Prologue
"We need to do something. We can't let this can't let this continue any longer." A blurry figure said.
"He's been able to hide for thousands of years. He could use everything ability we know against him. Why should we intervene?"Another one with wings asked.
"I can't believe you! Our technical father is being hunted down by one of us and you won't do ANYTHING to help him!" The first figure shouted. The second figure sighed.
"What do you propose?" The second figure asked. The first figure then said something that the onlooker couldn't catch aside from the word "searching." The second one thought before it got the idea of the first one, but before the second one responded, the world faded away to the sound of…an alarm?
That morning Jacob woke up to the same dream he's been having for the last 5 years. He's had no clue what it means or who anyone is in that dream, but something about what they discussed disturbed him. 'What was it that figure said that was so important to make the other one think?' Jacob thought as he climbed down from his bunk bed in the cabin. Today marked the beginning of his summer camp, one he's actually been looking forward to for a while now. He stretched his body out, went to his duffle bag to grab some clothes to change into, and walked to the bath house to clean himself up. As he walked out of the cabin, he saw a few counselors and chaperones sitting outside and talking. Not many of the other campers were awake, but Jacob didn't mind. He usually was someone who enjoyed waking up at the crack of dawn, literally, despite the tiredness he had. He walked into the shower house and chose a shower to use. The shower house wasn't a very big place with only 4 showers to use, which made it better for Jacob to wake up now rather than later. He closed the curtain and turned on the shower. As hot water shot from the shower head, Jacob thought about his dream again. He wasn't focusing on the details of it too much, but rather on why he was having it in the first place. Jacob didn't think on it to long as he finished his shower and got dressed. He put on a pair of dark red pants with black highlights and cargo pockets running down his legs. He then slipped on a red shirt with a black triangle pattern across the front. Afterward, he put on his black hand gloves and his black short-sleeved jacket. He then sat down on one of the benches in the room and tied his shoes before going back outside.
Jacob closed the door to the wash room and saw some of the other campers waking up. 'Not long now.' He thought as he went get breakfast. The lady serving the food gave him a plate of eggs and toast. Jacob thanked her and sat down at a table to eat. As he was eating, the other campers joined him in the room and began eating. After a few minutes, a counselor walked in and got everyone's attention. "Alright campers, today we are going into the forest for you to learn about grass type pokemon first hand. Don't worry, the pokemon here know we are coming and are more than willing to show themselves to you." The campers all got excited and they finished their food even faster. After they finished eating, they all went grab their gear and lined up at the edge of camp. The counselors got to the front of the group and lead them into the woods.
Meanwhile-
"You cost us the match! You sorry excuse for a partner!" A human boy said to her face. She was in his arms, crying her eyes out, bleeding a little from the cuts she had and the lucario that was supposed to fight with her was standing next to the boy looking upon her wit shame. The boy then threw her to the ground, dropped her ball as well and then stomped on it until it was nothing more than fragments of red and white at his feet. "Go! Run away Umbreon and be sure to NEVER come back!" The boy then delivered a hard kick to her torso which sent her flying into the woods. When she hit a tree not that far away, her vision faded to black.
A lone Umbreon who was sleeping in a cave woke up with a jump as one of her greatest nightmares played again in her head. She rubbed her eyes a little to clean them of water from them and stretch herself out. The sunlight flooded her cave and that was her queue to leave. She walked out and took in the view of the forest before her and sighed. Ema never asked for her life to be like this, but this was the way the dice rolled and the odds were never in her favor. Even back when she was an Eevee she was different. She wasn't always the most social one of her litter but that all changed when her first trainer took her in. Ema sighed a little and pushed the thought out of her mind. 'I need to keep moving.' She thought as she climbed down the 10ft. it was to her cave entrance. Along the way, a few rocks scratched her, but they only scratched some of her only scars. Ema winced a little, but ignored the tiny cuts as she continued on with her head held low. She never looked ahead that much anymore, but when she did it was only to see where she was going.
Ema only recently arrived to the Doronto Region, but she was sure to stay hidden from anyone's sight, both human and pokemon alike. She walked around a forest for a little bit before coming to a stream and bending down to take a drink from it. Ema slurped the water down her throat and then went find a fruit to eat before going to explore a little. She found some berries and quietly ate. After she finished eating her fill, she continued on, avoiding the other pokemon as she went.
As she was walking, she began hearing human voices and immediately darted away. Ema knew better than to chance her freedom with humans. As she ran away, she tripped over a tree root and tumbled a little until she rolled out of some bushes and into a flowery area that had a cliff edge overlooking the whole area. 'I need to seewhat else to expect from this new home I found myself in anyways, so why not stay and see the sights?' she thought as she walked through the flowers. A gentle breeze was blowing in from her right side and she sat down next to the cliff edge and looked into the valley bellow.
Ema saw a few cities here and there, a desert region, some snowcapped mountains, and some places ankle deep, human wise, in water. The sunlight glistened off the water and the snow seemed to amplify the light being shown on it to give the valley a utopian like appearance. She semi-huffed a little, 'I guess even with the cities the place still looks like a good place to live.'
Ema sat there for a few more minutes before she heard some rustling in the bushes behind her. She turned her head and saw a human with his back to her trying to pull something out of the bush he was climbing out of, she noticed his black jacket and red pants and laughed a little at his outfit. The boy heard her and turned to look for the source only to find Ema staring at him. Ema saw the boy's eyes lighten up a little before he slowly turned around. As he did, Ema caught a vibe that he could be a trainer and was about to run, but then saw he didn't have any pokeballs with him. The boy soon reached into his bag and pulled out two rectangular objects and slowly approached her. Ema didn't trust the boy, but she knew he couldn't do anything and let him approach. The boy soon stood next to her. "Is this spot taken?" he asked. Ema looked up to him and shoot her head. The boy then sat down and unwrapped a bar to reveal something chocolate inside. Ema sniffed it a little. "Are you hungry?" The boy then extended the open bar to her and she nibbled on it before taking a bite out of it. It was the best food she had in a while.
The boy made no advances towards her after that and they sat in silence. The boy opened his own bar and ate just as Ema finished hers. "Wonderful spot you have here. I bet you can see the entire Doronto Region from up here." Ema didn't respond and just looked out over the edge of the cliff.
The two sat there for around an hour or so, taking in the view and watching the light change across the landscape. Ema learned the boy's name was Jacob and that he was in a summer camp for a few days, but it was all because he was just talking out in the open. Ema figured Jacob knew he wouldn't be able to understand her so she just listened to him ramble. They sat there until it was close to dark and the moon began rising on the horizon. Jacob noticed Ema's rings begin to glow a little brighter and smiled at the sight of the illumination they were giving off. After a few more minutes, both Jacob and Ema heard one of the counselors call out for Jacob. Jacob turned his head to the sound and when he turned back to where the Umbreon was, it was gone. He sighed a little and mumbled. "Good talk Umbreon." He then stood up and dusted himself off. He went to his backpack and managed to free it before going back to the group he was with, unaware that he had a set of eyes watching him the entire time he was leaving.
Jacob rejoined the group he snuck away from and the counselors were on his case about sneaking off. "Look Jacob the pokemon here might be docile, but that doesn't mean you should just go run off like that. Something terrible could've happened to you."
"I know, I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again." Jacob replied. The counselor sighed.
"I know you won't, but you're going to have kitchen duty tonight, so I want you there after you drop off your stuff." She said.
"Yes ma'am." Jacob replied. The group reached the camp site and the other 15 campers dropped off their stuff in the cabins to go take showers while Jacob went to the kitchen. He grabbed an apron to cover his clothes from the food stains and he put his gloves in his pocket. After he was ready, he began defrosting meat from the freezer for the campers to eat tomorrow. He made himself a sandwich and ate it while waiting. Jacob finished his dinner and then set to work making people's lunches since tomorrow they would stay in the camp. Luckily his mother was able to teach him how to cook a little before she went on her recent trip to a dig site. Jacob turned on the stove and began browning the meat for the kids tomorrow. While the meat cooked, he began preparing some cheese sauce from the box he found in the cabinet above him.
The work was hard at first, but he soon managed to get a rhythm going. As he was cooking, a faint glow caught his eye and he turned to where it was coming from. He saw an Umbreon on the ground, its rings glowing, and looking at him a little confused. Jacob chuckled a little. "So you followed me back here huh?" The response was the Umbreon hoping on the counter he was working on and eyeing the food he was making. The Umbreon pointed its paw at the ground meat and Jacob decided to grab a small plastic plate and put some of the meat on it. "Here you go." He slid the plate over to the Umbreon.
Ema looked at Jacob and then the food below her and began eating it, savoring every bite. She failed to notice Jacob give a small smile as he watched her eat. She soon finished her food and Jacob put the plate in the trash can. Ema eyed Jacob curiously as she watched him cook. Sure she knew they could cook food, but she never actually got to see the process of it and to her it made her marvel a little. She then swatted the spoon that was inside of the cheese sauce a little out of curiosity before the human next to her stopped her. "I'm sorry Umbreon, the rest of this food is for the campers tomorrow…Maybe I can find another bar for you to eat?" Ema stopped pawing the spoon handle and nodded. She watched Jacob leave the room only for the door next to him open and Ema watched him cover the door way to the room she was in with his body.
"Oh c'mon Jacob just let us in." Ema heard a girl's voice plead.
"I'm sorry I just can't. I-I want lunch to be a surprise tomorrow…" Jacob replied. Ema took this as a sign to leave and hoped out the window and onto the forest floor before walking away. She felt a little sorry to leave like that, but she didn't know who those other humans were and what they wanted. As she walked back to her cave, she couldn't get the human she met today out of her mind. It was like by not doing much, she overridden her brain's will to avoid people and wanted to be closer to the boy.
Jacob on the other hand had similar thoughts about Ema when he went back into the kitchen and saw the Umbreon gone. He figured out why pretty quickly and wasn't mad at the pokemon. Jacob soon finished the food and put it in the fridge for it to be reheated tomorrow. Jacob then took off his apron and hung it on the wall. He went to the shower hut and washed himself and used the water to clean his clothes so he could use them tomorrow. He changed into his pajamas and walked back to his cabin. Everyone else was asleep and he hopped on the top of the bed quickly and fell asleep.
The next day, Jacob woke up in his cabin and repeated his daily routine while Ema walked back to the human camp she was at. She arrived just as Jacob was coming out of the shower and surprised him a little by her presence. "Persistent one, aren't you?" Ema nodded and then Jacob sat on the stairs leading up to the shower house. Ema hopped up next to him and gestured her head to the woods. "You want me to follow you?" Ema nods. "Ok, I'll go get breakfast and then meet you outside in a few minutes." Ema nodded again and they walked to the dining house. Ema went around back while Jacob quickly ate his food. He left the dining hall just as the other campers were arriving. Jacob quickly found Ema behind the building and followed her into the forest some.
Ema wanted to take him away from the human camp, but she never had a real plan in mind for them. Jacob caught on as the Umbreon he was following kept looking repeatedly to either direction while they walked. "You know where you're going right?" He asked. Ema stopped walking and sighed. She put her head down and shook it. Jacob then climbed down on one knee and reached out to pet the sulking Umbreon. As soon as Ema felt the touch of his hand on her bad she jumped and looked back, seeing Jacob was rubbing her. Ema felt herself smile a little at the touch and released a small purr of affection. "How about I lead the way?" Ema nodded ok and followed Jacob through the woods until they reached a river. Ema took a drink from it while Jacob sat down next to it. Ema didn't know it yet, but Jacob had a plan in mind for why they came here. As soon as she was finished drinking, she felt water splash her right side and saw Jacob looking towards the sky and whistling. He then started chuckling to himself which made Ema roll her eyes. Ema then poked her head back in the water and filled her mouth up before spiting it out at Jacob. Ema was laughing while Jacob deadpanned her. "So that's how you want to play it?" He then splashed her again and the water war began with each of them being soaking wet by the time they both were climbing out of the rived from exhaustion. Ema shook herself dry, which happened to land more water on Jacob. "Really Umbreon? I thought it was a draw." Ema laughed him off and he rubbed her head. She purred a little bit and leaned into his hand.
They sat by the river for at least another hour before Jacob had to go back to his camp before he was noticed to be gone. Ema licked his hand before he left and purred when he rubbed his hand along her one last time. Ema watched Jacob stand up and walk away for a little bit before following him back, but staying out of sight. She saw him sneak into the back of the room he gave her food in and come out the other side like nothing ever happened. She saw a few kids brushed him off however while others ignored him, but then she saw a woman call all of them together for something she called 'team building exercises.' Ema watched as the kids did trust falls, tied each other's legs together, etc. to teach them better team dynamics. 'Is this really what they do here? If so, how crazy is that kid I met then?' she thought as she saw Jacob and another boy during their exercises. Suddenly, a sound of thunder broke the silence she was experiencing and she decided it would best to go back to her cave.
The campers and counselors heard the thunder to and the counselors told the kids to go back to their cabin. The campers followed their instructions and soon everyone was inside just as the rain began to heavily pour down. The sound of rain pounding the metal roof was the only thing the campers heard as they sat and waited out the storm. While the other campers were calm about this, Jacob was worried sick. He knew the Umbreon that he encountered was a pokemon in the wild and probably been for a while, but the thought of it out in the storm bothered him. The Umbreon was his friend after all, and he couldn't just sit there without at least knowing it was safe.
Jacob calmed himself and walked towards the door of the cabin. The other campers ignored him until they heard the door open quickly and close even faster. They ran to the window to see what was going on until they saw Jacob running into the woods. Jacob panted hard as he sprinted through the bushes, over tree routes, and past other pokemon hiding from the storm. He ran around for a little bit turning his head left and right to look for any signs of his pokemon friend until he swore he heard something call out through the raging storm. "breeeee!" He heard. Jacob's eyes went wide and he sprinted towards the source and saw the river he and Umbreon were playing at earlier had flooded and was sprinting through the woods. He looked around until he saw a very faint yellow glow appear and disappear further down the river. Jacob quickly jumped in. He swam with the current to catch up to the light and as he did, he saw the Umbreon struggling to stay above the water. He swam faster and soon reached the flailing pokemon and grabbed it. He then saw a rock that he couldn't avoid fast enough approaching and threw the pokemon onto dry land as he hit the rock hard, knocking him out.
Ema landed on the land that hasn't been claimed by the river yet only to see her friend slam hard into a rock before going limp and drifting like drift wood downstream. She ran alongside the river, trying to think of a plan to get him out before a tree branch diverted Jacob close enough for her to grab. She grabbed his jacket and used a Feint Attack to muster the power to pull him out. When he was out of the river, Ema ran to check for him breathing. Jacob wasn't breathing and Ema freaked out and tried to think of what to do before she remembered something she heard while she was at a pokemon center once. She climbed on his chest and pressed her forepaws against it repeatedly, trying to force the water out of his lungs. Some water managed to escape his mouth and then she made a decision…she got to his face, took a deep breath, and breathed into his mouth so his lungs could be filled with air. 'Please be alright.'