"Let's talk about your imaginary friend." As Lila wanted to start explaining the gem next to Dawn the mystery voice talked again interrupting the stylist during her explanation.
"She knows as well anyone that I'm real. Just because I don't have a body doesn't mean my spirit is gone. I'm just a bit grumpy. Ask Lila why."
Dawn more confused than before. Seeing the baffled look on her face Lila knew she was in two minds about it.
"From the look on your face she said something."
"You can't hear it?" Dawn asked. Was she making fun of her or did she know what was really going on.
"Only people who are family can hear the spirit inside the gem. That's why only you can hear her." Lila told Dawn. The processing of information was just too much for her right now.
"Spirit? Her? It's a she?"
"Of course I am. We all are. Now, since your mother has kept old little me in a safe instead of giving me to you directly, a little history lesson seems necessary. A very long time ago in a distant land there were eight of us in total. Fire, water, thunder, night, day, grass, ice and mystic. These were all woman chosen by a ruler to protect the kingdom and more importantly the people he once ruled over. All with the purest of hearts who were known as the 8 angels of the world. I'm the angel of the Night. Or I was when I still had my body thousands of years ago."
"So…you're thousands of years old?"
"Your ancestors carried the night gem. Each of the eight gives you great physical power but the biggest one of the Night gem is that you can merge and move in shadows as long as one is casted, practically making you invisible in them."
Hearing the history of her family line Dawn was speechless. Coming from a long line of a king's guard and self proclaimed angels she never would've expected that her family tree extended that far back and be so memorable. She thought the biggest thing in her family was her mother being a model but this went beyond her most imaginative dreams. And after hearing what kind of things the jewel allowed Dawn to do the penny finally dropped.
"This thing gives me superpowers!?" The spirit insulted about the definition the current Berlitz gave her.
"I'm not a thing as you put it. And is that what they call it these days? Magic sounds more attractive if you ask me. Kids these days. Me and my sisters each transferred our essence into a jewel like the one you're seeing now. So that we could keep protecting humanity even after our bodies are gone."
"She gives advice and helps the jewel's owner to make the right decision. If you are planning to go out and use the jewel for good listen to what she has to say. The ice gem already was busy from what I've heard cause she rescued your mother."
Lila knowing all this since Johanna told her. After Johanna retired as a model to raise Dawn she took the jewel into custody. She kept it with her so that Dawn never had a chance of finding it at home. Continuously asking Johanna if it was time already to tell Dawn the truth she always put it off till today.
"The ice gem? The ice gem wielder is in the city too!? Do you know who she is?" Dawn amazed to hear her current situation is connected to the heroine Ash talked about earlier.
"Figure it out yourself."
"Sorry. Johanna only told me about her own gem. As for the others you just have to figure it out yourself."
Lila repeating what the gem said making it clear that she can't hear them.
"You need a disguise. You can't go running around in your track gear or pajama's. And that's where I come in! Be back in a flash."
It didn't take long for the stylist to return. She presented Dawn with a black bodysuit with yellow rings around the joints like elbows and knees. A black face mask with another yellow ring in the center and black gloves and shoes to finish it up.
"Try it on." Dawn took it to the same dressing room she fitted the dress she received as a gift from her aunt. Slipping the outfit on she stepped out of the room and showed herself to Lila.
"A perfect fit! Just like your mother. This brings back memories."
"How do you know my sizes so perfectly?"
"Why do you think she wanted you to try her designers dress you brought home? She needed your measurements."
Because Lila couldn't hear her she repeated the spirits claim telling Dawn again that she's the only one who can hear her.
"I thought Johanna send you here to get your costume but since you didn't mention it once, I kept it under wraps. I still got what I wanted though. I'd have your costume immediately if you knew. You're taking this quite well for someone new to this. I still remember your mothers face when she told me about it."
"You should've seen yours when she did."
"Wait. If you were going to give me this outfit why did mom say to bring a boy as a model for you?" Dawn wondered.
"Another excuse she made up to prevent me giving it to you. Anyway. I've got one more surprise for you. Follow me upstairs."
She did until the two females came up to a bookcase. The case was filled with historical books relating to style all neatly organized in alphabetical order. Lila took one and lifted it sideways. From what Dawn could see the title of it was the Evolution of fashion.
"A secret bookcase. Really?"
Feeling that she stepped into a movie a ladder popped out from the ceiling. Lila climbed the ladder first with Dawn following behind her. After climbing up the ladder Dawn didn't believe her eyes. All kinds of training devices like weights, a balancing beam, rings, ropes, sparring dummy's and a large open floor in the middle of it all. It's an entire training center and she was sure her school didn't have as much fancy equipment as she was looking at right now.
"There's a whole gym here!"
"You can use the exercise floor there to get used to your new abilities and keep your shape." Lila told her about the secret gym.
"I thought your home was the top floor."
"The internship I offered you is actually a cover for you to come here to train and do your thing without my staff or your friends getting suspicious. Your mother partly financed this building after a lot of persuasion. The secret gym was my idea."
"It's dirty." Dawn noted. The amount of dust hanging around the place was crazy.
"It hasn't been used in years. I never let the cleanup crew in here. What does a designer need with a gym floor like this? I suggest you clean the stuff by yourself before you start practicing. But I also understand if you want to test your powers right now."
Dawn picked the latter. As much as she wanted to try her powers out there was a problem.
"So how does it work? Do I strike a pose or have some magical call sign?"
"Just clip in the earring and find out."
"Here it goes." She clipped the earring with her left hand and from the corner of her eye saw a faint glow. The glow disappeared after a few seconds and Dawn looked at her gloved hands.
"I don't feel too different."
"Check a mirror."
"You look different so it means it worked."
Except for the new costume she didn't feel anything unusual. If she was honest she expected more of a rush like some sort of electricity flowing through her. Lila handed over a small mirror Dawn didn't recognize the person in the reflection. Her facial features like her chin, cheekbones and nose were the same but others were changed drastically putting the girl in a state of shock. Gone were her dark blue eyes and hair replaced with a look she didn't recognize.
"What's with my eyes! They're red and black! And my hair is as black as it gets!"
"When you tap into its powers your body goes through a small change. It's adapting some of the traits I had while still being alive. You'll return to your old self when you power down but we'll get to that later. Go for that one."
The spirit meaning a large narrow beam which only was about a few inches wide just barely big enough to hold just one of Dawn's feet. She sat on the beam at first. Turning slowly around she carefully raised herself on the beam to a standing position. Walking back and forth with relative ease she thought it be a lot more difficult maintaining her balance. Turning on her heel perfectly she did a pirouette.
Now having created a pretty good feeling of her footwork on the narrow beam she's standing on she became a bit more bold. She watched gymnasts do this on TV and with her cheerleader training wanted to see if she could do it to.
Making a small jump up her feet left the beam and did a split in midair. Quickly closing her legs together again she landed perfectly on her feet without losing balance. Now with the first thing gone right for her, she did it a few times to make sure it wasn't coincidence. Each new jump a bit higher than the last one the girl landed perfectly on her feet every time.
"Don't be shy. Do summersaults."
This is nothing to what she's used to from Johanna when she watched her so many years ago before she figuratively hung up her cape. Dawn humored her suggestion and planted her hands on the beam. With a perfect rotation she landed on her feet again. Doing a few more to make sure it wasn't beginners luck, she didn't even lose her balance once.
"This is amazing!"
Dawn's confidence was at it's peak now. Bending over slowly she placed her hands on the beam and did a handstand. Moving her right arm forward followed by her left she was walking on her hands over the beam with still no loss of balance to speak off. Moving over the entire length back and forth Dawn couldn't believe herself. Twisting her body so she stood up again she thought of another thing to try.
Jumping up from a standstill she performed a perfect corkscrew. Having seen enough of the beam she wanted to jump off of it in style. Slowly making her way to one end she turned around on her feet. Making a running start she did two summersaults on the beam perfectly bringing her to the other end. On the edge of it she jumped off and did a double corkscrew in the air. Her feet firmly planted on the landing she couldn't believe what she just did.
"I didn't stumble or fall once!"
"Perfect balance. You're as nimble as a cat. Even more so."
"Unreal. This is incredible."
Looking at her hands through her new red eyes she could see clearly. Everything seemed so much brighter and more colorful than before. Asking to herself if her senses were also increased like her sight, taste and touch.
"Let's see if you talk like that when a fist hits your face. Try and kick that bag over there."
Dawn couldn't help but going to the dummy in the most stylish way possible. Performing a bunch of cartwheels and a backwards summersault while turning in mid air just before she landed in front of the punching dummy.
"Your stance is lousy." It was clear to the spirit that the girl has no previous experience in fighting. One simple leg sweep and she will fall back down.
"Huh?"
"Move your right foot a bit to the side. Raise your left arm like this…"
The spirit projected a mental image of the pose Dawn should take. Lila did say it will guide her. Trusting the stylist and spirit over her better judgement Dawn assumed the stance. Lila noticed the change in form and was interested. Was this the spirit Johanna talked about at work? If so, how much experience in combat does it have knowing it's thousands of years old.
"And kick away."
Dawn obeying the spirit swung her right leg at the bag. Her leg hitting it the rope snapped clean off from the ceiling. The bag flying for a bit through the room came to a stop when it hit a wall. Dawn clasped her hands before her mouth stunned at the amount of leg strength shown.
Still it begs the question.
"Mom should've told me about this. Why didn't she?" Lila answered that one.
"She said to protect you. It took a lot of arguing to change her mind about it. Do you want to be left alone so you can think about it? Or maybe practice more?"
"Wouldn't I keep you up?"
With the jumps she's planning to make she was afraid she'd be a bother. The stylist has been nothing but welcoming her with open arms and the last thing she wanted was to keep her up cause of the noise she was going to make.
"Triple isolation. A grenade could go off here and I wouldn't notice. So what's your next move Dawn?"
"I rather discuss this with mom first. I really want to know why she didn't want me to have you."
"I understand."
"I know you're in two minds about it now but this is your heritage. Whatever choice you make is yours. I just hope you continue to use it for good like the rest of your family. Just know I'm not putting pressure on you. I'm going to bed. Goodnight for real this time." Lila climbed down the ladder leaving the new heroine all alone.
Dawn still finding it hard to believe all this. With Ash she's a bit familiar with people with powers but she never thought that one day she'd have them too. She might have never fantasized about being a hero but now that she has these powers she planned on returning the favor to Ash. She just needed a way to tell him and would he even allow her to help him solve the mystery that's been plaguing him.
"Super agility, super strength and a super power of being invisible in the shadows. No way this is real. I'm dreaming."
"No dream. This is reality Dawn. Better get used to it for years to come. That is, if you want me."
Of course she wanted her. She started to think of all the good things she could do but she forgot something important.
"I'm so sorry! I never got your name." Dawn felt horrible never asking. She said she was human once so she still had a name.
"Umbreon. My name is Umbreon so my hosts always took that name and made it their identity."
Now that the spirit actually has a name she could work on bonding together.
"Nice to meet you Umbreon! I'm sorry I got freaked out first. It's just so much to take in at once."
"You aren't my first host who I had this with. Apology accepted. Now go to sleep. This place is a mess and you need to clean it if you want to practice here regularly. Don't forget to see your mom. I've got some stern words for her."
Even if she was pretty tired and agreed to sleep for now Dawn couldn't help but go with the excitement. A whole new world has opened up for her today and she was determined to continue her family lineage of being protectors and saviors. She was sure the talk with her mother was coming but for now she felt she could take on the world. And with her spirit partner she just might.
"No need to worry Veilstone City! Umbreon is here to safe the day!"
Took some time getting here but here we are.
So the Eeveelutions are the inspiration for the powers of our new heroes. Decided to take liberty with some of them because Umbreon sweating poison and being a flashlight are pretty dumb super powers to give to a girl.
Why not Gary since he actually has an Umbreon? You know he's the kind of guy who uses it during basketball games and such.
As for the other Eevee gems? Try and fill them in yourself. Ah who am I kidding? May is Glaceon. Dawn is Umbreon and the rest gets filled in later.
Spoilers maybe?
Now the obligatory 'person gets powers, can't control them shenanigans' in the next few chapters.
See you around.