Roni's POV

Two Hours Before Adele Awoke

I stood up groggily, my eyes still shut tight against the sunlight breaking. It was winter, meaning that the sun came out later and later, even by just a bit every day. This also meant that Ada was going to be using any and all, "romantic" ploys to tease me or flirt with me. Either way, one or the other was going to have to occur at one point or another. I tweaked her ear slightly, causing her to flick them and mutter some incoherent sentence. I stifled a laugh at my own childishness at attempting to do what Adele would. I kissed the top of her head as I snuck out and away from her. I hurried away, quickly pacing myself down the path; I had much to do and not much time to do so.

"Before you head off," I heard a voice say to me, cutting off my train of thought, pulling it to a grinding halt, "I'd like a moment of your time." I turned my head towards the owner of the voice who stood right behind me. There stood before me what I considered to be a, quite frankly, statistical improbability. That being my way of simply stating that, 'There was no way in hell that there was a snowy furred Eevee standing before me.' The Eevee appeared to be just around my age, give or take a week or so. After studying the Eevee for a while, I realized that this oddly-colored Eevee wasn't snowy white like me; rather, this Eevee was several shades darker than me. This made it a gray, not a white except for their eyes which were an alice blue.

"And who, may I ask, are you," I responded calmly to the Eevee. Whoever the Eevee was, I certainly did not know them. My clan was the only one for miles, and that made me, possibly, the only oddly colored Eevee for hundreds of miles around. She managed to hold a calmed face that rivaled my own.

"Tut tut," she said to me, most likely mocking the way I spoke, "Formalities, formalities. Isn't it proper for you to introduce yourself before asking for the name of others?" I smirked slightly. I took on a side note that this Eevee was effeminate. There weren't that many Pokémon around that could hold a flame of intelligence to me like that, excluding each of the clan leaders but Mimi.

"As I seem to recall, you were the one who addressed me at first, and in thus so, never asked me for my name but otherwise asked me to stop."

I was hoping to seek out an opponent, if this Eevee's intelligence was as high as I had just judged. She grinned at me and said, "I suppose that those who have better knowledge of mannerism are rarer to find than those of our fur coloring. I am beginning to stray however. Let's start over. Before you head off, I'd like a moment of your time. My name is Myra, and yours would be…?"

"My name is Roni. It is… ah, a pleasure, to have your acquaintance, Myra. And to what pleasure would this visit be? I have to take it that you are from far away?"

"First of all, let's cut all the Tauros crap with all of this formal speech. I know that you have a more… casual way to talk, plus, it kind of gets bothersome at times. Now let's get down to business." I frowned slightly at this. It really was obvious that she was intelligent, witty even by that last remark. It had appeared that baiting her into a small, intelligent argument would be out of the question. "Very well," I replied, clearing my throat, "So what exactly do you want to talk about with me?"

"I was hoping first of all, to get to know you before we get into anything more serious," she replied, 'subtly' dropping the hint that there was obviously some deeper meaning to this. "But right now is not the time, not the right place. I would like to meet you later, sometime afternoon perhaps? We could meet in the nearby meadow." This had confused me. Why had she addressed me earlier if all she was going to do was to talk with something about me? She very well could have waited until I had completed all my tasks for the day, so why so early? My fur bristled slightly in unease, and myself, doing my best to contain it.

"Sure, the meadow," I replied quietly. I felt pretty bare without talking in my sophisticated tone. I had taken up the kind of speech long before, never really breaking it unless absolutely necessary. Myra coughed slightly, trying to bring me back to her. "One thing though, just by the way," she giggled cutely, and pointed to my collar of fluff. "Your fur is a little out of place." She walked up to me, brushing my side a little. She licked her paw and smoothed down a place in my fur that was just barely out of my current line of sight. I held in a breath and simply stood there, slightly taken aback. "Well… I'll see you later, hopefully."

She took a round trip around me, letting me have a long last look at her as she walked away and around a corner. I noticed a quick, but noticeable wink as she disappeared from sight completely, leaving me to wonder-

"What the heck just happened," I asked aloud.

I had put in a long, hard day of work; absolutely exhausted from the lack of sleep I had from last night to all of the tasks, both meaningless and otherwise, that I had completed. Now was the time for me to go off and learn more about this Eevee, Myra. I had considered going off to the leaders about this, but decided to find out by myself since that was how it usually worked out for me. I would never really put too much faith or hope into something that didn't have a high enough chance of success or other statistic of workability. Basically, I didn't take many risks unless they were absolutely necessary. I supposed that this was necessary.

As I arrived to the meadow, I took in my surroundings, my head swing side to side slowly. The meadow was an open area, with no hiding places besides the patches of grass that got very tall at the low dips of the hills around us, which weren't very tall. Other than those few hills, the meadow was relatively flat and had an excellent view of the beach on the horizon. Sometimes, I wondered if the original leaders and their clan back then had chose this area because there were so many, 'romantic' locations.

"Hey there Roni," Myra said to me, standing right before me. She honestly had not been there less than five seconds ago, but as soon as I turned my head to where she was currently sitting, she was there, smiling peaceably. I returned the gesture with slight unease, my fur bristling slightly on my tail. "So what do you want to talk about Myra? You wanted to get to know me better, right?"

"First things first Roni, could I bother you for a battle? Just a friendly one, you know, to get to know one another," she told me quite seriously. Her eyes focused upon mine with such intent that their very light blue color glimmered slightly in the already setting sun's light. Almost as if forced to, my head nodded unconsciously. I really had no idea what compelled me to do so, but I apparently had. "I'll take the other side of the field, no pun intended." She giggled cutely again. There was a temporary mental lapse where I had not understood the pun in question, but disregarded it. Moreover, I began to question just why I found her giggles cute. I disregarded that question as well. I didn't know exactly what made me want to be on good terms with the Eevee, but it didn't seem to matter much to me either way. In the end, she would probably go away and this would be the last time the two of us would ever meet, even more meet each other in battle, friendly or not.

"So let's make this a simple Tri-Down Battle, shall we," she announced to me from her side of the field. "I assume you know the rules?"

"Each battler attempts to defeat the other in no set amount of time. The battle is over when an impasse is brought upon, if one battler is knocked out, if a battler is knocked down three times or when a draw is mutually agreed upon," I recited from heart, "Use of outside items such as berries and held items are permitted if both battlers agree upon it. Restrictions are hitting a downed battler and third-person interference." We both laughed at my sudden explanation.

"Well, let's get to this then," she said taking an offensive stance. I nodded in silence and copied her pose, just to shake her a bit. We both breathed out a little before simultaneously counting down, "Five… four… three… two… one… zero!"

Myra kicked things off quickly, and quite literally. She knocked me to the ground with a Quick Attack, causing me to flail back a bit and tumble, getting dirt mixed up a little in my fur. Apparently, she wasn't one to joke around about fighting. Neither was I. I looked at her with fake tears (not the actual move, but from knowing how to lie-, erm, I mean act) welling up in my eyes. I growled lowly and wagged my tail slightly, giving her a saddening look. I had known for a fact that when I had done this the last time around against Adele, that she froze up with a blush high in her cheeks.

"Myra~," I whined, actually causing her eyes to light up in surprise, "Look what you did to my fur~…"

She looked as if she were about to say something but quickly recovered from it, a surprised yet understanding look appearing on her face. But by then it was too late. My hidden combination of Growl and Tail Whip got to her, and left her open for me to retaliate with my own Quick Attack. She growled darkly at me, but I already knew that it was a sort of dirty tactic (curse my using innuendos). I frowned as she did not fall over, but promptly staggered back a bit. The only reason I saw for using that tactic was because, I am an opportunist. When the right opportunity was given, I would exploit it or not if it could benefit me. I am a manipulative little Eevee I am, but a loveable one at that.

"That's quite the interesting combination choice Roni," Myra remarked, closing her eyes. "It's quite handy the way you can toy with a person to find the right openings. Kudos to you on that, but I will not lose so easily." I had gone back a step in my mind. I hadn't expected her to understand my strategy so fast, but that didn't mean that she still couldn't fall for it. I mean, I had battled with Adele many times before, and being pinned and tricked on many occasions made me wary. Myra used her Quick Attack again, but rather than actually tackling me with it, she got a clean, solid swipe of her paw against the side of my head. I staggered backwards, but retaliated by my own just as speedy Quick Attack against her while using my shoulder to dig into her body. Being Eevees, our list of moves wasn't that expansive, meaning that this would be a long, dragged out battle of slugging each other or being crafty with our moves. I wasn't going to let myself be beaten so easily.

Myra suddenly dashed at me once more with a Quick Attack. I quickly sidestepped her, letting my foot hang out a bit so as she passed me by, she tripped over my foot and did her best to regain her balance. I took this moment to Tackle her and pin her down, my mouth just hovering over her right shoulder. She did her best to struggle out but was inevitably stuck. She sighed, smiling still.

"Guess I lost, although, I didn't expect the battle to go on as short as it did."

"Same goes for me," I replied, letting her back up. Suddenly, she tripped me and pinned got on top of me. She giggled happily, her tail swishing back and forth.

"Have you forgotten the rules already," she asked me with a hint of confusion. I looked away, my fur bristling again, but in nervousness this time. "You knock your opponent down three times, I only counted once." Normally, I wouldn't be so clumsy as to forget something discussed just moments ago. That was unless I had something more interesting or of higher priority in my head. I growled a little in agitation as I managed to get myself into a position where I kicked her off. Unluckily, she still managed to land on her feet. Apparently, this would have to last a while. Myra seemed to rely heavily on speed, meaning that my trip up was a good move, but wouldn't work as much anymore. I formulated a plan as soon as I came upon the realization of the field. I had her.

Executing a Quick Attack, I charged at her, my eyes focused on hers. She stood somewhat rigid and prepared to stand her ground. Instead of doing what she was probably hoping for, I moved in extremely close to her, but did not hit her. Instead, I slid into a pocket of grass nearby. I imagined her spinning around and looking for me, hoping her adrenaline affected her brain and cause her to forget the field's layout. Quickly, I began my charge again. With her guard down, I got in a Bite, and repeated my tactic. She was temporarily dizzied and frantic, chasing me with her eyes but unable to block or dodge. This was the basic concept of luring your opponent to show their weak spot and exploit it. It was surprising though that Myra had not seen this outcome, but when one's speed is great and you doubt your opponents, you hand them an opening. I managed to keep it up for several minutes, my breathing hard, but my lungs were overwhelmed with too much adrenaline for me to feel much of anything. I was shocked as she fell down on one paw.

"Looks like you don't have as much stamina as I had thought," I grinned playfully. There were the few times in the world I prided myself on knowing exactly what to say to make a Pokémon confused and disoriented. Thankfully, this was one of them. "With you in a position such as that, it wouldn't take much to tip you over; which isn't really an attack. And after you're stuck in a position like that, imagine the possibilities I could exploit..."

"Stop Roni," she fell down on all paws then, cringing. I noted a small blush creeping upon her face. It looked like Ms. Calm-Cool-And-Collected had a few of the same weak spots I had. "I-I concede... No more... Y-you win."

I gave her a flickering smile and lied down beside her. It felt good going up against someone new, and winning. There was no shame in losing, but it still stung. After all, learning is hard, but learning from mistakes is harder. This would probably be the last time I could use a speed priority tactic. Pardon me, but that's my term for my actions in battle. I classify each tactic under a category or priority that demands a certain area's or areas' skill(s).

The two of us were lying next to one another, catching our breath. We spent a little more time getting to know each other as promised. It appeared that she came from much farther out of the area than I had expected; all the way in the Kanto region. This being the Sinnoh region, I found it odd that she was all the way out here but disregarded it. I also managed to find out that she was traveling with a small group a fair distance away, she had been born on November 12 (mine being December 24 as a side note),and quite a lot of other nice tidbits. We also playfully hit each other while the other was closing their eyes in peace. I had to admit that I felt like I was betraying Adele so far. I wouldn't even probably see this Eevee again, so why the good terms and supposedly budding friendship? Was I proving what Adele said was wrong?

You're always so kind and generous. Also, whenever you have the time to do what you want, you spend most of that time entertaining me. I know I can annoy you, and tease you harshly at times, but I really do care. Thanks for all the times you've sacrificed things for me, and not just for me, but for everyone. I really like that about you Roni~ so just relax this time around…

I really did use most of my time helping others, or caring for her. I had time now and I had finished helping others. So, why wasn't I with Adele right now? Being here seemed a bit… wrong.

"Do you have anyone," Myra asked me, already back on her paws. I rolled back up from lying down and stared at her in confusion. She was returning my look with one of seriousness. Understanding my confusion, she clarified carefully. "I mean, do you have anyone you have any certain interests in? Like someone you might take as a potential mate or something?"

I thought carefully about it, was she toying at me to get back? But what if she was serious? I was coming around to that certain age that the leaders were talking about, and Mimi had given me, 'the talk' and a series of unfortunately, unforgettable and inevitably burned-into-my-mind images that had to do with Adele and I. I still shivered at the memory of the images, and tried to stop shivering in front of Myra. Just how Mimi had those images in her mind first frightened me.

"Not really… or, I'm not really sure," I replied honestly.

"I see, well… if you don't have anyone tying you down…" Myra continued, giving eerie emphasis on, tying you down, "Would you consider coming with me?

My mind was running near blank now; a single thought going through it: WHAT?

"W-w-what do you m-mean," I pressed, shifting my weight uncomfortably. "Go with you?"

"That's exactly what I said. Are you pretending to be a Chatot? If you are, you aren't doing a very good job of it," Myra said giggling before walking right beside me. She was walking close enough to be in what I liked to call, "Ada's range." It was named after Adele's nickname and habit of being in my personal space at the oddest and sometimes worst times. The range of said area was anywhere between three inches to direct touching of any part of my body. She was strutting by me and wearing an amazing creepy mimic of, 'Adele's certain face' as her tail accidently brushed my muzzle. I turned my head away and down from her tail, trying not to blush.

"I want you, to come with me," Myra explained once more, but beginning to deepen the reason why. "You're going to have to make a choice soon. As of now, I can't really say much about anything but that that choice is going to plant the seed of an ever branching tree. Any of the details and information I tell you now without you being ready will mean nothing until you have chosen, and hopefully for my side.

"However, as you can see, I am here, coming to you now. I know you have skill; and great-, no amazing skill at that. My group and I would like to utilize it. I'm sorry if none of this makes sense, but you don't have to worry about anything yet. I'm simply worried about your well-being." I felt uneasy at this. Myra was making no sense whatsoever. Not even the part about having to make a choice. I looked away, feeling a cold wind blow around us.

"I-I just don't get anything so far…" I muttered to her. Myra sighed and looked me down long and hard. I was beginning to feel even more uneasy.

"It's getting late. I need to go," she whispered to me, dangerously close to me. I could feel her warmth slightly emanating towards me. She was really much to close. She had to let up some personal space or I would crack. "Roni… before I go, you're going to make a promise to me. Promise right now that the moment anything out of the ordinary happens, you'll run back here to the meadow and take the single dirt road nearby. Don't try to take too much attention when it happens and try not to bring any hitchhikers… namely that Espeon off at the meadow's entrance. Bye." She gave me a quick nip on the ear, until I nodded slightly in response.

She left quickly after and made the perfect entrance for Adele to come in. She seemed overly worried about me, or maybe that was just what I thought. Adele always took good measure in making sure I was alright. I guessed that she had seen everything (including the ear nip) and was worried about me.

"It's alright Ada," I told Adele, using my nickname for her. She always found it cute at times, whereas I thought it was quite embarrassing. "Just give me a moment to rest." She snuggled close to me, her muzzle buried in my collar. She didn't resist as I ran a paw down her back. She was trying to breathe much more calmly and obviously suppressing tears.

I remembered that one day before… Where Adele had been crying really hard in front of the clan leaders and snuggled and in the exact same way she was now. She had been confused, scared and really worried. She always seemed hopeless and sometimes a little air-headed, but I knew she had potential for many things and usually meant well.

Myra; a mystery wrapped in a riddle, inside an enigma. Why did it feel like she had an ulterior motive? Maybe I only thought that because I didn't know much else outside of the sketchy, 'fact' that I would have to make a choice soon, but how close was soon? She was mysterious, and really brought about my curiosity. I mentally slapped myself the moment I looked at Adele raising her head to look me in the eyes, tears running down hers. Myra's words rang out in my ears.

"Promise right now that the moment anything out of the ordinary happens, you'll run back here to the meadow and take the single dirt road nearby. Don't try to take too much attention when it happens and try not to bring any hitchhikers… namely that Espeon off at the meadow's entrance. Bye."

If I believed Myra, if something was going to happen… could I really just leave Ada behind?"