Rui's eyes opened as the rising sun shined through her window and onto her. She sat up in her bed and stretched. A smile was on her face. After what happened last night she felt like a great wight had been lifted of off her chest. She felt like she and Wes helped each other through their toughest times in the past and have grown closer. She got out of the bed and out of her nightgown and got into her regular clothes. She went into her bathroom and brushed her hair before putting it into twin pigtails. She then saw Plusle who was sleeping on her bed wake up and bound over to her. The two left her bedroom and quietly closed the door.
Standing outside her door, Rui could hear her grandparents in their bedroom and they were still sound asleep. Quietly walking across the hall she stopped in front of the door across from her's. This was the room that Wes was given to sleep in. The two have slept in the same room several times over their journey so far and she has learned that Wes is a very quiet sleeper so she didn't know now if he was awake or not. As quietly as she could, she turned the door handle and pushed the door open. Rui peeked inside and saw that Wes's room was empty. Even Espeon or Umbreon who sleep with him were missing.
Rui grew worried. Sure this wasn't the first time that Wes had gotten up before she did, but this time felt different. Wes' past has always been difficult for him to talk about, and last night he revealed his most horrifying and emotionally scarring event to her. What if it wasn't such good idea to tell her what he told her? What if it was to much to reveal and because of that, Wes ran away? With negative thoughts overwhelming her common sense, Rui ran down the stairs and out the door to find Wes.
When she got outside she froze in her tracks when she saw a shirtless Wes standing at the base of the hill where the two of them talked last night. She let out a sigh of relief and walked over to him. He was standing off to the side watching Espeon and Umbreon who were fighting!? Wes observed as Espeon fired a blast of Psychic energy at Umbreon who dodge it with ease before charging at Espeon and ramming her in the side with his body.
"Good Morning, Wes!" Rui said a little bit worriedly, not sure why his Pokemon were fighting and he wasn't trying to stop them.
"Espeon! Umbreon! Enough!" Wes ordered.
Both Pokemon stopped in their tracks and stared face to face. Wes turned around to face the girl that called out to him.
"Good Morning" He said with a nod.
Rui fell silent and her face turned red when she saw Wes' body. He looked very skinny but he was surprisingly toned and muscular for someone of his build. She didn't realize it but she was enjoying looking at him.
Wes looked at her confusingly.
"Uh, Rui? Are you all right?"
Rui remained silent and continued to unknowingly admire her friends physique.
"Rui!"
"Huh!? Oh Y-Yeah don't worry about me, I'm fine!" She said while trying to make herself stop blushing.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, never better. So why were your Pokemon fighting and why didn't you stop them until now?"
"I was training them." Wes replied.
"Training?"
"Yes, Training. I have them practice battling so they can become stronger and I can become a better trainer."
"Then what about Hariyama and Quilava? Shouldn't they be training as well?"
Wes pointed to a nearby tree where Rui saw Hariyama and Quilava both resting.
"I already put them through the wringer earlier so I'm letting them rest for a while. So now I'm training with Espeon and Umbreon.
Rui stared at Wes confusingly. Just what time did he wake up?
Looking back she heard Wes giving orders to Espeon and Umbreon who were battling vigorously. It was another five minutes before Wes decided to end their battle. He went over to his two oldest partners and stroked both of their heads before giving them each some Pokemon snacks.
"Wow Wes!" Rui said. "I'm amazed Espeon and Umbreon are as strong as they are."
Wes smiled at the girl and sat down between his Pokemon who each laid up against their master.
"Before I betrayed Team Snagem I would train Espeon and Umbreon every morning. Until now I really haven't had time because of Cipher. This was the first calm morning since I left Team Snagem so I figured now would be a good time to train them." He said.
He continued to pet his oldest partners as Rui sat down in front of with a soft smile on her face.
"You really love the two of them don't you?" She asked.
Wes smiled again and nodded his head.
"We've been through a lot together. They've been they're for me since the day I met each of them."
Rui grew curious now. She knew that Wes, Espeon, and Umbreon, were almost inseparable but where did all start for the three of them?
"Say Wes, I'm curious about something." She said to her sandy haired friend. "How did you meet Espeon and Umbreon."
Wes stopped petting his two Pokemon and looked at the girl in front of him.
"Well it started a few months after I joined Team Snagem." He began as the memories of when he met his oldest partners came back to him.
I was always a quiet and timid kid growing up. After I saw my parents get killed and I was taken in by Team Snagem I became even more quiet and timid as well as developed a problem with trusting others. I became scared of people after what had happened to my family and village. I was especially frightened of Team Snagem because my father once told me about them. He told me who they were and about all of the bad things they did and now I lived with theses criminals. Even though they took me in, tried to be friendly, and treat me like I was family, I was still scared to speak to any of them. I was eventually given the nickname "The Young Mute of Team Snagem." Many of the members considered themselves lucky if they could even get two words out of me. However there was one thing that was able to get me to come out of my shell.
"Hey, Wes!" Gonzap's gruff voice called out behind a metal door.
The large man knocked on the door and heard no answer. Eventually he decided to open the door and when he did he entered Wes' room. He saw the young boy sitting on his bed staring at the floor, not even bothering to look up at the man who found him in the desert and gave him this room.
"It's always the same thing with you everyday mate. You always train, then eat, then come back to your room to not be heard from again till tomorrow so you can rinse and repeat." Gonzap said.
Wes said nothing and continued to stare at the ground.
"You've been here for six months now. Why don't you try and warm up to us? After all, we gave you a home when we easily could have left you to die out there in that desert."
Wes flinched at the harshness in Gonzap's as the memories of that faithful night came back to him. If Gonzap was trying to help then he wasn't doing a very good job. In fact he was only making Wes wish that they did leave him to die out there. At least then he could be with his family instead of living a life of loneliness and depression with a bunch of criminals that he was afraid of.
Gonzap sighed and shook his head.
"Look, Wes, I came here to tell you something. You've come quite far in your training. Your quickness in catching Pokemon and skill in battle is very impressive. We think it's high time that you join us in the field. However your going to need a Pokemon to be your partner. Which is why I've got something for you and I think you know what it is."
Wes' head immediately shot up and he looked at Gonzap with his young, innocent, golden eyes.
"Yeah, I figured that would catch your interest." Gonzap said with a smirk. "Well come on and follow me."
Gonzap walked out of the room and Wes remained on his bed but only for a moment. He got off the bed and caught up to Gonzap who lead him through the somewhat dark halls of Team Snagem's hideout. They eventually arrived in the area where they kept all of the Pokemon they stole. Gonzap motioned Wes over to a cage where a scared Eevee was being held. Gonzap opened the cage and took the Eevee out before going over to Wes.
"We caught this little fella following us home after our last snagging raid, so we brought him here to give to you Wes."
Gonzap held out the little Eevee to Wes who was hesitant in taking it. He stared into the Pokemon's brown eyes and saw he that it was just as scared as he was. The young child cautiously held his arms out to retrieve the Eevee from Gonzap who put into Wes' hands.
"Don't know why your so nervous around Pokemon." Gonzap said. "You act just like that around the Pokemon you use during your training. Hopefully having one to call your own will help that. Your first mission will be next Week. You had best not disappoint me mate."
Gonzap walked away leaving Wes alone. The boy continued to stare at the Eevee for a moment before putting it on the ground. The Pokemon then looked up at Wes who reached down towards it's head with a trembling hand. The Eevee flinched and whimpered but soon felt a gentle feeling going across the top of his head and down his neck. Looking up it saw a still nervous Wes petting it as softly as possible. The sensation it was feeling from his hand was relaxing and somewhat ticklish. Wes continued to pet the Pokemon and eventually they both smiled at one another.
From that day forward Eevee and I were almost inseparable. Little did I know that he would soon become my beloved partner Umbreon. Over the next several months I played with Eevee and used him when we were out stealing Pokemon. I remember being called a thief for the first time with Eevee right beside me. I never felt more horrible than I did that day but Eevee was there to lift my spirits. Gonzap gave him to me in hopes that he would get me to open up to everyone else. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. I still hardly said a word to anyone other than Eevee. I felt like he was really the only thing in the world I could trust. However that feeling soon changed.
Wes and Eevee were walking through the desert a few miles away from Team Snagem's hideout. They had finished their training for the day and decided to get a little bit of fresh air. Wes was allowed to leave the hideout whenever he pleased as long as he didn't wander too far and was back inside by sundown.
"You know Eevee I wonder something..." Wes said to the little Pokemon by his side as he stared at the mountains in the distance.
Eevee looked up at his master and tilted his head to his side curiously.
"I wonder...If my village hadn't been destroyed and my parents were still alive, do you think we still would have met?"
Eevee continued to look up at his master. He couldn't truly understand what he meant. However he could feel some sort of emotion inside of Wes but what was it?
"Sometimes...I wish I could go back in time so my Mom and Dad would still be alive, but I also don't wanna lose my first real friend if I did."
Eevee could now feel the emotion inside of Wes. It was sadness. The Pokemon walked up to his side and rubbed his head against his leg. He hated seeing his master upset. Wes smiled down at his partner and picked him before hugging him.
"You're my best friend Eevee and I love you." He said happily to the little Pokemon.
The happy moment was ruined when the two suddenly heard a cry in the distance. It was a cry that sounded so familiar. It was a cry that sounded like it belonged to an Eevee.
Wes and his Eevee Immediately ran towards the cries. When they reached the top of a hill, Wes saw a small oasis and froze in his tracks and gasped when he saw another Eevee being attacked by an Ekans. Looking around Wes couldn't see any village's nearby so were these two wild Pokemon? It was rare in Orre to come across wild Pokemon. Looking down Wes grew more worried for the Eevee than the Ekans. The Eevee looked scared and injured while the Ekans looked fresh and unharmed. Wes knew he had to do something or else that Eevee was going to die.
"Eevee, use Quick Attack on Ekans!" Wes ordered to his Eevee.
The Pokemon jumped out of Wes' arms and charged with incredible speed at the poison Pokemon.
He rammed the snake in it's side with his head. Ekans turned around and hissed at it's attacker. It lept forward and tried to bite Eevee but the he was too quick. Ekans tried to bite again but Eevee dodged once more.
"Eevee keep dodging! I'm going to get the other Eevee!" Wes ordered.
The Pokemon did as he was told and kept dodging the Snakes frequent bite attempts. Wes moved quickly past the action and up to the Injured Eevee. The Pokemon was scared and tried to move away but Wes put a soft hand on it.
"It's okay, don't be afraid." He said gently. "I'm here to save you."
The Eevee looked up at Wes and the young boy took it out of the grass it was trying to hide in and into the light. When he brought it into the sun he noticed it had much lighter fur than his Eevee meaning this one was a female. So said the book that he had once read when his father was teaching him about Pokemon. The still frightened female Eevee buried her head into the crook of Wes' arm.
"Don't worry it's gonna be alright." He said to her softly and reassuringly.
Looking back at his Eevee, He saw that the Ekans was still trying to bite him but it was also tired and exhausted from constant failed attempts. Eevee was just as tired from dodging. Wes needed to end this and he was going to do just what Gonzap taught him to do whenever he saw a Pokemon especially a rare wild one. He reached into his pocket to pull out a Pokeball but when he did he felt nothing but the leather of his coat. He checked the other pocket but felt the same thing. He didn't have any Pokeballs with him.
"Oh man! Gonzap's gonna kill me!" Wes said dreading what would happen when he returned to the hideout.
Wes' Eevee jumped in front of his master and Wes saw the Ekans looking right at him and hissing angrily.
"Eevee quick, blind Ekans with Sand Attack!" Wes ordered.
The Pokemon nodded before turning around and kicking mounds of sand into Ekans' face with his hind legs. The poison Pokemon was blinded just as Wes predicted and he used the opportunity to scoop up his Eevee into his free arm and run away from the Ekans as fast as he could.
When he was a few feet away from the Hideout Wes stopped running and let out a sigh of relief. He then set down his Eevee and looked at the female one in his arms. She had become a little bit less frightened of the boy that had saved her but she was still somewhat afraid of him.
"I know you scared, but I promise that I'm not going to hurt you." He said. "In fact I'm gonna let you stay with me. You can have a home with me and my Eevee."
Wes looked down at his Pokemon and saw affection for the female in his eyes.
"I promise I'll take good care of you." Wes said.
The female Eevee looked up at the boy and a smile came across her face.
That was the day my future Espeon came into my life. I remember Gonzap chewing me out for ten minutes about letting a rare wild Pokemon get away because I didn't have a Pokeball with me. I then remember begging him not to take my female Eevee away so he could lock it up. Eventually he agreed to let me keep her. From that day forward I had two partners that became my closest friends.
Rui smiled happily after Wes finished his tale.
"That was a very sweet story." She said.
Wes nodded his head and looked down at his partners.
"I know with these two by my side I'm ready for anything."
"Wes! Rui!" A voice shouted.
Turning around the two saw Leone heading their way as fast as an old man could go.
Rui ran off to meet the old man half way. Wes returned Quilava and Hariyama to their Pokeballs and ran after the girl with Espeon and Umbreon right behind him.
"Mr. Leone! What's the matter?" Rui asked worriedly.
"You both need to head to the Relic Forest! Eagun's in trouble!"
"Grandpa!?" Rui shouted with worry. "What happened!? Is he hurt!?"
"I'm worried he will be if you two don't hurry!" Leone replied. "There's an outsider at the Relic Stone!"
"What!?"
"Let's go!" Wes said to the girl.
Rui nodded and the group ran off towards the Relic Forest.
Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
I apologize for taking so long to get it out. I was pretty sick and I really couldn't focus on writing. I'm just glad I could get this chapter done.
I'm delighted to say that this story has reached over 15,000 views which I never though I would get. I'm also close to hitting 100 reviews which is also awesome. I can't thank you all enough or the constant support of this story I couldn't have made it this far with you.
I'll see you all next chapter. :)