended his paw, smashing through the wall as if it were made of sand.

Finally, the humans snapped out of their trance and began attempting to fight back. Many commanded Pokemon of their own, while others threw easily dodged Poke balls. Suicune exploded into action, attacking anything that moved and wasn't an Eevee. I could barely keep track of his attacks!

When my friend's eyes turned to the sky and began blasting flying Pokemon with Ice Beam, I called out urgently. "The Staraptors are with us! The Staraptors are with us!!"

Both powerful bird Pokemon had been barely able to flap their wings, dumbstruck. Finally, Streak managed to find his voice. "You know LEGENDARIES!?" he shrieked at me. I could only nod before Suicune raced off at unfathomable speeds, blurring my vision as we approached the white den.

As he stopped near the gigantic hole that Entei made, completely ignoring all sense of the boundaries between spaces, a Poke ball zinged through the air. Suicune marginally managed to stop before it hit him, but its trajectory continued towards Raikou! Seeing this, Bolt heroically leaped off of the Thunder Pokemon's back and took the Poke ball in a bright flash of light. It fell to the ground with Bolt inside. "BOLT!" Raikou and I both yelled at the same time.

With another flash, Bolt reappeared. He jumped back onto Raikou's back. "Friends don't let friends get captured by humans!" he yelled back, throwing the Legendary's words right back at him. Streak and Night swooped into my field of vision, now with Surf and Umbreon on their backs.

Umbreon called to Suicune and me. "Espy's this way!" he shouted, steering Night around the side of the den.

Suicune looked over his shoulder. "Raikou! Come on!" he called before racing after Night with Streak, Raikou, and Bolt hard on our tails. I clung tight as Suicune ran. I had never gone this fast before in anything! It was almost as fun as flying, if not equal to!

A Liepard jumped through a broken window, landing silently in front of Suicune and me, causing the Legendary to skid to a stop. "If you're here for Clover, I know where she is!" she meowed bravely.

Suicune leaned his head to the side so that I could speak to her. "Where is she!? Tell me RIGHT NOW!" I snarled.

"On one condition!" she called back, bravely standing her ground despite the two powerful Pokemon that were staring her down, each more than five times her size. "You don't hurt my trainer!"

Raikou let out a thunderous growl. "You're in no position to make demands, Liepard!"

"Terror!" she called back. "Clover calls me Terror! And your Leafeon is well hidden! You don't hurt my trainer, I'll show you where she is!"

Neither Legendary said anything. Suicune looked at me for an answer. "Fine!" I called back. "As long as, when we're done here, neither you, your trainer, nor ANY of these other humans come anywhere near my Clan again!"

Terror looked back and forth between me, Raikou, and Suicune. "With these resources you have, deal. This way!" With that, she turned and ran.

Umbreon stuttered. "But... Espeon!"

I took charge of the situation. "Bolt, Raikou, help save Espeon! Surf, Night, you come with me and Suicune!" Realizing that I just told two Legendaries what to do, I waited for the repercussions. To my amazement, however, both nodded and raced in opposite directions.

I felt Streak's wingbeats on my back as he struggled to keep pace. We easily caught up to Terror, even though she was running as fast as she could. She glanced back at us. "There's a door that you should be able to fit through! This way!" As she turned back to her path, my ears barely caught her mutter "...dear Arceus, that's terrifying..."

Sure enough, two large panes of glass in metal frames laid on the floor, apparently having fallen from the ferocity of Entei's smashing. Suicune leaped over them easily, following Terror into the den. He growled at the Liepard as we ran. "I swear, Liepard, if this a trap..."

"It's not!" she called back, a hint of a squeak in her voice. Evidence of Entei's attacks were everywhere. I hoped Inferno was okay... Finally, Terror stopped near a pair of metal doors. "She's right through there!"

Suicune didn't stop. He smashed through the doors with a massive leap and a headbutt, sending the doors flying off of their hinges and across the room. I spotted her immediately. "CLOVER!!"

"SPLASH!" she yelled back, jumping to her paws. She then screeched in pain and fell back onto her belly. What was she doing all the way up there?

Pawsteps from the entrance caught my attention. "CLOVER!" Snow cried as she raced in. Without asking, she took a flying leap onto Suicune's back, then took another up to her best friend. "It's okay... It's okay, I'm here.. It's gonna be okay... We're gonna go home, okay?" Clover could only whimper in response, pushing herself up to Snow.

I looked at Suicune. "Please get her down from there... I don't think she can move on her own." He nodded and pushed his snout into the open cage, past the stunned Zorua standing nearby who seemed incapable on movement, and found the Leafeon. The height wasn't much of a stretch for him.

As he carefully pulled the injured Leafeon down, she yelped again. Snow paused on the edge. "Do you mind...?" she carefully asked Suicune. He nodded, though he didn't seem entirely happy about it, given that she didn't ask the first time. The Aurora Pokemon carefully draped Clover over his back as the Glaceon stepped more cautiously on board.

I helped Snow steady her friend as she panted through the pain, mumbling, "Soursap's still here... get Soursap, too..."

I leaned down and asked her quietly. "Who's Soursap?"

She barely answered before she slipped into unconsciousness. "Brown Leafeon..."

From the doorway, Terror spoke. "Brown Leafeon... 7a. This way!" she meowed again before bounding off down another passage. Being careful not to disturb his passengers, Suicune carefully ran after her, trying his very best to give a smooth ride. After only a few strides, Suicune stopped next to Terror, looking at a row of cages. Two Leafeons were in two cages. One, true to Clover's words, had brown leaves, and his eyes were misted over, showing that he was blind. Finally, as he sat up to try and figure out what was happening, his two tails moved on the floor.

It didn't take much for Suicune to pull the cage door off. "What are you doing!? Who are you?" he yelled in a scratchy, creaky voice.

I leaned into his cage, helping him stand up. "I'm Splash. We have Clover here. This is Snow and Suicune."

His sightless eyes narrowed. "The Legendary?" he asked skeptically.

Suicune dipped his head, even though Soursap couldn't see him. "Greetings," he said in a serious voice.

I helped him onto the Legendary's back, being careful to avoid Clover. "We're here to get you out. Sit here, it's a bit crowded. Now hang on."

He did as I instructed, feeling everything with his paws before placing them. "I knew she was keeping something secret... Leave the other Leafeon here, it's too late for him. The humans poisoned his food."

All of us bristled and/or growled in anger. I looked at Suicune. "...Surf and Streak are still outside. I don't think Streak's wings can fit through the door. Suicune, please get us out of here. I hate this place..." If we had to leave the other Leafeon...

Suicune nodded seriously. "You and me both, Splash." In a blur of motion, he raced out of the desolate, cruel place, back into the sunlight, back towards home.

~oOo~

AC- This could still be me being overly critical of my own writing, but I feel like this was a step backwards. Not a large step, but a step nonetheless... Oh well. At least I know this is the last usage of my deus ex machina of the Legendary Trio. Lastly, my readers seem to have disappeared! Was it because I kept missing a few weeks over winter break! I'm really sorry about that! Please come back and tell me if my writing is as awful as I feel like it is!

Splash_Vaporeon · Feb 17, 2018

I slid into the warm water, looking fondly up at the familiar being beside me, his serious red eyes meeting with mine. "Suicune, it's been two weeks since I last heard from you! I thought that we were even and our connection might be severed! Where have you been?"

The powerful water Legendary strode alongside me as I swam. "The three of us had to take a bit to speak with Ho-Oh. He wanted to know what we had done about the emergencies and why we took off to save you."

I rolled over while floating, getting my back wet as well. "How did you pull that off? You told me that it would take at least another day for you to clean that spill, maybe more!"

"Well, I did." He paused, gathering his words. "All I could think about was that you would probably do something that wasn't too smart, like charging in without us as your backup."

I pumped my flukes a few times, swimming quickly. "Hey, we had a pretty solid plan there! We just didn't anticipate so many enemies, that's all!"

Suicune put on a small burst of speed as well. "Right. Either way, I suppose all three of us were fixated on the Clan. Yes, even Entei," he said as I started to ask. "Then, low and behold, Celebi appears."

"Celebi?" I asked, slowing down.

"His legends aren't as well known. Celebi can travel in time, bringing anyone he wants with him." Suicune waited for me to connect the dots.

"Oh, so Celebi waited for you to finish purifying the water, then he took you back in time so that you could help us?" I guessed, rolling over again.

"Close enough," he nodded. "He did the same for Raikou and Entei. The three of us met, caught each other up, then came to help you."

I dove underwater and swam under the Legendary, resurfacing on the other side of him. "Lucky you came when you did." The Aurora Pokemon said nothing, deep in thought. He looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't. Curiosity overpowering the voice in my head that told me not to say anything, I said something. "What are thinking about?"

Suicune balked at the question, but he answered regardless. "First of all, we are even, but this does not mean that our connection is gone. You can call on me whenever you need to. It will just be a lot harder to get us to come in the waking world."

"Thank you, but you're dodging the question."

Suicune stopped walking, instead standing on the surface of the lake. He spoke after a while, not looking at me, but instead looking out, over the lake and towards the horizon. He did that when he was thinking hard about something... "Splash, Raikou told me about his rescue of Espeon. He said that a human was holding her when he and Bolt got in. Raikou also said that there was a broken machine that was emitting dangerous waves of strange energy. Now, he and Bolt, being Electric Types, were immune to it, but a pregnant Espeon?"

I stopped in mid-tailstroke. "Espeon was hurt? But she looks fine!"

Suicune broke his gaze from the sky, looking at me. "This is why I refrained from telling you. You see, Raikou said that, as he was carrying her out, the energy that was affecting her suddenly vanished, like something else absorbed it. My best guess? One of her kits." I said nothing. I was dumbstruck. Suicune continued when I didn't speak. "If one of the unborn Eevees took that energy away for her, that kit is probably dead... Now, I still gave you good luck for future kits, so..."

I could say nothing. Finally, Suicune leaned down and nudged me with his nose. "Sorry," I mumbled. "I should go check on her, then..."

Suicune nodded in understanding. "Go ahead. Call if you need me. Let me know how Clover is recovering, too."

I leaped from the pond in a graceful arc, landing perfectly on my paws. I had a list in my head. Better get started on scratching things off of that list.

1. Check on Clover.

As I turned for Snow and Clover's den, Surf trotted up to me. "You're up late, as usual." He rubbed my fins. Stress melted off of me.

1. ~~Check on Clover.~~ Spend some time with Surf.

I rubbed him back, sneaking in a quick touch on the nose that made him blush profusely. I smiled warmly at him. "Nice to see my macho Vaporeon this fine morning," I said teasingly. He blushed further, then butted me in the shoulder playfully.

He sat down as I touched his nose with mine again. "You're in a good mood..." he said slowly, rubbing our fins again. "I came to ask you if you wanted to go hunting later."

I nodded with a smile. "Sure. I just have some things to check on first."

"Things meaning Clover." He knew me so well.

"Right," I finished, unable to think of a clever comeback.

He nodded happily. "Go ahead. I'll be waiting." With that, he dove into the pond, swimming leisurely. I smiled at him again before turning away.

1. Spend some time with Surf.
Done.

2. Check on Clover.

This time, I managed to get to the giant bush that housed the Glaceon and Leafeon. Snow was walking slowly next to Clover, keeping her steady. The Leafeon had been steadily recovering from the traumatic experience, but still wasn't back to her top form again. Last week, Snow had been helping her walk on her own. Now, they were working on running and jumping.

I admired the two of them. Clover's paws were unsteady from whatever the humans did to her, but she was ambitious in her activities, always trying to put in as much practice as possible. Snow was her rock, never straying from her side. The Glaceon was forever patient, always staying less than three steps away from Clover, no matter how slowly she walked. Snow would help her best friend through anything. She held Clover when she was unsteady, caught her when she fell, and gave her the encouragement to keep going.

I trotted up the couple. "Hey! How are you two doing?"

Snow looked up as Clover was still carefully watching where she placed her paws. "She is doing so much better every day," she said warmly while pushing Clover's chin up, making her look where she was going instead of at her paws. "Look where you want to go."

Clover corrected herself. "Sorry. Hi, Splash! I'm going to try and run across camp today!"

I nodded happily. "Here, run to me!" I turned on my tail and ran to the camp entrance, which was almost directly opposite their den. "Over here!"

Snow smiled at Clover encouragingly. "Go on! Run!"

Clover nodded astutely, muttering to herself. "Okay. I've got this. Run to Splash. Not so hard." She took another deep breath, then started up a clumsy dash towards me, her paws flailing a bit. Snow ran alongside her at an awkward gait that was halfway between a trot and a run. After a few catches made by Snow, Clover finally made it to me, almost crashing into me before stopping. "I made it!" she panted.

"Good job!" Snow and I said at the same time. We were all smiles as we congratulated Clover. Normally, running across the camp was no big deal, but for Clover, it was a major step in the right direction. I looked at the two Eevees. "I have to go check on Espeon now. Keep working, Clover! If I know you, you'll be back to normal before Espeon's kits are here!"

Clover nodded. "I hope so!" Both waved their tails at me as I walked off.

2. Check on Clover.
Done.

3. Check on Espeon.

I trotted to Espeon's den, hearing the loving voices of her and Umbreon inside. Umbreon leaned out of the entrance. "Splash, come in! I was just coming to find you! Espeon has exciting news!"

I followed him back into the log den. "Hey, Espy! What's this exciting news you wanted to tell me?"

Espeon smiled. "I will be having five kits!"

I was amazed. "Wow, FIVE!? That's, like, unheard of! Are you sure?"

Espeon looked up at Umbreon from the comfy nest of feathers that Streak and Night supplied. "I'm positive. One of them is a bit fuzzy, so I think something might be wrong with him..."

My smile faltered. I tried to stay positive. Suicune had said that he gave the Clan kit luck. I had to believe that kit would be all right. "I'm sure it'll be fine," I said with as much confidence as she could.

Umbreon nodded. "I hope so. I'm so happy about this!" he said warmly, lovingly touching noses with Espeon.

Deciding to leave the two of them in peace again, I quietly slipped out of the den.

3. Check on Espeon.
Done.

4. Check on Soursap.

The decrepit Leafeon was staying in a small cave created between a space between two stone near the announcement rock. I was worried about him... His leaves were still wilted and he seemed... lost. Without hope. He hadn't eaten much, either. He didn't even object to anyone calling him Soursap, and he had never given us another name by which to call him.

Nevertheless, I trotted to his makeshift den. As I approached, he called out in his raspy voice. "Who's there!?"

"Relax, Soursap, it's just me, Splash," I said soothingly.

"Oh," he muttered. "Go away. I'm not hungry."

"I'm not here to get you to eat something," I responded, already a bit testily. "I'm here to get you outside for some sunshine. Just as good as food for you." Secretly, I wondered if his wilted leaves could still preform photosynthesis.

"...Fine," he grunted. As I helped him to his paws, I sympathized with Clover about the male Leafeon. He was a Soursap. He had been with us for two weeks, and I hadn't heard a positive remark from him once.

I guided to one of the rocks by the pond, where sunshine was casting powerful beams. If the old Leafeon could still photosynthesize, this would be the place. "Here you go. Lay down here. Don't fall in the pond!"

"I'm blind, not senseless!" he snapped back. I rolled my eyes.

4. Check on Soursap.
Done.

5. Go hunting with Surf.

However, as I called to my mate, I got a definite feeling that something unusual was on it's way...

Splash_Vaporeon · Feb 24, 2018

WHAM!

"OW!" I yelled as my head slammed against the roof of my den, violently yanking me out of a wonderful dream. I grunted irritably as I rubbed my head with a paw. Someone had pulled the emergency vine. I should go see to that. Praying that no one was attacking the camp again and thinking of the punishment that I would give if this was a prank, I slid into the water.

I let myself float to the surface, not seeing any motion above the water. Finally poking my head above water, I spotted Snow. She was sitting as still as ice as she watched me swim over and groggily pull myself from the pond. As I sat down, tiny snowflakes began fluttering down from the sky. Winter was officially here.

I looked at Snow when she didn't say anything. "...What is it, Snow? You woke me up. What for?"

Snow turned her attention from the change in the weather to me. "Sorry about that, Splash, but... something's wrong."

"I'll say something's wrong. Clover's not with you. It's now been three weeks since this thing was over, and until now, I haven't seen you outside of three pawsteps of her." I interrupted as she started to answer. "You know what else is wrong? I'm not asleep."

Snow gave me a look. "Splash."

"Sorry..." I muttered. "I get grumpy when I'm tired."

Snow nodded. "I noticed. Listen, Splash... Something's off about Clover." I only tilted my head at her. She struggled to find words. "I mean... she's almost back to normal, but last night, she stepped on a thorn, and now she's limping again and-"

I broke her off. "You woke me up to tell me that Clover stepped on a thorn?"

Snow shook her head quickly, her ear flaps making the snowflakes swirl. "No, no, that's not it at all. I'm just... trying to find the words." I waited as patiently as I could for her to speak. "...Something's off about Clover."

I closed my eyes and nodded. "Yes, we've established that."

She shook her head again. "No, like off off. Something's different about her. I know her like a sister. You know how no two Leafeons' tails look the same? Well, I can name every notch, tear, vein, and nick in Clover's, along with where it's placed. Something is not the same about her. The humans did something to her! I know it!"

"Like what?" I asked, a bit more concerned. Snow didn't talk this much or this loudly unless she was stressed. Something was wrong.

"I don't know... she's gained some of her weight back, but she's still a bit thin from the ordeal. ...but that's not it... I can't quite put my paw on it... The only physical change I could possibly notice is that her shoulders seem... broader somehow?"

I nodded thoughtfully, drowsiness slipping away and being replaced by concern. "I caught that too, but I thought that was a result of her exercising with you."

"No, that's been there since she returned. It feels the same, but it's not. I don't know what they did to her, but I don't like it."

I nudged her shoulder. "Hey. We'll figure this out. It's okay."

Snow nodded. "All right... Not a word of this to Clover. I asked two weeks ago, and she got pretty upset."

"Understandably..." I sympathized.

Snow stood up, causing more snowflakes to swirl around her. "Sorry I woke you up. I just didn't want to disturb Clover by talking with you about her in private."

I nodded "I understand... Good night." With that, I let myself fall back into the water, sank to the bottom, an them swam back to my den, where I quickly fell back to sleep, despite the questions swirling around my head.

When I woke up, the water near my bed was dull. Maybe it was still snowing. Whatever the case, I stood up and stretched, relaxing as much as I could before sliding into the water.

It was then I discovered why there wasn't as much sunlight reflecting into my den. The pond had frozen over! The snow must have kicked up last night. I smiled at the thought of what the camp would look like, swimming into Surf's den, which was just like mine, except for being on the other side of the pond.

I surfaced inside, where he was currently stretching his legs and tail. He looked over as he heard me enter. "Hey, Splash, you're up rather early!"

I smiled at him. "I think it was the cold. It snowed last night and the pond froze over!"

He shook his head. "Patrats. I'll see if I can get through with Iron Tail." As the two of us dove into the chilly water, I heard him mutter behind me, mischief edging his voice. "Did you freeze it yourself with Blizzard so that we could have some time together?" he said slyly. I slapped his flank with my tail.

The pond must have frozen fairly recently, for there wasn't much snow on the ice. I could see Espeon and Umbreon walking near the pond together, in sync, as always. They sat down and looked at us in perfect time with each other.

I waved at them with one paw and shouted, "ESPY! GET INFERNO!"

Her voice entered my head, filled with amusement. I can hear you just fine, Splash.

"Shut up," I said aloud jokingly.

She smiled, said something to Umbreon, then stood up and padded towards Bolt and Inferno's den. Surf arrived on the scene from just behind me again, shattering a part of the ice near the shore with Iron Tail. "It's pretty thin. No ice skating yet. Inferno will have to melt it until the weather gets a bit colder."

I smiled, recalling the events of last winter, including Bolt and Inferno skidding all over the pond like a pair of idiots until Bolt fell into Surf's and my access hole. "A certain Jolteon and Flareon will be disappointed. You know how much they love skating. Or rather, falling."

Surf chuckled as I pulled myself out into the winter air, seeing the entire camp gently covered in a white blanket. All except for Bolt and Inferno's den, which had no snow within a tail length of it, forming a near-perfect circle around the rock. Surf followed me just as Espeon returned with a fluffed up Flareon.

"Stand back!" he called. "Inferno comin' through!" I rolled my eyes with a smile as he marched past. With a big puff of his chest, he used Flamethrower, extending it out across the pond, and sweeping it back and forth until all of the ice had melted. I put my tail in the water. It was now quite warm.

I looked back at Inferno just as Bolt zipped up at lightning speeds. "Aww! I missed the ice!"

I turned towards the disappointed Jolteon. "Don't worry, it was too thin for skating anyway. You two would have fallen in."

"Okay..." Bolt muttered before turning to Inferno. "Let's make a snow Eevee!" Inferno nodded in excitement for the challenge of building, and not melting, a snow Eevee.

Glancing around camp, I realized that Snow and Clover were not present. Trotting to their den and seeing no one, I was about to ask Umbreon if he had seen them when I heard Clover's voice coming from Soursap's den.

"Soursap, please! You have to eat something! It's cloudy out today, and your leaves aren't strong enough to get energy in this lighting!"

I took a few steps closer to listen as Soursap responded. "Why should I!? I'm no use to anyone here! I can't see, I can't grow things, I can't hunt, I can't fight! You don't need me here! I'm old, blind, and defenseless! I might as well wait to die!"

Snow's voice answered. "Soursap, don't say that. You're the only thing that got Clover through that ordeal. She made a special request for Suicune to save you before she passed out from the pain."

Soursap shouted again. "You shouldn't have, Clover! I'm no use to anyone! And now winter's here! You need all the food you can get! I won't give you another mouth to feed that won't contribute! And if my ears hear correctly, you'll soon have five of those! You don't need another!"

Clover pleaded. "Soursap, please stop! Why are you so insistent on this!?"

Surf joined me in listening as Soursap practically screeched back, despite the constant rasp in his voice. "Because I'm no use to anyone! I never have been and I never will be!"

Ever the iceberg, Snow calmly responded. "...What do you mean by 'never have been?'"

There was silence for a moment, during which Espeon and Umbreon joined Surf and me. Finally, Soursap's scratchy voice answered quietly. "I had a trainer once. I hatched with him as an Eevee. He wasn't a nice human. He almost never took care of me, and I was always alone. Then he sold me to another human. I couldn't defend myself then, either. He was terrible. He kicked me when I didn't behave or lost a battle, which was a lot. He kicked me for not evolving into an Umbreon, like he wanted me to. But I didn't want to be an Umbreon, and I didn't like him. Finally, I ran away. I barely made it to safety. I had so many wounds. I managed to evolve into a Leafeon, but I was still hurt pretty badly. As if that weren't bad enough, I evolved just before one of the harshest winters that I can remember."

Snow spoke. "I remember that winter. That was when I evolved. I wanted to be a Glaceon so badly, I almost froze to death before I evolved."

Soursap continued his story. "I thought I was going to die. But another human saved me, taking me to a Pokémon Center. Later, he took me in. He was nice to me. He didn't like to battle much, and never made me battle. Not once. He just liked my company, I guess. But then he lost a lot of money. He couldn't pay for his home. He had no choice but to sell me. Even then, I was a drag. Finally he sold me to the white coat humans where you found me, Clover. I was there for years. They made me blind and more useless than ever before."

No one said anything as he finished. I felt bad for Soursap. It explained why he was always so negative... It was all that he had ever known.

Espeon and Umbreon stood up and walked away slowly, Espeon looking like she was about to burst any second with her kits. Surf inclined his head towards the pond. I nodded. We stood up, walked across the snow, and sat down by the pond. After a while, Surf looked at me. "Splash?"

"Hm?"

"I get it now."

I nodded sadly. "Me too.

Silence followed for a few more seconds as we tried to feel the last of the warmth in the water with our tails. Finally, Surf spoke again. "Splash?"

"Hm?"

"You know how we give each other gifts 12 days after the first snow of winter?"

"Yeah?"

Surf looked at me with an odd expression. "This is a crazy idea, but..." He leaned in and whispered in my ear. He was right about it being crazy.

When he was finished pitching the idea, he pulled away and waited for my reaction. I gave it some thought. "...You know... He might actually like that."

Surf smiled. "I'll get Espeon and Umbreon."

I nodded. "I'll get Bolt.

Splash's Eevee Clan

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