Eeveelutions the shiny vulpix

Chapter 10 - Acceptance

Clarisse stared at her reflection in the water and shook her head trying to control her thoughts. Why she was out in the rain was simple: she wanted to relax and have some sort of peace. She shook off trying to remain dry enough to see the droplets make her reflection sway. The ground beneath her paws was wet and semi slippery. She thought back to what everyone kept telling her. That she wasn't alone, that mons cared about her. Clarisse didn't want to accept these facts but every time she shook off the comments they kept coming back. Her head kept telling her to let them in but she refused to. Clarisse wondered when her life would be better but that was a question she had to ask herself. She knew for the most part it was her fault that she saw things differently than others. She missed her parents more than anything and even with her mothers words she didn't exactly feel any better about it. Suddenly lightning struck a nearby tree. The noise of something being set ablaze startled her. She felt herself slip and then the cold that consumed her. She gasped for breath before she realized what had happened she fell into the pond. She was panicking now. She had never let Lux teach her how to swim and she didn't know if her friends were nearby at all. Friends, yes she could call them her friends afterall she was about to drown. The currents were stronger than Clarisse had expected she was pulled to and fro trying to get back to the surface. Her eyes closed and she saw a bright light. She was standing on solid ground. Well, it was some sort of white background. She looked around and saw Arceus, the creator of all pokemon. Was she dead? She tried to speak but couldn't bubbles were the only things that came out. It was then she realized this was a vision. Her parents walked towards her and stared at her. She reached out and actually touched them. "Hello Clarisse" her mom smiled down at her. Clarisse should've been happy but in fact she was terrified her mother sounded nothing like the ninetales she saw the other night. "We know you are confused but we have come to speak with you" Firestorm smiled. Finally she was able to speak. "I don't understand why can I see you?" she stuttered. "Don't worry you're not dead- yet" Angel smiled down at her. "You see we finally convinced Arceus to be able to talk with you" Firestorm replied. "I'm sorry I act this way I really am I just miss you" she found herself crying at this point. "It's ok to be sad about your loved ones' deaths... But we hate to see you in such a depressed state. It hurts us to know our baby girl is broken without us" Angel frowned, a tear trickling down her face. "I don't blame you two ever I just miss you-" Clarisse cried. Firestorm wrapped them both in a hug and smiled. "I love both of you and don't ever fret about us we're fine where we are... You need to enjoy the life you've been given. Everest actually does care about you Clarisse and so does all your friends. More than you think". Clarisse wiped a tear off her eye. "Really?" she asked. "Yes indeed in fact Zahavi likes you y'know in a different way" Angel giggled. Clarisse blushed "Is his father around here?" she asked. "Yes he is, did you want to speak with him?" Firestorm asked. Clarisse nodded. A shiny kanto ninetales trotted up to her. "Arceus told me you wanted to speak to me?" he asked. "Yes it's about your son" Clarisse awkwardly started. "Please, I want to give him a message. Can you tell him to let go of the past? I hate how he thinks he has to watch over land that isn't even ours anymore" The ninetales frowned. Somehow Clarisse also found these words comforting even though they weren't meant for her. "I will sir thank you for sending him into my life" Clarisse breathed. "He needed someone like you" the ninetales smiled before bounding off. She then turned towards her parents. "I saw you a night ago, why is it you sound different?" she asked. Angel gave a warm smile "Some of your friends help you in ways you never even thought were possible. For example during that night you were heartbroken and couldn't take your mind off of us. Opal relieved that pain by talking to you in the only form you would listen to". Suddenly it hit her Opal originally wanted to talk to Clarisse that night but she wouldn't listen. Clarisse wasn't mad in fact it made her feel better. If Opal actually cared that much about her she wondered who else cared that much. "Now we would love to spend more time with you and it pains me to say goodbye but you'd have to be dead to stay here. And whether you think so or not someone will always be there to help you. Now wake up and go back home" Angel smiled embracing her daughter. Clarisse hugged both her parents and cried harder. "I can't say goodbye not yet. How am I supposed to live without you? What if I came back to this sorry state again". Firestorm stroked her tuft of fur "It's ok to have doubts but you can't live like this instead focus on the positives in your life you can't stay focused on the negative or else things won't ever go the way you want". "Let mons into your life who care about you let mons love you just as much as we would. We will always be with you whenever you second guess yourself just look to the sky and we'll be staring right back at you" Angel added. Clarisse sniffed and looked at her parents one last time. "How do you know I'll be ok?" she asked. "Don't worry you will" Angel and Firestorm echoed.

Their voices rang out inside her head but were replaced by the roaring sounds of the water. Clarisse opened her eyes the slightest bit to reveal she was still in the pond. She tried to move but her body was already much too tired to do so. She gasped for breath as bubbles came out of her mouth. She felt herself get colder and colder. But out of the corner of her eye she saw a familiar blue body swimming towards her. She felt herself black out before feeling paws around her waist. Clarisse found herself choking on water. She finally saw the sun and gasped for the air around her. "W- what h- happened?" she managed. Lana shook off the water hurriedly and stared at her. "Oh thank arceus you're alright! I was worried I got there too late" Lana gasped. "Lana y- you jumped in the water to save me?" Clarisse was shocked that her friend who hated water would swim to save her. Maybe everyone did care about her after all. "I had to and if I hadn't I never would've noticed how amazing my evolution is in water! I thought it was useless but it turns out I wasn't using it properly I could breathe underwater!" Lana excitedly cheered. Lux walked over to Clarisse to help her dry off. "And I never would've known that I can transfer my heat on others... Watch" Lux smiled. He put a paw on Clarisse's back and suddenly she could see her fur drying. "Thanks" she shook off the rest of the water. "You're ok, we were so worried about you!" Luna smiled and hugged her. Clarisse looked around at everyone that had come to cheer her on even if she did just fall into a lake and almost drown. She saw Zahavi away from everyone at the edge of Lux and Lana's house out of the rain. She slowly walked over to him and smiled. "Your dad wanted to tell you to move on, let go of the past... That land isn't exactly yours anymore" Clarisse stepped closer to him. He gasped and looked at her "You saw my dad?" he wagged his tails. "He wasn't the only mon I saw. My parents told me the truth, I'm so sorry about how I've treated you all- maybe we can be friends after all" she looked at Luna. Luna wagged her tail and jumped in the air. "I knew you'd accept me eventually" she giggled. Everyone crowded around her and began to excitedly talk to her. She hugged her friends and kissed Zahavi even if she regretted it afterwards it was so worth it. Zahavi blushed and looked at her. Clarisse breathed slowly "You aren't the only mons I have to apologize to". She slowly walked back to the guild and found Sonny and Everest on the front step. She backed up a bit and thought if it was such a good idea. "Oh forget it" she mumbled. She ran straight towards the two and embraced them in a hug. "I'm so sorry for everything. I should be more grateful your my aunt and uncle" she smiled a tear trickling down her face. Her friends stood behind her with smiles on their faces. Everest began to cry and hugged her back. "I love you Clarisse and whatever happens I'm so glad you could be my niece". Clarisse smiled at the two and even though she was uncomfortable with Sonny being there she kept on smiling.