Chapter 10

"Murky have key!" The Murkrow was back the next night, to a very startled crowd of Pokemon. Takula had returned with the Rockets in the daytime, and they'd all scared the wits out of the forest Pokemon. Something was not right about Takula… something that seemed to become blaringly obvious when she was around, but not as much when she left. They hadn't taken any of the Pokemon out of their cages, but some blood had been taken from some of them.

"That's nice Murky." One of the more impatient Houndour snarled, "But we forest creatures don't have the paw strength to put your key in our locks. Have you thought of that?"

The Murkrow only paused for a second, before chirping defensively, "Murky did! Murky brought thread!" And he indeed had thread clasped in his little talons with the key as well.

"And what are we supposed to do with thread?" Tetzleflame was at least trying to sound kind to the crow, yet he looked like everyone else. Anxious. Anxious and ready to burn the whole place down if he wasn't in a fire-proof glass dome that didn't give at all from fire attacks.

"And," Murky continued, "Murky found foxie friends."

There were murmurs of what that could mean. Foxie friends? "Errm, Murky, we do not know what you are talking about." Tetzleflame finally said.

"Well, let us clear it up for you." An aged Vaporeon stepped out of the shadows, his paw steps soundless. There was a great many bodies behind him, "We have come to rescue you."

Pyrone couldn't believe her eyes. The old geezer! "Makos." She breathed, naming her mentor with a twinkle in her eyes, "You've come…"

"And he's not the only one." A gruff looking Mightyena stepped up next to Makos, not making a sound either. The only ones surprised he had spoken were the ones from the Whitefang Pack. On his back were two very content looking female tyros, Flora and Mira. "We have all come to help. From the oldest elder to the youngest apprentice."

"They can talk?" Fern asked the Manectric that was dozing in the cage under her, "And speak, correctly?"

"It is very amusing that your pack still believe that the Mightyena pack is stupid. Quite. Yes, little tyro, Mightyena can talk correctly." She replied with a contemptuous flick of her paws.

"And," One last voice added, one that made them all freeze completely, "You all have fallen for my trap." Takula stepped out of the shadows as well, her lips curled into a snarl, "You are lucky that I did not kill one of you…" She let out a yowl, which was the signal for the Rockets to flick the lights back on.

Cornered, the free Pokemon scattered. There were many more Pokemon outside of the cages than inside of them, and no huge net around to capture them all. Panic and chaos ruled for a while, until two very familiar forms appeared in the fray…

(Meanwhile…)

"Again." Myra ordered. Umbreon focused on the floor, and found himself there a moment later, standing on his three good paws. "Good, now again." Again, he went back up into his little box, which he wasn't very happy to return to.

"Alright, I think you've had enough for now…" The Espeon gave him an approving nod, but Umbreon shook his head stubbornly, and used Faint Attack to return to the floor.

"You said we were going there tonight." He replied stubbornly, "And I'm going to make sure we're going to get there tonight. I'm going to master this move, if it's the last think I do!" Umbreon missed his mark and reappeared with his front legs in the box, but the back ones hanging limply. "Owwww!" He yowled.

"Careful there, Umbreon…" Myra murmured, standing on her hind legs and giving Umbreon something solid to rest his paws on, "Try that again, but this time make it in the box."

Umbreon did as he was told, and made it, a bit sore, into his box again, panting. "There." He said, yet did not feel as if he had gotten any better at it.

He continued to try the master the Faint Attack for the rest of the day, only stopping briefly to rest and eat. By nightfall, he was pretty good at disappearing and reappearing at will. "We should be leaving now." Myra whispered when she came back with a Pidgey in her mouth for them to share, "After we are done with this, that is."

The meat was enough to satisfy Umbreon's growling stomach. The two of them finally left the Pokemon Center, after Myra was absolutely sure that her kit would be safe and sound left with her trainer. They were making good time, much better than if they'd been walking or perhaps limping.

Their first obstacle was a road roaring with cars of all shapes and sizes. They had to rush across the road when all the cars stopped moving, and then it was still close. Following beside the only road to the white building, they kept their profiles low and muscles ready to bolt at any time.

Surprising, the scent of many other forest creatures was fresh on the grass. Many, many of them had passed by here and maybe gone inside. Umbreon saw that Myra was stiff out of the corner of his eye and he waved his tail at her to show that they should continue anyways, they may need help still.

The gaping mouth of a storage shed greeted them up ahead; it was filled with all sorts of cardboard boxes and a very familiar looking truck. As they passed it, a chill came over him. The sound of angry yowling was coming from another door, the sound of battling and fighting.

Exchanging a glance with Myra before moving on, Umbreon heard another thing that made his blood turn cold with rage. Inside of all the yowling, inside of the angry exclamations of humans as they were attacked, came laughter from a certain Vaporeon. Just that sound drove him harder, gave him the strength to face who was obviously there.

As they stepped into the room of white, grey, and red, all the fighting stopped for a moment as human and Pokemon alike stared at them. Myra had opened the door with her psychic energies, and now the stood, glaring defiantly all around. And it was Fern's voice that broke the silence finally, with an amazed yowl of, "Umbreon!"