Donkey Kong Country

Sylvia the Sylveon Chapter 9: My Two Big Brothers

What happened after that was all a blur. Well, a bunch of blurs to be more precise, as I was unconscious most of the time, but whenever I would try to wake up, I would hear voices shouting in the distance and feel something like a hypodermic needle in my fur, sending me back into the dark abyss of unconsciousness. Blurs were all I saw in between. But I knew one thing for sure: Kayoko was gone. Her dad forcibly took me away, just like how those people caught me as I wandered off from Floccesy Ranch to get the ball. That distant yet somber and sorrowful memory seemed so far away, and to recall it made me feel oddly chilly inside, like the temperature in a room had dropped drastically. It had been a long time since I ever recalled memories of when I was an Eevee, and I knew that I could never be an Eevee again. But I did wish things would go back to normal. I really wanted to go home. Really bad. But my body wouldn't listen, as it felt limper than the chocolate pudding that Serena loved to eat so much. My eyes wouldn't open. It felt like they were glued shut. But my ears still managed to catch some voices, even though they were barely listenable due to my fluctuating state of unconsciousness.

"How much is that thing?"

"Six hundred."

"Sold! Here ya go!"

I heard nothing else until I suddenly began hearing the sounds of very pained, high pitched roaring that assaulted the insides of my ears so much that they almost shattered whatever I had left of my eardrums like they were breaking glass. They were all so vociferous and so assaulting that they practically scared me awake. When I woke up, the first thing I realized that, just like when I was an Eevee, I was in a cage. This one was much bigger and much less sanitary than the other one. The steel bars were rusty and had lots of icky brown spots on them. I even saw some dark marks on the floor of the cage below my feet. I really didn't want to know what made them. But being in the cage wasn't my biggest problem. No, it was far from being my biggest problem. It was what was outside my cage that proved to be my biggest problem...and what scared me the most.

There were other cages outside. Full of small Pokemon. Most of them I recognized, like Lillipup, Patrat, Riolu, Tepig, Panpour, Pansage, Pansear, and Mareep. Others I didn't recognize, like a green turtle Pokemon with leaves on its head, a fiery yellow and red monkey Pokemon (it wasn't a Pansear), a purple and white rat Pokemon, a pale blue creature, a purplish pink one that looks about the same as it, a white cat Pokemon with black ears and a yellow oval shaped thing shining on its head, and an orange dog-like Pokemon with lots of cream colored fur on its head, neck, and tail with some black stripes. There were some more, but I couldn't see them because I was surrounded by other cages that blocked my view. Unfortunately, they all shared one thing in common, which scared me to no end.

All of them were unusually and vehemently vicious. All of them roared and howled like ferocious, wild Pokemon, louder than anything I've ever heard before in my whole entire life. The noise they made inundated my poor, sensitive ears, and they didn't seem to want to come to a cessation at all. All of them looked very thin and gaunt, like they had been deprived of food for months. All of their eyes were wide and bloodshot, like they were about to pop right out of their faces at any moment. All of them were covered in both old and fresh scars that didn't look like something that came from a typical Pokemon battle. Some of the scars even looked bloody. But even worse...one Lillipup's entire ear was missing, like it had been bitten right off by an enormous set of teeth, maybe tombstone sized. One Patrat's tail was missing, like it had been sawed off. One Mareep had nearly all of its fur shaved off, possibly very violently considering all the bloody scars I saw on its body, with only a few tufts remaining, and it looked like it had been sent through a room full of moving saws. The Tepig's left eye had a huge gash on it, and it looked fresh...and it didn't look like its eye was there anymore! One purple Pokemon had a jagged looking bump on it that looked like the remains of a horn that had been hacked off, and a huge part of its right ear was missing. The pale blue Pokemon and the rat Pokemon both looked like they had their big teeth broken. But it was the fiery monkey Pokemon that scared me the most, as it was literally covered from head to toe with scars, and the flame on its tail literally exploded and blazed like the forest fire that Dilandau caused two years ago. Its eyes were COMPLETELY red, red like the red lights on the fire trucks we saw when Dilandau set that forest on fire, and it howled louder and more ferociously than any of the other Pokemon in the room. It gripped the rusty cage bars like crazy and screamed and screamed.

I couldn't make all of this up if I tried. I wish I really was making it up.

But not only that, the room were all stuck in was really cramped. It was only as big as the stables where Vicky and Darien kept the Ponyta. Worse than that, it was filthy! Absolutely filthy! Filthier than anything I ever saw in my entire life! This had to be the most putrid, noisome, and unsanitary room I had ever been thrown in. At least the science lab I was kept in when Dr. Urbschat took care of me was nice, shiny, fresh, and clean. The walls looked like they were made out of barely finished wood, with lots of duct tape and some kind of mushy stuff I didn't even dare ask about stashed in some holes in huge numbers. There were no windows, so not a single sunbeam or trace of light came inside at all. No breeze, no sunlight, nothing. The room itself was lit up with a single light bulb, bright enough to light the entire room, even though I wished it was dark so I wouldn't have had to see those awful scars and injuries on all of those Pokemon. The floor was covered with straw, similar to the straw that Vicky, Darien, Heidi, and Silas would give to the Ponyta, only none of the straw here even looked anything near edible. However, the smell was what inundated and assaulted my nostrils unmercifully. It was the worst thing I ever smelled. It smelled like the odor that a Stunky would let out, combined with rotten eggs, and Pokemon droppings. Times that by ten thousand, and you still wouldn't be able to smell how utterly and disgustingly noisome and putrid it was. This place looked like it hadn't been cleaned up since the beginning of time! There were even a bunch of brown marks on the walls on all sides. I had an idea of what they were, but I wouldn't dare reveal it. Even if I did, anyone who came in would probably run out of the room anyway.

I knew I had to get out of here and fast. There was no way I'd be able to last long in here.

The first thing I tried was ramming the rusty steel bars of my cage. Unfortunately, they proved to be a lot stronger and sturdier than they looked, probably much more so than the cage I was trapped in at the science lab when I was an Eevee. The cage didn't even move, even though I knew I was on top of some other Pokemon. I couldn't see them because the floor below me wasn't transparent. The noise from all the high pitched roars was really getting to me, but I knew I had to focus if I wanted to get out. Soon, after many a Tackle attack didn't work, I decided to use some of my other attacks. Trump Card, Swift, and Bite. But none of them worked. The bars didn't even get scratched. I slumped back onto the floor, feeling exhausted and hungrier than an Ursaring.

It was then that a little door opened and in came a very odd and grimy-looking man. He had light skin and a face with a lot of scars decorating it. One on his forehead, a tiny one right underneath his eye, and one on his chin, near his scrawny little beard. He had very messy blonde hair trapped in a baseball hat that was worn backwards. His dark brown eyes were devoid of the smallest mote of kindness. They were literally filled to the brim with nothing but malice, animosity, hostility, and darkness. Not even the most rudimentary sense of kindness, gentleness, generosity, patience, or love was within them. Only hatred swam around in them like a rampaging Gyarados. He wore a grey hoodie with the word FIGHT written on it in red, black, and white, along with sagging tan jean shorts. He really needed to pull them up, as nobody I knew ever had their pants down that low, and to me it was disgusting, only much less so than the horrible odor that consumed the room he entered. He was also wearing big black sneakers with pale orange laces. Someone else came in with him, a younger man with shaggy black hair, dark blue eyes, darker skin albeit still rather light, a white T-shirt, a black hoodie wrapped around his waist, light blue jeans, and brown boots. As soon as he came into the room, his hands flew to his nose.

It was easy to figure out why.

"UGH! Dang, McCoy! I dunno how you can handle 'dis horrible smell, man!" The man who just came in exclaimed, not hesitant about being disgusted with the awful smell. I couldn't blame him.

"I thought I told ya to call me Theseus, Hubbard!" The man with the scars on his face, Theseus McCoy, snapped at the other man, Hubbard.

"Sorry, Theseus!" Hubbard stuttered fearfully at Theseus. I could see why he would be so afraid of him, and I don't blame him. This Theseus didn't look like he could ever be even remotely capable of being magnanimous to anyone, even Pokemon. I shrunk into my rusty cage fearfully when he gave me a very scathing glance. Then, without any warning or hesitation, he kicked my cage and made me fall to the ground.

"So 'dis is 'dat pansy you bought, Hubbard?" Theseus asked, without taking his eyes off of me. He kept them on me like he feared I was going to escape. His inhuman eyes locked me in place, and I knew that if I did anything at all, even the tiniest little thing, he'd probably hit me or do something worse.

"Y-Y-Y-Yes. Some rich guy sold it to me. It's one of the new Pokemon that was discovered two years ago. Lemme see..." Hubbard stammered and yanked out a little handbook that looked brand new, like he bought it recently. "Ah! Here it is! This little thing's called a Sylveon, a new evolved form of Eevee, and it's a fairy type. They're still very rare, but very valuable."

"Dat explains why you spent six hundred bucks on it," Theseus piped in with an animal-like growl. He then pulled some keys out and unlocked my cage. I wanted to get away, but I was so hungry and so tired that I could barely run at my usual speed. That, and he yanked my ear like it was a rope. It really hurt! He clenched onto me very tightly, like he was intent on keeping me here.

"It looks strong. Maybe we can put it against Coy Jenkins and see how strong it is. The match is about to start in five minutes," Hubbard said.

A smug smirk appeared on Theseus's face, and I really didn't like the look of it. "All the more fun for me!" Theseus muttered. Then, he dragged me out of the room by my ear. While I was glad I finally got pulled out of that awful smelling room and away from the howling Pokemon, I had a really bad gut feeling that they were dragging me into something awful.

I didn't bother to resist, even though the pain that came from being dragged by my ear bothered me to no end. After a few seconds, we arrived in what looked like a very crudely made arena, which looked more like a little fence-like pen made out of wood. There were a bunch of scary looking guys all around the arena. They all turned to fix their gaze on me. I absolutely hated the looks they gave me, which ranged from confused to disgusted.

"Dat's their new fighter?"

"Man! 'Dat thang looks like a pansy!"

"Looks like somefin' a retard would use!"

"Jeez! It's pink! Talk about girly!"

"Dat the best you got, Theseus?! Or are you goin' soft on us?!"

"Show us what'cha got, Theseus!"

"Get that thang away from here!"

"This has gotta be a joke!"

"I ain't usin' that thang!"

"Beatin' 'dis thang is child's play, yo!"

If there was one thing I really hated about being the center of their attention, it was the fact that they kept referring to me as a "thang" which I think was a really bad way of saying the word thing. I knew in my heart that I was NOT an object to be used. I know for a fact that if Hikaru were to be put in a situation like this, she'd retaliate right away and show them what she's made of despite the danger. I wanted to do so myself, but these guys were big, buff, and looked very strong. I was sure they'd thwart any attempt I had to escape and do whatever they wanted with me as punishment. I didn't want that happening. It was bad enough just being in that room with the Pokemon, who I think may have all been abused or mistreated by these guys. I felt sorry for them and wished I could help them all, but some of them looked like they were beyond all help, and I wasn't sure if there was anything I could do for them, even though I oh so wanted to set them all free. They didn't deserve this, just like how Vapor didn't deserve to be stuck with a mean trainer who forced him to evolve into a Jolteon against his will and being berated for everything just for not meeting his expectations. They deserved much better.

All of a sudden, Theseus finally let my ear go but kicked me in the arena. Right after that, someone else brought in another Pokemon, only this one was really vicious, so much so that the guy carrying him in was clinging to his leash, which was attached to his collar, a black one with sharp, silver spikes protruding from it. The Pokemon's fur was red, but he had a huge fluffy yellow neck and tail, along with one fluffy little yellow tuft on top of his head, right in between his long, pointed red ears. He also had black eyes that looked permanently made to be vicious and full of vehement hostility, like all the innocence and kindness he had was violently stripped away from him.

What surprised me at first was that the Pokemon in question was a Flareon.

Alseides wanted to be a Flareon.

As soon as the Flareon laid eyes on me, he howled and growled and tried to break away from the leash to lunge at me, but the man managed to keep him from lunging at me until someone stated otherwise. Was I supposed to battle him? Was this supposed to be some false Pokemon battle? Then I remembered the Emolga I met back in Floccesy Ranch, Remi. She said that Pokemon battles are different from Pokemon just fighting. Battles are how Pokemon understand each other and learn about each other. Fighting is...just that, fighting. I wound up hearing some people talk in the audience.

"Man, 'dat 'dere Flareon sure is a tough one. I'm surprised Jenkins managed to control 'em for so long. Where's 'dat thang from anyway?" One guy asked someone next to him.

"He said somethin' about gettin' him from some nowhere place called Floccesy Ranch," The other guy said.

What? My ears perked up in alarm. Floccesy Ranch? Really? I thought my ears were playing tricks on me because the audience suddenly began cheering and throwing their fists into the air, but my ears were too sensitive to lie to me.

If this Flareon was from Floccesy Ranch, then that could mean he was one of my brothers, as no Eevee are indigenous to Unova! I crossed Lucretia off the list because she's being taken care of by Redena, Bolt because Leonard caught him, Vapor because he was forced to evolve into a Jolteon, and Moondancer because he evolved into an Umbreon. So which one was this Flareon? Alseides? Konoha? Yuki? I had no way of figuring it out, as this Flareon kept howling and growling ferociously, and it didn't look like he recognized me.

"Really? But Eevee ain't around in Unova."

"Yeah, I know, but he heard some Darien guy was breedin' some and found one beatin' a Patrat outside the gate. Said he saw that lil Eevee was as wild as a rampagin' Bouffalant, crazier and angrier than anything he'd ever seen!"

Something Lucretia said creeped into my brain as the guys talked amongst themselves. She said that ever since Bolt and I were captured, Alseides' personality underwent a very drastic change. He became more cynical, more brash, more reckless, and more prone to getting into trouble, or something like that. She also said that he ran away.

I shook my head. This Flareon couldn't be Alseides, even though all the signs pointed to it.

However, one thing confirmed it.

"Ready?! Fight!" Theseus screamed wildly as the man let go of the Flareon's leash.

As soon as the leash was off, the Flareon literally lunged right at me. I managed to evade his first three attempts, but he managed to bite one of the flowy streamers on my head and yanked on it really hard, throwing me into the dirt. Then he leaped on me and tried to bite my face. Quickly, I managed to smack him in the face with my paw hard enough to make him flinch so I could escape.

As soon as I got back up, I saw it.

The fierce, feral, volatile glint in his eyes.

That's when I realized it.

Alseides had that look, and has kept it on his face ever since Moondancer left. Alseides' cruel words echoed in my head again.

"It's YOUR fault, you brainless dip! You were there! If you hadn't been so slow and stupid Bolt would still be here! You could have saved him but you didn't!"

"You should have been captured instead of him! You're way stupider than the rest of us and you're always in the way! You let him get captured on purpose! I'll bet you're happy he and Moondancer are gone!"

"Stop acting like you're so important! You may think you're so awesome and smart, but you're nothing! Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! You're just a big fat crybaby who'll never amount to anything! You'll be a big fat baby forever, and nobody will ever like you!"

Alseides had that look when he said those mean things to me.

It all became clear.

"Al...? Al?! Is that you?! It's me, Sylvia! Your little sister!" I suddenly yelled out of the blue, even as this Flareon, Alseides, lunged at me yet again, digging his sharp teeth into my ear and causing me to yelp in pain. I smacked him with my front paws and tried to run, but he kept chasing me and growling at me. It didn't help that I was getting hungry.

"Al! Stop doing this! You have to listen to me!" I pleaded.

"Stop running away and fight me, you weakling!" Alseides yelled as he bit one of my back legs.

"GET OFF!" Angrily and in pain, I kicked him in the face with one of my back legs, sending him spiraling against one of the walls. He didn't get up right away, so I took it as an opportunity to try and convince him to remember me.

"Alseides! It's me, Sylvia! Your little sister! Don't you remember me at all?! You don't deserve to be treated like this!" I yelled.

"I don't...have any sisters or brothers, and my name is NOT Alseides!" He snapped angrily and tried to lunge at me again similar to how Gator did back in the desert after I left Danali's place. What he said left me confused. How come he says he doesn't have any brothers and sisters? Did these guys condition him so much that they made him forget everything about his family, me included? The vociferous sound of the people around me cheering didn't make matters better.

"Smack 'dat widdle weaklin' down, Flareon!"

"Git 'er down!"

"Tear 'dat thang to pieces, yo!"

"Man, 'dat scrawny little thing is a weakling after all!"

"You better surrender, Theseus!"

"You better fight back, pinky!"

"I paid thirty bucks for this?!"

All of a sudden, Alseides jumped on me, pinning me to the ground, freezing me in place with both his scarred and bruised paws and the icy and feral stare in his eyes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This couldn't have been my brother, but it was. He got to be a Flareon, that's good, but to think he was suffering an even worse fate than Vapor...there was no way I could leave him. I knew I had to get him out of here, no matter what. I didn't care if he protested this time. He might have still blamed me for letting Bolt get captured by Leonard and nothing I said got through to him back then.

"Alseides! You have to listen to me! You shouldn't be doing this! You deserve to be raised by a good trainer and to be happy! This isn't what you want, is it?!" I pleaded sadly, with tears coming out of my eyes.

"Stop calling me Alseides, you big baby!" Alseides yelled as he scratched me really hard in the face and then tried to bite it. I only barely managed to keep his ferocious, feral face out of mine, but I knew very well that whatever kind of training Alseides was forced to endure, he was much stronger than me by miles. There was no way I'd be able to win against him with just physical strength.

But then, just as he was about to try and bite me again, I saw an open window. It was night time. The full moon was high in the sky, looking like it was telling me, "You can do it! Believe in yourself! Stand up to him and show him what you're made of!"

I had to...so I did.

"MOONBLAST!" A pale blue light enveloped my battered and emaciated body, then formed at my mouth. Without any mercy, I allowed the light to fly right at Alseides. Unlike my attack on Dilandau, this one proved to be much stronger, so much so that not only did it knock Alseides flying, it actually broke through the glass window! I made a way out! Everyone in the audience was abuzz with shock.

"Whoa! Didja see 'dat?!"

"Hey! Special attacks are against 'da rules, yo!"

"Dat sure wasn't any attack I've ever seen..."

"What was 'dat attack anyway?"

Not wanting to stick around any longer, I used Swift on the arena and it helped me fly toward the broken window. Thankfully, it was big enough for both me and Alseides to get through.

"It's gettin' away!"

"After 'dem!" Theseus exclaimed angrily.

Much to my surprise, the bottom of the window is right in front of a patch of grass. When I looked up, I saw a big, old, decrepit house. The house I just got out of probably led to some basement. Thankfully, once I looked back, I saw an injured and weak Alseides about a few feet ahead. I knew I had to get him out of here. Who knows what those bad people could do to him? He was awake when I approached him.

"Good! You're okay! Let's get you-" I was about to tend to him until I found fire flying right into my face. I left myself open for a Flamethrower attack, just like how I did with Dilandau when he set that forest on fire in Icirrus City. Alseides stood up once he finished his attack, though his legs trembled, like he was forcing himself to get up. Because it was so dark, I could barely see the injuries he sported, but I could tell that a lot of them looked very serious and needed fixing immediately.

"Don't touch me, you pansy freak! We're finishing this, NOW!" Alseides yelled and lunged at me again. Not wanting to leave myself open this time, I kicked him in the stomach, leaving him unable to breathe.

"No! I don't care what you say! I'm getting you out of here whether you like it or not!" Those men were coming. I knew that if we stayed here, they'd catch us and probably do really bad things to us, probably even worse than the actual fights.

However, getting Alseides out of there would prove to be a very hard and daunting task to do. For one thing, Alseides no longer had the energy to stand up all on his own. I figured I could carry him and throw him on my back. Despite looking very emaciated and weak, Alseides proved to be very heavy once I got him on my back, and when I tried to walk with him on it, I almost fell over quite a few times. My legs felt like a bunch of bricks were being duct taped to pieces of spaghetti. But I knew I couldn't let this stop me from saving my big brother. It was night time, and I figured if we ran into some bush or cave, maybe we could be camouflaged by the darkness so the men wouldn't be able to find us. But the nearest forest was about forty feet away from us. Even though I could see some trees in the horizon, they all looked really small from where Alseides and I were.

Sadly, I only managed to get about ten feet away when the men caught sight of us.

"Dere they are! Get 'em!"

"OH NO!" I yelled and tried to run further, but not only was Alseides too heavy for me to carry, Alseides himself woke up and got off of me. Soon, Theseus, Hubbard, and some other guy threw a big bag on me and pressed down on the edges, keeping me from getting away.

But I knew of a way out. I used Trump Card and tore the bag open with my magical cards.

Then, I decided to do something very out of character. I knew doing something like this was very unlike me, but I knew I had to if I wanted to get away.

I attacked all the men with Swift. I chased them away with my attack and sent them running back to the house. Unfortunately, Alseides had already been forced back to the house.

I don't know why, but I ran to another part of the big field, caught my breath, and licked some of the bite marks that Alseides left on me. Some of them were really deep, and just licking them made them sting with pain, like I was being burned. After resting for a bit, guilt swept over me. Even though I tried so hard, I couldn't save Alseides, and worst yet, I ran away. Then again, the men were probably much stronger than the both of us, and considering Alseides was so weak, he was probably unable to fight back. That, and he clearly didn't want to have anything to do with me except be his opponent and nothing more. But even though he's changed so much, I knew he was my brother, and if he stayed here, I feared he wouldn't last long. Once I regained some of my energy, I went back to the broken glass window.

But instead of seeing an empty arena, I saw something horrible.

The man who put him in the arena in the first place was cornering Alseides, kicking him with his big cleats and punching him with his fists.

And Alseides was too weak to stand up to him.

"You're a weakling! You gotta be the most pathetic Pokemon I ever seen, yo! You used to be strong, but now you ain't worth nuttin'! I had high hopes for ya! You were the most powerful Pokemon we had, and you had to repay my kindness by losing to some weak, pink, girly, pansy retard!"

Weakling? Pathetic? Not worth anything? Repaying his so called "kindness"? A volcano erupted deep within the depths of my heart, prompting me to go down there and give that Pokemon abuser a taste of his own medicine.

And that's exactly what I did.

I flew right in between Alseides and the man and unleashed an epic Moonblast on him, sending him to the other wall. How can he be so cruel, So selfish, So inconsiderate, So pathetic, and so downright heartless to a Pokemon he's using for his own gain? It's his own fault Alseides was like this! And how dare have the audacity to refer to his incessant abuse as kindness and take his anger out on Alseides just because he himself made him too weak to do anything?! That's what made me explode, and really, it felt GREAT to finally turn the tables on him! Adrenaline surged all throughout my body, like I had been revitalized thanks to my boiling anger. Once I managed to scare him enough to make him soil himself, I grabbed Alseides by the tail, hopped on some boxes and went right back out the window. As I ran with the tip of Alseides's tail in my mouth, I heard a thud and some voices telling him to put his hands in the air. I didn't bother to stay behind and see what happened, as I needed to get Alseides out of there.

Since he was too heavy for me to carry all by myself, I had no choice but to drag him along with his tail in my mouth. I felt really bad about having to do this, but there was no other alternative. If there was another way to carry him to the nearest Pokemon Center or something, I'd jump at it in a heartbeat. Thankfully, the forest was quiet and there were no Pokemon around as far as I could see. But I had to admit, the forest was pretty dismal and scary, and I could barely see anything up ahead. However, I did notice that some parts of the sky were a slightly lighter shade of blue than the rest of it. I assumed that morning was coming soon. I wound up bumping into some trees, but they didn't stop me from dragging Alseides deeper into the forest. I wasn't sure where we were going, but I knew I had to get him some help, and fast, or he'd die right there.

I had no idea how much time passed since we both left that wretched house, but as soon as I saw some pretty red patches in the sky, Alseides woke up and kicked me in the face with one of his back legs.

"OW! What was that for?!" I yelped in pain.

"Fight me, you pansy!" Alseides demanded.

"No! I don't wanna fight you!"

"So what? I'm gonna fight you anyway!"

"Alseides! This has to stop! We're not at the house anymore, and you don't have to keep doing this!"

"Yes I do! It's all I'm good for, and stop calling me Alseides!"

"No it isn't, and no you don't!"

"Stop telling me how to live my life! I threw away my name and my life back at the ranch! None of those things do anything for me!"

"SO WHAT?! Wouldn't you much rather be loved and accepted and treated well?!"

"You won't get anywhere in life with those things! Why do you think I threw away my name and my former life?! All it's done is hold me back!"

"That's what you think! Please! Just come with me to get help! Look how injured you are!"

"Stop trying to help me, you pink pansy! I LIKE fighting! I love tearing Pokemon apart! It proves that I'm strong and they're weak!"

He was starting to remind me of Dilandau, and that made me shiver in terror. But I couldn't give up. Not after seeing all of those old scars on his body.

"No1 You're coming with me to get help! You won't last much longer!" I bit on his ear and tried to drag him away.

"Get off me, pinky!" Soon, he and I wound up getting into a cat fight. We scratched and bit and kicked and rolled around like crazy people. But what we didn't realize is that we fought so much that we were rolling deeper into the forest, so much so that we wound up rolling right toward the edge of a cliff. I managed to break out of Alseides's grasp once we got too close.

"Why...why do you keep trying so hard to help me? Can't you see I don't need you stupid help?! You're just trying to make yourself look good and keep me from doing what I want!" Alseides snapped angrily.

"Is fighting and dying really what you want?!" I snapped back.

"Eh?" His scarred ears drooped down a little. That was all he said.

"Think about it! Fighting isn't going to make you happy, especially if you're so hurt that you could die from your injuries! It's great that you got to be a Flareon, and I'm happy for you, but...you don't deserve to be treated bad by those people! Haven't you thought about what doing this could mean for me?! For the family?! Don't you miss Mother and Father even a little bit?! They loved you! They loved you and the rest of us just because we were their children and nothing more! They'd be so sad if they saw you tearing up Pokemon and scarring them for life, even killing them, just because you're stuck at the mercy of some idiot who uses Pokemon as tools for recognition and glory without considering what his actions are doing to them in the long run!"

"I have no family! You don't know anything, you stupid brainless dip!"

"So what if I'm a stupid brainless dip?! I can understand if you're angry that Moondancer left! I don't care if you still think I'm responsible for Bolt getting captured! That's fine! But don't...don't ruin yourself like this! You're my big brother! You're Father's pride and joy! You're the Flareon of the family! You used to be cheerful and energetic and bright and optimistic, even though you liked to tease your younger siblings every once in a while! You said you wanted to be a great Flareon! You said you wanted to be your own Pokemon and not be someone's puppet! Are you seriously willing to throw everything away just because someone expects you to be perfect and will throw you away if you don't meet their expectations?!"

I expected Alseides to yell at me like he did when Bolt got captured, but instead, I got something worse. The rocks underneath us suddenly gave out, and we both found ourselves rolling down the cliff. We couldn't hold onto anything because the rocky cliff was surprisingly smooth, and our paws were too small to firmly grip the rocks. We fell a pretty great distance. Finally, we both bounced onto some smooth grass, even though it still hurt once we fell on a flat surface. I don't know how long I was out, but when I woke up, I could see a myriad of lights in the distance. We were near a town, and where there's a town, there's usually a Pokemon Center. Alseides could get the help he needed and possibly survive! Despite feeling woozy and light headed, I looked around for Alseides...

Only to find him lying just a couple feet away from me, completely unconscious and dirty. His yellow fur had multiple brown and red spots on them, dirtying its sun-like shine. It was like all the life had finally leaked out of him. I pushed him a little with my paws, but he didn't wake up.

"Al?" I asked. No response. "Al? Alfie? Come on! Wake up!" I shook him harder, but he didn't budge.

"My...name...Al...sei...des..." He muttered weakly in his sleep.

No.

It couldn't be. I didn't dare think it was happening in front of me. Watching Bolt get captured was one thing, and it was bad enough watching Dilandau kill all of those Pokemon in Chargestone Cave, but this...I couldn't bear it!

"No...No! Alseides! Get up! You'll be okay! There's a town nearby! You can get the help you need! You just have to get up! Get up! Please, big brother!" I pleaded and shook him as hard as I could, but he didn't wake up or move.

For a moment, I thought it was a dream. But it wasn't.

Alseides just laid there, completely still, like a rock. I didn't even see his body rise or fall. He wasn't breathing.

"No! NO! I'm not letting you die, big brother!" I screamed as I tried throwing him on my back, hoping to carry him to the town. The sun was beginning to shine her effulgence on the forest, though her light didn't reach a very great distance. It was still dark where I was. Once I had him on my back, I used the last of my energy to try to carry him, even though my previous attempts to do so were in vain.

This one was too. I only managed to walk about ten small steps before collapsing on the leaf covered evergreen grass because I was both too weak and hungry to carry him and because Alseides himself was too heavy, even though he himself was more weak and hungry than I was.

I was out of options.

"Alseides! Please don't die! You're my big brother! I don't care if you hate me forever! I don't care if you never want to see me or Mother or Father or the rest of the gang ever again! I don't care if you never want to go back to Floccesy Ranch ever again! Please, just survive! Just live! Just live and I'll be happy! Please! Please don't die! I'm begging you, Alseides!" I screamed and cried onto his fragile body, and his red and yellow fur drank up my tears. Then I looked up at the sky pleadingly.

"HELP! SOMEONE! Someone, please help! My big brother is dying! Help! Can anyone hear me?! My brother needs help! He needs to be taken to a Pokemon Center! Please come save him! Help! Please, help! Someooooone!" I shouted and yelled and cried with all that my weak voice could muster, hoping that someone would hear my ardent, heartfelt pleas and save Alseides from death.

But it was just as I feared. No response. Not even a chirp from a Pidove.

All that was there were a bunch of trees, the lights from the nearby town, me, and an immobile Alseides.

Katie re-entered my mind. I tried to save her, but I couldn't, all because nobody bothered to understand what I was saying in time. The huge tsunamis of guilt from back then returned in full force.

With a howl, I buried myself into his tattered yellow fur and cried even harder than before. Not being able to save Bolt was one thing, but this was much worse! My big brother was dying and I couldn't do a single thing to save him no matter how much or how hard I tried.

Worse than that...I could have prevented it if only I had fought harder.

If only I hadn't run on the field to catch my breath back then.

I couldn't save Katie, and...my brother would endure the same fate as her.

"Alseides...big brother...I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry...you're right! You're absolutely right! I am a pathetic little weakling and a brainless dip and all those other names you called me! I'm sorry I'm such a bad sister!" I cried softly at first, then screamed into his fur.

I thought all was lost. But then, my sensitive ears picked up a voice.

"Oh? What in the world happened here? Did you call for help just now?"

I was too sad to pay much attention at first, but when I looked, I saw a thin, black figure with some yellow spots on him and piercing red eyes. My eyes were too blurry with tears to make it out fully, but his voice sounded very familiar. Not only that, the sky was brightening up, and I saw some beautiful patches of plum purple, Flareon red, and Sylveon pink mixed with the deep blue. My prayers had been answered! Someone had come to help!

But it was someone I never thought I'd see ever again.

As I wiped my pale blue eyes and made them adjust to the coming light, they widened as soon as the blurriness disappeared. The Pokemon in front of me was one I had actually seen before.

An Umbreon.

I only knew one Pokemon who was an Umbreon...and from the looks of it, he actually recognized me as his red eyes were fixated on the collar that Serena made me.

"Sylvia...? Is that...is that you, little sister?"

I couldn't help it. As soon as he called me little sister, that's when I knew, and that's when I started blubbering. I couldn't hold them back anymore. The tears poured out of my eyes like a Vaporeon using Water Gun, like Father did once.

"M-M-M-Moondancerrrrr!" Without warning, I leaped on him and wrapped my paws around his thin neck. He smiled and stroked my back gently. Normally, when our siblings would do this, he didn't like it and often called them fools for using him as their outlet. But he didn't mind when I glomped him and just stroke my fur.

"It's been such a long time, little sister. Look how big you've gotten," Moondancer whispered gently as he continued stroking my back with his pitch black paw. Just hearing his voice and feeling his fur made me so happy. But he came, and I knew I had to tell him.

"What's wrong, Sylvia?"

"B-B-Behind me..."

He looked, and saw Alseides lying there, unconscious and unmoving.

"A Flareon?" From the confused way his voice sounded, he didn't recognize him.

"It's...It's Alseides..."

"What?! That Flareon is our brother Alseides?!" I never saw him look shocked, even back at home, so this was a surprise to me too. But that was beside the point.

"He's been hurt really bad, and I think...he might be dead!" I blubbered abjectly.

"I'll check," Moondancer said as he hopped over to Alseides and put his ear against his chest.

I saw his eyes widen a little, then he looked at me calmly but solemnly.

"He's alive. His breathing is extremely faint, but he's breathing, and his heart is beating. I just came from that town over there. Come with me. I'll help you take him to the Pokemon Center," Moondancer said.

A huge torrent of relief swept over me like a tsunami. I nodded vigorously.

"Yes, sir!"

"But right now...here, have some Oran Berries," Moondancer said as his eyes glowed purple for a minute, and three fresh Oran Berries came out and floated in front of us. He was using his Psychic attack on them. I was really hungry, so once they flopped in front of me, I chomped down on every single one of them. Once I finished, my hunger had been extinguished, and I felt revitalized. But some of the scratches Alseides gave me still hurt. Moondancer could see me flinch a little once I tried to move a bit, but I knew we had to get Alseides to a Pokemon Center and fast, or he really would die.

As my persisting hunger finally dissipated, Moondancer and I both carried the limp, unconscious, and immobile Alseides on our backs. This proved to be much easier than doing it all alone, as already I felt lighter than before, though that was because Al's legs and tail were on my back while Moondancer carried the rest of him. I wasn't sure how I'd be able to keep up with Moondancer, as I wasn't sure if he was faster than me, but for the most part, we managed to carry him just fine, and I kept up with him just fine, too. We walked instead of ran because if we did, Moondancer would probably outrun me, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to keep up. We would have liked to run to the Pokemon Center so we'd get there faster, but if we did, then Alseides would fall off. We didn't want that happening.

Even though it took us a while to get into town, we managed to make it to the Pokemon Center. The sun had fully risen and was shining her golden effulgence on the world, brightening it up completely. People and Pokemon began bustling about, but not in great numbers. I saw a young boy playing with a Pidove and an Oshawott happily, like they were his best friends. I saw a young woman and her baby watering some flowers with the help of a Roselia. We managed to reach the front of the Pokemon Center, but just as we did, a lady with pink hair in two loopy curls, a lighter pink dress, and a white apron came out in front of us. A pink and tan Pokemon with big ears and blue eyes, darker in shade than mine, followed her out.

"Let's go get some Oran Berries for the Pokemon, Audino," The lady said to the Pokemon, Audino, who stopped to look at us.

"Au! Au! Audino!" Audino exclaimed, which I translated as, "Nurse Joy! Look!" and pointed right to us, which prompted the lady to look at us as well. Once she saw Alseides on our backs, battered and near death, she gasped and scooped him into her arms.

"Oh no! You poor thing! Audino! Get the stretcher ready for the Flareon and this pink one," The lady, Nurse Joy as the Audino called her, commanded.

"Audino!" She exclaimed, which I translated as, "Yes, ma'am!" and ran into the Pokemon Center and back out with a little white bed with wheels on it. She put Alseides on there and then me as well, probably because of my scratches. We were both wheeled in, and Moondancer stayed outside.

When we were wheeled into the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy carried me in her arms and took me to another room. Then she wheeled Alseides into another room and stayed there as the Audino from before stayed with me and began tending to my wounds. Some of the disinfectants they put on me stung, but I knew they were being used to clean them and make sure they don't have any diseases in them, so I endured it. Then, the Audino washed them down with water and wrapped them all in white gauze as gently as she could. Soon, another lady came into the room, this time with light brown hair in a braid like Kayoko had, but this one had a yellow ribbon. She had hazel eyes hidden behind some square shaped glasses, and had on a white lab coat and green slip on shoes.

"Nurse Joy told me everything. How is it, Audino?" The woman asked.

"Au au audino. Audi audi audino audino," Audino told her, which I translated as, "Hi Cecilia. I took care of her small wounds and disinfected them all, but some of them may need stitches," As she told her, she pointed to a box and then gestured toward her arm and ear. The lady, Cecilia, took a look at my ear and some parts of my body. She didn't look too happy.

"Wow. This one definitely needs stitches. I'll get the anesthetic," Cecilia said as she ran out of the room. Audino smiled at me and put a paw on my body.

"Don't worry. You'll get better soon," Audino told me kindly, in a sweet voice.

"Umm...do you know if my brother will be okay?" I was really anxious to ask this, as I was really worried. Audino could see the worry painted all over my face.

"To be honest, I don't know. He looked really bad. But Nurse Joy and the others will do everything they can to save him. I can't guarantee it, though," Audino replied.

"What are stitches?"

"You ear and parts of your body got torn up pretty good, so putting gauze on them probably won't fix it completely, so they're going to sew them up by hand."

"But won't that hurt?"

"Cecilia's getting the anesthetic. That's the stuff they put in booster needles that they put in you so you won't feel the pain."

"Booster...needle?"

As soon as I asked that uneasily, Cecilia came in with a white box in her hand. She pulled out the booster needle, which was thin but looked sharp. I couldn't help but tremble a little in fear. Cecilia could see that I was scared and stroke my fur with her hand.

"Don't worry, little one. It'll just be a quick one, okay? I'm sorry to have to do this, but after this, you won't feel anything once we start stitching you up. Just be brave, okay?" Cecilia told me kindly. Not wanting to see the needle go into my skin, I covered my eyes with my paws. Then I felt a very strong pinch that made me yelp a little. I was glad I didn't unknowingly hit or kick any of them. They waited a few minutes, then started putting a string and a needle through some of my bad wounds, like on my ear and parts of my body where Alseides bit down really hard. I thought it'd hurt, and it looked like it would, but I didn't feel a thing, even though my body felt numb all over. Audino kept a hand on my paw as Cecilia began sewing my wounds up like she was working on embroidery, which I often saw Vicky work on back in Floccesy Ranch.

"You'll be okay. You don't feel the pain because that booster shot had the anesthetic in it. That stuff she put in you numbs your body so you won't feel anything at all. For really big stuff, they use it to make people go to sleep completely. It won't be long now," Audino told me reassuringly, and I smiled, feeling relieved that they were taking care of me.

"Thanks. But I'm more concerned about my brother," I told her worriedly.

"That Flareon is your brother?"

"Yes. I saved him from bad people who were using him to fight other Pokemon, and I'm not talking about Pokemon battles, either."

"I get what you mean. There's lots of people who hold illegal fighting tournaments and make Pokemon tear each other up without considering the consequences. Lots of Pokemon have even died because of that."

"Illegal means bad, right?"

"Yes. Fighting is different from battling. We battle because it's one of the ways we try to communicate with and understand other Pokemon better. It's the simplest way for us to do so, since we can't talk to humans. The more intense the battle, the more the true nature of the Pokemon is revealed."

Remi said something similar. But I just continued to worry about Alseides as Cecilia sewed on some more tiny stitches. Soon, she finished, and I felt a lot better. Cecilia and Audino wheeled me into the recovery room, which was full of little beds for Pokemon. Strangely enough, the Pokemon I saw in the recovery room were the exact same ones from that awful smelling room I was in, all the way down to that angry Chimchar with the bloodshot eyes, who was sleeping contentedly, covered in gauze and bandages. Perhaps someone told them about the fighting in the house and made sure the police got all the Pokemon out okay. In fact, a TV was on, and a lady with frizzy red hair was talking.

"Here I am in front of the condemned house that the police raided where they caught multiple escaped fugitives forcing kidnapped Pokemon to bloodily fight each other and tear each other apart. The police say that a mysterious young man with long green hair told them about the illegal activities going on and showed them this house here. Pokemon fighting has been declared illegal and different from Pokemon battling since about sixty years ago. Thankfully, many of the Pokemon that were in this house were saved except for two, a Flareon and a Sylveon. Unfortunately, the police have also discovered that some other Pokemon, if they failed to defeat their opponent, were executed via means of electrocution, hanging, or battery. All of the fugitives have been arrested by the police and are being charged with Pokemon fighting and many other felonies."

A green haired man? Hikaru said something about a green haired man saving her after she was released by that mean trainer after she lost a battle with a Bouffalant. The only green haired man I knew of was Cilan, one of the three gym leaders at Striaton City, but Hikaru said the man she met had long, fluffy green hair, flawless white skin, and a nice voice. I had to admit, I wished I had met that green haired man. His stepping up and telling the police about what was happening saved me. But...was Alseides okay? I was fine, but I still heard nothing about his condition. I stayed in the recovery room for what seemed to be hours until the Audino from before came to see me, looking extremely jovial.

"Great news! Your brother is okay! He made it through surgery!" Audino exclaimed.

"What?! He is?! Yaaaaay!" I squealed, completely swept away by a torrent of elation and danced on my bed like someone who had too much sugar. After about a few seconds, I calmed down. "So...when can I see him?"

"He's about to be rolled in here soon. But I heard Nurse Joy and Cecilia talking. They managed to save him with all they had, but they have a feeling because of the prolonged abuse, the severe extent of his injuries, and how long he went without receiving any form of treatment, he may not be able to battle for a very long time. His body has gotten too fragile for battling now," Audino said. Right after that, the door opened and Cecilia rolled an unconscious Alseides into another part of the room, and gently put him on a bed. As soon as she left, I ambled over to his bed and hopped onto it.

There he was, lying on a blanket, covered in huge heaps of gauze and bandages, sleeping with a very serene, content, and halcyon expression on his beet red face, his body rising and falling with the rhythm of his breathing. He looked like he hadn't slept this well in a very long time, and I was glad he wouldn't ever have to suffer anymore. Many parts of his body had been stitched up too, like mine, only he had to get more stitches in many other places, like on both his ears, his feet, and other parts of his body. His yellow fur had been cleaned up very nicely and looked bright and sunny, like the sun in the morning sky. I stroke his head gently with my paw as some tears silently plopped out of my eyes.

"You're okay. I'm so glad...you don't have to endure all that abuse anymore, Alseides," I whispered quietly. Then I decided to do something else.

I sang the song I heard in that cafe after Katie killed herself.

"Should I ever trip, how should I get right back up?

It's just a thought…I simply asked while absent minded…

There wasn't a single lie in my shattered past,

but will truth lie in the future I envision?

Everyone is born alone, and that is exactly why

we try to live together with others.

I firmly hold the strength to live and its meaning

that you taught me deep in my heart.

Let's start here so from now on

everything will one day bloom with a flower of hope.

We come to learn what is truly important during painful times.

They're our emotions we can't untie from…like a tangled necklace.

We were always conscious about what happened around us…

But living true to oneself is how

we found happiness.

Giving up isn't difficult, as opposed to continuing walking.

But even so, the dreams we envision are vivid and will never fade.

These hands will shiver in fear when I have to open the next door.

During that time, when I think of you, I become stronger.

I always pretended I never saw anything. But there is courage and loneliness.

Fumbling around, I draw them in.

One day, I want to make the flower of hope in my heart gently bloom.

Together with you.

Hoping our smiles would be brighter tomorrow than they are today,

I carve this path deeply in my heart.

Let's try walking forward bit by bit and keep our sight high.

Let's start, from here on."

It inspired me to keep moving, so I had hoped Alseides would hear it and remember how much I love him and hopefully inspire him to keep moving as well. As I finished, I looked around to find that Audino had left. There was a window, and it was open a little bit, probably to bring some fresh air into the room. I decided to leave. Once I got to the window, I pushed it up and managed to sneak out. As soon as I did, Moondancer saw me.

"How is he?" Moondancer asked as he and I sat down a little ways from the window.

"He made it through. He's going to be okay," I told him.

I saw a smile form on Moondancer's face, as he seemed very relieved. "Wonderful. So...what Pokemon have you become?"

"A Sylveon."

"What type are you?"

"A new one. A fairy type."

"What exactly happened to you?"

Like I did with Lucretia, I told him everything, only this time, it included Dilandau and Nicodemus, my tragic encounter with Vapor, and the two years I spent with Kayoko. Just like Lucretia, Moondancer listened intently, and didn't interrupt me when I told my tale to him. Once I finished, he looked at the field before him with a wistful gaze in his shiny red eyes.

"I see. You've been through quite a lot, Sylvia. I have to wonder if it was a coincidence that your given name happened to be related to the form you're in now," Moondancer muttered solemnly.

"Yeah. That might be possible," I said.

"However...I like your evolutionary form. It suits you."

"Thanks, big brother. I like it, too. What have you been doing all this time?"

"Traveling. Training. Honing my powers. Watching Pokemon and humans do their thing. I have seen many people interact with Pokemon. Some treat them like they're part of the family. Some work with them side by side, and then there are those who abandon or use them, and I despise those humans, especially those who abandon them for petty reasons and use them for their own gain. I'm honestly not surprised Alseides wound up getting caught by those men," Moondancer explained.

As I stared at him, I couldn't help but notice he looked a lot leaner and more slender than he was when I saw him leave Floccesy Ranch. He also looked a lot kinder, like a lot of his aloofness had just slipped away from him. His eyes looked softer, like he had seen lots of good things on his journey. He's been on his journey longer than I have on my own. His pitch black fur looked as sleek as ever, and the yellow things on his fur shined brighter than they had when he first evolved.

"Sylvia...what do you plan to do now? If you want, you and Alseides can come with me. We can travel together," Moondancer said.

I didn't hesitate to answer him.

"I appreciate the offer, but...I'm going to have to decline. I...I want to go back to Floccesy Ranch and tell Mother and Father or whoever's still back there that I'm alright. They must be worried about me. I know you say there's nothing there and that there's no future for us, but...the people who loved us are there, and...I'd much rather spend my days feeling loved and accepted than hated and treated like dirt. Well, to be more precise, I want to go back there and then think about what I want to do with the rest of my life. I'm not trying to be mean, Moondancer. I know you're trying to help, and I appreciate it. I just...I don't want Mother and Father to worry about me anymore," I told him.

He looked back at the field with his soft look. "I see. That's perfectly understandable. To be honest, I've been through some similar hardships as well, and it can be sad not being around people who love you and care for you. I used to be a bit of a brat back then, and my decision to go on this journey was, in fact, very selfish on my part. I feared that I wouldn't accomplish anything at Floccesy Ranch. I was so focused on getting out of the ranch that I didn't consider that I would be leaving behind the only family who ever loved me. But perhaps...maybe one can still live a good life without needing to feel like they need to do something big. I've been thinking a lot about that lately, and you're right. It feels much better to be loved and accepted than hated and discriminated against. Anyway...do you plan on taking Alseides with you?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm not sure if he still thinks he only lives for fighting or not. He said he threw away his name and memories of Floccesy Ranch, though I think that the man who took him made him forget by beating him up all the time. As much as I want him to come with me, I don't want to force him to do something he doesn't want to. Besides, the people are kind here. Perhaps, if he stays here, he can get the help he really needs. The Audino say he's too weak to battle and needs a lot of help recovering, so I don't want to put him through any more hardship."

"Good point," Moondancer said quietly but kindly. "You've truly grown up, little sister."

"Have I really? I don't know if I have or not," I told him. "But even so, I still wish I'd have been able to help Vapor when he needed me."

"Not everyone gets an easy life, Sylvia. Alseides and Vapor are good examples of that, even though they didn't choose the lives that have been heaped upon them," Moondancer said. "Sylvia...would you like to battle me?"

"What?!" I yelped, shocked with Moondancer's question. "You want us to battle? Here?"

He suddenly went into a battle stance. "Yes. You may have grown up, but I want to see if you've gotten stronger since we were young. Let's put what we've learned on our journeys to the test!"

He had a good point. I've learned a lot on my journey, and I was sure Moondancer did too. But Moondancer went on his journey willingly. I didn't have a choice in the matter. I was forcibly removed from my home. Moondancer wanted to get stronger. I wanted to get back to Floccesy Ranch. I hesitated in regards to battling him because I really didn't want to hurt him. Having gone through what illegal fighting was like, I was afraid I'd end up hurting Moondancer like Alseides hurt me, but then I remembered what Audino said to me about battles being the simplest way for Pokemon to communicate. I had to admit, I've been through my share of battles, and I had a very hard time believing that. But perhaps...maybe battling Moondancer could help me prove that to be true.

"Alright. I'll battle you, big brother," I told him. This wasn't a pretend battle that we used to do when we were Eevee. This would be the real deal. Moondancer could see that I understood.

"Good. There's an empty field over there. We'll battle there so we don't disturb anyone," Moondancer said as he pointed to the field that was about twenty feet away from the Pokemon Center.

Once we got there, we both stood on the field, far away from each other, staring at each other as a fresh breeze swept right by us, brushing against Moondancer's ears and tail and making my flowy protrusions flow and sway. There were a bunch of big rocks surrounding us, so if we were to battle, we could use them to our advantage. After about a few minutes, Moondancer jumped and sped right toward me, moving very fast. I wondered if I'd be able to dodge it, but once he got close, I jumped out of the way just in time. As soon as I was in the air, I unleashed Trump Card on him. It looked like it hit, as a cloud of grey smoke puffed up around him, but as it turned out, he leaped out of the way, just like how I evaded his Tackle.

"Shadow Ball!" Moondancer opened his mouth and allowed an ominous black and purple ball of light to appear. Then he unleashed it, though again, I somehow managed to evade it. But after that, neither of us unleashed an attack.

"Your journey has taught you well, Sylvia. I can see you have gotten quite strong. You're definitely not the little runt we used to pick on anymore," Moondancer said.

"You've gotten strong, too, Moonie!" I told him. Even though he doesn't like the nickname Moonie, I couldn't resist the urge to call him that.

"However, this battle has only just started, and I won't go easy on you! Swift!" Moondancer howled as he leaped into the air, did a little flip, and made a shower of yellow stars appear, heading right toward me. I decided to use Swift as well. Both of our attacks collided, making another cloud of grey smoke. As the smoke dissipated on my end, I could see a pair of glowing red eyes amidst the smoke on Moondancer's end of the field, and they definitely belonged to him.

He was definitely not going to go easy on me, not that I expected him to.

"Quick Attack!" A white light enveloped me and I managed to knock Moondancer against the grass. But as soon as he fell on the grass, he got right back up.

"Psychic!" Moondancer's eyes glowed red, and I found myself surrounded by a pale blue light while getting lifted into the air. Then, I felt like I was thrown against one of the rocks. It hurt, but I wasn't going to give up.

"Swift!" I saw an opening and decided to use Swift on him, shooting spinning yellow stars at him. But he used Psychic on them and made them turn around and hit me. I really wanted to use Moonblast, but I can only use it at night.

"Sylvia! You mustn't get cocky during a battle. It'll cloud your judgment and leave you open for attacks," Moondancer exclaimed as he unleashed another Shadow Ball, but I leaped on some rocks to get away from the other ones he shot at me. But then I had an idea. I leaped into some trees and used Trump Card on all of them, causing all the leaves to pile into the sky in huge drifts, using them as camouflage as I leaped from tree to tree. Then, once Moondancer was confused, I used Trump Card on him, managing to land some hits. Despite being slightly weakened by my attack, he got back on his feet.

"Good job, Sylvia! You're using your surroundings to your advantage," Moondancer complimented my strategy, but even though I felt happy that he complimented me, especially after being separated from him for so long, I knew that if I faltered or let my guard down, I'd lose this battle, and I really wanted to show Moondancer what I was really made of. I used Quick Attack on him again, and this time, I made him hit one of the rocks so hard that it broke. Not wanting to get cocky, like he said, I ran over and used Bite on him. I made sure to bite him someplace where it wouldn't hurt so much, which was the top of his back. He didn't even make any noise as I bit him. He did, however, use Psychic on me and threw me against another rock.

"It's good that you're looking for openings and not stopping to let down your guard," Moondancer said.

No. I wasn't going to stop. At all.

"Trump Card!" I used Trump Card again, but he used Psychic on them and threw them back at me. I used Swift to make them disappear, and another cloud of smoke appeared. I wasn't going to let Moondancer beat me, so I ran into the smoke and rammed into him with Quick Attack, not giving him time to use Psychic or Shadow Ball.

But he did, however, have one more trick up his sleeve. When the smoke disappeared, Moondancer's eyes glowed in an eerie and ominous black and purple light, just like his Shadow Ball attack.

"Dark Pulse!" Multiple black and purple rings appeared from his mouth, hitting me and causing me to fall on the dirt. Soon, he put his paw on my shoulder, pinning me down. He sure didn't show any mercy, not that I expected him too. But I didn't want him to think I was weak, even though he was my brother. I really wanted to use Moonblast, but I thought I could only use it at night.

But then I saw the moon.

In a bright blue sky.

It hadn't completely disappeared yet.

If it wasn't gone yet, then that meant...

I could.

And I would.

"Moonblast!" With all the energy I had left in me, I took a plunge and unleashed Moonblast. Moondancer sure didn't see this coming, as it came by such surprise that he didn't even have time to use Psychic or evade it. The attack sent him flying right into one of the trees. He fell off and branch and plopped right onto the grass like a limp towel.

"Oh no!" I thought I had gone too far with my attack and ran over to check if he was okay. "I'm so sorry, big brother! Are you okay?!"

"You should never show pity to an opponent. It's insulting," Moondancer mused as he stood back up. He looked very dirty and he had some injuries on him that I caused, but he didn't seem fatally hurt like Alseides was. He licked some dirt off of his arms and looked at me. "Anyway...good job, Sylvia. You win this battle."

"WHAT?! I...I won?!" I yelped, surprised by the outcome. I never expected to win anything, even though the training that Dr. Urbschat, Dr. Mingues, and the other scientists gave me at that science lab did help in making me stronger. But...I won? Against my big brother, who was likely to be stronger than me? Who's been on his journey longer than I have? I thought my win was a little too convenient.

"I'm so proud of you, little sister. You've overcome a great, many hardships, yet you've never lost sight of what's important, and you're still the sweet, kind little Eevee we used to know and love. I'm sure you'll be a great Pokemon. Personally, I'd honestly love to escort you back to Floccesy Ranch on my own, as I'd like to protect for, but three reasons keep me from doing so. One: I forgot how to go back. Two: You've clearly shown me how strong you are, and three: I shouldn't pretend to be your bodyguard and treat you like a broken Pokemon. I want to respect your decision and believe in the strength you have shown me," Moondancer said.

He didn't know it, but I secretly wanted to ask him to come with me. It had been so long since we last saw each other, and he didn't have any particular places to go, so there was no holding him back. We could overcome our hardships together and go back home together, even if we forgot where it was. I didn't care if he forgot! I wanted him to stay with me! But he had some good points. He said I wasn't the weak little runt they used to pick on anymore, and I didn't want to detract him from his own personal journey. He's walking down his own path. I'm walking down my own. He clearly said he doesn't want to go back to Floccesy Ranch, even though he showed he's different than he was when he left the ranch. I didn't want to be a weak little Pokemon who needed protecting, and he knew this.

"Thanks, Moondancer. I really missed you. But...I'll get stronger and find my own path in life. I don't want to stop you from getting stronger," I told him gratefully.

"Me too. I have no particular destination to go, so maybe I'll secretly follow you and watch over you, just to make sure you're okay. You may be stronger than you were when we were Eevee, but you're still my little sister. I promise I won't let anything happen to you, no matter how far apart we are," Moondancer told me in a soft voice, with a tender smile as he gently stroke one of my ears.

After that, Moondancer stayed at the Pokemon Center to get better, while I left. We went our separate ways once again. But unlike when he left Floccesy Ranch, I didn't cry or bawl or feel sad this time. Some way or another, Moondancer would always watch over me, whether it's under the bright, yellow sun or hiding in the deep, dark shadows of the night. I resolved to get stronger and still be myself, the little Eevee he and the others loved so much.