~~Rainbow - White Plaza - Prism City - Western Province~~

Rainbow: Eevee

White Plaza was a large, circular, and open area surrounded by multiple-story buildings. On the far side of the plaza from where Rainbow entered was a large wooden stage concealed by red curtains. Many seating benches stood between him and the stage, most of them already being taken by other Pokėmon already.

"I'm guessing this is it?" Rainbow asked no one in particular. He was sure he knew the answer already.

"It would seem so," Vera answered from beside him, confirming his thoughts.

Azaelia pulled out a golden pocket watch from inside her tails and peeked at the time. "The auction isn't set to begin for another fifteen minutes." She stuffed the clock back into her mess of tails. "We must hurry and find proper seating."

"Is that the Princess!?"

Like a band of Fearow closing in on their prey, the crowd already gathered in White Plaza turned their attention to the group at the sound of the voice. And then they were on top of them.

"That's Rainbow the Shifter! They say he can transform into any eeveelution at will!"

"No way! He only tricks you with clever illusions is all!"

The group was pushed close together as the crowd coalesced unto them. Azaelia shrunk back at all the attention and would have been bombarded by the crowd had Joltier and Rainbow not stepped up to block their advance.

"Woah! Back away from the Princess!" Joltier commanded the crowd, but her shout fell under deaf ears. The bulging crowd pushed into Rainbow and Joltier with more force.

"Is it true?" Rainbow heard an unknown Pokėmon ask him. "Are you and Princess Azaelia dating?"

The Eevee felt his face heat up. "What makes you think that!?" He glanced back to Azaelia, who had long since hidden her face between one of her tails. "And what kind of reaction is that!"

"I have eyewitness accounts of you and the Princess eating and talking together in a cafė earlier as well as exchanging pieces of Twilight Jewelry!"

Rainbow bristled and shouted back in the direction he heard the voice. "None of that is your business, you stalker!"

The crowd pushed in closer and closer, threatening to trample Rainbow and Joltier over their bombardment of questions and obsessiveness. The two siblings started to suffocate under the oppressiveness of the mob. Rainbow saw Joltier's red cheeks start to spark threateningly. In the midst of the scuffle, however, he heard one particular question stand out:

"Are you the last of your kind? Where are the others?"

Rainbow sharply inhaled and attempted to peer over the crowd to find who asked that question, but to no avail. Before he could question what he had just heard he was knocked out of his stupor by the encroaching mob. If this persisted, he would be overtaken.

"Enough!"

In just one word the wave of Pokėmon was utterly silenced. They took one step away from the group, intimidated by the sheer authority of the voice. Joltier and Rainbow relaxed as the pressure was eased off of them.

"You two okay?" Rainbow asked Vera and Azaelia behind him. The Gardevoir hummed in response, but Azaelia only donned a solemn expression.

"Is this what is expected of citizens of Prism City?" The voice continued. "We are Pokėmon. Civilized ones at that. We will not devolve ourselves to such an extent like this where we become indistinguishable from the ferals we hunt." The crowd murmured ashamedly. "Now let us act as we should and return to our seats in a proper manner, yes?"

Like clockwork, the crowd slowly retreated from mobbing Rainbow's group and returned to their seats. While still stealing glances their way, none made any moves. With the crowd now dispersed, however, they could now see their savior. What awaited them a few paces away was an iconic silver fox.

"Sister." Princess Blazeira von Arkos greeted Azaelia with a passing glance. Joltier dropped to a bow, reigning in her sparkling cheeks.

"My lady," Jolt mumbled from her downward position. "I thank you for your assistance."

Blazeira's eyes were cold despite her fire typing. She glanced at each of them, her gaze only lingering on Rainbow and Vera a second too long, before addressing Jolt. "At ease, Guardsman. I assume your duties are going well so far?"

Jolt stood straight and nodded politely. "Yes, my lady. I am dedicating all of my being to the task."

The elder of the princess sisters started to turn away. "Be sure to do so. I'm certain the so-called 'Star of Arkant' will need the extra protection." She locked her cold eyes with Rainbow's. "Ah, Rainbow the Shifter I assume?"

Rainbow could feel a certain pressure under Blazeira's scrutiny. While she seemed somewhat inquisitive about him, her presence just screamed one-wrong-move-and-you'll-never-see-daylight-again. Resisting the urge to bite his lip, he responded.

"You assumed right, Princess Blazeira."

Her steely gaze seemed to analyze his being as if searching for something not even there. "Your powers, be they fact or fiction, are extraordinary. I would love to question you further on the nature of these powers, but I would be no better than the Pokėmon I just chastised."

Rainbow felt a cold sweat run down the back of his head. "It wouldn't be too much trouble, really."

Blazeira haughtily rose her chin up. "I wouldn't mind taking you up on the offer. But unfortunately, I have an auction to attend. Farewell, Shifter."

With those words Blazeira left their presence without even sparing another glance to Vera or even Azaelia, making her way in and getting lost in the throng. Rainbow let out a held breath. "Is she always that…'' He struggled to find the right word without sounding too offensive.

"Stifling?" Surprisingly, Azaelia was the one who answered. "Not until recently. She was much more… happy before." The Alolan Ninetails' dark expression lightened at the feeling of Vera placing a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"Shall we go find our seats?" Vera asked the Princess softly.

Rainbow looked around the crowded area. "If we even find any."

"Heh heh heh." Joltier snickered beside her brother. "Listen, Bow. If you were with any other Pokėmon, you'd be hopeless in a situation like this. But when you're accompanied by top brass like Princess Azaelia there'll always be a seat waiting for you."

"What do you mean by that?"

Vera observed the plaza. "If I had to guess, would it have something to do with the raised platforms?"

Strewn throughout White Plaza were raised platforms that rose high above the general seating area. They seemed to be able to fit multiple medium-sized Pokėmon. Most of them were empty.

"Those are reserved seating for high-profile attendants which thankfully include us." Azaelia already seemed to choose a seat and walked briskly towards it, trying not to stay within range of the prying crowd as much as possible. The other three followed after her and into the private area.

They ascended the elevated platform via a small staircase that only just fit Azaelia's larger width of her species. On top was a nicely sized resting area with a roomy bench for seating. Azaelia sat on the far edge followed by Rainbow, Joltier, then Vera bringing up the rear. Rainbow tripped over an object before he sat down.

"What the…?" He held up the offending object. It was a small white sign with a '3' painted in black. "What's this?"

Azaelia lightly grabbed the sign from him and put it by her side. "Oh, sorry. That's what we use if we want to bid on an item. Looks like we're number three." She abruptly ended the conversation and stared off in a certain direction.

"This is quite the view," Vera commented on the scenery from on the platform.

Joltier soaked in the view from the top. "I'll say. I could definitely get used to this."

A sea of diverse heads from Pokėmon of all kinds lay before them. They all pointed towards the same thing: the auction stage. Spread sparsely across the multicolored sea were multiple other raised platforms also accomodating Pokėmon, the high-class society of Prism City.

Rainbow made to add to the conversion but stopped at the sight of Azaelia's sullen gaze beside him. He gently nudged the Alolan Ninetails. "Are you okay?" When she didn't respond he followed her gaze.

She was staring at another raised platform that sat a ways away from them. One look and Rainbow understood her mood. Seated on the private bench was none other than Princess Blazeira. She was by herself, but she periodically glanced towards the multiple other entrances to the plaza, as if waiting for someone.

Rainbow dropped his voice to a low whisper. "Azaelia, did something happen between you and your sister?"

She broke her gaze for a moment to meet Rainbow's concerned eyes. "What makes you think that?" She asked him, a bit defensively.

Rainbow waved his paws dismissively. "I'm sorry if I'm prying. It's just that she didn't even acknowledge you before, and now you're looking at her with such a dark stare. I don't know about you, but to me, that isn't normal sibling behavior."

Azaelia broke eye contact and sighed. "I'm sorry for being so defensive. But yes, something did happen between the two of us last night and I'd rather not get into it too much. It was only a small fight and nothing more." She clenched her paws. "Such a stupid fight…"

Rainbow smiled. "If you're uncomfortable with sharing I won't ask anymore. Just be sure to patch things up as soon as possible. I think brothers and sisters should be close to one another, and a small fight shouldn't ruin such a good relationship."

Azaelia gave a half-hearted grunt in response before distracting herself by flipping through her notebook. Not wanting to pry any further, Rainbow looked across the plaza for anything that would catch his eye. He eventually landed back towards Blazeira, only this time she was not alone.

The elder princess was now joined by an Absol. It would not have been such a problem had Rainbow not recognized the Absol. It was the same one that had been hanging around with Hector the Hippowdon during the tournament the previous night. The same one that gave Rainbow a chill whenever he saw him.

The Absol hopped up and down, seemingly excited about something. The princess only maintained her neutral look and stiff stance. Blazeira did not seem to be in any form of danger, which was good. But why would those two be connected? Hector was suspected to be a champion. If that Absol connected both Hector and Blazeira…

"Ah, there you are, Princess."

The group of four was interrupted by whatever they were doing by the sudden voice. Looking past Azaelia and just outside the private platform was a head that rose above the crowd to meet them. Not just any head, mind you, but the regal and proud head of Polelto Gracia. As soon as they all met his eye, however, he grimaced.

"I see you have company already, my lady." He managed to speak through a tight jaw, glaring daggers at Rainbow specifically. Rainbow reciprocated in full.

Azaelia stored her notebook and politely greeted the newcomer. "Mr. Gracia, it is a pleasure to see you here. I trust you have healed up well since last night?"

The ribbon-wearing Milotic haughtily raised his head."Some burns still remain, however, I feel in peak condition. Might I be introduced to your guests?" That last part held a certain distaste that Rainbow picked up.

Azaelia nodded and moved a paw up to introduce them. "Of course. With me are my friends, Rainbow, Joltier, and Veraloe." She motioned to each of them as their names came up.

Polelto eyed the tree of them inquisitively. "Friends, you say?" He breathed out roughly, resigning himself to something. "I still believe I would have had the better outcome, in the end."

"What was that?" Azaelia asked innocently.

Polelto shook his head. "Nothing that would concern you, my lady. Now I have already been, ahem, acquainted with the Eevee and Veraloe," he leaned in, getting a bit close to Azaelia. "But I have not seen you around here before, miss Joltier."

Joltier frowned at Polelto's actions and crossed her forearms, flexing her armband. "Get any closer to the Princess and I'm legally allowed to shock you to ash, serpent." Her cheeks sparked for added effect.

Polelto slightly narrowed his eyes but complied with Joltier's demand. '"One with a feisty temperament, I see." He backed away and kept a respectful distance. "I'm not one to poke a sleeping Salamence, so to speak."

"And what has brought you here to this auction, Mr. Gracia?" Vera asked the Milotic.

Polelto flapped his tail, ignoring the sounds of discomfort coming from the Pokėmon behind him. "I figured I would find you and Shifter here." He said this as if he was bragging. "The rumored item is a bit too tempting to pass up, wouldn't you agree?"

"I have a name, you know," Rainbow grumbled.

Jolt rustled the fur on his head. "I don't know, Bow, I kind of like the new nickname. It's kind of like a persona."

Rainbow nudged her paw off. "Just please don't start calling me that, too."

She shrugged. "Eh, no way. I like 'Bow' too much."

Vera ignored the conversation between the two siblings and continued to question Polelto. "And why would you need Rainbow and me?" Polelto wearily glowered at Azaelia and Joltier, as if deeply contemplating something. Vera noticed this. "Please do not refrain, miss Azaelia and miss Joltier already know everything."

The Milotic widened his eyes slightly before closing his eyes and letting out a stress-filled breath. "I see. It's dangerous to involve normal Pokėmon into matters that concern us, but what's done is done." He turned fully to regard the four smaller Pokėmon equally. "If we are to work together, introductions must be in order. I am Polelto Gracia, son of Harve and Katrine Gracia, heir to Prismarine City and of course, the Champion of Kyogre."

Vera placed a hand over her heart and bowed slightly forward. "Very nice to formally meet you, Mr. Gracia. My name is Veraloe, daughter of no one and the Champion of Xerneas."

Rainbow rubbed his neck before sitting up straight. "If we're doing this now, I guess I'll join in. I'm Rainbow, adoptive son of Lela and the Champion of Arceus."

Joltier stretched her shoulders to relieve some stiffness. "I'm feeling a bit out of place between the three of you but I'll go anyway." She crossed her arms in confidence. "Joltier, daughter of Lela and founding member of the Princess Guard Force."

Azaelia primly folded her forelegs together. "Then I shall be last. I am Azaelia von Arkos, daughter of Fiero and Ophelia von Arkos, and second in line to the Arkantian throne."

The five contentedly sat next to each other, regarding the other four with an air of respect and understanding. The noise of the plaza faded and the world focused around them. They didn't know it then, but the group had just formed an unspoken bond that would last a lifetime. The world suddenly came back when an announcement was made.

"Welcome to the Autumn Festival Auction!"

The plaza quieted down and the group of five diverted their attention to the unveiling stage. "It's beginning," Vera stated. The red curtains covering the stage were drawn back. They revealed a Loudred and a Watchog standing side-by-side. The Loudred was the one speaking.

"This year we boast a wide assortment of items specially curated by none other than Magellan Megnias!" At this the Watchog took a deep bow, confirming his identity to that of Magellan. "Let's not waste any more time, folks! This first item dates all the way back to before the Arkantian Unification…"

Rainbow zoned out from the proceedings, not entirely interested in the items that were being offered. He was only here for one thing only, and there was no way it wasn't going to be the main event. "So what did you mean with what you said at the end of the tournament?"

Polelto averted his eyes from the stage with disinterest before acknowledging Rainbow. "Was I not straightforward enough?"

Rainbow frowned. "I got what you meant but not the details. Like where exactly Kyogre is."

Polelto smirked in amusement over something Rainbow clearly did not know. "Well then, where do you think Kyogre is located?"

Joltier joined in. "Oh this one's easy." Rainbow raised an eyebrow at her. "He's obviously in the Great Kyogre Sea."

Rainbow rolled his eyes. "No way. A legendary that hasn't been seen in hundreds of years hides in its own namesake? That's way too simple."

Polelto snorted. "Hah! It is that simple, Shifter. And it's a 'she' not 'he'." Joltier fist-pumped and Rainbow grumbled. "Just south of Prismarine City lies a small, hidden cove. I've been meeting with her in secret for the past few months, as per her instructions."

Rainbow thought for a moment. "Yesterday you mentioned how the tournament was only one of your objectives here. What's the other reason?"

"I was told to find you here. Kyogre asked me to find and bring you to her." He bowed his head slightly. "Though I was not told your species or your name."

Veraloe perked up. "My mission was the same." The party turned to her. "Lady Xerneas stationed me at Twinstick Village until Rainbow passed through, yet I knew nothing about who I was supposed to find."

Rainbow scratched his chin. "And yet both Xerneas and Kyogre knew where I would be before I was even there. Weird. What does Kyogre want with me?"

Polelto shook his head. "I know not what she wants with you, but a Plate or the location of one may not be out of the question. Which reminds me, just how many plates are in your possession already? Surely you have more than the four you've shown?"

"Four?" Rainbow tilted his head in confusion. "We've only gotten three so far. The Bond, Mind, and Dread Plates."

The Milotic narrowed his eyes. "Impossible. You defeated me as a Jolteon."

Rainbow broke eye contact. "That was a mistake. A one and a million chance that just happened to go my way." Rainbow didn't feel particularly proud of the victory, but the past was the past.

"I see. I was defeated on a fluke." The Milotic breathed a deep sigh. "No matter. As I've said before, what's done is done. What matters most is what happens in the present."

"Right, like how we're gonna get our hands on an Arkos family treasure?"

Veraloe glanced at the domineering structure that was Castle Arkos. "Even with Miss Azaelia on our side, I doubt the King will give up such a thing so easily."

Azaelia tore her attention away from the item up for auction (a set of pre-Arkantian period necklaces) and joined the conversation. "This is true. The Flame Plate has been a part of my family since the time of Fiero von Arkos I, it will not be acquired so easily."

Rainbow thought for a moment. "Well… no way to get it legally."

Azaelia gasped then regarded him in a fierce whisper. "Rainbow! Are you insinuating that we steal the Flame Plate?"

"I mean, there's no other way is there?"

Jolt lightly punched her adoptive brother on the back of his head. "Did you forget who you're with right now? You're sister or not, I'm still a guard of Prism City." She crossed her forelegs. "If you go through with this, I'll have no other choice than to arrest you."

Polelto cringed. "I do not feel like making an enemy of the royal family. I have a beautiful future ahead of me that I'd rather not ruin."

Vera joined in on the vocal tearing of Rainbow's plan. "It would not be suitable for us to travel the country as fugitives for the rest of our journey as well."

"Okay, I get it!" Rainbow rubbed his head, feeling a minor headache coming along. "Not a great idea. We'll think of something else."

"You better come up with something quick." Polelto turned his attention back to the auction stage. "We must meet with Lady Kyogre before winter, which means we must depart from this city as soon as possible."

"Why's that?" Rainbow asked.

"Regretfully I do not know. But it is the task she gave me so I shall complete it to her standards."

The conversation simmered out as everyone watched the ongoing auction, waiting for the main event. Rainbow closed his eyes, letting them rest. He still felt tired since all of the fighting yesterday and he hadn't gotten much sleep.

Rainbow leaned back and let his mind wander.

The things his friends said were all true. He really couldn't just up and steal from the royal family, it would really cause a whole assortment of problems for them. But the problem was, other than stealing from the King of Arkant, he couldn't really think of any other way to get the Flame Plate.

Barring that issue, they still needed to resolve their matters currently in the auction. If Megnias Archaeology really was putting a plate up for auction, he was hoping his winnings from yesterday were enough to win it. If not, Vera had agreed to use some of the money they were saving for their travels. If not even then, he wasn't sure.

Something else bothered him. It was what that random Pokėmon had said over the crowd earlier:

"Are you the last of your kind?"

What was that supposed to mean? He remembered Zeb saying something similar back in Glass City as well.

"Yesterday I took a Zoroark into the city. You don't see many of those around. Much like your kind, Eevee."

"Hey Azaelia," he nudged his resident historian, gaining her attention. "Did something happen to the Eevee's?"

The Princess raised her eyebrows at his seemingly out-of-nowhere question. "What? What makes you say that?"

"Just some things I've been hearing. People seem to think seeing an Eevee or an Eeveelution is really rare, or something."

She hummed in thought. "Well, I'm not certain about the history of the Eevee species. Although it is true that Eevee sightings are exceedingly rare."

Rainbow looked to his paws with uncertainty. "I see." His face soured in disappointment. Did something happen to the Eevees? He didn't think anything of it before when he was living with his birth parents. He thought there had to be more out there, that it wasn't just him.

Azaelia frowned, noticing the look in her friend. She didn't like seeing Rainbow in such a mood. She wished she could help him more. Maybe…

Rainbow felt Azaelia nudge him. When he looked up at her, she leaned in and whispered so only he could hear. "Come to Castle Arkos tonight around 9, I'll sneak you in."

Now it was his turn to be surprised. "What?" He whispered back.

"Just trust me. Please?"

Rainbow only saw genuineness in her large sapphire eyes. He decided to trust her on this. He nodded slightly. "Okay."

She smiled warmly and leaned back, focusing her attention on the auction again. Rainbow followed her example to both distract himself from his thoughts and to ignore the slight burning sensation on his face.

"And the complete set of Elemental Stones goes to number 43 for 750P! And now for the final mystery item!"

The audience clapped at the sold item. Though they quieted quickly in anticipation for the next. Like Rainbow and his friends, most people heard the rumor of the final item. This would be a one-time chance to get their hands on one of the legendary Lost Plates of Arceus.

"Polelto," Rainbow set his eyes on the small crate being carried onto the stage. "I don't know what your personal goals are in life, but do you want the world to fall to ruin anytime soon?"

The Milotic snorted. "I assume you're asking whether I am with you or not?" Rainbow nodded. "Hmph. Do not worry yourself, Shifter. At the moment, our goals align completely."

Everyone in the plaza leaned in as the crate slowly opened to reveal its highly-anticipated contents. Azaelia readied a paw around their sign.

The Loudred announcer threw the top off. "Here it is!"

~~Joltier - White Plaza - Prism City - Western Province~~

Inside the crate was a small, black sphere. While most of the Pokėmon seemed to be mildly disappointed with the item, Princess Azaelia was most certainly not. "Holy Mew, that's the Dark Orb!"

Joltier blanched at the outburst. "I'm sorry, the what?"

The Alolan Ninetails practically had stars in her eyes. "The Dark Orb. It's an ancient relic that's said to once have been used to communicate with Zekrom himself."

Rainbow tilted his head at the small object. "Well, can it?"

It was then Azaelia reigned herself back in. "It was never proven to… but it is still a priceless and unique historical artifact!"

"No matter what it is," Veraloe spoke up. "It is most certainly not what we came for."

Polelto groaned from the side. "It would seem this auction was nothing but a waste of time."

Veraloe stood up from her seat. "It is most unfortunate, but there is nothing we can do about it. We should take our leave before the crowds once again become too much to handle."

Joltier as well as the others followed the Gardevoir's lead in departing from the platform. But before Joltier walked down the small steps, she felt something. A small but noticeable pulling sensation drew her eyes back towards the stage, to the Dark Orb more specifically.

It was weird. For a moment, that black sphere became all she could focus her attention on. And she swore she could see a light blue spark-

"Hey sis, are you coming?"

The sound of her adopted brother's voice broke her trance. She looked down the stairs, seeing the rest of her friends at the bottom waiting for her. She shrugged off the feeling. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

As the group of five left the plaza, Joltier heard the Dark Orb being sold to someone. With that, she'll probably never see the thing again. It was best to just not dwell on what she thought she had seen.

I've had the biggest writer's block for the past few weeks and was really struggling to write in general. Hopefully, I can get back to a semi-regular pace now.

Thanks for reading!