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Seriously, guys, I apologize for my extremely awkward writing at the beginning of this story…

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Chapter 4: Legend by Legendary

My legs felt like they had been trampled by a herd of Ponytas, sat on by a Snorlax, and then swallowed and spat back up by a Swalot. After an hour of hard riding through the mud, I desperately yearned for a break. However, I knew there was no way I could stop. The Eevees needed to get medical attention as soon as possible, and even though Azul City was now clearly visible through the light drizzle, it would probably take me another two hours to get into the city by bike. I winced at the thought... two hours of throbbing legs...

{Hey Anita, we should use this time to continue your telepathy practice,} Apple interrupted my depressing thoughts.

"Let me think about that." I paused dramatically. "No." I didn't need my body and my mind suffering.

{You don't think about it, you just think it!}

"Nope, sorry, can't do it."

{If you won't practice, then I'll... well I'll...} Apple stopped, unable to think of some horrifying threat to make me practice. {I'll stop talking to you for the rest of your life.}

"Sounds like a good plan to me," I retorted.

{Come on, you were speaking just fine to that Eevee a few hours ago! It's just as easy to use telepathy right now!}

"That was a high pressure situation. I had to use telepathy to help the poor little guy."

{Well this is a high pressure situation, too!} Apple whined jokingly. {You're not going to be able to talk to your best friend for the rest of your life!}

Still cycling, I closed my eyes and thought, {Fine.}

Apple smiled triumphantly, but then scowled. {You don't need to close your eyes when you speak mind to mind! I already told you!}

{It helps me concentrate,} I retorted with closed eyes.

{Well, you're supposed to be concentrating on riding the bike as well as using telepathy. You need your eyes!}

{There's nobody around here, so I can't crash into anyone.}

{Well, actually...} Apple's thoughts seemed to drift, but then the Mew suddenly started sputtering angrily, {This is why they should teach common sense in school! Students learn all about algebra and Pokemon types but then go outside and bike around with their eyes closed and without a helmet. You don't need to be a psychic to know they're going to cra—}

{What are you talking about? There is nobody else around! I am not going to—}

CRASH

{Never mind,} I sulkily replied as the impact of the crash flipped me over the top of my bike. I landed face up in the mud, my backside completely submerged in the slimy dirt. Lifting myself from the squishy ground, I saw my bike had hit a girl about my height whose features were hard to make out, as she was now covered in mud as well.

"Umm, are you okay? Sorry about that... I guess I wasn't watching where I was going," I embarrassedly tried to explain to the girl.

{How could you watch where you were going with you're eyes closed?} Apple smirked. Apple seemed to have jumped off of the bike seconds before the crash and avoided the mud pit.

"It's fine; I was just about to head back to Azul City anyway." The girl got up and offered me her hand. "What are you doing out here?"

"Well, I was trying to get to a Pokemon Center... I found some hurt Eevees that need help," I explained. After using her hand to pull myself up, I continued, "I'm Anita by the way."

"Erin," the girl firmly shook my hand, "I'm an assistant Pokemon researcher investigating the effects of different climates on specific Pokemon. Rattata in this area, for instance, tend to have longer legs than Rattatas in other areas of Acceber. Their legs are probably more suitable for getting through mud than the legs of other Rattatas..."

I stared at the girl, stunned at her outburst, but the girl continued to chat about her research, oblivious to my reaction.

"Anyway," The girl snapped out of scientific mode and quickly threw a glance at my bike and then back to me. "I can get you to Azul City quicker than that bike could if you wanna a ride." Erin pulled out a Pokeball. "Come on out Griffy!"

A bright red light flashed and suddenly a yellow and brown creature with four legs and freaky looking tail was standing in front of me. "Giiraaaf," the Girafarig neighed. {Pleased to make your acquaintance.}

I threw a confused glance at Apple. {How does it know I can speak mind to mind?}

{You have purple eyes,} Apple snickered. I glared at the Eevee. {Ok, ok, fine. It doesn't know you can speak mind to mind. All psychic Pokemon can communicate with anyone using telepathy, not just psychics.}

"Umm, are you okay?" Erin waved a hand in front of my face.

"Err, sorry, I guess I zone out a lot." I looked to see her reaction to my lame excuse, but she was already hopping onto her Girafarig.

"Hey, are you coming?" the girl coated with mud called from her Girafarig. The Girafarig was scrunching his nose in distaste of the mud his trainer continued to drip on him.

"Yeah!" I sprinted through the mud toward Erin and her Pokemon, who had managed to clamber out of the mud pit.

{Oh, Aaaniiitaaa!} Apple sang from the edge of the mud pit. {Aren't you forgetting something?}

Forgetting something? What could I be forgetting? I had my Pokeballs, my pack, and ... no bike.

I stopped running— an easy task when there is mud sloshing around your ankles. "Uhh, Erin? I can't come with you. I need my bike, and there's no way your Girafarig can carry a bike and us. Why don't I give you the hurt Eevees and you can get them to the Pokemon Center?"

Even though her face was covered in mud, I could tell Erin was staring at me as if I had just said the stupidest thing in the world. "There's no need for that. Why don't you just use a shbinker?"

I stared blankly at the girl. "What's a shbinker?"

"You know... a bike shrinker. A shbinker." Erin pleadingly looked for some recognition of this strange sounding word, but I was still thoroughly confused.

I shook my head, "I've never heard of it." I watched the girl quickly shuffle through her pack and pull out a strange dark green box slightly smaller than her hand with a white button on its side. I glanced at Apple questioningly, but found it was curiously watching Erin.

"Watch," Erin commanded as she pointed the green box at my bike. She pressed the white button, and after a sudden green flash, my dirty bike disappeared. Erin explained, "This is a shbinker. It uses the same shrink technology as Pokeballs, but it will only shrink bicycles. I really can't believe you have never heard of them. Every trainer I know has one."

I smiled sheepishly as I climbed out of the mud pit next to Erin and Griffy, feeling relieved to finally be on hard, solid land. "Well, I just became a trainer yesterday so I am still learning... though I have never seen any of those shbinkers in the local stores. Then again, trainers rarely visit Melonbi because it has no gym so I guess there's no reason for shbinkers to be sold."

Erin pressed the green box into my hand. "You can keep this; I have another one. Now, hop onto Griffy and let's get going!"

{Careful of my tail, miss,} Griffy politely warned as I climbed beside Erin. {It bites.}

"Come on, Apple!" I called to the Eevee. Apple had been curiously approaching Griffy's backside, sniffing toward his evil looking tail.

{I wouldn't do that if I were you. My tail has a mind of its own,} Griffy warned once more.

Ignoring the warning, Apple inched a little too close to the tail and...

{Yooooowwweeeeee!}

Griffy's tail bit Apple on the ear. Apple pulled away, angry. Strangely, I thought I heard a voice coming from Griffy's back end say, {Delicious.}

{What was that for?} Apple spat angrily at the Girafarig.

Griffy turned its head toward Apple, {I tried to warn you. I can't control my tail; it literally has a mind of its own.}

Curious, I listened psychically to the Girafarig's tail and surprisingly heard, {Ha, ha! Victory is mine! I am now one step closer to taking over the world! I have started by eating this Eevee's ear! Next I will eat the world, and soon I will control all! Ha, ha, ha, ha...}

Apple must have heard the tail as well, for it declared, {Griffy, your tail is insane.}

{Yes, I know that, thus my warning. Now get on my back before it tries to eat the rest of you.}

Carefully avoiding Griffy's tail, Apple leapt into my arms.

Though Erin could not have heard the dialog between Apple and Griffy's tail, she clearly understood the gist of what was going on. "You have a quite splendid Eevee there." The girl smiled amusedly at Apple over her shoulder. She then turned back toward her Girafarig, "Alright, Griffy we're ready! Now, use your agility to get us to Azul City's Pokemon Center!"

My stomach churned as the Girafarig accelerated to speeds I had thought only Ponytas and Rapidashes could run at. I nervously clung to the Girafarig's fur to keep from falling off and saw out of the corner of my eye the short sparkling grass speeding by. Apple seemed to be getting queasy. Its paws were dug deeply into Griffy's fur, and it was shivering slightly. Erin, however, was unaffected by this speed. She once again started to animatedly chatter about her research, oblivious to the distress of the other riders.

"So I told you I'm a Pokemon Researcher, right? I work for Professor Blubber of Cape Caution. You know where that is, don't you? It's at the northeast corner of Acceber, but I suppose you know that. Although you didn't know what a shbinker was. That was strange. Anyway, I just absolutely love my research! Pokemon are such interesting creatures, don't you think? I mean, who would ever think that such cute looking creatures could be so dangerous. Look at a Vulpix. They are soooo adorable but capable of destroying an entire forest with their fire! And Pikachu..."

Erin continued on about cute Pokemon, but I tuned her out and watched as Azul City got nearer. We were already at the outskirts of the city and were passing by some small homely looking cabins. I could now clearly see the city's grand buildings, which somehow gleamed despite the lack of sun. Azul City was one of Acceber's biggest cities and had some of the biggest shopping centers in the country. Though I had never left Melonbi, I had friends who had gone to Azul City for occasional vacations, and they always came back describing their vivid shopping experience. I personally thought shopping was overrated, though I could never tell my friends this. They would certainly drag me to the nearest mall, believing I must not be shopping enough to remember the truly amazing sensation of buying crud I don't need.

Apple, who seemed to have turned a pale shade of green, interrupted my thoughts. {Are we almost there? I think I'm going to puke...}

{Just hold on a few more minutes,} I replied, trying not to reveal my own discomfort.

"Hello? Anita, did you hear me?" Erin peered at me over her shoulder. "I was just discussing your Eevee. I've never seen an Eevee with eyes like that. They actually match your eyes. Where ever did you find it?"

Still clinging for my life, I managed to mutter, "Near my house in Melonbi."

Erin still seemed completely oblivious to my tenseness. "Very interesting. Hmm... and is it male or female? Does it have a nickname?"

"Its name is Apple and... ummm..." I actually did not know Apple's gender. As a Mew it was genderless, but as an Eevee...

{You can tell her I'm a female... and ask her if we're almost there 'cause I think I'm going to barf soon,} Apple spoke queasily to me.

"...and she's a female. I think she's also feeling nauseous, so are we almost there?" I continued.

"Don't worry; it'll only be a few more minutes. Look, we're almost in the actual city. The Pokemon Center is just beyond those buildings." Erin nodded toward the tall buildings ahead. We had finally reached civilization. Cute shops and restaurants lined the road we were now traveling on. In this outskirt of the city the road was fairly empty so Griffy could continue running at a high speed. However, I could see Griffy was going to have a harder time maneuvering the streets of ahead, as they were flooded with busy shoppers, tourists, and businessmen.

{Hey, Apple?} I looked down at the Mew. I had a curious question.

{What?} Apple replied, irritated.

{Are you actually a female in that form? I mean physically... inside and out?}

{Yes. If you took a piece of my fur and examined the DNA, it would match that of a female Eevee.}

{Could you be a male Eevee if you wanted to be?}

{Now I could. Before I had only seen a female Eevee, so I could only transform into a female.}

{Apple?}

{WHAT?}

{You're a strange creature.}

{Thanks,} Apple snickered. {Now will you stop bothering me and let me focus on not puking?}

Griffy soon reached the mass of people, and sure enough, we were forced to slow down. People threw us irritated glances as we rapidly weaved through the crowd and cut people off.

One particular salesman who we accidentally knocked over started swearing loudly at us and sent out a nasty looking Cacnea to teach us a lesson with pin missile. Luckily, Griffy was able to throw up a reflective barrier and get away, though not without first trampling a juggler and ruining his skit. After much shoving, we finally made it to the Pokemon Center.

As we dismounted Griffy, Apple leapt from the Girafarig and raced toward the Pokemon Center. Erin returned Griffy, and we quickly followed the erratic Eevee. When Apple reached the Pokemon Center entrance, it promptly barfed right in front of the glass doors. Apple then turned and pranced back toward us.

{I was going to try to make it to the nurse before I barfed, but oh well. I feel much better now anyway!} Apple happily jumped into my arms.

A girl walked out of the Pokemon Center and stepped in the puke. She looked down at her feet, squealed, and stomped away disgusted.

Erin glanced nervously at Apple. "Are you sure that Eevee is the one that's not sick?"

I laughed as we hurried through the Pokemon Center's entrance, carefully avoiding Apple's... present.

The Pokemon Center was plain on the inside. Clean glass windows lined the transparent entrance and made the building feel more spacious than it actually was. Pictures of similar looking red-headed ladies hung from the pure white walls and beneath these pictures were blue, plushy couches. To the left there was a beige carpeted staircase leading to the second floor where Pokemon trainers could stay over night. Directly across from the Pokemon Center's entrance was a counter, and behind the counter stood a pink Chansey and a red-haired lady that looked remarkably like the women pictured on the walls. Erin and I walked straight up to the red-haired lady.

"Hello, welcome to Azul City's Pokemon Center. I'm Nurse Joy. How may I help you?" the red-haired lady politely asked.

I pulled the five Eevee-filled Pokeballs from my pocket and placed them on the counter. "I found these Eevees badly hurt. Do you think you can help them?"

Nurse Joy nodded and picked up the Pokeballs, "I'll get these Pokemon cared for immediately. Hold on a minute." The nurse took the Pokeballs to a room in back and returned empty-handed a few minutes later. Apple and I exchanged nervous glances, but Nurse Joy smiled soothingly. "Don't worry; your Eevees are going to be fine. They just need to spend the night here, eat lots of food, and rest for a day or so. The eldest one should be completely fine by morning, but it may take longer for the other four to completely recover."

I sighed in relief, "Thank you so much Nurse Joy! I'll be back tomorrow morning." I turned to leave, but then realized I had nowhere to go. "Umm, do you have any available rooms left here?" I asked the nurse.

Nurse Joy shook her head. "I'm sorry, but as far as I know, all of the rooms are taken."

"Hey, you can stay in my room if you want!" Erin offered, "My roomie left yesterday to stay at her cousin's house or something."

Uh-oh. Did I really want to stay with this rather… rambunctious girl? But, I had nowhere else to stay…

Plastering a fake smile on my face, I gave Erin an energetic "Thanks!" My stomach rumbled loudly. I had forgotten we had not stopped for lunch.

"No prob." Erin glanced at my stomach as it made another strange noise. "Let's go eat a late lunch, shower, and then—" Erin gasped. I looked behind me to see if someone had passed out or something, but my attention returned to Erin as she excitedly squealed, "Oh boy! And then we can go shopping! Have you ever gone shopping in Azul City? We're going to have so much fun! First..." Erin grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the glass doors, still jabbering on. I was having Deja Vu; Erin was wearing the exact same overjoyed smile my school friends wore when they forced me to shop with them.

I sighed. {Apple, are you coming?}

Apple lightly padded after Erin and me through the Pokemon Center doors. {She better not snore.}

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

After many hours of being dragged through about a hundred different stores, forced into over three hundred outfits, and much "Oh, you should totally get that! What do you think of this?" I finally convinced Erin to return to the Pokemon Center. Apple and I wearily waited for Erin to find her keys to unlock her room.

"And could you believe that woman? Honestly, nobody would look good in that skirt. Ahh, here we go." Erin pulled her keys from the purse and stuck a particularly large key into the keyhole.

{You know, I don't think I've ever met a fashionable nerd before. She has a strange personality,} I thought toward Apple. I was getting better at this telepathy thing.

{Brilliant analysis. You're finally catching on,} Apple retorted sarcastically and rolled her eyes. As Erin pressed lightly on the key after turning it, the door opened up to a small homely room. There were two twin beds on opposite sides of the closet-sized room, and above one bed was a window that overlooked the Pokemon Center entrance below. Besides the window and a wooden door across from the window, the walls were bare. The door across from the window led to a small tiled bathroom that smelled of newly bought soap. An open book lay on the fluffy pillow of the twin bed closest to the door. I put my pack down on the other bed near the window and sat down.

"So, I've told you a whole lot about me," Erin started as she too sat down on the bed. "But what about you? I know you're a trainer, but that's about it. What do you want to do with your life?"

What did I want to do? What was my goal? Such a deep question from, ironically, such a shallow person. The obvious answer was, of course, to defeat all of the gym leaders and maybe participate in the Pokemon League Tournament like every other trainer. That, however, was not what drove me to become a trainer. Apple was the true reason. I glanced at the Mew and remembered it trembling under the Charizard's fire. I wanted Apple to be able to defend herself so she would not have to fear living in her true form. She could come out of hiding if she grew stronger; thus I must train her. If the Eevees accept, I will train them as well. Then they too wouldn't have to fear those who were cruel. Yes, I wanted to battle gym leaders to test the strength of Apple and the Eevees, not to prepare for some stupid tournament, and maybe one day they would have nothing to fear.

"Hello? Did you even hear me?" Erin asked in an annoyed tone.

"Err, I guess I just want to beat the gym leaders," I lied weakly.

{Liar,} Apple commented.

{Obviously,} I retorted.

{She knows it too.} Apple nodded toward Erin.

Erin narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Whatever you say. There's a gym leader in town you know; her name is Abalina and she uses grass Pokemon. I can show you where the gym is... well, sorta is... tomorrow if you want…

"Anyway, I'm going to go shower. I'm sweaty from running around so much to shop." With that, she got up, picked out some clothes from her pack, and went into the bathroom. This was her second shower of the day; the first being right after lunch to get the mud off of her body. Erin was remarkably pretty when she was not covered in mud. She had thick strawberry-orange hair, brown eyes, and sun freckles across her nose. She always wore the latest fashions, and though many boys attempted to flirt with her, she gave not one of them a single glance.

I sighed and stared out the window to switch thoughts. It was late, but I could still see people wandering through the streets finishing up some last minute shopping. Stores in Azul City closed very late, and most of the buildings still twinkled with light, indicating they were indeed still open. Apple leapt onto my bed and laid down beside me, resting her head on my knee. I stroked her ears, pondering thoughts of purpose and my life in general.

{Apple, why can I use telepathy with Pokemon?} I questioned.

Apple peeped open an eye. {That requires a long explanation.}

{If Erin takes as long of a shower as she did this afternoon, then we have a long time.}

{Hmm. I'll consider.} Apple closed her eye.

{APPLE!} I yelled in frustration.

{Fine, fine. I'll tell you. I suppose I must begin with the legend of the beginning...}

{Beginning of what?}

{Of everything. Don't interrupt.} Apple obnoxiously rolled her eyes, took a deep breath, and began, {In the beginning, there was only the Creator. The Creator, obviously, created the world, the sun, the moon, the universe, and two beings to occupy this universe. These two beings have come to be known as Arceus and the Great Dragon. For a time, these two creatures roamed the universe together, exploring every nook of the Creator's work and enjoying life. But soon, Arceus and the Great Dragon grew restless and lonely. The Creator saw this, and granted them each, for a time, the power to create.}

{And what does this have to do with my question?} I interrupted.

{I thought you wanted your question answered so I was answering it. Sorry, next time you ask a question I'll go with my first instinct and ignore you,} Apple snickered.

{Alright, I'm sorry. I won't interrupt again. Please continue.} I tried to reply in a serious tone, but did not quite pull it off.

Apple stretched and smiled smugly. {I'll continue on two conditions. One, no interrupting, and two, I get to give you some more psychic lessons tomorrow and you have to listen.}

{Deal.}

{Well then,} Apple began again. {As I was saying, the Creator gave the Great Dragon and Arceus the power to create.

{Now, Arceus believed that the qualities of intelligence and power would allow creatures to live peacefully together and work out problems in a fair, smart manner. Thus, Arceus created Pokemon. He granted each species of Pokemon intelligence and specific powers similar to his own. Yet, to made sure there was a balance of power among Pokemon, Arceus created types, each with weaknesses and strengths, so no single Pokemon, no matter how strong, could become all powerful.

{The Great Dragon, on the other hand, believed that granting creatures intelligence and power would only create problems. He wished to create organisms that enjoyed life and did not have to worry about the dilemmas of the world. Thus, the Great Dragon created animals. Animals had instincts to survive, but lacked intelligence so they were never preoccupied with morals or laws.

{Arceus and the Great Dragon were satisfied with their work. For a time they enjoyed seeing their creations thrive and grow. But, as you should know by now, peace never lasts.}

Apple paused to let the information sink in… or perhaps to tempt me to interrupt again. I fought the urge and managed to remain silent.

Apple resumed, {Soon the Great Dragon saw that many Pokemon were using their superior intelligence to kill and consume animals for food instead of other Pokemon, and he grew angry. Arceus argued that the Great Dragon's creatures, with little intelligence and power, were simply inferior to Pokemon and thus they were prone to die out. This of course, made the Great Dragon even angrier, and soon there was a bitter fight between the two.

{The Creator saw that a compromise was needed to cease the fight. He told Arceus and the Great Dragon that all creatures deserved to live, even those that were unintelligent and not powerful. He demanded that the two of them work together to create a creature that would be able to prevent Pokemon from wiping out the animals while allowing both animals and Pokemon to continue living peacefully. Neither the Dragon nor Arceus liked the situation, but they dared not argue with the Creator so they got to work.

{The Great Dragon insisted, of course, that this creature be an animal, for animals had the disadvantage. Arceus wished the creatures to be both intelligent and powerful, but the Great Dragon countered that the creature would just be another Pokemon if it were both intelligent and powerful. In the end, the two compromised by creating a creature that was an intelligent animal, but lacked power, also known as the human being.}

{You still haven't answered my question. What does this—} I cut off Apple, still irked that she did not seem to be even attempting to answer my question.

{Hush. I'm not finished! Remember our deal!} Apple glared at me, and then continued, {As I was saying, Arceus and the Great Dragon created human beings so that both animals and Pokemon could live together peacefully. Arceus, however, believed that if humans lacked power, they would never be able to relate to or understand Pokemon. Being paranoid, Arceus thought that without this power eventually the Pokemon would be wiped out, not the animals. Without telling the Great Dragon, Arceus added a bit of its own power to the human gene pool so that one in maybe 10,000 humans would have a power similar to that of a Pokemon. Because so few humans had power, the Great Dragon did not discover Arceus's doings until much later, and by then the Creator had taken back the power of creation.

{To further ensure that life would be balanced between animals and Pokemon, eight humans were chosen to rule each region, and a handful of legendary Pokemon were commanded to guard these regions. Kanto, for instance, is guarded by Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, while Joto is guarded by Entei, Raikou, Suicune, Lugia, and Ho-oh. Hoen is guarded by the Regis, Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza, and Sinnoh is guarded by Dialga, Palkia, Uxie, Azelf, and Mespirit.

{Acceber, however, is a different case. You see, Acceber was a bit of an experiment. Perhaps the Creator wished to test the ability of Pokemon and humans to work together or maybe there simply were not enough legendary Pokemon to guard every region. Whatever the case, Acceber was the only region specific legendary Pokemon were not assigned to guard. Instead, eight non-legendary Pokemon were chosen to guard Acceber from danger and rule along side the eight humans. These eight Pokemon were the eight members of the Eevee family; Eevee, Flareon, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Espeon, Umbreon, Glaceon, and Leafeon.

{To this day, the eight members of the Eevee family rule and guard Acceber alongside eight humans. The humans are nowadays called gym leaders. In every region, the gym leaders meet to discuss laws and protection of all living creatures. In Acceber, along with the eight gym leaders, the eight Eevee forms help make decisions.

{Since the creation of Pokeball technology, it has become traditional that the eight leaders of each region raise, train, and battle with Pokemon. Younger trainers battle their leaders to test their strength, and the leaders give out badges as symbols of honor.

{Now, as I mentioned before, Arceus put power in the human gene pool. This power is often referred to as the "gift." Like the powers of Pokemon, it can come in many different forms- seventeen to be exact. Each form of power corresponds with a Pokemon type and can have various levels of strength. A human with a weak gift will work better with the specific type of Pokemon his or her power corresponds with, but a human with a strong gift can actually have powers similar to Pokemon. For instance, a strongly gifted flying type human may have control of the wind, a water type may have control over water, a bug type may be a particularly skilled climber, and so on.

{Generally, gym leaders have some variation of the gift and I believe in Acceber all eight gym leaders are indeed gifted. However, gym leaders are not the only humans with the gift; there are others. Supposedly in times of danger, a gifted human will gather the guardians of the land, and together, Pokemon and human will overcome the threat...

{Anyway, you are one of the few strongly gifted humans, and your gift type is psychic… Congrats,} Apple concluded sarcastically.

{But I thought you said this was a legend...} I began doubtfully.

{The legends are true.}

{How do you know?}

{You can use telepathy.}

For a time Apple and I stared out the dark window. I heard the faucet squeak as Erin turned off the shower.

Apple interrupted the silence. {You have other powers, you know.}

{What do you mean?}

{You have other psychic powers besides telepathy. You are strongly gifted...}

{What kind of powers?}

{Well, we'll just have to find out tomorrow.} Apple smirked. She lifted her head from my knee and curled up at the end of my bed. I continued to stare out the window for a minute, but then quickly changed into my pajamas and climbed under the covers.

Confusing thoughts clouded my mind. If I was "gifted" then why hadn't anyone told me? Did most people know of these so called gifts? And the guardians of Acceber were all members of the Eevee family? Why did Apple tell me of creation and guardians anyway? She could have just told me that a select few humans have powers…

After a minute or so my brain hurt from so many questions. I closed my eyes and tried to empty my mind.

I had fallen asleep by the time Erin inadvertently slammed the door on her way out of the bathroom.