NSO Chapter 30

(Day 4, Part 1)

I don't own Pokemon.

"What? Why do you have to go back to school? It's our break, for Arceus' sake!"

"I...left something in the secret room in school, so I need to go back and get it." Zenith slid open Cleo's window and perched on the windowsill, preparing to leap out. Looking back, he caught her eye, the Vaporeon still sitting on her bed, swaddled in blankets, an expression of disbelief on her face at the prospect of returning to school.

"You coming along? You can always stay here while I go by myself, and-"

Those words jogged Cleo's back into action. She wouldn't stay at home alone again if she could help it. It was just too boring for her without another Pokemon to keep her company. With a shout of "Meet you at the front lawn!", the Vaporeon leapt off her bed and rushed out, desperate to do anything rather than stay isolated in her room any longer. Seeing Cleo close her bedroom door behind her, Zenith turned his attention back to the open window in front of him. Normally he would just jump out and climb down the house wall, the soft grass of the backyard would easily cushion him if he fell. But during his previous trips out the window, Zenith had noticed a drain pipe that bordered the roof, within easy reach from the windowsill. Maybe today would be the perfect day to try another route.

Perching on the windowsill, Zenith leapt upwards, twisting his body in midair to grab hold of the drainpipe with his front paws. In one swift motion, he pulled himself onto the roof and started to run across it. His soft paws and light frame made no noise as he ran along the shingles of the roof, jumping off the edge to see the front lawn spread out in front of him. Cleo, who had been lying on the grass, gazing at the clouds, gasped as a black silhouette raced across her vision. Charging up a Dark Pulse between his jaws, Zenith let it loose beneath his foot just as he was going to hit the ground, allowing him to perform a 'double jump' and land perfectly on the front lawn, in front of a stunned Cleo.

"Did you just... jump off the roof? How did you do that?"

"I guess it just seems like today's my lucky day. C'mon, let's go!"

Cleo got up from the grass to help Zenith open the front gate. "Yeah, let's go. The sooner you get what you need and get out of school, the better!"

-Time Skip-

"Ugh," Cleo waved a paw in front of her face as Zenith pushed open the double doors of Kingdra High, letting loose a musty odour that hit the duo in pungent waves. "This stinks- literally. I think I'm going to the library while you search for the thing you need. You know where to find me, right?"

Zenith thought back to the school library's extensive romance section, one that completely overshadowed the small bookshelf that Cleo had in her room.

"Sure. I'll come fetch you when I'm done. It'll take me around ten minutes, tops."

That left the Umbreon to navigate through the school's labyrinth of hallways, making his way to the hidden room. The halls were deserted, free from its usual groups and cliques, most of the students gone enjoying the rest of their week-long break. This meant that, for once, Zenith did not have to worry about bullies or anything that he used to fear during normal school days. This allowed the Umbreon to traverse the hallways without worries, and think about his plans for the day.

I can complete what I've been working on once I got what I need from the secret room, but I guess that can wait. To be honest, all I want to do is to pad out the rest of the day with Cleo, do what she wants for a change. That sound good, right Dialga?

Dialga?

There was no response from the Temporal Pokemon.

Well, I guess he can't spend ALL his time hooked up to my mind. At least these powers are here to stay. Oh well. Time to pick up the pace. Gotta get back to Cleo fast!

The Umbreon rounded a corner and leapt back, hissing.

A pink, ribboned Pokemon stood before him, leaning against the wall, nonchalantly inspecting her nails. On Zenith's reaction, she dropped back down on all fours, smiling sweetly at the Umbreon.

"Why hello, Zenith. We seem to have run into each other." Her voice was silky-smooth, yet sickeningly sweet, like every word was made out of sugar.

The only response she got was a snarl and the charging up of a Dark Pulse. "Don't play dumb, Sylvie." Zenith spat the last word out with a growl. "Pokemon don't just 'run into' you."

"What do you want from me? Your five boyfriends not good enough for you?"

The smile on Sylvie's face seemed to grow even wider, if that was even possible.

"Oh, them? Let's just say that I... released them, if you catch my drift." There was nothing vague about that sentenceat all. And was that a wink she sent at him? Whatever. Zenith wasn't in the fazed in the slightest. If anything, that just made him way more suspicious of the Sylveon standing in front of him.

"So what do you want now? Get more Pokemon to fall in love with you?" The Dark Pulse in Zenith's mouth grew larger.

Sylvie gave a loud, tinkly laugh that made Zenith wince, shaking her head.

"You've got it all wrong, Zenith. You see, I'm coming clean. In fact, from now on, I'm remaining loyal to just one Pokemon."

"Yay. Great. You're turning over a new leaf. Good for you. So if you excuse me..." Zenith's expression was unchanging, an emotionless face that revealed no weakness to Sylvie as he tried once again to step past her, his irritation towards the Sylveon growing with each failed sidestep.

I swear, she's going to break my ankles.

"So... what about your current reputation?" Sighing, Zenith felt like he had no other choice but to entertain Sylvie, his question a flat monotone.

"Oh, I don't care what others think of me. I can always turn them away, since they all pale in comparison to this one Pokemon that I realised will be perfect for me..." Throughout Sylvie's explanation, Zenith had given up on getting to the hidden room and was slowly backing away, ready to make a break for the library, back to Cleo. He had picked up what Sylvie wanted to do, and did not want to be anywhere near her when she pulled it off. The hungry look the Sylveon had in her eyes didn't give Zenith much comfort either, only confirming his suspicions. With lighting-fast speed, he launched the Dark Pulse at Sylvie, before turning tail to flee. As he ran down the corridor as fast as his four paws could take him, a muffled 'boom' could be heard, but the usual 'flump' of a body hitting the ground was absent, adding to the panic he was trying to subdue.

I have to get to the library before Sylvie gets to me first. Cleo will know what to do. She'll understand if I explain it to her, but if Sylvie reaches me before I do... Time to go faster!

Still sprinting, Zenith concentrated, calling upon the time powers that were bestowed upon him by Dialga, and smiled as he felt time around him slowing down to a crawl. Navigating his way through the halls, Zenith began to feel a sense of hope once more.

Everything's going to be alright. I left Sylvie in the dust. I'm halfway there to the library. Nothing can go wroAH!

Zenith felt his feet fly out from under him as the friction between the school tiles and his paw pads were suddenly nonexistent. In his rush, he had not noticed a strategically placed puddle of water in his way, the transparent liquid almost invisible to the Umbreon in the low school lighting. And since he was moving at top speed, the momentum carried him forward to slam face-first into the wall at the end of the hallway, leaving him dazed from the impact as well as a dent in the plaster.

Zenith was seeing Staryus and Starmies as his body peeled off the wall and hit the floor. The world was spinning, and he barely had time to react as a pink and white blur entered his vision. Paws were planted on his chest to hold him down, and ribbonlike feelers were wrapped around his front and back limbs, holding them in a vice-like grip, never loosening no matter how hard Zenith struggled.

Must.. keep her talking to come.. up with... plan...

"Why me? You had a few years, and you never even came close to me." Zenith asked his captor through gritted teeth, fighting against a headache and his bonds but to no avail.

Still wearing that same sweet smile, Sylvie raised Zenith into the air with her tendrils, slamming him back into the dent in the wall that he had created before, knocking the air straight out of his lungs. The tendrils still held fast, rendering any escape attempts futile. A paw under his chin tilted his head upwards and forced Zenith to look down into the blue-white eyes of Sylvie.

"Come on, Zenith... you know why?" The Sylveon purred. "Before, when you disguised yourself as a normal Umbreon, you were so... ordinary. But now, even since you've shown your... true colours..." Zenith shuddered as he felt a paw trace the outline of the bright blue ring on his thigh.

"...you've shown a whole new side of yourself. You have brain, brawn, beauty... you're the epitome of Eeveelutions! Besides me, of course." In a last-ditch effort, Zenith charged up a Dark Pulse and released it point-blank into Sylvie's face. There was an explosion, but when the smoke cleared, Sylvie was still standing, a coy smile on her undamaged features. Zenith bit back a cry of pain as the tendrils tightened their constricting grip on his limbs. "Zenith, you sly dog, you had me monologuing! Don't you know I'm resistant to Dark types? An A for effort, but no matter. You can't escape, and it should be working now."

"What's... working..." Zenith was confused, but then the answer became clear to him.

Literally.