Pitch the Eevee's Story

Ako nods and turns to grab the Mudkip but quickly remembers that she's not on the main floor where she can just break through wood and move. No, she was in the basement. There was absolutely no way she was gonna be able to dig through a concrete foundation. Panicking, she thought of another way, it had to be fast. A last minute solution had to be present.

"The stairs!" She thought.

She looked at the stairs Bubba stood on. There was no way it could support fatty for long. If she added more tension to it, it would snap like when Sparks fell through the upstairs when he missed a Wild Charge. She looked to see the little chain for the light still dangling an ok distance from Bubba. If she could reach it, she could drop a Double Edge on the stairway and make the Abomasnow drop down, leaving a wide berth for 3 nimble Pokemon to escape from. On the other hand... she could smash him from behind and try for a similar outcome. There was no time to argue with herself. She had to go now!

With the sound of steps closing in, she had only one shot at this.

"Pitch, I want you to hit him with Sand Attack alright? A little disorientation may help us get out of here! We only get one shot, let's make it count!"

With adrenaline surging through her, she quickly turned away from Pitch and Seamus and charged one of the columns of boxes, hopping up onto it. From there, she made a leap at the chain. Having done things like this many times, her legs were stronger than Pitch's which would let her make the jump. She latched onto it, barely, with her tail and swung herself to be over top the Abomasnow.

"This is the only hope you got! Put everything into this, Ako!" She thought to herself.

She would let go, sending herself upwards at the ceiling beam above and kick off from it, using Double Edge to slam down on Bubba's head. With the force behind the move itself and Bubba's weight combined, Shirako hopes that it can snap the stair-step.

Pitch's heart nearly sank as his partner stopped suddenly, staring at the floor. He didn't really understand what was going on and the simple idea that the plan they had wasn't going to work already brought him up to the panic levels he'd just experienced. Her gaze moved to stare at Bubba on the steps.

"Ako! What's-" he started.

But she had interrupted, "Pitch, I want you to hit him with Sand Attack alright? A little disorientation may help us get out of here! We only get one shot, let's make it count!"

Pitch nodded and turned to face the hulking Abomasnow, "Right!" He focused and summoned forth a little flurry of wind that carried a very unhealthy mixture of sand, dust, and soot from his very own body. His reminders to not shake would prove to be helpful after all. He waited until Ako started moving, and then launched his murky creation forward, sending the Sand Attack directly into Bubba's eyes.

As Ako started her swing on the light bulb chain, there was an audible click! that could be heard. All of a sudden, the light went out. He blinked as he did his best to adjust to the sudden darkness. But it had barely been visible the first time they sneaked into this room, so he wasn't counting on much. What was different, however, was the presence of the Abomasnow on the stairwell. There was a small amount of orange light that faintly illuminated the walls of the stairwell behind him, giving him an outline. He watched with intensity as he hoped that Ako's plan would work.

There was the sound of two bodies slamming together, then the creaking of wood, and finally an extremely loud SNAP! The silhouetted figures fell through the floor, disappearing in the darkness beneath it. The way out was clear.

"Seamus! Ako! Let's go!" he cried, dashing towards the opening as fast as he could. He remembered Ako's suggestion and used Quick Attack to speed up the stairs in one graceful leap, landing in the stairwell and pivoting right to climb up the remaining steps. As he rushed up towards the kitchen, he could hear the steps of the humans clomping louder and louder. They were almost to the first floor. In a few seconds they would be in the kitchen. There wasn't enough time to escape. He would be spotted if he ran into the hallway.

Pitch landed on the tile floor and immediately scampered to a shadowy corner at the far end of the kitchen, hoping with all of Arceus's might that they wouldn't look left before they entered the basement. But as he heard the solid sound of the humans reaching the first floor, he noticed that neither Seamus or Ako had followed him out.

---

Just as Pitch's Quick Attack had cleared the gap a Water Gun wrought with fury and pure aggression jutted out from the hole, taking the battered Eevee and slamming her against the cabinets. If Seamus had been right behind Pitch, he would've caught the Water Pulse directly and carried to the same shelving unit the Eevee would crash into. If he had been intermediately close to Pitch, he would've caught the jet of water after it had been fired and he would've been sent flying backwards, but not nearly as far and with significantly less injuries. If the Mudkip hadn't been close to the Eevee at all, his chance of escape would've been cut off by a very peeved looking Abomasnow leaping up and slamming onto the steps above the broken one. If they could see his eyes, they were red from Sand Attack and pure anger.

"WHERE Y'ALL AT?! I'LL TURN YOU TO DUST!!!" he roared as his fist balled and he waited for their retort.

Seamus wanted to verbally acknowledge that the plan was working, but he didn't want to tip off Bubba. He felt like he was underwater even though he was on dry ground. Everything hurt to varying degrees. And yet he still had to act fast. Times like this he wished he knew Aqua Jet like the Piplup he tried to swim with. "Where...everything's happening so fast. Where am I?"

Shit. Still in the basement with an angry, blinded Abomasnow.

Seamus looked around in panic. A window, something he could crash through to escape. Preferably in Waterfall range. Finding nothing, he gave out a cry of pain and anger.

"I can't move like that! I don't know Aqua Jet! What are we going to do, Ako? We're as good as dead and it's all my fault!"

Shirako pulled herself up off the ground. By Arceus did her head hurt. Ako muffled the Mudkip with her tail. He needs to stop yelling. So they were in the basement still. Her eyes having adjusted to the dark by now, she quickly scopes the room for an emergency spot. can't dig a whole in the floor thanks to the cement so that option is out. They could hide under the stairs, and zip out when the coast is clear, or they could hide in the boxes. They had some leeway considering it is dark and Bubba's a little blinded. Time, however, is something they didn't have. The quickest thing she could think of was to grab Seamus and drag him with her behind some boxes. There was a box on it's own. It was a collection of photo albums. Perfect! They could hide under them! She turned to Seamus.

"Get in, cover up, shut up and wait." She whispered.

She then jumped into the box and wormed her way under a couple so she couldn't be seen right away. It wasn't the best plan. It was down there with some of the worst, but it was the only plan aside from do the same trick twice. Bubba is likely to see it coming the second time anyway, so that's a bust. Best option is hiding to at the very least escape the view of humans. They weren't too far from the stairs, about 7 feet from the bottom step.

"Pitch, please be ok. I hope he went to the Pelipers or something for help." She thought.

Pitch remained squished in the dark corner of the kitchen, not daring to move and barely daring to breathe. He was feeling a lot of emotions right now. Adrenaline from the full sprint out of the basement. Panic from the mighty power of the Abomasnow. Fear at the prospect of being found by the humans or even Bubba should he choose to come up here. But most of all, he felt concern for his friends. Seamus and Ako were still in the basement.

C'mon, c'mon, cmon! The Eevee was plagued with wishful thinking as he screamed mentally in his head, trying not to do it out loud. He had massive control over his body, despite the fact that his mind was racing a million miles a minute. It was a useful skill he learned to harness...being able to remain still and unnoticed as his mind told him to move. Hiding was a relative specialty for him and he had dodged many a human eye as a result. He had nothing to fear and he knew it. Only...he still felt the butterflies in his stomach.

He'd never really felt like this before. Sure, there were moments of apprehension as he came into his own in Nimbasa City. There were moments of panic from having to fend off the local Pokemon Gangs that roamed those streets. There was always that lurking "what if" scenario crawling around in the back of his mind. What if he was caught? What if he turned into someone else's pet? Or worse...became a combatant in someone else's quest for glory? But he'd always had reliance on the fact that he was alone. It was only his problem to deal with since he was only caring for himself. Escaping was easy for him.

But now it wasn't just him. Now he had a partner to support. And she was in more danger than he was.

His heart sank as the first movement he saw was not the friendly face of Ako or the determined stance of Seamus, but the human leg of the elderly man racing into the kitchen from the hallway, his wife in tow. They didn't even bother to look around as their vision tunneled and they immediately started descending down the stairs to the basement. They weren't going to escape, Pitch realized. All of their efforts left them separated and in a more vulnerable situation than before. He had to think. What would Glow do?

But he knew that answer. He knew it because she had been the very first Pokemon to protect him when he needed it most. He had to get them out of there, by any means necessary. He may not have the power to back himself up, but he could get help. He could find the Crimson Guild, now that he had a better understanding of what their members looked like. He bet he could even flash them his badge and they'd come running to his aid. Hope and optimism was starting to set in as he starting to form a plan. But he'd have to act now.

Hold on you two! he thought as he scampered out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Just hold on a little longer!

But he ran into his next obstacle a few seconds later...the closed door in front of him. Without even thinking, he lunged for a coat hanging on the side and started climbing it. He could hear slight tearing as his claws dug into the parka's soft material. But he didn't have time to feel guilt. When he had enough height off the ground, he took a breath and then leaped for the doorknob. He felt his paws come into contact with the metal brass before gravity took him to the floor.

There was a click! and a slight creak. Already he could feel the temperature drop slightly. The door was open.

Seizing his opportunity, he nosed his way through the crack and out the front door. The frigid wind hit him like a blunt object, but he kept on pushing through. He was outside...

And then an actual blunt object smashed into his face. He didn't even have time to cry out before his vision went dark and he slipped into unconsciousness.

---

"Bubba! What's wrong?" the voice of the elderly man was the first to spread through the basement as he leaned down and inspected his Pokemon, "Your eyes are all coated with...soot, I think."

"Oh m-!" the old lady stepped past him and right through the broken stair, causing her to trip and land hard on her side on the next step.

"Honey!" the man immediately reached down towards his wife, grabbing her hand to prevent her from falling any further, "You alright? Is anything broken?"

"N-No! No..." she reassured him, catching her breath as she used his hand for support and pulled herself to a sitting position, "I think I'm fine. I was just startled is all..."

"How did the stair break?" the man's gaze turned toward the gap. On the floor was the broken piece of plywood, broken in two. "That wasn't like that today, was it?"

"I haven't been down here in a little while," the woman rubbed her side, visibly wincing through the darkness, "You would know before me."

The Abomasnow grumbled as he started rubbing at his eyes, wiping away the soot, "Rotten little creatures..."

"Huh? Bubba?" the man turned towards his Pokemon, more concern wrought on his face than ever, "What happened? What did you find?"

"I'll find the light," the woman determinedly found her way to her feet.

"Honey, just rest!" he pleaded, "I don't want you straining yourself until we know for sure you're fine."

"I'm telling you I'm fine," she waved him off, then audibly gasped as her foot touched the floor, "Huh?! Wh-Wha-...there's water down here! A lot of it!"

"Huh? You sure?" the old man turned toward his wife, who had stopped on the lowest step.

"Why would I lie?" she asked him as she hiked up her pink robe and stepped in the water, sucking in air through her gritted teeth as she visibly shook, "It's freezing!"

"Wasn't sure if you hit your head or not," her husband admitted before turning to the Abomasnow once more. "Now what happened?"

Bubba, with fury still wrought on his face, pointed towards the basement, "There's Pokemon down there! Three little ones!"

"Hey, hey, alright! No need to shout at me!" the old man held up his hand, asking Bubba to stop, "I'm right next to you. Calm down. Deep breaths, buddy."

Bubba sighed and did as he was told, calming himself down. The lady tugged on the metal chain and the basement was illuminated once more. She looked around in shock at Seamus's aftermath.

"Oh my...there's so much water down here!" she moaned, "It's all flooded!"

"Did a pipe break?" he asked her, "Do you hear any gushing water anywhere?"

"No," she reported as she surveyed the room, "All the stuff on the floor's gonna be ruined, though!"

"Yeah," he sighed, "Nothing can be done about that, unless you wanna start moving stuff around. Maybe try to save some of it?"

"No...I'm too tired to be dealing with all this. I can assess the damage tomorrow."

"Alright, then," the old man leaned forward on the step he stood on, examining the back wall, the pipes near the ceiling, everything plumbing-related in the basement...searching for a clue of some kind. He sighed, "So weird...I don't see any busted pipes."

The Abomasnow was also searching around the basement, but he definitely wasn't searching for a water leak. He still stood in the doorway, trying to survey the whole room in search of Ako and Seamus.

In the haze of Seamus's pain, he thought he saw the elderly humans fussing over not only Bubba, but something about a busted pipe. A light bulb went off in his head. That was it. All he had to do was create a distraction.

With no chance to communicate his idea to Ako, Seamus looked around for a place with a bunch of pipes close together. That big capsule looking thing looked like a good target. Rearing his head back, Seamus shot a Water Gun over the top of the water heater, boosted by Torrent to really make a mess of the place before bolting for the unguarded basement door. Pitch had left the front door open, so now all he had to do was make a break for it regardless of how much of a mess he had made!

Ako heard the splash and went wide-eyed. "Dammit, why did he do that!? Ugh... Can't risk both of us being caught... Ok. This is gonna feel rotten but, Ako, you have to do it." she thought this before she broke out of her cover and charged over to the door. She spots right away where the man was and runs over to him, jumping up and biting his hand. She didn't use the move, but rather just a normal chomp.

She had to draw attention to her and away from Seamus, even if it meant attacking humans. She kept her grip and held onto the man's hand with her teeth. Attacking a human made her feel sick to her soul, the taste of human blood wasn't helping the matter either as it almost made her want to vomit. She hoped this act would at least cause some turmoil or anything to take attention away from Seamus.

The couple nearly jumped at the sudden roar of gushing water and turned to watch the stream of the Torrent-powered Water Gun find it's mark above the water heater, spreading through the rest of the room. While Seamus's plan was good conceptually, it was an entirely different matter in practice. The basement light was on, giving clear indication as to where the jet of water was coming from. What was more, while the wife was standing in the center of the basement, the husband stood on the lowest step, and more importantly, the Abomasnow still stood at the mouth of the exit, blocking any escape into the kitchen. Had Seamus executed his plan alone, it would've been a failure.

But it wasn't. As the trio began searching in the direction of the Water Gun, and ultimately noticing the Mudkip bolting for the exit, Ako's plan was in action. The man suddenly cried out in pain as the Eevee bit his hand. The woman gasped in surprise. He rolled his fist into a ball instinctively, but relinquished as he noticed what was biting him. With a surprising calm demeanor, he took his thumb and index finger and stuck them in Ako's mouth, placing each one on the roof of her mouth. He started prying her jaws open with pressure.

The only one who acted rashly was the Abomasnow. Seeing his trainer hurt and seeing what had caused it, he suddenly lashed out. He stomped down the stairs, grabbed Ako's tail right as she was being pulled off, and flung her over his shoulder directly into the basement floor with all the force and power he could muster. Before he could continue his onslaught, his trainer pulled him back roughly and stood in the way of him and the Eevee. He was surprised at the stern look on his face, a look he didn't see that often...and never in his direction.

"No, Bubba!" he scolded, grabbing the Abomasnow with both hands and shaking him slightly. A little bit of his blood seeped onto his shoulder. "Stop!"

"Honey!" his wife anxiously called out as she stepped past the Eevee and towards her husband, fear wrought all over her face, "Your hand!"

"It's fine," the man sighed, inspecting the bite for the first time, "She didn't get in too deep. Looks like she showed some restraint when she bit me. She could've made it a lot worse if she wanted to."

As the three were talking, no one was really looking around for Seamus, who had slipped out in the confusion and successfully made his way to the kitchen undetected.

Everything was going wrong for the little Mudkip. Out of his element in more ways than one, and out of his depth in the more figurative sense. Hurt and scared by the sheer power of the Abomasnow, all he wanted to do was to get out. Seeing the door that Pitch had left open after finally making it upstairs, he teared up as he ran through as Ako's sacrifice finally started to register.

But where was Pitch? Didn't he make it out too? Too many questions and not enough answers. It was time to hide in the sea before Sneasel or any other goons decided to finish him off.

All Ako got to see before she blacked out was the floor speeding towards her face. She laid there for a moment, despite her body yelling at her to get up. She tried to contemplate what happened.

"I... I did something and then I felt my tail... and then floor..." She went over what happened in her mind. Suddenly, the urge to get back up flooded her mind. So she grit her teeth and staggered back up. She tasted iron in her mouth.

"W-Wait... blood?"

She would spit some blood onto the floor but while some of it was her own, there was a darker colour present and she shivered. Suddenly pain shot through her, originating in her front, left leg. She lifted it off the ground with a whimper. It was then she noticed she wasn't alone in the room. She looked up to see a woman, and Abomasnow and a man. What was that red stuff on his hand? It looked familiar...

Suddenly, the memories shot back into Ako's mind. She did that. She lashed out at a trainer like some wild animal. Her ears flattened and her tail fell between her legs. Simply looking at the wound she caused made her mouth and eyes waver. Water began welling up and she uncontrollably began crying.

"I didn't mean to.... I didn't mean to... I'm sorry.... I'm so very sorry!"

It didn't take a Psychic type to tell her tears were genuine. Harming a trainer hurt her deeply. She bowed her head and sniffed.

"I just wanted to save my friend...I didn't want to hurt anybody."

She looked at the Abomasnow with apologetic eyes, knowing it'll never be enough. No amount of sorrys could ever make it right. No matter what the reason was.

"I-I can't go home to Ai like this... Not after w-what I did... I-I'm so sorry, Bubba... I'm so sorry!"

Her tears created a puddle on the ground. They kept flowing from her eyes so much you could swear she used Water Gun on her self. She limped her way over to the man, gently and looked up at him with blurry, teary eyes. Asking for forgiveness.

Seamus ran full speed towards the docks and dove in face first, the ice and the cold acting as a sufficient cover for anyone that wanted to pursue him further. Maybe he could try being an explorer again some other day. Right now, all he wanted to do was pretend today never happened and rest after getting thrown around by that ungodly strong Abomasnow.

Pitch finally came to with the sound of a small rustle somewhere nearby. Instinctively, he squeezed his eyes shut, not feeling particularly rested. He almost wanted to drift back to sleep, but he noticed there was an odd air around him, like a weird draft. The air smelled different too, he noticed. He silently groaned and squinted his eyes open, getting his bearings around him.

What he saw startled him fully awake. Something flowery and pink was right in front of his face. He blinked several times and sprung to his feet. But he moved way too fast and the rush of energy all went straight to the head...where a nasty headache was waiting for him. He had to bite off a full blown yelp of pain and even then, it was impossible to not wince or whimper. He staggered backwards, but remained standing as he recalled his memories. He backtracked to the moment action was taken against the huge Abomasnow...when Glow had trounced it through the stairs-

Wait, not Glow! Ako! he reminded himself and immediately began searching the room for his partner. She was nowhere to be found. He started to panic slightly until he remembered what she had done and why she had done it...to let him escape. And he had, and he raced through the kitchen, and he ran out the door...

And now he was here...with a massive headache. What happened?

The question bounced in his head with each pound of blood passing through his temples as he started to truly take in the room...and how girly it was. The walls were decorated in a pink floral wallpaper, the carpeted floor matching the color palette. He noticed a pink wooden dresser, a desk with a mirror attached to the wall in front of it, a nightstand with a plain lamp, a night light that slightly illuminated everything with a fairy-like glow, and a bed covered in rosy blankets and sheets. And there was a person sleeping in it!

He immediately went into sneaky mode, slinking away from the bed while searching for escape points. A window, a small door, and a set of double doors was all he could see. He attempted the window first, pushing his nose past all the frills of the drapes to hop on the window sill. But the window slid from left to right with two bolts holding it in place. While he could undo the lower bolt, the bolt in the top left corner was well out of reach for the small Eevee. Not to mention there was the problem he faced if he did make it out...jumping two stories to the ground below.

Pushing his frustration to the wayside, he went for the smaller door next. He did his best to press against the door as lightly as possible, trying to reach the door handle without making any noise. But as a paw slipped off the brass knob, his blood ran cold when he felt resistance almost immediately. Just to make sure, he tried again, this time getting a better grip and turning it the other way. But the knob didn't budge.

Locked! he panicked, But why?

"Boo!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it was full of dark energy and right in his ear. Pitch tensed up, his back arching involuntarily as he ran to the nearest corner and turned around. His fear turned to recognition as he recognized the face of the Haunter he'd seen earlier.

"Aw, what happened to your confidence?" Vintrell jeered, "You had so much fire in your voice when you told me off earlier."

He didn't bother humoring him, only keeping his eye locked on him to make sure he didn't try to attack, "So you gave me this headache, then?"

The Haunter shook his head, "Do I look like the kind of Pokemon who'd get my own hands dirty in a fight?"

The realization dawned on him, "Which of your brutes were waiting outside? I know that Sneasel can't hit that hard."

Vintrell shrugged, "I don't know. I wasn't there. And does it matter? You're here now."

"Where is 'here'?"

"My home."

Pitch blinked in surprise, "You live here? You have a trainer?"

Vintrell chuckled, "More like we have each other."

The Eevee didn't like the tone of that voice, "What does that mean?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Or we can cut to the chase and find out now. But she won't like that." The Haunter hovered a prickly-looking finger over the lump in the bed, "Whadaya say? Should we wake her?"

Pitch shook his head immediately. He had no desire to find out what kind of person would keep such a devilish Haunter as a companion.

Vintrell shrugged all the same, "Yeah. Let's let her sleep. That way, she'll be more excited to see you in the morning."

"And what if she doesn't?" Pitch narrowed his eyes.

"Oh she'll be more than happy to see you," the Haunter hovered directly in front of his face, "Trust me. You are going to make her day."

The Haunter hovered backwards, towards the closed door, "I'll see you both tomorrow after you two introduce yourselves." His body became translucent and he started sliding through the closed door as if it wasn't there. He stopped just before disappearing, making only his face visible. "I'll help you out though, seeing as you're pretty bad with introductions."

"Yeah? How?"

"Her name's Mindy."

He winked before disappearing, leaving Pitch alone with the sleeping girl.

---

Ako would notice the sky was beginning to turn gray, signaling an early morning. The clouds were hanging low, threatening more snow. The wind still rattled the windows, whooshing against the house with a ghostly moan. It almost felt like the cold air was breaking into the house, chilling the air around her. But she would notice that the chill came from behind and when she turned, she would find the Glaceon standing behind her. Everyone else was sleeping still except the Abomasnow, who was staring at the front door.

"You alright?" the Glaceon's face was wrought with concern.

"A-Ako just... just had a bad dream about her trainer is all... Why she's not here. It still haunts Ako."

She would wipe her eyes again before lowering her head, "Sorry for waking you. Ako just has bad dreams a lot."