"Thank you so much for letting me borrow your Eevee and Dragonair Ruby, they are both fascinating subjects." Professor Oak said to me as Eevee leaped around the lab room, making me giggle. "Though I can never seem to quite keep up with Eevee's rather playful nature."
"You have to sing to her to get her to calm down." I told him. "Eevee likes to hear calming music so she'll stop and listen. That's how you get her to sit still."
"Oh I see!" Professor Oak laughed. "I'll remember that for next time. I can send Eevee back to you now if you like, I was wondering though if you wouldn't mind me researching your Dragonair for a little while longer." He said to me as Eevee jumped up onto his shoulder and beamed at the screen.
"Vee! Eevee Vee!" I giggled, smiling at my adorable little Pokémon before nodding my head.
"Of course Professor, it's not a problem at all. I'll call again in a few days to make a switch, I'd really like to get to know Dragonair and start training, seeing as she might be an entirely new Pokémon now that she's evolved."
"Oh I wouldn't count on it." Professor Oak told me gently as he tried to return Eevee to her Pokéball though he struggled with all her leaping about. "Dragonair seems to be the same gentle, calm, peaceful Pokémon it was as a Dratini…would you sit still!"
"Eevee, sit!" I commanded and Eevee plonked herself down on the floor, wagging her tail as she smiled up at the professor who sighed with relief.
"Thank you Ruby." He said as he returned Eevee then placed her in the transport. "Sending you Eevee." Within the next second Eevee's Pokéball appeared and I smiled, picking it up and showed it to the professor.
"Pokémon received. Thanks professor. Say hello to Dragonair and Tracey for me, gotta go!"
"Good luck out there Ruby!" I nodded my head then signed off the call, turning around and let Eevee out of her Pokéball.
"Eevee!" I beamed and knelt down to put down the egg then opened my arms, laughing as Eevee sprang into them.
"Vee! Eevee Vee!" I giggled as she licked my cheek repeatedly, all too happy to be back with me again.
"I've missed you Eevee, have you had fun?" I asked and she nodded her head so I smiled, hugged her again then began to check her over. "Well, you've definitely been playing. How about we have a grooming session?" I offered and Eevee danced around my feet as I picked up the egg then left the Pokémon centre to go over to the fountain where the others sat.
"Hey Eevee, it's good to see you again." Misty said with a smile as Eevee raced over to them.
"Eevee there you are! I've got something for you." Brock knelt down with some of his special Pokémon food and Eevee guzzled it down then licked his hand clean after, squirming with excitement as I chuckled then lifted her off the ground.
"Come on, your fur is a mess." I said to her, sitting down on the fountain edge and put the egg in front of Eevee, giving her the task of watching over it as I began to hum quietly and Eevee's ears swivelled back to listen as I began to brush the dirt from her fur. She'd need a proper bath but this will have to do for now.
I looked up when I heard Ash coming back with the supplies Brock had sent him out to get then laughed as he struggled with all the bags. "Do we really need all this?" Ash asked as he dumped the bags in front of Brock.
"Careful!" Brock quickly set to work rescuing the food and supplies and I tossed my bag over to him so that he could pack some things in there to help with space. "So now we've got everything, are we ready to go?"
"We're ready." I nodded my head. "Come on Eevee, how about you enjoy the sun for a while?" I suggested and she nodded, springing down from the fountain side as I put away the brush, shouldered my pack then picked up the egg. "Alright then, let's go."
We left the city and the moment I was out in the country I breathed in the fresh air gladly. I couldn't ever live in a city, it's just too crowded and too fumigated with modern technology. Besides, you couldn't even see the stars at night.
Conversation was light and easy which I dipped in and out of though I mainly kept an eye on Eevee as she danced around, but eventually she wore herself out and walked calmly at my side, stopping only to sniff some flowers before jumping to catch up with me again.
It was only about two hours since we'd left the city when we heard a little kid's voice call out from down below the mountain path we were climbing, making us stop to listen. "My name's Alex Davies from Cherrygrove City!"
"I wonder what's going on down there." Misty said as we tried to pinpoint exactly where the voice had come from.
"Sounds like a Pokémon battle." Instantly Ash's interest was sparked, his face lighting up as he turned to Pikachu.
"Come on Pikachu! Let's check it out!"
"Pika!" The two of them ran forwards and Eevee's ear twitched, signalling she had heard something of interest so she lifted her nose up into the air and began to sniff.
"Vee!" Eevee sprang forwards but I quickly swept her up onto my shoulder, seeing that she was heading straight for the cliff edge.
"Oh no you don't, I'm keeping a close eye on you little madam." I said with a laugh, following after Ash with the others. "If you go hurtling on ahead like that then you'll go tumbling over the side, I know you will."
"Vee!" Eevee beamed then licked my cheek before settling on my shoulder, all too happy to take a rest. I walked over to Ash with the egg snug in my arms and looked over the side to where he was staring. Hang on, is that…Gary? But what Pokémon was that he had with him? "Vee…" Eevee gasped and I looked to see her eyes sparkling. No. It couldn't be. Could it?
"Who's that Pokémon?" Ash asked then pulled out Dexter to see if there was any information.
"Umbreon, the moonlight Pokémon. When an Eevee has had sufficient training and is exposed to moonlight, it evolved into an Umbreon." The picture was of a black furred Pokémon with long ears like Eevee's, only they were more rounded. It also had red eyes and yellow circles on its body, one on its forehead and one on each leg with a ring on each ear and its tail. I think Eevee was in love.
"Gary must have had a lot of tough battles to get his Eevee to evolve into an Umbreon." Ash said as I looked to Eevee. I've never heard of an Umbreon before, but if that meant there were more possible Eevee evolutions out there…did that mean that she didn't need a stone to evolve after all? She could theoretically choose what she evolved into if she wanted?
"I can't wait to see it in action." Brock agreed quietly as we all watched from above.
"Umbreon, this is the first new opponent you've had in a while, so study its attacks carefully." I heard Gary say to his Umbreon who stood up and nodded its head.
"Bre!"
"Okay, let's get this over with." Gary said and I arched an eyebrow at Gary's slightly rude tone. I think the kid agreed with me because he growled and shook a fist slightly at Gary.
"I don't like your attitude. Alakazam! Zap Cannon!" Zap Cannon? I've not heard or seen this move before. Wicked, this is going to be an awesome battle! Alakazam stepped forwards and its spoons began to crackle with electricity before forming a sphere between the two. Umbreon stepped forwards and lowered its stance, preparing to dodge.
"Breon!" Finally the sphere was fully formed and it powered forwards with astonishing speed and strength, shooting towards Umbreon but Gary quickly countered the attack.
"Dodge it Umbreon!" Umbreon leaped high up into the air, higher than I would have thought possible and I stared in slight awe, hearing Eevee gasp on my shoulder.
"Alakazam, use Psychic attack!"
"Alakazam!" The powerful looking Pokémon tore up the ground with its attack, sending rocks flying towards Umbreon with the Psychic boost, however when Umbreon landed, it just stood there. Why wasn't it doing anything to protect itself? What was Gary thinking?! The wave of force hit however it seemed to just wash over Umbreon, not having any effect at all. What? I don't understand.
"Hey! It didn't work!" Alex spoke out in surprise, frowning in confusion as Umbreon stepped back up to the plate.
"I thought you'd be smarter than to use a Psychic attack against an Umbreon." Well, there's the Gary we all know. In answer Alex merely twitched before pointing towards Umbreon.
"Go! Use your Headbutt Alakazam!" Alakazam lifted itself off the ground with its own psychic abilities then sped forwards, kicking up a dust trail behind it as Gary calmly told Umbreon to dodge.
"Now Tackle attack!" It was a strong hit and Umbreon looked very graceful doing it, throwing Alakazam back but it didn't fall down, merely scraped in its feet and remained standing as Alex called out with worry.
"Alakazam!" However once he saw that Alakazam was still standing he smirked. "Yeah! Alakazam, use your Dynamic Punch!" Wow, this kid really had some sweet moves, he really seemed to know what he was doing.
Alakazam sped at Umbreon with a glowing fist, focusing in on its opponent. "Alright Umbreon, use your Agility!" Umbreon then began to move with unbelievable speed and on point precision, jumping from side to side before leaping up into the air, and even when Alakazam went for an uppercut Umbreon tucked and rolled over its head to avoid the blow.
"That Umbreon sure has great Agility." Brock said in admiration.
"It's going to be tough to beat." Misty nodded her head as I watched Gary closely, learning his strategy. As Umbreon landed I could see that Alakazam was exhausted, its shoulders heaving whilst Umbreon still looked fresh from its Pokéball.
"I think we're just about done." Gary mused as Alex called out his next move, obviously not planning on giving up so easily.
"Alakazam, use you Double Team!" Multiple opponents then appeared, surrounding Umbreon in a ring and I smirked. This should be good. I wonder how Gary will deal with this one.
"Not bad. Umbreon! Don't be fooled by the fakes, stay calm until you sense the real Alakazam then attack!" Suddenly all the Alakazam sprang forwards, at once, lunging for Umbreon whose ears were twitching. Eevee gasped, standing upright and gave a small whine of worry so I reached up with one hand and gently stroked her neck to comfort her.
Suddenly Umbreon sprang up into the air then powered down on a single Alakazam, which turned out to be the real one! It crashed into the ground with a groan, hitting pretty hard but then Gary struck. "Umbreon use your Quick Attack!"
"Alakazam hurry, use Teleport!" Alex quickly called and Alakazam disappeared, stopping Umbreon in its tracks as it quickly searched around for its opponent. "Alright! Now finish it off with a Hyper Beam attack!" Nice moves kid, you've really got some guts and talent, I like it. Alex seems to really know what he's doing. However Gary suddenly called out to his Umbreon, warning him that it was coming from the left and Umbreon instantly leaped up into the air, avoiding the hit altogether.
"Now, use Hidden Power!" No way! Umbreon's eyes began to glow bright white and powerful waves shot out and struck Alakazam, revealing its position as it took the hits and was flung back into a tree, where it struck then fell to the ground, struggling to move.
"Alakazam!" Alex ran over to his Pokémon with concern before lifting his Pokéball. "You put up a good battle, you deserve a good rest." He said to his Pokémon, letting it back into the Pokéball and I smiled softly to myself.
"Awesome." Misty breathed as Togepi trilled in her arms and Eevee sighed dreamily, her sparkling eyes gazing at the Umbreon adoringly.
"That Umbreon has been raised well." Brock said almost to himself as Ash looked down with a determined expression.
"We can beat 'em! Come on Pikachu!" And then the genius leaped over the side.
"Ash wait!" I yelled, trying to reach out and grab him but my foot slipped and with my weight leaning forwards, tumbled over the side too. Eevee leaped off my shoulder to avoid being hit but I continued to roll, yelling as I tucked up and tried to keep the egg from being harmed however Eevee raced after me, springing down the slope whilst calling.
"Vee! Vee! Vee!" I landed with a crash on my back, all the wind knocked from my lungs and then Eevee landed on top of me, instantly spinning around as I grunted from the impact. "Vee? Vee Vee Vee? Eevee Vee!" Groaning I shook my head from side to side.
"Ketchum…you had better start running…" I managed to groan before opening my eyes. "Oh great. Just typical." I exhaled, staring directly up at Gary and his Umbreon.
"You okay?" Gary asked as I managed to turn and sit up, sitting my hat back on my head correctly so it wasn't lopsided.
"Sure. I just love falling off of cliffs. It's a hobby of mine." I replied before looking at his Umbreon. "Wow, you sure grew up well. Let me get a good look at you." I smiled, reaching out and Umbreon gave a small smile, rubbing his head into my hand then stepped forwards as I began to look at him closely. He really was a fine Pokémon. Gary had obviously put a lot of care and work into raising him.
"Umbreon. Breon…" Umbreon said to me then looked down at Eevee as she sat there prettily, giving her adorable lopsided smile with her tail swishing across the ground. Umbreon turned his head away and lifted his nose in the air slightly, signalling he wasn't interested.
"Now that's now way to behave mister." I said to him sternly. "You could at least be polite and say hello." I told him as I stood. That's when I noticed the little Squirtle charm on Gary's necklace, sitting in front where everyone could see it. I blushed a little but made no comment.
"Hey Gary! Why won't you battle me?!" Ash whined, waving his arms as he tried to get Gary's attention back.
"I already learned all of Pikachu's attack patterns so a battle will be a waste of my time and yours." Gary answered with pride and I rolled my eyes. Looks like his new Umbreon had turned him back to the way he used to be. Arrogant and prude. With that, he began to walk away with his Umbreon who had been suffering through Eevee's attention as she danced around him.
"You stop right there!" Ash yelled and Gary turned his head back to shoot Ash a look. "Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Noctowl!" Ash called as he let out all of his Pokémon to parade them to Gary. "I don't have to use Pikachu, I could beat you and Umbreon just as easy with any of these other Pokémon."
Just then Chikorita bounded over to Ash and began to nuzzle against his leg affectionately whilst Totodile began to dance, clapping his hands. Cyndaquil walked past them both and Ashbegan to get flustered. "Cyndaquil stay here!" Ash yelped, quickly jumping to grab Cyndaquil before it could wander off and I sighed, shaking my head as Noctowl preened its feathers.
When we both looked up, Gary and Umbreon had gone. Eevee gave a sad sigh, watching Umbreon leave so I sat down, put the egg to my side then lifted her into my lap. "Hey its okay, I'm sure Umbreon will see how beautiful and special you are someday. All you have to do is just keep on being yourself and we'll show them both how strong you are too." I told her confidently and she nodded her head. "How about you return for a rest?" I suggested but instantly she gripped onto me tighter, shaking her head. Okay, I guess she's feeling a little too broken hearted to be away from me right now. This might be a little harder than I thought.
"Where's Gary going?" Misty asked as the other two finally arrived, taking the sensible route down.
"Didn't you challenge him Ash?" Brock questioned as Ash glared after Gary.
"I'll beat him next time." He assured us all as I stood up.
"Well, we might as well get going. There should be a small town up ahead and I think we should stop there before it gets dark." I said, carrying both the egg and Eevee on my shoulder as I set off and the others followed.
All the way there Ash scowled and glared at his feet and I had to tug on his backpack several times to pull him out of the way of walking into a tree or off the cliff edge altogether, though I didn't say a word. He was still pretty angry that Gary had just put him down like that and I would be too if someone treated me like that. It wasn't fair.
What didn't help, however, was Misty and Brock talking about Gary and his Umbreon all the way there. "Gary's Umbreon sure was cool, wasn't it Brock?"
"Way cool. Did you see that coat? I wish I knew how he got it smooth and shiny like that." Brock agreed dreamily. Count on the breeder in Brock to say something like that.
"Me too, Gary really knows what he's doing. Don't you think so Ash?" Misty asked but Ash just turned his head slightly and gave a bitter retort.
"Please. Why don't you give your mouth and my ears a rest?"
"Hey!" Misty glared at him. "What's up with you today Prince Charming?" She demanded but Brock was there to diffuse the tension.
"You gotta cut Ash a little slack Misty, he's still mad about Gary giving him the brush off." He told her and she blinked before looking a little guilty. Ash remained sulky all the way until we finally reached the Pokémon Centre.
"I know what'll cheer you up Ash." I said to him with a smile. "Some hot food and a Raspberry Ripple Ruby Delight! How does that sound?" Ash took a deep breath, closing his eyes to push all his anger and upset away before nodding his head.
"It sounds great Ruby." He agreed, so we all stepped inside. Ash's way of dealing with frustration was by eating, so when we got our meals from the cafeteria, Ash had a massive plate of burgers which he chowed down then went back for another plate full whilst I cooked up my white chocolate and raspberry brownies. By the time he'd finished his third helping, they were done and he ate the entire batch by himself.
"Ash slow down." I said to him as he returned with another plateful but I dragged it from him, giving him a serious look then glared at him. "I know you're upset but this is not how you deal with frustration and anger! Eating yourself into your grave isn't going to help or solve anything!" I practically yelled before clearing my throat and calming down. "Now, just calm down and let's think about this…" The lights shut off.
"Huh?" We all blinked and looked up, completely shrouded in darkness. This…cannot be good.
"Come on, let's go find Nurse Joy." Brock said. "Something may be wrong with the power supply."
"Good idea." I grabbed Ash by the scruff of his jacket then hauled him to his feet and dragged him away from the food, pausing to stuff my own face with a couple of burgers since I hadn't eaten yet until we set off to search for Nurse Joy. "Hey Nurse Joy!" I called as we all spotted her. "What's going on? Is something wrong with the power circuits?" I asked her but she hung her head.
"The blackout has hit the entire town. I've tried calling the local power plant but nobody's answering the telephone." She shook her head and held her face with worry. "This is just awful, most of our equipment runs on electricity and if any injured Pokémon come in, I won't be able to help them!"
"Where's the power plant Nurse Joy?" Brock asked her.
"In the mountains, north of the town." She answered so Brock turned to us.
"Come on! Let's go! We're going to the power plant to find out what's going on. Don't worry Nurse Joy, we'll see what happened and straighten this situation out." Brock assured Nurse Joy and I nodded my head.
"So what are we waiting for? Let's go!" We all set off at a run, heading up into the northern mountains straight from the town. I swept Eevee up onto my shoulder and she clung on as I ran, leading the way as we found the main path which led right up to the power plant.
"This way! Come on we've got to hurry!" Ash called, racing up the hill with surprising speed and stamina. Maybe all those burgers and brownies really did help boost his strength. Somehow we managed to keep running on pure determination, not breaking pace all the way to the power plant which gradually came into view. "Hey look!" Ash and Pikachu pointed, spotting the workers all huddled on the ground, tied together by a rope.
"Those guys are tied up!" That means something has happened here.
"Not for much longer. Scyther, I choose you!" I called, spinning around and flung the Pokéball forwards to let out my Pokémon, who appeared with a strong stance, slashing his blades together to make them ring.
"Scyther!"
"Scyther, cut the ropes to let those workers go free!" I directed and he nodded his head, flying forwards but then something large, heavy and blue stamped on the ground in front of us, forcing Scyther backwards. "Scyther! Are you okay?" I asked and Scyther turned his head to nod at me.
"Scyther." Nodding my head as Eevee whimpered I turned my eyes upwards to see what was now blocking our way. It took a long time for my eyes to reach the top, but once I beheld the entire thing, I saw it was a giant Wobbuffet with Team Rocket standing on top.
"What do you idiots want?" I shouted upwards before they could start their stupid motto.
"Prepare for trouble, we've got a new toy." Oh well, guess you can't break a habit once it's stuck.
"And make it double, it's awesome, oh boy!" James replied as the two began their usual chant, however as they were distracted showing off their new robot, I turned to Scyther.
"Scyther, go free those workers now but quietly, don't let Team Rocket see you then stay with them. Make sure they're safe." Scyther nodded his head then flew through the Wobbuffet's legs, moving quickly with his Agility before he reached the workers then swiftly sliced through the ropes, freeing them. I turned back to Team Rocket, now giving them my full attention.
"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight." James finished before Meowth jumped up for the grand finale.
"Meowth, that's right!"
"Team Rocket!" Ash yelled up at them. "So you're the ones who raided the electric plant!" He said with surprising anger. Guess he was still worked up about Gary giving him the cold shoulder. Jessie laughed then ran a hand through her hair.
"Yes we needed more power than we initially thought to power up our mecha-robo-Wobbuffet." Where do they come up with these ideas? And how do they build things like this so fast? Was there like a Team Rocket robot store somewhere?
"That's Wobbu-wight!" James and Meowth teamed as Jessie laughed again.
"If our pathetic little Wobbuffet can use Counter attacks then why not try a giant Wobbuffet? Now you twerps will never be able to defeat us again."
"And tonight's the night we finally get your Pikachu!" James added before they disappeared inside. Really? All this for Pikachu? Those guys seriously need to get a proper life, because this is just ridiculous. Don't they have anything better to do with their time?
"Alright Pikachu, let's hit them with a Thunderbolt!" Ash called and Pikachu leaped off his shoulder as Eevee cowered back slightly on mine, unsure of what to make of this giant monstrosity. Suddenly two doors opened on the Wobbuffet's chest and Pikachu's Thunderbolt attack hit the glowing centre, which gathered up the energy before shooting it right back at us!
"Move it!" I yelled, turning and we all raced out of the way, running a few metres before turning to see the Wobbuffet pursuing after us.
"If electricity won't work then maybe water will! Totodile!" Ash called, sending out his Pokémon and Misty smiled.
"I can help too! Staryu, Poliwhirl, let's go!" Her two Pokémon joined Totodile as they faced the giant Wobbuffet. Hang on a moment, if Wobbuffet has been super-sized, then that means its Counter attack will throw back anything we throw at it, including…
"Water Gun!"
"No!" I yelled but it was too late. The three Pokémon fired their Water Gun attacks at the Wobbuffet, which was only returned with double the power. "Run for it!" We all turned tail and fled as the massive plume of water plummeted down after us. Once the water had all washed out we turned back to face the Wobbuffet as it continued to follow after us.
"I hate to say it but I think that thing may be unstoppable." Brock said but I shook my head.
"Nothing is unstoppable." I answered but Jessie's voice rang through from within the robot.
"Wrong! Unbeatable too. You see, whatever attack you send our mecha-Wobbuffet's way, gets absorbed by the turbo kick engine, which sends it back with twice the power as the original. So twerp, are you ready to hand over that Pikachu?"
"Never going to happen Jessie!" Ash returned simply, glaring up at the robot Wobbuffet sharply.
"Well, we're just going to have to help ourselves now, won't we?" She replied and the Wobbuffet began to move. "Go robo-mecha -Wobbuffet! Punch!" I took a large step back in alarm as the Wobbuffet lunged for us, however something seemed to hold it back and it swung its arms wildly, unable to move further forwards. Well at least we didn't meet our end by a giant super robot Wobbuffet. That would have been embarrassing.
"Tackle attack Umbreon!" I heard Gary call and suddenly, the Wobbuffet stopped moving in mid action, freezing in place as Gary suddenly appeared from behind the giant beastie. "Okay Ash, now's our chance to get those three clowns."
"Gary?" Ash blinked in surprise before nodding his head. "Alright, let's do it!" I ran forwards, racing past Gary and called out.
"Scyther! Scyther are you okay? Where are you?" I called, Eevee springing from my shoulder to help look but I found him still guarding over the workmen as they tried to get the power back online. I smiled and rubbed his head, praising him softly before letting him return to his Pokéball. "Is everyone okay?"
"Yes, we're all fine." One of the workmen assured me.
"Is there any chance you'll be able to get the power back on soon?" I asked them. "It's just that the Pokémon Centre needs power or the Pokémon might be in serious trouble if there's an emergency."
"To tell you the truth it could take a while since those goons messed with the power." Another told me as the others arrived, however one of the workers hummed in thought.
"You know Mike, if we can turn on the system in the secondary damn then we might be able to get back online pretty quick." He said to his taller friend who nodded his head and smiled.
"You're right! If we can get the water gate open, we can switch on the power in no time!"
"The water gate…" Gary murmured quietly before turning to his Pokémon. "Come on let's go Umbreon!" He then ran off with Umbreon, heading off and I quickly moved off after him.
"Hey wait up!"
"Yeah we'll come with you!" I crossed passed the power plant with Ash only a few steps behind but then a huge foot stamped on the ground between us with such force I cried out and hit the ground, almost losing the egg but Eevee quickly sprang back and jumped on it, keeping it from rolling away.
"Not so fast!" Jessie growled and I gasped as I stood up, egg back in my arms.
"Ash!"
"You go help Gary, don't worry about us!" Ash called back so I paused a moment, weighing my options before nodding my head and running after Gary. Eevee and I ran after Gary, running across the dam to find him trying to wrestle with the cable but with no luck.
"Gary! What's the problem? Why aren't the flood gates opening?" I asked as he stepped back and brushed off his hands.
"I can't get it to turn. It might need some sort of key to turn it. Umbreon, use Moonlight." Suddenly Umbreon began to glow and Eevee looked with awe at him as Gary began to inspect the cable. "Just as I thought. Thanks Umbreon."
"Umbreon." Eevee sat down and gazed up at Umbreon, who noticed her watching him so he gave a slow nod before going and sitting beside Gary.
"So…what do we do?" I asked, looking around. "We have to get the power back to the town or it could spell big trouble for a lot of people and Pokémon."
"Gary! Ruby!" Ash yelled as he and the others ran towards us. "What's the matter?" Gary stood up straight, gesturing to the cable as he spoke.
"This is the cable that controls the flood gate, but there doesn't seem to be any way to turn it."
"The handle's missing." Brock realised, pointing to the point where a handle was meant to lock on to make it turn.
"Where could it be?" Ash frowned, scratching the back of his head but then Totodile called out to us, dancing in front of a supplies cabin and instantly I laughed.
"Way to go Totodile!" I cheered as Ash and I ran forwards. "Is it in here Totodile?" Ash tried to open the door but it was locked, meaning it wasn't budging no matter how much he tried to throw his weight on it.
"Cyndaquil…"
"Hold it Ash, I can handle this one." I told him, placing my hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him out the way before facing the door. I turned to the side and with a quick but powerful kick at the door close to the handle, it burst open and I stepped inside, dusting off my hands. "You don't always need to rely on Pokémon." I said before looking around.
"Sure is dark." Ash noted so I whipped out my flashlight and began to look around, but then Umbreon jumped inside and stood on top of a cabinet before beginning to glow.
"Eevee…" Eevee sighed dreamily before blushing and hiding behind my legs.
"Hey, have you found the handle?" Gary demanded impatiently so I shot him a look, putting my torch away.
"Patience is a virtue you know." I told him as Ash ran over to the wall.
"I found it! Huh? Hey Cyndaquil, I need your Flamethrower!" He called, showing the chain to Cyndaquil who fired up then blasted the chain, super heating it until it glowed red hot. "Okay Totodile, Water Gun!" Totodile blasted the hot chain and cooled it down, making the metal brittle and weak. "Chikorita, now that it's weakened, try cut it with your Razor Leaf!" Chikorita bounced forwards and with a smart flick of her leaf, cut the chain and the handle dropped to the ground.
"Smart thinking genius." I said to Ash with an impressed nod of my head. "Looks like you're starting to use that head of yours for something."
"Hey, I'm plenty smart!" He argued with a smirk. "You just don't appreciate it!" I laughed, rolling my eyes before shoving him out the door and towards the flood gate.
"Sure. Now let's move!" Ash slotted the key into place and tried to turn it, but it stuck fast. He moved and tried another angle but that didn't work either, so we all ran forwards and I took one side as the others helped Ash to pull as I tried to lift my side up, the egg sitting safely a few feet away. "Anytime…you feel like helping…just say the word…." I grunted to Gary as I struggled with my task. Gary paused a moment before looking down to Umbreon.
"Let's help 'em out Umbreon!" Umbreon nodded his head and jumped over to my side, moving Eevee out the way then began to push its head under the handle as I pulled and Gary pushed down as Ash also pulled.
Slowly I heard the cable begin to groan, shifting slightly until all at once, it spun around and the flood gates opened up, letting all the water flow through to generate more electricity. "Alright!" Ash cheered as we all stepped away from the cable.
The Pokémon started to celebrate, jumping up and down and I turned around to smile at Eevee who danced with Totodile but then, our luck turned. Cyndaquil tripped and bumped into Pikachu, who smacked into Chikorita who then pushed Totodile, who then shoved Eevee over the side of the dam.
"Eevee!" I screamed, thrusting the egg into Brock's arms but then Umbreon suddenly leaped forwards, grabbing Eevee by the scruff of the neck as she squealed in fear but his paws slipped, leaving him dangling over the side with barely anything to hang onto. "Eevee hang on!" I lunged for them both but Umbreon let go of Eevee, setting her safely on the side as Gary tried to grab him.
"Umbreon no!" But Umbreon's paws slipped, and he fell over the side into the water, tumbling down into the depths as my heart began to race at impossible speeds. "Umbreon!" Brock had to grab Gary and hold him back, the egg now in Ash's hands as we all stared.
"Oh no!" But I was already moving.
"Pidgeot, find Umbreon and pull him out of the water, go!" I yelled, flinging the Pokéball forwards and Pidgeot didn't waste any time in taking a deep dive. Suddenly I felt something digging through my bag and I blinked, turning my head to see Eevee. "Eevee? What are you doing?" When she lifted her head, she held a Water Stone in her mouth. "Eevee drop that! Quick before you start to…"
Eevee leaped down from my shoulder, eyes narrowed and focused with the stone in her mouth until her body started to glow. "Eevee…" I whispered, watching in shock as she started to change. She grew a tail and fins for ears and around her neck, her body becoming more agile until finally, she stood before me as a Vaporeon.
"Vaporeon!" She cried then leaped over the side of the dam.
"No! Eevee! Vaporeon! Come back!" Now Ash, Misty and the Pokémon all struggled to hold me back as I fought to go after her, tears rising to my eyes. "Let me go! Let me go!" I finally ripped myself free and whistled, calling Pidgeot back to me so she swerved back up and I leaped onto he back, gripping with my hands and knees as she then dove back down to the water. "Hurry Pidgeot, they could drown!" Sweat began to roll down the back of my neck as I watched the water carefully, trying to find any sign of the Pokémon but so far there was nothing.
Behind me Gary had jumped onto Aerodactyl's back and they were soaring after us but Pidgeot sailed easily over the water, her speed outranking Aerodactyl's. "Pidgeot!" She called and I lifted my head to where hers was turned and almost cried with relief.
"Vaporeon! Umbreon!" I called, watching as Vaporeon dragged Umbreon out of the water by the scruff of its neck then set him gently on the ground as he shivered. At least they were both alive. "Land there Pidgeot, we need to help them." I said and she nodded her head.
"Pidgeot." She banked around then landed in a clear space, allowing me to jump off and run over to the Pokémon as Vaporeon began to lick Umbreon dry, huddling close to try and keep him warm.
"Alright, it's alright. I'm here now." I soothed as she called out to me with worry. I dropped to my knees and checked Umbreon's breathing, ensuring there wasn't any water trapped in his lungs before pulling out my towel and wrapped him up to keep him warm.
"Umbreon! Are you okay?" Gary fussed as he too landed and came running over, skidding to a halt then drew Umbreon into his arms. "You had me so worried, I thought I was going to lose you!" Gary told him before drawing him closer.
"Umbreon…" He answered, giving a smile and licking Gary's face gently as Vaporeon came and sat beside me, watching Umbreon before giving me a bright, proud smile.
"Poreon!"
"Yes, you did good." I told her with a chuckle, rubbing her head carefully before gently running my hands over the three fins on her head. "You evolved just to save Umbreon? Now that's what I call brave." I said to her softly as her tail gracefully swept over the ground. She looked far more elegant and sophisticated than before, however her eyes were still the same. Playful and mischievous yet warm and loving.
I glanced over to Umbreon and gave a secret smile as I saw his eyes shine and sparkle slightly as he stared at Vaproeon, mouth completely agape as I dug around in my bag before drawing out some Pokémon food. "Here, this should help warm you up Umbreon. It's one of Charizard's lava lumps but don't worry, it's not too spicy, just very warming." I explained to him and help out one of the lumps which Umbreon took from my hand with a grateful nod.
"Umbreon."
"Thanks Ruby." Gary said as he continued to hold Umbreon in his lap, stroking his head gently.
"I should be thanking you and Umbreon. You did save my Eevee, or rather, my Vaporeon." I said with a smile. "I'm just glad Umbreon's okay. Maybe you shouldn't battle him for a day or two just to make sure he fully recovers, the shock from the water may still cause him to be ill." I told him, reaching out and tickled Umbreon's chin, making him smile up at me. "If he does then make sure you get him seen by Nurse Joy."
"I will Ruby." Gary assured me as I turned back to Vaporeon with a proud smile. "That's a great looking Vaporeon you got there. Goes to show how well you trained it as an Eevee."
"Yeah, but it looks like we've got a lot more training ahead of us, right Vaporeon? We've got to work on your new moves."
"Vaporeon!" She nodded her head in agreement, shifting closer to rub her head against me. With a sudden thought I dug my hand to the bottom of my bag and shifting things around a little until finally, I found what I was looking for. I pulled out the Mystic Water with a smile and offered it to Vaporeon who sniffed it before jumping up and down with excitement. "Vaporeon Poreon!"
"You like it? That's great, it's for you." I told her as I slipped it around her neck then let it settle against her chest neatly, shortening the cord slightly so that it didn't dangle between her legs but rather sat proudly and neatly. "There. You look beautiful." I said to her and she blushed before leaping into my arms. I giggled as she licked my face, thanking me for her new gift before turning to look at Umbreon.
"Poreon?" She asked softly, padding forwards then nuzzled Umbreon's fur, making him blush and look away.
"Breon." Gary frowned slightly, placing a hand on Umbreon's head then blinked in alarm.
"Umbreon you're burning up! Maybe you're already coming down with something." Umbreon shook his head with a slight whine before turning to gaze at Vaporeon as she lifted her face to the moon, watching the stars serenely and I smiled knowingly.
"I think he should be fine in a few days." I informed Gary with a shrug, standing up. "Come on Vaporeon, we better get back to make sure everything's alright in the town." Vaporeon stood up then bounded over to me, taking one big leap and jumped onto my shoulder as I walked over to Pidgeot and her new added weight made me stumble back with a laugh, momentarily thrown off balance before I regained my stability. "Well, you've certainly gained a little weight, I wasn't ready for that." I said to her with a grin as she beamed back at me.
"Poreon!"
"Ready to go Pidgeot?" I asked and my friend nodded her head and spread her wings.
"Pidgeot!" So I climbed on with Vaporeon nestled in front of me for security as Gary returned to Aerodactyl, Umbreon still wrapped up in my towel. I tossed a smile over to Gary who returned it slightly, watching me almost curiously as I turned my face up to the sky.
"Let's fly!" With a single flap of her wings Pidgeot soared upwards, gaining altitude at impressive rates before she evened out and simply glided, looking back over her shoulder as we flew with the moon gleaming on our backs. I glanced over to Gary and couldn't help but bring out my camera and take a photo or two, admiring how serious yet calm he looked with his Pokémon tucked safely in his arms.
Vaporeon beamed up at me so I shifted her in my grip with a laugh then turned the camera around, taking a photo of the two of us for the first time with her new evolution. So with that we flew back to the power plant where the others gathered outside, hooking Pikachu up to the main power system with him giving it a little kick start just as we landed.
"It worked!" One of the workers cried as he flung open the door. "The electricity is flowing and we're at peak output!" Ash instantly turned around and cheered, smiling proudly down at Pikachu as he gave the last little push before stopping the electricity flow.
"Yeah! I knew my old buddy would come through!"
"Pika? Pika!" Pikachu pulled off his little helmet then leaped up into Ash's arms who danced around as Gary and I came closer, me smiling with Vaporeon at my side and Pidgeot safely back in her Pokéball.
"Ruby! Gary! You're both okay!" Misty said with relief, giving me a smile as she handed the egg back over. "We were so worried. How is Umbreon?" Umbreon lifted his head and nodded to Misty, assuring her he was okay.
"Umbreon!"
"Umbreon is as stubborn as Gary. He pulled through without a problem, after Vaporeon fished him out of the river, that is." Vaporeon beamed up at Misty, whose eyes went all sparkly and wide as she gazed at my new water Pokémon.
"Oh it's so cute! I love it I wanna hug it and hold it and never let go!" She declared, falling down to her knees and began to coddle and fuss over Vaporeon who lavished the attention, dancing around Misty and let Togepi play with her tail, which was now a new favourite distraction for the little baby Pokémon.
"You two really saved the day Ash." Brock said, setting a hand on our friend's shoulder who then stopped celebrating with Pikachu to look at Gary with a friendly expression.
"We wouldn't have had the chance if it wasn't for Gary." He said to our rival, who had an unreadable expression on his face. With that he turned around and made to walk away but Ash continued. "Gary, I owe you."
"Yeah." Gary shrugged before continuing on his way. Umbreon pausing to look at Vaporeon one last time before turning and following after his trainer, but then Gary stopped in his tracks and addressed Ash without turning around. "By the way, you've really improved since I saw you last and you've trained your Pokémon well." Gary complimented and Ash blinked in surprise, unsure of how to answer as Gary looked back with a competitive expression. "Don't be too surprised if the next time we meet I'm the one who challenges you to a match." Ash's mouth dropped slightly in shock.
"You mean you'll…" He trailed off, still processing things in his head and I could practically see those little cogs turning. "I'll be ready for it."
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu agreed, waving goodbye to Gary who smiled softly and nodded his head in farewell before turning around and walking off down the path with Umbreon at his side.
"Hey, see you around Gary!" Ash called as I stayed with my friends, smiling softly as I held the egg safely in my arms. You can't fail to see how much Gary has changed since starting his Pokémon journey, though I guess the same could be said for both Ash and I too. We've all changed, and will continue to change but hey, that's life for you.
