Arcane Explorers: An Eeveelution Story

Chapter XII

[??? POV]

A nervous Vaporeon stared at me as I looked into the mirror. I did not want to leave this room, for I knew what would happen shortly after. The midnight purple eyes in the reflection were filled with worry. I heard a click somewhere behind me as a door opened. “Miss Sapphire? Have you finished preparing yet?” I did not turn to face the mon speaking. I sat there for a few moments, deep in my thoughts. “... I'm not going.” I knew where this conversation would lead, though this time I had a plan. “But you have to. It's part of the alliance. You have to do this. Queen Partide ordered this arrangement.” I shook my head as I stood. “I don't care. That Espeon doesn't have a single good intention in his mind. I'm not going, and I'm going to make that clear this time around.”

I turned to face the Vaporeon in the doorway. She was just about to open her mouth to speak when I ran past her through the doorway. “Wait!” I ran through the halls of the palace I used to call home. I saw a window in the distance. I wouldn't make it through the front door, so the window would have to do. My tail's appearance suddenly changed from the usual blue scales to polished steel. As I neared the window, I jumped up into the air, using my tail to slash the window open as I flew outside. I pointed my head towards the ground below and used hydro pump to cushion my landing. I could hear the guards quickly approaching in the distance. I stood up and ran as fast as I could into the woods. I never looked back.

. . .

I had been running for what felt like hours. It wasn't quite sunset yet, but it was nearing. I was extremely tired. I wanted to stop, but I knew I couldn't. I had to keep going. I could feel the spikes of pain in my paws each time I took a step, until suddenly I couldn't. I tried to catch myself, but it was already too late. I let out a scream in fear as I tumbled off of the edge of the cliff towards a river. I knew I wouldn't make it far after an impact like this, and I couldn’t swim. I closed my eyes and braced myself as I fell through the air. I felt a sudden sharp pain in my back before blacking out.

. . .

My eyes shot open as I awoke. My heart was still racing. As my eyes adjusted, I realized that I was in a somewhat dark area, possibly a cave. The floor felt cold and hard. I steadied my breathing as I glanced around. I was definitely in a cave, the entrance visible from where I was lying. I noticed my back felt incredibly sore. I looked over my body and saw bandages around my back. Someone had patched me up and brought me here. I looked around the cave, wondering who brought me here. I was completely alone, the only thing in the cave other than me being a small pile of berries against the wall. I tried to stand, but the pain was too much. I accidentally let out a quiet yelp as I attempted to stand.

I lay there on the floor, waiting for whoever had helped me to come back. I began to ponder what kind of pokemon it would be. ‘There’s a high probability that it's another Eeveelution. Probably a Vaporeon, though it might be a Flareon. I just hope they have good intentions.’ I suddenly started to worry that it might be a wild pokemon. I'd never actually encountered a wild pokemon before since most of my life was spent sheltered in my home. I'd heard about them, though. They were supposedly very dangerous and aggressive and not something you'd want to run into.

I'd also heard my mother mention a supposedly scary and vile creature that had recently been rediscovered. It was called a Jolteon, but that was where my knowledge ended. I'd been shut out of the room before the conversation progressed. I snapped out of my thoughts as I noticed a very small box sitting next to the berry pile. I couldn't stand, but I could slowly crawl. With my curiosity piqued, I began crawling towards the box. It took me some time to get close, but I eventually made it. Upon further inspection, the box seemed as though it was intended to be special. It was a glossy black with gold lining the edges. I glanced around before carefully opening the lid. Inside the box was a golden band with a strange yellow gem engraved on the outside. A small gold plaque on the inside of the box read “Property of King Nimh Valence.” My eyes widened as I realized what I was looking at. This was a royal band, an item that would be worn on one's wrist to signify that they were a part of a royal family. The plaque made it clear that this band belonged to a king.