A/N: Hello again, dear readers. I want to let you know that after Chapter 30; updates will be at most once a week; because school is starting up and between cross-country and keeping my grades up; LITM will no longer be a top priority. But for those who may be wondering- LITM will NOT be discontinued. Even if i haven't updated in three weeks- this story is my baby and I'll MAKE time for it. Anyways; enough rambling. Please enjoy my latest installment.


Chapter Twenty-Eight

Devotion

"Are we there yet?" I barked to Grace.

She was laying on Wes's lap; pretending to be asleep. The train ride was rough; and she was carsick.

"Are we there yet?" I repeated; taking great joy in pestering her.

"Shadow, ask that question one more time and I will fucking puke on your head."

I reluctantly fell silent. Wes sighed and banged his head against the window. "Come on. Are we there yet!?"

She frumpily shot a tiny ember that ignited on his pant leg; dangerously close to his lap. "Gah! Grace, what did I ever do to you!?"

She moaned in response whilst he frantically smacked himself near his crotch; attempting to put out the tiny flame. This earned many stares from the surroundinig people; who murmured amongst themselves. I sniggered uncontrollably. You have to admit; if you didn't know what he was doing; you would be totally freaked out by it.

The PA sounded overhead. At last; we were in Viridian. My heart lurched into my throat; making me increasingly uncomfortable. You could say I had a few reasons for feeling like I was going to wet my fur.

The rickety old train pulled to a complete stop; and I peered out the window; trying to catch a glimpse of Leah Walsch. Even with my improved eyesight; I couldn't distinguish one person from another; they were so tightly packed in the reception line.

"Well," sighed Wes heavily, "let's do this, shall we?"

Realizing I didn't particularly want to leave Wes, Grace, Anne, and Uno; I hesitated and whimpered. Wes firmly pushed me into the aisle; and I growled a bit; before trudging towards the double doors of the train. We stepped off and I immediately wished I was back in Sinnoh.

The hot, humid, Kanto air clung to my fur and face; suffocating me. The breeze was dead. Grace; used to being hot, was laughing at me as I wheezed; trying to become accustomed to the sweltering, muggy climate.

"How come… it wasn't like this… in Vermilion?" I asked between gasps for breath.

"We were by the sea then. It's cooler there. But we're far from the sea now, buddy boy."

"I officially hate Kanto with a passion," I grumbled as we followed Wes who wove through the crowd.

When he stopped; I collided with the back of his leg. "Are you L-Leah Walsch?" he asked in a shaky voice. I froze.

"I am. I presume you are Weston Greene? I received a letter from you following my sister's death."

Her voice was… Kelly. That's the only way I can describe it, dear reader. She sounded just like her sister.

I frantically was peering out from behind Wes's legs; trying to get a view of my new master. But with so many people milling around us; every time I stuck my head out I ended up getting kneed in the face. Next thing I knew; we were following Wes; winding through the crowd once again. We came to a clearing; and I finally faced Leah for the first time.

Kelly was pretty; mind you. But this child was… strikingly beautiful.

Her coffee-colored dark brown hair hung perfectly curled; her cheeks pink and rosy. She had smooth, olive skin; clear blue-grey eyes, and a slightly turned up nose. She was small; looking much younger than her actual age. She had a tinge of sadness in her voice as she knelt down and held out her hand.

"Hello there, fella. My name is Leah."

I eagerly strode over to her and licked her cheek; not wanting her to cry. She smiled softly, and then kissed my nose.

"You certainly have grown since Kelly last told me about you, Shadow. You're much more handsome than she described."

If my silvery grey fur hadn't covered my muzzle; she would have seen her first Mightyena blushing. She looked up to Wes; admiration in her eyes.

"Thank you so much, Weston. It means a lot to me… to own my sister's starter. And that you traveled so far to give him to me. Kelly was lucky to know a guy like you."

He smiled wistfully, and then shook her hand.

I whimpered when I looked at Grace. I had become quite fond of her. And then; just like everything else I had become attached to; she was being torn away from me.

She eyed me, and then spoke softly. "Don't fret, Shadow. Wes has no intention of leaving Kanto so quickly. I have a feeling we'll be meeting again soon."

She brushed up against me; her warm fur sending a shiver down my spine. Then; she turned and followed her master down the road.

"This is awkward, Shadow," said Leah; rubbing the back of her neck. "You were close to my sister; and now you're stuck here in Kanto with me. I hope you don't hate me for that," she whispered.

I looked her straight in the eyes; deciding then and there I would devote my life to her.

"Leah; you are the flesh and blood of the one I loved. I promise; nothing will ever harm you as long as I'm around. I swear; I'll defend you with my life."

Realizing she hadn't understood a word I just said; I licked her cheek and wagged my tail.

"Thanks, Shadow," she whispered; face buried in my thick mane of black fur. She didn't let go until my shaggy fur coat was drenched with salty tears.


Kit stalked through Eon Meadow; the center of the Eon Community. Snickers came from all around; and many range attacks were launched at her. She dodged an Ember attack, and then retaliated by firing a Shadow Ball at her assailant. It was easily dodged, however, and she continued on; head hung low. She was at the end of the line of her 'family'.

Orin was in the front; proudly leading. Willow followed close behind; worriedly making sure her children were kept in line. Next came Mist; whom had only recently returned from Snowpoint City. She was now a beautiful Glaceon; and proud as a peacock. Then came Thunder; a newly evolved Jolteon. Then Night and Crystal; both having evolved into Espeon and Umbreon respectively. Olive followed behind them; beaming with delight. The family procession was in her honor; they were heading to Eterna Forest that day to evolve her into a Leafeon. She was jubilantly humming and prancing along; basking in her glory.

Kit tried hard to ignore her vibrant and bitchy older sister. Instead; she scanned the crowd of Eeveelutions for a familiar face. A flash of brown and white popped up from behind the crowd and shot her the peace sign. Her eyes danced with excitement. He had come.

She could hear him follow her to Eterna Forest; and then hide when her father began speaking.

"Alright, kiddos. As you know; today is the day Olive will evolve into a Leafeon. Mom and I will be going with Olive to find Moss Rock. Night and Crystal; you two stick together, and Thunder, Mist, and Kit; you three will have to travel together. You can't travel alone in Eterna Forest, kids. It's much too dangerous. Make sure you stay with your group, okay?"

All of his children nodded sweetly except for Kit; who stared off into space pointedly.

Willow, Orin, and Olive headed off in one direction; beginning their search for the hard to find rock. Night and Crystal headed in the opposite direction. Kit glared at her two older, more powerful siblings. Mist glanced at her brother; and he nodded. Mist blew Icy Wind and froze her sister's paws to the ground. Kit didn't struggle; knowing she couldn't break out of the ice encasing her paws. Instead; she growled deep in her throat, and fired a Shadow Ball at Mist. Mist easily dodged; but Thunder didn't see it until it hit him square in the face. He hissed at her; and then used Thundershock. Kit squealed as the electricity flowed through her.

Suddenly; a scorching hot jet of flames came from behind her; going over her head and singing the fur of her siblings. Critically injured; Mist crawled away; yelping in pain. Thunder followed suit; running as fast as he could away from the fire-breather.

"You okay?" asked Manny as he promptly used Brick Break on the ice holding her in place.

She shivered and nuzzled him in thanks; since she had no arms to hug him with. The Sentret blushed, and then sighed.

"So you knew this would happen, eh? That's why you invited me along?"

Kit nodded. "I would have invited you anyways. But it helps you happen to have an extremely wide range of attacks."

He smiled proudly, and then nervously glanced around. "You know; I'm taking a big, big risk being out here. Sentret are natural prey to the predators lurking around here."

They walked aimlessly around for awhile; Manny to be sure they weren't being followed, and Kit for the simple enjoyment of his presence and her siblings absence.

"You're not very talkative today, Kit. What's bugging you?" asked Manny from above her; perched on his tail.

She sighed. "I just… I just don't know what I want to evolve into. I've ruled out Espeon and Umbreon; you have to have sustained happiness all day or all night for that. I'm too pessimistic for that. As for evolving as a Leafeon or Glaceon… Mist and Olive would literally kill me. And all of the evolution stones in the Eon Community are guarded by the elders."

Manny raised a bushy eyebrow. "Wow. Sounds like a tough place to live."

Kit rolled her eyes. "You have no idea. The elders killed a Spinarak that strayed in last week. It's strictly Eeveelutions only."

His eyes widened in horror. "Now that is going overboard."

His ears flicked, and then he hefted himself up on his tail. "Kit…"

She shook her head; marveling at his intense fear of everything. "What is it now, Manny?" she asked flatly.

A Pokemon swiftly jumped out and faced them; the ruby red bubble on it's throat slowly inflating and deflating. "Hello, little morsels. It's time for my afternoon snack."

Kit gulped and stared; wide-eyed at the gigantic Toxicroak standing before them. Manny; violently shaking all over, stepped in front of Kit and glowed white. Kit stared in amazement as her best friend evolved before her own eyes. When his transformation was complete, his sleek body had quit trembling; and he stood tall and proud; ready to defend the Eevee behind him.

"You will NOT hurt her," growled the Furret firmly.

The Toxicroak grinned deviously. "This should be interesting," he chuckled.


A/N: Yes- I do realize that Toxicroak are not traditionally found in Eterna Forest. But I figured it would be sort of... anti-climatic if a menacing Wurmple jumped out of the bushes and threatened to eat them. So; for those nit-picky readers out there who are against this; let's just pretend this Toxicroak is a rogue that was dumped by his trainer. M'kay? (:

And as always; PLEASE REVIEW! (: Or else Shelley will probably eat you. And because Simon Says. (:

Until next time,

~Shelby