It's a Whole New World

Part 5

It had been a long night for Elsa. She knew, however, that it wasn't only for her. Her eyelids were heavy but sleep had quickly gone away. She had given up on it for good when the orange halo of dawn appeared outside. The explanations given by her parents about the strange fight in the courtyard had in no way appeased the Snow Princess. On the contrary, her mind had become a relentless tornado. Ten thousand questions fueled her curiosity as much as her fear. Not only about these creatures invading the kingdom, but also because of her little sister.

Anna had bonded with one of them and found magical items which only added to their parents' troubles. Never would she have believed that things as strange as her powers could turn their lives upside down again. Elsa thought that a little fresh air would help her see things more clearly. She got out of bed with all the slowness that exhaustion imposed on her. As she opened the window, she took a moment to contemplate the purple sky. Her bedroom did not face the sunrise, plunging it into almost permanent darkness, she could only imagine the sun's ascension through the shades of color on the cliffs and trees. She felt like she had spent years in her bed rehashing the same doubts and regrets. Anna had hidden something from their parents despite the danger. A strange and incomprehensible thing. Even worse, she had used it to face an immense peril. Since when had her sister become so secretive? Elsa was torn between berating her for her recklessness and blaming herself.

When the window was finally open, a cool breeze caressed her cheeks. She hardly felt the temperature difference. Her powers had already cooled her room, taking advantage of her confusion to free themself a bit. This added to her torments because she had wondered if, by learning to better control her powers, she could have avoided leaving Anna alone and thus prevented her from making such reckless decisions. Her gaze plunged into the shadows accentuated by dawn; Elsa lost herself in her many questions. She knew nothing about her powers, their origin, how they worked, and there were now mysterious creatures coming out of nowhere with dangerous abilities. She hoped her parents, as good king and queen, would find a way to get rid of these Pokémons.

Noises like flags flapping in the wind brought her out of her reverie. The princess searched the landscape for the origin of these unexpected sounds, unable to locate anything strange. It must have been her imagination. She closed the window and return to her bed. Maybe sleep would finally come. She sank down on her mattress as soft as a stone, eyelids falling over her blurry gaze. An unusual color stain held them back in their fall. Elsa wondered since when the curtain on her four-poster bed had been green. Gradually, she realized that it was only part of the curtain that was that color, then that the element that hung above her was not related to it. Her eyes finally opened to perceive triangular ears and a small round head under a shapeless mass. They widened at the sight of small teeth and a scream echoed throughout the castle.

It had been a long night for Anna. Exhausted with grief, she had spent countless hours wondering how to fix things. Should she beg forgiveness for hiding Eevee? Should she give in to her parents' request and leave the Pokédex to them? She refused, because she knew that on top of that, they would take Eevee, her only friend, from her. The rebellious princess therefore did not know what to do. There would come a time when she would have to push that closet away from her bedroom's door. The mere idea of her father's gaze, those two crossbows ready to shoot, made her tremble with fear.

The ceiling of her four-poster bed was nothing fancy and she thanked it for that. This absence of superficiality gave her an empty space on which to model her mind. Anna could thus dip her fingers in the silk rugs that were the coats of Eevee and Growlithe. These two soft plushies had helped her not to sink into complete despair. After crying all the tears from her body, she had taken a moment to contemplate the pokeball of the one she had captured. Although worried, the instructions of the pokédex had specified that any captured pokemon became, with some tragic exception, loyal to its trainer.

When the tabby puppy appeared in front of her, the princess understood very quickly that it was the case. The look that the Fire pokemon had worn on her was nothing more than gentleness and benevolence. At least for three seconds. After that, the pokemon started to spin around and wobble. Anna hurried to hug him, well aware of his exhaustion and injuries. She could do nothing more than clean his wounds with some fresh water left on her table and bandage them with a sheet which she tore without hesitation.

Anna then stayed all night caressing her friends. She got to know her new companion, but none of them were due. The princess did her best to smile and show them her affection towards them. However, the situation she had locked herself in, the harsh words her father had uttered and the dizziness caused by discovering that other pokemon were outside ... All of this tore her thoughts apart and locked her in a deep worry. Unable to sleep, she just ran her thin fingers over the silky hairs of her friends. At least two of them fell gently into a deep sleep.

The awakening was nevertheless abrupt when a voice pierced the walls of the castle. Anna jumped so hard that her pokemons were thrown out of their cozy bed. The princess did not pay attention to it because she was entirely dedicated to the apprehension of this terrible noise which she recognized well. It was her big sister's voice. A voice tinged with terror. Anna did not stay still for long. Her gaze fell quickly on the blocked door and she didn't waste a moment to rush towards it. The closet was heavy as the world for her skinny arms. She insisted with all her might, gluing her feet to the floor as best as possible, without being able to move the furniture a millimeter. The young girl almost lost her balance when the block of wood began to move forward. Her gaze then discovered her two furballs joining her efforts.

Anna tucked Growlithe into his pokeball the instant she found him half-collapsed on the floor. He hadn't fully recovered and running with him was out of the question. Eevee, on the other hand, stayed on her heels as the princess rushed through the halls. Along the way, she bumped into a maid without taking the time to apologize. When she reached Elsa's room, she discovered one of the most unexpected sights of her life. Queen Iduna carefully hugged Elsa as King Agdar, two guards at his side, stared inside the chamber with the apprehension of a general before enemy lines.

When Elsa opened her eyes, calmed by her mother's caresses, they immediately widened at the sight of her sister. Anna walked over to her, hoping to allay their fears. Yet the blonde-haired princess moved back at her sight, her gloved hands behind her back and pressed against the wall. The queen was more worried than relieved when she discovered the presence of her other daughter. Much more with Eevee at her feet. Before Anna can wonder about these strange reactions, her father's reaction ends up worrying her. The hard gaze he had on her made it impossible to know if he wanted to yell at her for what she had done or for her presence.

"Your Highness! What's your order?" asked a guard with apprehension.

Anna had a full view of her sister's room and very quickly spotted the element that was causing all this disturbance. She hadn't seen her sister's bedroom in a long time, but the little green thing she could see hanging above her bed seemed familiar.

"Capture this thing!" commanded the king. "If you can't, you have permission to terminate it."

"Dad! No! "Quickly intervened Anna.

The red-haired girl moved like the wind between the guards, her heart turning to a drum.

"Anna!" screamed her father. "Stand aside!"

"No wait! I know what it is."

The surprise was visible on all the faces. Without waiting, as much to try to reassure her relatives as to confirm her hypothesis, Anna took out the pokédex and pointed it towards her target. The gadget's reaction was immediate and spoke in its usual electronic voice.

"Zubat, the Blind Pokémon. Zubat avoids sunlight because exposure causes it to become unhealthy. During the daytime, it stays in caves or under the eaves of old houses, sleeping while hanging upside down."

"Zubat? Aren't they blue normally…?" A spark of cheerful surprise brightened Anna's face. "A shiny Pokémon! They are super rare!"

Anna couldn't help but marvel at the sight of the exceptional bat that wrapped itself in its wings. She nonetheless turned back to face her parents, an almost inappropriate smile on her lips.

"Do not worry. This Pokémon is just looking for a place to rest until night-time."

"But why did it get here?" asked her infuriated father.

"Zubats have no eyes," replied the princess, worried like she had a fragile object in her hand. "It probably thought Elsa's opened window was the entrance of a cave or something like that."

"That doesn't change anything. Your sister was in danger with this wild beast in her room."

Anna gave Elsa a worried look. She could read the fear in her eyes as she hid behind their mother. The red-haired princess nevertheless wondered why she was trying to hide like this. She thought her older sister was braver than that. Still, Anna couldn't sit idly by, otherwise, just like with Growlithe yesterday, she suspected it would end badly. The young princess therefore took the initiative.

"Give me just five minutes?" she pleaded. "I'm sure I can make it go away. Or at least bring it quietly somewhere else."

"You can't be serious Anna," reacted the king. "Guards!"

The soldiers stood ready to act, but a little cry as cute as it was threatening froze them in place. Even though Eevee was small, the force with which the cut-ear pokemon had brought down their colleague the day before had already been told to everyone. Enough for the guards to be carefull. Anna seemed more overwhelmed by these reactions than reassured to have an ally. She knew, however, that her father would not listen to her and that her mother was too scared. They were both far too worried with Zubat's intrusion. Anna took a step back.

"Just… five minutes," she demanded, like an apology.

Under the troubled and anguished gazes, the princess with the white strand approached the bed with a cautious step. Eevee followed her, which barely gave her the strength to finish her approach. In an uncertain voice, Anna addressed the green pokemon hanging on her sister's bed.

"Hello!" she pronounced with a trembling voice.

Zubat's slight movement of his head froze the princess. Even without eyes, the little pokemon's sharp fangs were a bit scary. She felt everyone's attention on her shoulders like a volcano about to explode. The princess continued despite everything.

"You are a Zubat, right? Not that I expect a comprehensible answer… Of course. Listen, I completely understand that you need a place to rest, but this is my sister's room. You can't stay here. However, there's a big and really dark ceiling over my room. You would be way more comfortable there. What do you think?"

The silence that followed gave Anna hope. If he took the time to consider the offer, half the job was already done. The calm was quickly broken when the Zubat opened its mouth wide and howled a wave of ultrasound that twisted the heads of everyone present, including Anna and Eevee. When the din ceased everyone was dizzy, especially the guards who had dropped their weapons in pain and surprise. The princess barely had time to look up when the green pokemon flew over her head. She followed his path out of the bedroom. Filled with deep frustration, Anna ran, shamelessly pushing the guards under the confused gaze of her family.

"Why do you all have to make everything more complicate ?!" screamed Anna with Eevee behind her.

Following Zubat was not in itself complicated. He had to shout to locate himself and his atypical color made him visible from afar. Anna chased him through the hallways until he got to the painting room. The huge room had one of its entrances closed, so the bat began to circle around without finding an exit. Anna almost smiled knowing that the recalcitrant pokemon was trapped like this. She was too angry for that though and just screamed.

"I gave you a chance Zubat! Eevee! I choose you!"

"Eevee!"

The pokemon with the severed ear faced the Zubat who, realizing that the battle was now inevitable, stabilized his flight to orient himself towards his opponent. Anna concentrated on finding an effective strategy, to the point of not noting the group that had gathered in the hallway behind her. Now the sole guardian of the passage between this improvised arena and the rest of the kingdom, Anna began with a simple action to assess her opponent.

"Alright Eevee, use Tackle!"

Eevee leaned on his paws with all his might before leaping towards the green Zubat, constantly screaming. Its flight was nonetheless useless because the bat dodged it with a simple flick of its wing. Anna immediately ordered him to do it again. Eevee barely landed that he jumped again. His attack made him rise towards his opponent, but once again missed his mark. The latter took the opportunity to launch a new Supersonic attack that pierced the ears of everyone present. Anna worried when Eevee, too confused by the ultrasounds, landed on the floor without being able to land correctly. Eevee stood up as quickly as he could and Anna, more and more angry, had an idea that made her scream.

"Eevee! Use the furnitures with Quick Attack!"

The pokemon with the cut ear, at first surprised, very quickly understood the idea of her trainer. He began to run as fast as possible around Zubat until he reached the necessary speed. Eevee disappeared and reappeared in various places around his opponent. He appeared one last time on a chair, which allowed him to be higher and therefore closer to Zubat and propelled himself towards the bat like a comet.

A flap of wings and the green Zubat dodged the attack to everyone's surprise. Anna didn't understand. All this Zubat did was scream. How could he dodge Eevee's attacks despite his lack of eyes? An intuition rang in her head and her logic made the connection that made her call herself an idiot. The zubat being blind, they learned to locate themselves with the sound. The shiny pokemon simply used its scream to locate Eevee wherever he was. Her voice was faster than any glance, she couldn't take him by surprise. Eevee was quick, but this shiny Zubat was very smart.

When Eevee landed, Anna didn't have time to warn him. As soon as his enemy passed near him, Zubat had started to fly towards Eevee. When Eevee turned around, it was too late. A powerful shock and two stab wounds pierced his skin. His scream was terrible. When the Bat let go. Eevee used all his determination to give him a quick swipe of his tail that the bat couldn't avoid. His opponent flew for a moment before catching himself in the air. Eevee faced him, but a huge burn staggered him.

"Eevee! Are you okay?" asked a worried Anna.

His pokemon tried to stand with admirable courage, but its paws were shaking too much. Anna glanced confusedly at her pokédex and quickly read the list of known Zubat's attacks. She didn't have to look long to find out, in amazement, what the shiny pokemon had done.

"Poison Fang?!"

Anna's concern redoubled and her heart sank at the sight of Eevee. He looked like he was about to fall and his face was contorted in pain. The girl couldn't leave him like that. He was in no condition to fight. What else could she do? She had only one other idea. An idea she didn't like, but the only one she had left, otherwise Zubat would win.

"Eevee! Come Back!" declared Anna, pointing a pokéball towards her friend.

The ray of red light that burst from the sphere quickly made Eevee disappear. Anna hoped it would give her some time before the poison did too much damage. Unsure, Anna took a second pokeball out of her satchel and threw it screaming.

"Growlithe! Go!"

The pokeball let out a lightning bolt that quickly changed to form the orange puppy she had captured the day before. The latter appeared proudly, he staggered in turn. His bandages were still there and his fatigue, apparent.

"I'm sorry Growlithe, '' declared Anna. "I don't want to ask you this, but you're my only hope. Can I count on you?"

The injured pokemon looked his trainer in the eye. He answered her as he sat up proudly, determination shining in his eyes. As reassured as worried for him, Anna quickly ordered him to attack.

"Growlithe! Ember!"

The puppy fiercely spat out a ball of fire which raced towards Zubat. This one dodged once again with a flight as lively as it was graceful before launching a new Supersonic attack. Growlithe's ears ache, but the pup lifted his head; his face betrayed his pain, but not his body. His determination gave courage to Anna, who finished looking at Growlithe's list of attacks. Zubat was still as nimble as ever and if he attacked, she knew her new friend wouldn't resist for long. Something on the list she had gave her a new idea.

"That's it!" she exclaimed with hope. "Growlithe! Growl with all your might!"

The tabby puppy took a deep breath before screaming with a power that made humans flinch almost as much as the Supersonic attack. The one who flinched the most, however, was Zubat. The green bat was circling and screaming without stopping around the room, ears wagging from its aching eardrums.

"You know what to do Growlithe!" declared Anna.

Without waiting, her pokemon aimed with a firm eye before taking a huge breath. Growlithe spat out his Ember. The fireball flew at full speed towards the Zubat. Unable to locate themselves after being deafened, the attack struck the green bat in an explosion of flame followed by a cry of pain. This surprise attack knocked Zubat down to the floor. The pain overwhelmed him too much to hear Anna's voice.

"Pokéball!"

Anna's white and red sphere flew to its target in a perfectly calculated trajectory. The shock between the sphere and Zubat was followed by his transformation into a red light before he disappears inside. Under the confused or determined gaze of the assembly, the sphere stirred once. Then a second. Then a third. Finally, the light on her button went out and a restful silence fell over the castle. A huge smile spread across Anna's face before she jumps with joy. When she retrieved the pokeball, she addressed to it with a mixture of pride and relief.

"I hope this will teach you to respect boundaries."

The princess then turned to the winner to hug him in a warm hug.

"And that's thanks to my little hero! I couldn't have succeeded without you."

Growlithe nodded without humility, head held high, before collapsing into her trainer's arms, his tongue out.

"Oh right!" remembered Anna. "You deserve a good rest. Eevee too of course."

Anna made Growlithe return in the pokeball before turning to exit the room. She dreaded the reaction of her parents and what she saw did not calm her fears. Everyone who had witnessed the fight seemed worried at the sight of Anna. Between the monsters and the strange magic they had before their eyes, none knew how to react without giving in to panic. The only one who kept his cool was King Agdar. The queen and Elsa were not present. The sovereign approached his daughter with a rigid step. With an almost unconscious gesture, she put her pokeballs back in her satchel. When the king faced his daughter, the latter could not read his gaze. It looked like a thousand feelings were fighting behind a quivering wall of respectability.

"Please father…" implored Anna. "I know it didn't go as I planned but…"

The sovereign raised his hand and cut off Anna's words.

"Go to your room," commanded the king. "We'll talk later."

Anna froze for a moment. Unsure of what she had heard, she took a step towards the door. Her father still hadn't added to give him the pokeballs. Before giving him the chance, she hurried out, however changing direction to find something to heal her friends. The king sighed heavily in the room where the fight had taken place. The furniture were upside down and a black stain stained the wall. The orange dog's fireball had narrowly missed a painting. The king had a lot on his mind and an important decision to make.