Editor's Note: I haven't been able to think of a way to properly tell this story. I don't like explaining in detail (probably because of the fact that I never could explain in detail very well) and I think that's what killed my first story. To be honest, some of the content that you're reading is actually based off of the formatting and perspective of that story. You can read the story from the beginning at my deviantArt account.
Part 2: Recovery?
"Did anybody else hear Eevee's shouts for help?" Katherine asked. "I didn't hear anything, since I was on the other side of the forest." Vulpix replied, briefly stopping to check the map. "Come on, it's not far now."
They made a camp for the night. Vulpix made a small campfire, and Vale made sure it stayed lit. Katherine felt comfortable in the cold night air being an Ice-type, so she kept her distance from the fire. The group's supplies were very low; they had no Oran berries or apples. Vulpix constantly checked on Eevee's condition, which seemed to get considerably worse as the night continued on.
As the sun's tip barely broke over the horizon, Vulpix decided that the group should probably leave earlier, since Eevee's condition was not getting any better staying at the campsite. Katherine and Vale couldn't disagree, since their concerns were also fixed on the Eevee's injured state. They traveled for about an hour before Eevee started showing signs of weakness. A few hours passed, as the sun began to center above them, the sight of a village broke over the horizon.
"We finally made it!" Vulpix said, letting out a sigh of relief. "Do you think you can walk the rest of the way Eevee?"
"Yeah... I think I can make it..." Eevee responded. Katherine looked at her, she limped quite badly as she walked, but she still had a look of determination on her face. It was also something that she saw constantly in Vale's and Cloe's expressions.
Eevee still cringed with pain on occasion as she walked. She had slowed down considerably since they first left the campsite. At least the walk isn't much further. Otherwise I don't think Eevee could keep up. Katherine thought as she slowed down a little. She noticed that Eevee had been walking, or in her case limping, behind everybody else. None of them slowed their pace to let Eevee catch up.
Katherine slowed down enough to let Eevee catch up to her, and began to carry conversation with the fox-like Pokemon. "How badly does it hurt?" Katherine asked after a few moments of silence. "Like, on a scale of one to ten? I'd say about an eight." Eevee responded. "If that's an eight, then what's a ten for you?" Katherine asked, she couldn't think of anything hurting more than getting brutally attacked by a malicious Scyther. "Try adding Acid burns to this, and there you go." Eevee replied. Well, now I can think of something that hurts more than this. Katherine thought, thinking of how bad those cases of burns and poisoning from Acid were at the Pokemon Center.
After another half-hour of walking, the group reached the borders of the village. "I might as well give you a quick tour." Vulpix said. "This is the main hub for all rescue and exploration teams. Welcome to Hollow Plains Village."
The village was fairly busy when the group got there. The village was actually in the Hollow Plains. That's what the villagers called it, at least. It was flat ground, with a large mountain off in the distance. The mountain was to the north of the village and towered high into the clouds, the cap of the mountain topped with snow. There was an ocean to the east, just close enough to see the edges line the horizon. To the south, there was a plateau. This plateau was just large enough to be seen at a distance. The group entered from the west, which was the merchant's trail.
Vulpix walked quickly through the village, noting the essential places for teams. There was, of course, Kangaskhan Storage. Just next door, there was a store owned by a Jynx and a Mr. Mime. The store had many mirrors in it, and most of the mirrors reflected on the many items, making the store look large. The store was large itself, with or without the vast arrays of mirrors. Further down the road, there was a bank owned by a Snivy. "We're not sure why the Snivy runs the bank, but she's trustworthy with our money, so we don't mind." Vulpix whispered as they passed by.
They passed through a bazaar, which was full of various items. Whatever you needed, odds were you could find it there. At the end of the road they stopped at a particular building. "Well, here we are. Chansey Clinic." Vulpix said, stopping and looking to the left. The building looked like an army tent. It even featured the usual red cross with a white circle behind it. "It might not look like much, but if you get wounded, this is the place to go."
"Well, I don't think Eevee will get better standing in front of the Clinic." Vale said. Vulpix walked over to Eevee, and motioned for her to go into the Clinic. "We'll be back in a moment, you two. Don't go anywhere." Vulpix said as she entered the tent, injured Eevee in tow.
What exactly can we do? Katherine thought, her experience of being a Pokemon nurse wouldn't exactly work here. She didn't know of any of the medicinal items they used here. She heard of the magical healing properties of seeds as she passed through the bazaar, but she was still unsure about it.
"Katherine, I noticed something." Vale said. "What is that exactly, Vale?"
"Haven't you noticed? You're still wearing your necklace." Vale noted. Katherine checked, and sure enough, she was still wearing the necklace. The notable change, however, is that the necklace was glowing very dimly. Why is it glowing? Katherine thought, staring at the gem.
"There's a reason it's glowing, Katherine." A familiar voice spoke out. "You'll find out in time, but first, there's one thing you need to do."
Espeon, what do I need to do? You're not giving me enough information here. Katherine was talking to Espeon in her mind. Espeon didn't respond back, leaving Katherine to think about what to do next.
Vulpix walked back out of the tent as Katherine finished her "conversation" with Espeon. "Eevee's resting right now, she hasn't fully recovered yet." Vulpix said. "Come on, I'll show you to our base. If I'm correct, then your friend should be there."
The base wasn't too far from the clinic. It was a two or three minute walk to the clinic. About forty seconds if you ran. Inside the base, Cloe, Squirtle, and Chikorita were talking. The conversation stopped as Vulpix walked in. "Are these your friends?" Vulpix said as she looked over to Katherine and Vale. Cloe gave a smile, and walked over to Katherine. "Yes, they are." Cloe said with a smile still on her face.
"Hey, Vulpix, where's Eevee?" Squirtle said. "She's in the clinic recovering." Vulpix replied. "What happened, is she alright?" Chikorita asked with concern in his voice. "You can go check on her. She's still resting however, so be quiet when you go see her." With that, the two left the base.
A few minutes passed. Cloe and Vale were talking with Vulpix, while Katherine listened. "So, Katherine, are you still wondering what that reason is?" Espeon said. Of course, Espeon. I want to know soon. Katherine thought. "Well, I didn't tell you that you were going to keep the necklace. There's a reason why." Espeon continued, "That necklace contains an ability; a powerful ability. However, it can only be used in one way. You will find out that way very soon, Katherine." Espeon finished. Katherine was more confused than before she was told of this ability. When exactly is 'very soon?' Katherine thought.
"Now."
As Espeon finished saying that word, the door of the base slams open. "Vulpix!" An out of breath Squirtle shouted. "What's wrong, Squirtle?" Vulpix asked. "You need to come quick! Something's wrong with Eevee!" Squirtle yelled as he quickly turned around and started running back to the clinic. "What?" Vulpix exclaimed as she got up and ran out of the door.
Katherine got up, and before Cloe or Vale could say anything, she started to run to the clinic. "Katherine! Wait up!" Vale shouted as she and Cloe ran out with Katherine.