FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Waking up hurt. Again. It wasn't just my body this time- the recent fight had left me sore and battered- but worse than that, it was morning. Even shut tight my eyes hurt from the sun's brightness, and I had been lying in the open long enough that I felt like I was on fire from the sun's warmth. Though they fought me every centimeter, I opened my eyes and looked for some shade to hide in.

I was lying in the open in Sara's yard- somebody had dragged me away from the tree. I started to rise to my feet and head back into the shade when a voice stopped me. "Don't move." I froze in surprise at the sound. It was Clara's voice, her actual voice- a sound I had never heard before. It sounded similar enough to the voice I was used to, but it lacked the melody.

She sounded angry.

I turned slowly and squinted to look at her. She was perched on top of the fence's gate and staring at me. Feren and Tule were on the ground before her, Feren flexing his left arm, Tule hiding behind her leaves.

"We're looking for the Eevee that lives here. You and your Honchkrow pal came here a few nights ago and took him. Tell us where he is."

I blinked, trying to understand, until it dawned on me. What I had thought the past few nights was right- Sara's dad hadn't seen what had happened. All he knew was that Sara's Eevee had fallen out the window, and then an Umbreon jumped in with the Honchkrow. Every other Dark Pokemon had come to town, so why not an Umbreon, too? Clara, Feren, Tule... in their minds, they were all staring at the horrible Umbreon that had helped kidnapped Opal.

"Clara..." I opened my eyes fully against the sunlight and looked at the Espeon, seeing the confusion and surprise in her eyes at hearing her name from me. I looked at each of them. "Feren... Tule... It's me. I wasn't kidnapped three nights ago. The Honchkrow attacked Sara and I chased it off with her dad... but it knocked me out the window, and I evolved that night. We chased off the Honchkrow, but Sara's dad attacked me with his bat, and... I ran and hid."

Feren turned and looked back at Clara, but Tule just flinched and moved away from them. I watched Clara as she stared at me, waiting for her to realize everything was okay again... but it didn't happen.

She stared at me for a moment, then shook her head and glared at me. "NO! You're lying! You learned our names from him, and made up that story." She hopped down from the fence and took a step towards me. I couldn't help but remember when Clara fought the Houndoom, and took a step backwards.

Feren and Tule exchanged shocked expressions, and the Nidorino stepped between us. "Clara, calm down. He's no threat to the three of us right now; we can easily find out if it's true."

Clara glared at him. "It's not true! Opal's still out there somewhere; we can still stop him from becoming this... this thing." Clara turned to look back at me. "Tell me where he is, or else!" Tule gasped at Clara, but Feren hopped between us and growled at Clara. "Stop it! I'm not letting you hurt him until we know for sure; what if it is him and you hurt him? He ran away once already, do you want to be responsible for driving him off for good?"

Clara shook her head. "It's not him!" I didn't even see her move- one minute she was standing before the fence, and the next she had hit me in the side and sent me flying. I landed on my left side, and a fresh burst of pain went through my already hurt leg. I was blinded by the pain and the bright sunlight for a moment, but when I focused again I saw Feren leaping at Clara, poison barbs gleaming in the sunlight. "No, stop it!"

Feren and Clara were both distracted by my shout, and they impacted off balance and rolled into a heap. I thought for a second Clara would stop, but a purple flash sent Feren flying back towards the fence. Tule rolled out of the way, and as I watched her my sensitive eyes caught something glittering on the ground by the tree.

Clara turned back to me and growled, a high pitched noise that might have seemed funny if her attitude wasn't so scary. She stood between me and the tree for just a second before running at me in the start of a move I didn't recognize- but was sure would hurt. I started towards her in a run and saw her eyes harden... and at the last instant I jumped and leapt over her. I landed and kept running, biting at the ground in a scooping motion, just as something hit me- hard- and threw me forward into the tree.

I slid down the tree to the ground, feeling a surge of pain through my leg as I found it wouldn't hold my weight right now, but kept my mouth clamped down through the pain, holding onto the strap I had grabbed. Clara's eyes widened in surprise, and she slowed to a halt, confusion plain in her expression.

Tule stepped closer, and I saw Feren crawling back to his feet behind her. "That's his Soothe Bell, isn't it? The one Sara got for him, the day after we met him? The one you were so jealous about?"

I dropped the collar so I could speak again, savoring the sound of the soft chimes it made as it fell to the ground. "It is. Sara got it for me after Skarmory and Shells fought, while Clara and I helped. It broke off when I evolved. It must have been lying here since that night."

"That must have been what he saw last night." Tule looked between me and Feren. "Remember? You said he must have been hit on the head and was walking in circles... but he was pausing because he had spotted his collar, and couldn't decide between getting it or checking on Sara." She looked back at Clara. "It's him, Clara, it has to be. Why else would he know what that meant, or about helping Skarmory in that fight? Opal wouldn't tell that to somebody who kidnapped him. And why else would somebody try and get to it even while you're attacking him?" She looked back at me and her leaves straightened. "We've found out what happened to Opal. He evolved."

Clara shook her head again, but this time I saw hints of tears in the quick motions. Tule and Feren both flinched, and I realized she was talking psychically to them just as she turned and ran, hopping over the fence without breaking stride.

I wasn't sure what to do, and I stood there for a moment in surprise. "What..." I stopped, not sure what to ask, left without words by Clara's behavior.

Tule was still staring after Clara in shock, but Feren turned back to me. "Don't worry... Flen will make sure she's okay." Feren hopped over to me, favoring his right side despite his claim that he was fine. "You need to come with us for now. Sara isn't here- her parents took her to the hospital last night before you got there, because she was getting worse. She's doing better now, but she was very worried about you. We'll take you to her."

I leaned down and bit the broken strap of my collar, picking it back up, before nodding and following after the Nidoran.

---

Todd and Perry were waiting for us at the hospital parking lot. It was a huge building, stretching high into the sky, and I felt dwarfed by the structure. Perry and Todd both looked shocked when they saw me, but Tule and Feren quickly explained the situation to their trainers. Perry pointed a device at me and I flinched from it, but it only beeped and began speaking in a monotone voice.

"Umbreon- the moonlight Pokemon. The light of the moon reacted with and altered Eevee's already unstable genetic structure. When exposed to moonlight the rings on this Pokemon's body will glow faintly and it will become more powerful. When agitated or surprised, an Umbreon's fur becomes coated with an oily poison, although other Pokemon or trainers in frequent contact with Umbreon will become immune. Like an Espeon, Eevee will only evolve into an Umbreon after first developing a high level of trust in its trainer."

The last part of the description surprised me, but when I thought about it I realized it was true. I trusted Sara- I knew she cared about me, was worried when I was hurt; she wouldn't do anything to purposely hurt me, had loved playing with me- and I wanted to keep her safe, just like Sinori had described.

The humans seemed more interested at the mention of 'poison'. Perry's expression turned sour as Todd grinned. "I don't think Opal's as likely to stumble into people, but we're going to need a whole new supply of antidotes, just like when Feren first evolved."

"Let Flen know to stock up; I'm sure he'll be thrilled. I'll take Opal to Sara... but I need to get him cleaned up a little first. They won't let him into the hospital all muddy like that." Todd called Feren back into a Pokeball and headed off towards the gym, but Perry picked Tule up and reached for another Pokeball.

Shells, being Perry's strongest water Pokemon, had obviously had much experience washing down unwilling Pokemon. I'm sure he enjoyed it- the Wartortle wasted no time in drenching me once asked to hose me down. Tule told Shells what had happened, since I couldn't really speak without the risk of drowning. When he was finished soaking me he just grinned and crossed his arms in front of him. "I knew you'd become a strong Pokemon. That Haunter didn't stand a chance against you."

I just glared back at him with flattened ears, quite thoroughly soaked.

Perry finally stopped laughing and brought Shells back into his Pokeball before turning towards the hospital. "Come on Opal, let's get you up to Sara." I followed after, still clutching my collar tightly in my teeth. As we walked through the halls of the hospital I became aware of a strange energized sensation, as if the moon was full and right above me. I didn't understand it, but I felt better as a result- the pain in my leg didn't really go away, but it did become easier to ignore, and I was able to walk faster without limping.

Sara was lying fast asleep in a hospital bed when we finally came to her room. I looked at Sara and winced, seeing how drained she looked, and whined a sad "Bree." Sara's mother was in the room with reading a book, and she looked up at the sound. "Oh; hi Perry."

"Hi. Any change?"

"Not since she fell asleep earlier. The doctor says she's doing better now, since Todd told them about the poison, and that she just needs a little more rest." She looked down at me and flinched. "Is that... one of yours?"

I looked away at her reaction to me, but Perry just grinned and shook his head. "Not in the least- this is Opal."

They talked a little longer after that, but I ignored them, hopping up onto the bed next to Sara. She was fast asleep, and I was sore from the recent fights... but I was back with my trainer again. Nothing would ever hurt her again- not if I had anything to say about it.

---

Later that day, Clara came to visit us. Sara hadn't woken up yet, but her mom and Perry had long since left. It had been a little boring until the doctor came to check on Sara, and as a result of that visit I had moved into one of the two chairs in the room, curling up and just listening to the machines beeping. The doctor had dimmed the lights for me, though I had to make a promise first to his Chansey that I wouldn't scare Sara if she woke up. I could imagine how that would go- waking up in a dark room with a strange Umbreon staring at her probably wouldn't be good for her recovery.

I heard Flen and Clara talking outside the door before they came in- one thing I had noticed by now was that my hearing was even better as an Umbreon. Flen asked Clara if she was sure, and told her that he didn't mind talking to me first for her, that he wanted to talk to me anyways. I didn't hear her answer- I assumed she replied to him psychically- but I knew what her answer would be. She was a great Pokemon, and my friend, and she wouldn't make somebody else do something she felt was her responsibility. Flen said okay, and pushed open the door for her. Clara paused for a moment, silhouetted in the doorway by the light from the hallway, before walking into the dim light of the room and hopping into the other chair. I wasn't sure what to say, and was still confused about earlier, so I just smiled at her and gave her time. Finally she started talking- actual words with sound, instead of the psychic voice. They sounded clumsy and unpracticed, but I knew why she spoke that way. It was the same reason she had flung trees at the Houndoom, or used the Quick Attack move on me earlier. Her psychic abilities couldn't work on Dark Pokemon- I would never again hear her talk to me like she had when I was an Eevee.

"I'm sorry, Opal. For everything. What I've done, and what I couldn't do."

"It's oka-" I started, but Clara kept going.

"I didn't want this to happen to you. I tried everything I could think of to stop it. The day we first met, I looked into the future, and... I saw this, saw you as an Umbreon, with Sara." This was news to me- I didn't even know that was possible, much less that she had done it- but I let her continue. "I didn't want that to happen, didn't want you to end up this way. Flen told me not to worry about what would happen, but I did anyways. I tried everything... I made sure you would be outside and in the sunlight during the day, instead of being left inside, hoping you might become an Espeon instead. I tried to keep you near Shells, thinking maybe being around water would make you a Vaporeon. Even when the Houndoom chased us, I was a little hopeful, thinking maybe his fire would cause you to evolve into a Flareon instead, or that being so far out in the forest would change you into a Leafeon... I wanted... anything but this, not for you. I didn't mean to hurt you earlier, I just... didn't want it to be true... I wanted so badly for you to really be somebody else. I was actually glad when I thought you were attacking me back, because that meant I was seeing some mean Pokemon that had kidnapped you, because then that would mean I could still..." She stopped and just stared down at the floor.

"Clara... look at me." She looked back at me and I met her sad gaze with a smile. "When you saw me in the future, was I sad, or angry? Was I evil, destroying anything I could get close to?"

"I don't know... no, I don't think so. You were fighting alongside Sara, battling another trainer, a strong one, the strongest one, and you were winning... You had become a great team, and I could tell you cared about her... but... I'll always remember the way you were when I first saw you, surprised but happy to see me, and so exhausted and tired, because you were being haunted by those jealous Murkrows. I know what you thought when you saw the Houndoom... I know about those dreams you had, of becoming an Espeon like me, with a trainer you could take care of and protect... and... now you can't. You're one of your nightmares, one of the Pokemon that caused you so many problems before. I didn't want that... this... not for you."

"Oh, Clara... It's okay, it really is. I'm not mad at you. You're my friend, and... I was confused and scared for a while, too." I got up and walked towards her, nuzzling gently against her. "I think I was happy in the future, Clara, happier than I could ever be any other way. I think I didn't evolve from those other things because I wasn't meant to be an Espeon, or a Vaporeon, or anything else. I think I've always had a little bit of an Umbreon in me, just waiting to happen."

Clara grimaced, and I could see tears slowly welling up in her eyes, and I felt my rings begin to glow in sympathy. "This isn't a bad thing... I thought it was at first, and that's why I ran and hid from everybody. I just knew that somehow I would end up hurting Sara if I went near her, but... being an Umbreon doesn't mean that. It doesn't make me like that Houndoom or that Haunter, or even those Murkrows that kept me awake back in the pet store. I'm still me. I'm just... more me, now. It means I can do more of what's really important to me. You're right- I did used to dream about being like you... and now I am. My dreams did come true, just not in the way I expected."

I concentrated, my rings dimming from the effort, and the Flash materialized between us. It hissed and sputtered, a flat disk throwing a cool light into the room. It illuminated both of us, and Sara and the machines beeping beside her.

"I have a trainer like yours, who cares about me, who wants to play with me every day, who waits with me when I'm hurt, who's happy every time she sees me... and I can protect her now, better than I could any other way. At night, when she can't see what's out there- when the Murkrows are being noisy, when a Houndoom is attacking the gym, when Haunters are plotting- I can see what's out there. I can give her light, I can keep her safe. My trainer, and my friends, will always have somebody to watch over and protect them, even through the darkest nights. I was scared before about what you would think, or do to me when you found out, but... thinking about it now and what it really means? I'm not upset to be like this. I'm happy, Clara; this is what I really wanted."

Clara was crying, but I nuzzled against her again, the Flash hanging above us. "I'm back with my trainer, and my friends; no matter what else has happened, that's the important thing. Everything's okay again, Clara."

---

Time seemed to pass quickly after that, as the days settled into familiar patterns. Sara recovered quickly, and was awake and back on her feet the next day. She was thrilled to see me again, saying she had really missed me, and didn't mind one bit that I was an Umbreon- she said she was happy I had evolved, and was only sad that she didn't get to see it. I told her I was sorry, and promised I wouldn't run away again, and that if I evolved again I would make sure she was there to see it. She laughed, and smiled, and we left the hospital with her dad and went home. Perry got a bundle of antidotes for everybody- some sort of spray, like the Potions, that they could use if they felt anything bad from the oils in my fur. It wasn't that big of a problem most of the time- the oil was always present in my fur to some degree, but it was usually just a light enough coating that it gave me a nice sheen and didn't bother anyone. When I was scared or angry I found that along with my rings glowing the oil would get thicker, and then it could cause problems. Sara stopped needing the antidotes completely by the fourth day, and Clara and Flen adapted about as quickly. Nobody else really touched me that much, but every once in a while somebody would need an antidote if they touched something I had been laying on for too long. I took to staying in the Pokeball more- I didn't mind resting in a grassy spot, but the grass certainly did, and I would stain fabrics a blackish color. I didn't mind the PokeBall though- even during the bright day it gave me a clear glimpse of the moon, and I quickly found that I always appreciated the sight of it.

I got to meet the Absol twice. The first time he just showed up at the gym's clearing and watched me work for a few minutes, then nodded and said "You'll do." It was an odd encounter, and made my fur stand on end- but the rest of the gym told me it was to be expected from the unusual Pokemon. He left after that- drawn somewhere east, mentioning only something about a ship sinking to Flen. I met him again as he was saying goodbye to Flen- I knew a thing or two about Dark Pokemon, being one myself now, and knew he would leave at night. I had to know, had to be sure, so I asked him why he had come to town. He answered that it was to stop just the three of them- the Haunter, the Houndoom, and the Honchkrow. His answer relieved me, giving me extra assurance that I really wasn't an evil Pokemon, that my beliefs about myself were true. He told me more about the odd energized feelings I kept getting, too. He said I was picking up on heavy emotions, something that was at the core of Dark Pokemon. We sensed feelings, like psychic Pokemon sensed thoughts, and that the emotions we were surrounded by fueled our abilities, though in my case I could also draw strength from the moon. That was how his ability to sense disasters worked- his sense of feelings was so developed that even before it happened, he could sense the of pain and hurt that would follow a disaster. He explained that the strange feeling I had gotten in the hospital and other areas had been my sense of others fear and sorrow, or their joy and relief, and drawing strength from those feelings.

I thanked him and wished him good luck, and he left after that- but I knew even as I said it that his life would keep him drawn to bad luck. Still, he had removed one of my fears, and for that I was grateful. It was a silly fear, but one that had bothered me a little bit despite what I had told Clara, so I was glad to hear that I wasn't a part of the disaster he had sensed.

I asked a few of the other Pokemon about Sinori, but nobody seemed to know about her. I asked Sara about her poster- a picture on her wall of a golden Ninetales- and if anybody in town had one, but she said that nobody she knew had one. She didn't seem to like talking about Ninetales with me- I could tell she had really liked the thought of having a Ninetales one day, and that she didn't want me to become jealous or feel like she didn't want me, so I didn't bring it up again after that. I asked Clara and Shells about the poster too, but neither of them knew of a Ninetales in town. I eventually gave up and assumed she had left town, maybe even following after the Absol... but I had no way to be sure. I don't know why, but I felt like it would be wrong to tell anything more about her. What she had told me was for me, and it was a private conversation we shared. Maybe somebody could have found a trace of her... but I doubted it. Somehow I knew that I hadn't seen the last of her, and that we would end up meeting again someday.

I met the Honchkrow again too. Feren told me that Todd had captured it at some point, and that it wanted to apologize. I wasn't sure to say, but the bird seemed to sincerely regret all the problems he had caused. He explained that he and Houndoom had been starving when Haunter had come to them, and that they had followed him because he promised and provided ways to get food... but the Honchkrow had always hated the problems he had caused, and was glad he didn't have to be that way anymore, and was so sorry for everything he had done. Part of me didn't want to believe him, and just saw the inconsiderate Murkrows from the pet store... but in the end I forgave him. I had seen for myself how easy it was to become confused, and the Honchkrow seemed so happy to have Todd as a trainer. He and Todd left for a few days after, mentioning only something about feeding some hungry Mareep, and when they came back he pitched in where he could with rebuilding the gym. I never really became friends with him, but I was able to work with him at points, and the other Pokemon took that as a sign they could forgive him as well.

When I think about it, even though I can't explain why, I'm actually glad the Honchkrow met up with Todd. They both seem happy, and... for some reason it feels like it was supposed to end up that way.

Sara and I were apart much more than I wished, but I had expected that. Humans lived by the sunlight, and so she had to sleep at night to be ready for school early in the morning. I started sleeping while she was at school- it gave me long hours to myself at night, but it meant we were together when I woke up in the afternoon, and again when she woke up in the morning. I could tell Sara's parents were a little uncomfortable with me prowling the house at night, so I spent most of the night outside. I wasn't able to open doors like Clara could, but when the night fell or the moon shone, energy rushed into me, and walls meant little to me. Clara told me it was a Dark ability used for moves called 'Faint Attack' and 'Pursuit', and with it I could pass through any barrier or screen to reach my target. Depending on how I used the ability I would always hit my target, even if the Pokemon was running away into a Pokeball.

Some nights I used the ability to just be alone, wandering the city, but I would visit Perry and Tule most times. Of all the other Pokemon, I felt Tule was the most like me, even counting the Honchkrow- and it wasn't unusual for the two of us to just sit in a clearing and watch the moon, lost in the light and power it brought to each of us.

During the afternoon, when we weren't working on the gym, Sara and I still attended Flen's class. We didn't have a building anymore, but we still held class near where the gym was being rebuilt. Most of the time we listened to a trainer give advice and watched as the other trainers worked with their Pokemon to rebuild the gym. Three other students joined the class- though only one of them had a Pokemon, a young Mareep that was sadly scared to death of me. As a group we would battle against each other or help another trainer in a mock battle (though Flen never paired me against the Mareep), or participated in races or other things designed to help train us. The rest of the time Sara and John worked together to do random tasks throughout town, like delivering mail or tracking down lost items. Flen said it would be good practice, though he never explained what the practice was actually for.

I wasn't too happy working with John at first... but after a while John changed. He started taking much better care of his Growlithe, whom he finally named Kenth. Maybe it was there in John all along... but I liked to think I helped at least a little. When something like an Umbreon comes out of a corner you knew was empty, and then just sits and silently stares at you with blood red eyes... well, it can be unnerving, and can cause some hilarious reactions. John started keeping his Growlithe with him all the time- or at least he did at night- and somewhere along the line it clicked that he should take better care of the one thing protecting him from Sara's 'nightmarish Umbreon'. Everyone kept telling me I could scare people if I wasn't careful- so I didn't see any reason not to make that work for me if it could help keep a friend safe. Even one as pounce happy as Grow- as Kenth.

More and more it seemed that that was what it meant to be an Umbreon- taking what others would see as a drawback or a problem and turning it to my trainer's advantage. Flen caught on to that, too- he teamed me up with Tule, Chuck, and Taran, and the four of us helped work on the gym at night. We weren't able to bring as much sheer power to the job as Obsidian or Shells, but each of us were well suited for precise work in little to no light. With me there- well, I was a nightlight, giving them enough light to see by no matter how dark the night. I got better with the Flash move, too, and after a while it was strong enough for even the dayshift Pokemon to work safely at night- something I was happier about than they were. Most of what the four of us did involved threading cords of some kind throughout the new building- a lot of power cords needed to go through a lot of dark, cramped places- and we had a lot of fun doing it. School ended for Sara about a week before the gym was finished, but she still had trouble staying up or working at night, so she stayed close to her usual schedule, only staying awake an extra hour or two.

Clara and I still saw a lot of each other- which I hadn't expected. There was enough of an overlap between our schedules that we ended up spending a few hours each day together working on the gym, and once or twice a week one of us would stay up a few hours later. It was interesting to watch Clara at night, since we both had the same main problems- the temperature and the lighting- but for completely different reasons. While my fur was warm and dense, made for withstanding the cool night air, Clara's fur was lighter, made for reflecting heat during the day. Clara's eyes were wonderful at picking out colors or details in bright light, while mine worked better at spotting movements or reflections with only the light from the moon or my own rings. During the day I was hot and everything was too bright, but at night Clara was cold and could barely see anything. Neither of us complained while we were together, though- the two of us became even closer friends, and each thought the discomfort was well worth it if it meant the other's company. It was rare, but some of my best nights were when Tule and I watched the moon, while Clara slept safely nearby.

The day finally came when the gym was finished- Sara woke me up in the middle of the day, saying Flen wanted us to go to the gym. The whole town was there, with more people than I'd ever seen crowding together, including the mayor. Flen shook hands with her and cut some sort of tape, and then everybody went inside, the massive crowd somehow managing to fit into the rebuilt stadium. The gym was designed to be mostly the same, but it was larger and had been reinforced in some places, with pillars providing a new dynamic to the field. Flen had liked that idea, saying that trainers had to worry about the environment just as much as the opposing Pokemon. I tried to stay awake but it was hard, and Sara had to nudge me awake a few times. Finally the guests left, the ceremony finished, and it was just the regulars of the gym. Then Flen had everybody sit in the bleachers, saying it was time for the first match of the new gym.

"Todd, Sara? You're up." Sara smiled at me and said "Surprise!" I followed her down onto the field, facing off against Todd and Feren. Feren just grinned at me- a friendly smile, more of happiness for us instead of eagerness for a fight. The fight began, and I fought hard, following each of Sara's directions and pushing myself with every attack and dodge. The new layout gave me a definite advantage over Feren- Sara caught on quickly and had me jump out from behind cover to throw out a confuse ray, or slip from pillar to pillar using their shadows. The strategy worked wonders, disorienting and tiring out the stronger and more experienced Nidorino. Feren managed to get a few attacks in- he was still much faster and stronger than me, and could get in a nasty Fury or Horn Attack before I dashed away from him. After what seemed forever the fight ended- I hit Feren from behind with a Faint Attack, and the exhausted Nidorino collapsed to the ground, defeated. Todd called Feren back to his Pokeball and shook hands with Sara, congratulating her.

After that, Perry and John had a match, with Kenth and Felix fighting. Watching Felix fight scared me a little- the cat was utterly vicious, biting and slashing relentlessly at the Growlithe. The attacks seemed like they were hurting him a lot more than they would have hurt me, and I felt a little sorry for the fire puppy. John and Kenth got in a few hits of their own, even burning Felix with a Flame Wheel attack- but in the end Perry won the fight, the Growlithe collapsing under Felix's continual assault.

Everybody congratulated the four of us after that- John and Sara had graduated from Flen's class, and were now both official Pokemon trainers. Each trainer there gave them something- jackets, backpacks designed with special pockets for the different items a trainer would need, even a phone with a built-in Pokedex. Flen gave them a small rectangular box with a shiny piece of metal inside. Clara explained it was the gym's badge- that even though they hadn't beaten Flen in a fight they had still earned it, having learned all this gym could teach.

A few other trainers fought after that- having seen the way Sara and I had used the pillars they all wanted to try it- but we stayed in the stands for the rest of the visit. I sat in the floor of the bleachers and hid from the lights while Sara and John talked. I listened a little but it was hard- they were talking about leaving and going on to another gym to train, to take the gym challenges. I didn't really want to leave. I had friends here, other Pokemon that I would miss. But Sara's excitement at the adventure was obvious, and as they discussed their plans I grew torn, wanting to be happy for her, looking forward to the adventures we would soon be having... but not wanting to leave my friends behind either. Finally it grew to be too much, and I used my Dark ability to slip away. I dissolved into the shadows that covered me, emerging an instant later outside the gym. The sun was just beginning to set into the horizon, and I stretched out at the top of the stairs to watch it. Todd had been very determined to put stairs in place leading up to the new gym, saying that Pokemon should at least be able to climb a few stairs before challenging a gym leader.

I hadn't appreciated the way he grinned at me when he said that.

The landing before the stairs was comfortable though, and it made for a great view. For a while I just sat and thought, watching the town as the sun set. Eventually I realized someone was behind me- I wasn't the only one who could sneak up on people. "Hi Opal."

I turned to look at Clara, smiling. She was watching the sunset too but looked distracted, and her tail twitched slowly back and forth. "Hi Clara."

"Are you excited? Sara's a real trainer now."

I turned away from her, back to the sunset. "I am... but... I'm sad, too. She's already planning how she'll get to the next gym with John... but I don't know that I want to leave. If we leave... then I won't be able to see any of you."

Clara shook her head, but it was slow, as if she really agreed with me but had to say no. "That's not true... or at least, it won't be that way forever. Sara will have to come back a little bit in a few months for school, and even then she might come back before then. A lot of trainers for whatever reason stop and go back to their home town, or reach their limit and can't go on any further.."

"Maybe... but I don't think that will happen. Sara and John... I don't see them stopping until they finish. Sara wants to be a great trainer one day. I want to help her be one, too."

"Yeah... and with you... Sara's off to a good start already. It might be a long time before she stops." I heard the sadness in her voice, and realized she had been thinking the same things I had. Probably for even longer than me.

"She might even end up being a gym leader one day, like Flen is. Can a city have two gym leaders?" I turned and looked at her and her expression told me the answer- no. She turned to watch the sunset and was quiet for a time before speaking again.

"All of us are going to miss you, Opal. Did you notice Tule wasn't here today? She wouldn't leave her Pokeball once she heard what was going to happen, not even to watch you battle. Perry didn't want to force her to watch you leave, so he let her stay there. Shells and Feren were better, but they were both sad. Chuck and Taran will be upset too; there aren't many Pokemon here that like the night, and they really liked working with you. Obsidian and Skarmory both said they hadn't seen enough of you, but they're glad you're moving ahead." Clara paused before speaking again, and her voice broke. "I'm going to miss you, too."

Clara and I sat together in silence as the last rays of the sun vanished. As the darkness claimed the sky I turned to look at the Espeon, my rings beginning to glow. "What should we do, then?"

She met my gaze and smiled, and her jewel glittered. "We stand by our trainers, like we always do. We take care of them, do our best for their sakes... and know that in the end, they'll make sure to take care of us too. We'll see each other again, Opal, I know it; you just need to be sure to enjoy the adventure until then."

I nodded, knowing on some level that it was already what I had decided to do. I wasn't an Eevee anymore. I was the moon, a little bit of peace and security for my trainer. And Clara was right- I knew Sara cared about me, and that my friends were her friends too, and that somewhere down the line she would bring me back to be with my friends again. Leaving my home with Sara and John might hurt a little... but it was an adventure, and I would enjoy it with Sara.

I nodded again, smiling, and walked closer to sit beside Clara, her tail curling around mine as we both looked out at the horizon. The sun had set and the moon wasn't yet out - but there, outside the gym, the sun and the moon sat together, looking forward to the days that lay ahead.