----Espeon Day 4----

We walked all night in order to get to Mauville. This was partly because of Flint and I's overly happy attitude to winning the battle, in which Aiden just went along with, but as my buzz disappeared within the first few hours, it was mainly Flint's attitude driving us on. As we arrived, the first few early risers were leaving their houses to grab shopping, go to work, whatever else creepy people do in the morning, like us.

Mauville was a large place, filled with shops, casinos and other typical things seen in a failing city. There was a greenery filled path that led to Verdanturf, but we had to go the other way, find something that could help us get across the water, then carry on up to Fortree. Aiden was hoping that some miraculous stranger with a boat or wailmer could lend us a lift but I doubted it. Realistically, we would be lucky if we could find someone who didn't want to kill us. Mauville had an infamous reputation of muggings. As we arrived early, I was eager to pass straight on through, but Flint was tiring and Aiden seemed lacking also. We wouldn't stop here for the day, but maybe for a few hours.

'You got any food on you?'

Aiden shook his head, turning out his pockets to show me. I had no money either...and I had eaten the last of my bread. This would serve a problem. In the distance however, I could spot a Pokémon centre. Time for Flint to prove his worth, outside of battling anyway.

Strange for me to enter these places. So many times had I seen my enemies, the trainers, coming out of the nearby centre, loaded up with poke balls, ready to catch as many Pokémon as they wanted in Quiyelle. I hated these places, but they would be useful for me now. As soon as we stepped in, the nurse smiled at us and guided us to a room, another taking Flint to get fully healed, who seemed very confused.

We managed to find the cafeteria fairly easily after settling into our room, maybe some Pokémon instinct kicking in. There were some trainers in there, but I kept my furthest distance from them, grabbing at any spare food. Aiden picked up on this and smirked, deliberately calling and waving to some of them as they passed by our table, giving us a weird look before scuttling off to their group.

'Cut it out!'

He smirked, leaning back in his plastic chair.

'What's wrong? We're human, remember?'

I glared at him, saying nothing as I ate my fill.

'Come on, being like this, we have to get some perks.'

Aiden argued, pushing the issue.

'I just don't like it. I don't like being near them, let alone being one.'

He frowned and kept quiet, gazing out of the window to the side of us. The cafeteria was on the fifth floor of the Pokémon centre, so this window gave a view of all Mauville, including the outskirts.

'Can Ms. Willow and Mr. Aiden please come and pick up their Numel please.'

The intercom boomed, prompting me to push back my chair and walk off, not waiting for Aiden. By the time I reached the desk, he had managed to catch up; wiping all the bits of food he had accumulated around his mouth. Charming. I rang the bell on the desk and a nurse, eerily similar to the first, came up to us with a poke ball.

'Hope you don't mind. You didn't leave us with its poke ball so we had to use this one.'

She smiled at me and handed it over the counter. Damn.

'It didn't have a poke ball....'

I whispered, but I don't think she heard me. She went back to her filing, leaving me completely shocked, staring down at the red and white ball.

'Willow? You okay? It's only a poke ball.'

Only a poke ball... I despised these. They were the reason trainers were my enemies. They took a Pokémon against its will, taking it from its home, its life. I ran outside the centre, and called out Flint from the ball. Looking at me, he yawned then promptly cocked his head in confusion.

'I'm sorry...'

I seem to be saying that a lot lately. But this time it genuinely was not my fault. Aiden 'explained' what happened to Flint, but the numel didn't seem upset with this, in fact he sort of gave a shrug, as if saying 'That's life'. He didn't care. But I did. Passing the poke ball to Aiden, I walked towards the beach.

'Willow. He doesn't mind!'

'I KNOW!!'

I yelled back to him, feeling tears well up in my eyes. It was stupid, but he should care. He was free before, he had his own will and that stupid nurse took it, as a favour to us. We could break the poke ball but that may make Flint think we didn't want him and I was growing a liking for him. The stupid camel.

The water lapped softly over the land, hardly making any impact. So subtle, it just took its time to erode away the uncaring land. I watched it, amazed that I found a metaphor for my mind. Already, for the past few days, I had found my childhood memories being stolen and replaced with one of a younger version of this body. I woke this morning half believing them for a second, before finding the reason of why there was such a contradiction between my supposed past and present. All the memories, my eevee life, gone. Even my parents were beginning to fade.

'You alright lady?'

An unfamiliar voice called me, breaking my ever emotional thoughts, but I chose to ignore it, if I spoke now I knew I'd sound groggy. Instead I closed my eyes, focusing on keeping my breathing steady.

'Hey, I said you alright?'

I heard his footsteps on the sand coming my way, but I didn't think he was trying to be friendly. I began to whisper only what I could describe was a prayer, thinking only now how stupid I was for staying in a deserted area alone, with no protection. It was light, maybe midday, but there was no one around. I had obviously picked the hotspot of the season...

'You alone?'

Opening my eyes again, I saw the owner of the rather gruff voice. Tall guy, glasses, brown coarse hair, rather long hair for a guy. He didn't seem completely threatening; still it found me a moment to find my voice.

'Um, no, my friends are just coming back; they just went to collect my parents from the hotel.'

I bluffed, hoping that Aiden and Flint were coming. I was sure they had seen which way I went, surely now would not be the time that they decide I need some alone time. While the man checked over his shoulder, checking n case they were coming right now, I was flicking through every attack I had done, finding one that could knock him out straight away, only to find most of them blurred, like finding half the pages in a book missing. The only I could salvage that would be remotely helpful was one of the most recent, psychic. Used on that fateful day.

'Okay, give me your stuff quick. Anything you got.'

He didn't show me any gun, or even the smallest knife so I stood there, staring at him. As my fear disappeared my eyebrows slowly raised.

'No? Okay, go gyarados!'

Damn. It had to be the mugger that had the patience to deal with a magikarp. The creature emerged only a few feet away from me, eyes focusing on where I stood. Its mouth was open to larger than I was, it roared. The guy's glasses flashed and he turned to me once again.

'Come on now. You're in some good clothing there; you have to have some cash on you. Or do I have to hold you ransom for that sort of stuff?'

He seemed too smug for me to be scared of him. I closed my eyes, feeling the energy push from my body and as I opened my eyes again. The guy was knocked on the ground, the gyarados also paying more attention to me than before.

'What the hell was that? Gyarados, hyper beam!'

I lifted a hand and aimed it at the gyarados, it roared and drew in energy but its eyes widened as it realised nothing was happening. I pushed it down, knocking it on the rocks set in the sea, and then turned to the mugger. He was scrambling himself over the sand, as they always seemed to do in that situation. He managed to force himself onto his feet, but before he managed to sprint home, a wall of flames suddenly flicked up. I was confused. That wasn't me.

'Willow!'

Flint, with Aiden following behind, breathed another flamethrower, partially scorching the mugger. By this time, the gyarados was able to suss things out and decide which was the best side to join. Abandoning his master, the gyarados sank back into the water, leaving us to deal with the unarmed, cringing human.

'Please. I just... please.'

The guy pleaded, holding his hands over his head in some weird form of defence. Flint was pawing at the ground, waiting for one of us to give him the word and finish him off, but I wouldn't do it. I lifted my hand once more and carefully swiped at the guys head, knocking him out. If he woke up and we were gone, maybe he would think it was only a dream.

Flint looked up at me, confused. I smiled down at him, amused by his expression, then a pain began to strike through my head. It hurt like hell, as if my mind was on the brink of explosion, enflaming up first. I put a hand on my forehead; it was boiling hot, though the day was turning cool.

'Willow?'

I tried to look at Aiden, but now I couldn't see. I panicked, barely able to catch my breath. Everything was blurred, everything an instrument to my pain, every noise emphasised so that even the sea crashing was agony. I screamed out, collapsing on the ground, blacking out.

--- Tor---

Not even a week and the energy had begun fading. Now, I felt a massive surge, causing me to widen my eyes in surprise. This process was meant to be painless, but espeon's Pokémon mind was treating it like a disease. Trying to fight it.

This was no fever she could sweat out. This was it.

'Tor, there is another one.'

I turned to see a pidgeotto landing on the ground beside me. Another trainer. This was the tenth in three days.... so many. Espeon must've had a busy lifestyle. Thanking the bird, it flew off, keeping track of the trainer for me.

Soon, this would end.

Cream fur rippled as I leapt off the ridge I had placed myself upon and ran through my lands, Pokémon parting as they heard my coming. There was no mercy for trespassers.

----

Well, quite a few chapters in now. I have noticed the slump in reviews but I don't mind too much about them as long as I still get views. On +8,000 words, I am on my way to those 100,000 words, and I still have plenty of ideas so it should get better. Still, give me feedback on what you want to see. I want to know the answers to such questions like: Why did you read this in the first place? Have you read all the chapters so far? All of those. Thank you

MoonLynx