Chapter 1
'Your life, is your life'

Little did he know, that day his life would change forever more. With every drop of blood falling onto the white and cobalt snow, the little eevee would break more and more, like ice in contact with its own salty tears. That day he was keeping with his friends, out of sight, safe from the revolution of Crio. Their intention in the country at war was simply to stay safe, avoid any pokémon loyal to the Republic of Crio or part of the 'Crimson Revolution.' Trusting any pokémon became a danger, making all undecided citizens resort to evacuating or hiding.

Glim, a complicated, quiet eevee was one of many of those unwilling citizens. Having to leave his home in the city of Gerbera felt nothing new to him, he had to run away a lot. With each paw step he made through Scad Forest along with his three rescuers, Glim was finally realising he was free from the home he suffered in, though he was not any warmer roaming in a country at war. Deep down, he did not care, he would not admit that, the eevee just wanted to be safe for one day.

Emerging from the trees, an infernape couple Oswald and Jane stepped out and cautiously surveyed the rocks that leaned on the hill before them. They split further and further to see more of the mountainous plain, looking out for any signs for an ambush or revolutionaries. Oswald became more and more casual as he climbed and had not seen anything other than the vague pokémon tracks leading up the hill. He looked over at his wife Jane, just further up the hill, who indicated seeing nothing also. Oswald then smiled, looking back at the trees.

'Okay, it's empty!' called Oswald. 'You can come out now!'

From the trees, the little eevee timidly peeked out. Immediately afterwards a large garbodor boomed out from the same flock of trees.

'Oz,' shouted Ben. 'We thought a garchomp would burst out and bite your head off! But don't worry we had you covered!'

'My ass you had me covered.' chuckled Oswald, descending down the hill. 'Glim would be the one rushing out to save me, while you would only bloody commentate about the garchomp ripping my head off.'

Ben carried on, climbing the hill while Oswald moved closer to the trees, calling the eevee out. Glim nervously stepped out of the greenery, though the hill before him seemed desolate and empty, he was afraid a garchomp would leap out of the rocks to attack them.

'Come on Glim, it's safe.' said Oswald who approached the quiet little eevee. When the fatherly infernape stood before him, he knelt down, offering his hand. Glim could only give the big ape pokémon his paw, as Oswald gently pulled him out of the green bushes. When Glim left the bush, he felt a little pathetic being so afraid, but looking up at Oswald, who was smiling, Glim knew he was safe and should try to be a little braver. Thankfully his friends understood that Glim was just a kid, or so he thought. 'Don't worry Glim, once we're there, we can hole up until the revolution is over, right?'

'Mh-hm.' mumbled Glim, unsure what to say, while he and Oswald started to climb the hill.

'Oi, will you two hurry up!' called Jane, higher up the hill.

'Be right with you honey.' Oswald replied. 'You're gonna love it there, Glim. Jasmine village is said to be a flower paradise, just passed this mountain. Aren't you excited?'

'I guess.'

'You guess?'

'Well… with all that is going on. I was scared even before all this, and after what happened when you rescued me.'

'That wasn't your fault Glim and the worst of the Crimson Revolution is at Haine. Sure, the revolution is happening all over Crio, but a small village that keeps itself out of city problems, is going to have far less supporters on either side. So why not just find the safest place and camp eh? The world won't end if nobody's fighting. Besides, Jane is in no condition to fight, if she is pregnant.'

Suddenly, the eevee's mind began flashing himself with the traumatic event that was his rescue. His 'room' first collapsing and bursting into flames, followed by him struggling under some debris. A sylveon appeared to yank him out and then slap him furiously with her ribbons. The next jittery image showed Oswald and Jane, bursting into the house, only to take cover.

'You could've got your mother killed!' yelled the voice of a slaking, echoing in Glim's head. 'It's that what you want, you shit!'

The flashback that followed was the one that scarred the little eevee. He was at total mercy to the angry slaking, who had him at a chokehold, both hands tightly squeezing Glim's entire body up to his head. The slaking appeared to still be screaming at him, though the eevee could not remember what he said. Suddenly, Glim found himself on the floor again, but bouncing off it and sliding into the damaged wall.

'What the- stop!' screamed Jane, dive tackling the giant slaking from what Glim could see.

The harrowing flashbacks ended as Glim and Oswald climbed to the level ground that passes around Mount Scad. The path suddenly breaks off the hill and becomes a cliff and right next to the entrance of the cliff. Jane was waiting, while the garbodor was looking down the cliff.

'I heard you talking about the baby.' said Jane, approaching Oswald. 'I'm fine, okay?'

'For now, yeah. We just don't want you to push it, okay babe?'

'Don't push it?' she mocked. 'Easy for you to say.'

'Oh, you know what I'm talking about.'

'Got a name for him, her yet?' asked Ben.

'Already decided!' called out Oswald.

'No!' interrupted Jane, walking down the path around Mount Scad, followed by Oswald, Glim and Ben.

'Oh come on, they'll love it.'

'You're just adding "junior" on the end of our own names, which is going to confuse the hell out of one of us who has the same bloody name! If I'm going to bring a chimchar into the world, I don't want his, her name to be a joke.'

'Then why not Oz or Jenny?' suggested Ben.

'That's better, but still, let me get my chance to think about it.'

'Speaking of choices,' said Oswald. 'Do you know what "eeveelution" you want to evolve into Glim?' the little eevee only stuttered. 'I think you'd make a good espeon.'

'I was thinking vaporeon.' said Ben.

'Or even, if you- if you wanted, a sylveon.'

'Glim's a boy, Oz.' replied Jane, which made Ben and Oswald respond chuckling in shock. 'What?'

'Don't say that to Pink Boy and Blue Girl, they'd tear you apart Jane.' said Oswald.

'I've never heard so much garbage.' chuckled the garbodor, which caused Oswald to burst out laughing. Jane only shook her head resisting to chuckle.

Further down the cliff, Oswald's laughter could be heard echoing as a dark spiky figure approached.

Passing through Mount Scad, the four friends had reached the other side of the scenic pathway, leading to Jasmine Village. Among the glorious sight, brought by the height they were at, the small village appeared, still a mile or two away. Jasmine was on a hill top, appealing rather colourful, as opposed to the constant grey and teal countryside. The scene became even darker as it suddenly started to rain again. Not surprising when they realised they were higher than the clouds that remained adrift between the mountain and the village ahead of them.

Ben the garbodor called out that he was going to find the path to Jasmine. Meanwhile Jane looked back and saw Oswald tucking Glim in a small opening of a cliff, protecting the little eevee from the rain. The sight made Jane smile, as she also went ahead to find their path to Jasmine within the mist.

Oswald stayed behind with Glim, keeping him warm using his fiery head. Even though it began to rain heavily, the infernape cared for Glim like he was his own. The eevee comfortably bunched himself within the tiny wall indent and seemed to appreciate Oswald's fatherly nature. But then his face turned sad and unsure.

'Oswald. What if I don't know what eeveelution I want to be?'

'Then take your time until you know.' replied the infernape, lightly squeezing Glim's chubby cheeks, which made him giggle. 'Hell, you may not want to evolve at all and stay as a cute little eevee.'

'But what if- what if I want to be something, that no one wants me to be? What if I do want to be a sylveon, even if I'm a boy?'

'Glim, listen to me. Your life, is your life. No one else's. You should never change because someone else says so. Whether or not God gave you a life, he gave you a choice to live it. Don't let others decide of you.'

The infernape stroked the little eevee who looked down in deep thought. The two paused as the rain seemed to be getting heavier. When Glim heard the rain hitting the ground louder, he looked up and in horror noticed a very long tail, stretching well above Oswald and swiftly striking him vertically at his back. He roared up at the sky, before the tail appeared to clamp a pincer around Oswald's hip and lift him into the air.

From the edge, rose a drapion crawling onto the ground near Glim, who was frozen in place. The drapion attempted to slam Oswald head first onto the ground, but as the scorpion pokémon threw him down, he broke his fall by hitting the ground with his fists and immediately blocked the pincers with the same fists. Whilst upside down, Oswald managed to escape the tail, twisting himself out of the pincers that sunk into him and land back on his feet. The drapion tried to grab Oswald again with its enormous tail, who easily rolled over the lunging tail and gave him the opening for a Close Combat to its face. In rapid succession, Oswald managed to punch the drapion's face twice and deliver a dolphin kick, sending the ogre scorpion up and slamming onto its back. The drapion wriggled hideously until it rolled back onto its four legs.

Keeping each other's distance, the drapion started to pace to its right, as though it would try to circle Oswald, who was not going to fall for such tactics. The wounded infernape also began side stepping to his right, but then realised what the drapion was intending. Right behind the massive drapion was the vulnerable little eevee, left in the wall indent, who was suddenly snatched by the drapion's vicious tail and held up in the air. Glim fortunately was not hurt by the pincers, but could not move. At the same time, Oswald reacted as quickly as he could, recklessly bolting toward the drapion, who retaliated, catching his arms in its raised pincers. Oswald was being held back and getting pushed downward from his arms, stopping him from kicking the drapion again. The scorpion pokémon tightened its grip on Oswald's arms, making him growl further. In desperation, the infernape attempted to step closer to the drapion's head, which threatened to bite back. When he got close enough, the flames on his head turned white and blazed massively as he head butted the drapion's face which was his way of using Flare Blitz. The attack echoed all across the route, but the drapion was still standing, even though its eyes simply burned away. The giant scorpion was barely functioning and could only tighten its grip on Oswald and Glim even harder. The normally quiet eevee screamed, both in pain and suffocation.

'Let. Him. Go!' roared Oswald, mercy killing the drapion with another brutal Flare Blitz, completely crushing its skull.

The very dark, poisonous scorpion then dropped onto the floor, releasing its severe grips on the infernape and eevee. As soon as the pincers were released, Glim coughed and leaped back, trying to regain his breath. On the other side, Oswald had also fallen onto the wet floor.

When Glim recovered from the situation, he realised that the drapion was dead and needed to help Oswald, who was struggling to get up. The eevee rushed over to the infernape and could clearly see a large gash on his back, which had already turned a dark red and blue, meaning that Oswald was poisoned. The ape pokémon grunted, trying to push himself off the floor, but was unable to get onto his feet. Glim ran under him to help support his weight, knowing that Oswald was in too much pain and was vulnerable to the poison and rain.

'Jane! Ben! Help!' called Glim, whose feminine voice was masked by the rain, only a little lighter than earlier. With no one in sight, the desperate eevee decided to rush down the hill to find Jane and Ben himself. 'Don't worry Oswald, we'll save you!' said Glim, resisting to panic, dragging the soaked infernape who was panting heavily.

'Glim.' whispered Oswald, panting slower.

'Just stay with me!' cried Glim, resisting to bewail. 'Just stay with me! Jane! Ben!' he continued, frequently glancing left and right, partly blinded by the rain.

'Glim.' whispered Oswald again, shaking his head as Glim continued racing to find the infernape's wife.

'Jane! Ben!' screamed Glim, using all his air.

Finally, Glim stopped in place. He could scream any more or even move, which left the infernape to slide off his back onto the ground next to him. His resistance of tears broke as the eevee sat in place, using what breath he had left to cry.

Glim listened out for his friends who had disappeared into the watery veil. He then noticed that Oswald next to him had stopped breathing so deeply.

'Oswald?'