Warrior Eevees #2: Pearl's Shadow

17- The Battle Against the Shadows

Pearl had not seen many fights in her day, but even she knew this one was particularly strange. For one, not even all the Mightyena were participating. She saw Reed sink his teeth into a fluffy black tail, only for the Pokémon to yelp:

"Let go, let go, I don't want to be here, either!"

"GET THEM!" Pearl heard Midnight order, swiping Rapids into the mud, only to be knocked over by Pebble.

Pearl tested her injured hind paw against the ground. It hurt, but not too badly to bear. Her Aqua Ring was working. Side by side with Geyser, she sprang for the nearest Mightyena. Together, they dragged her to the ground. Pearl sank her claws into the thin strip of white fur along her spine while Geyser battered at her belly fur with his foreclaws. The taller Pokémon shook them off and stepped back, snarling.

Black glimmers of energy fluttered out of her nose, and Pearl tensed, preparing for a ranged attack. But before she could strike, Silent sank his claws into her hind leg, churning with his hind paws and tearing clumps of fur away. The Mightyena turned to chase him like an Eevee after its tail, unable to reach him where he clung. Pearl again pulled water from the ground, sweeping into her with a Surf that sent her coughing and spluttering.

"Oh, no, no, no, don't hurt me!" a whine rose above the battle, and Pearl saw Geyser stalking toward Yips with his fins raised so that he looked even bigger than the Mightyena.

"You coward!" he snarled. "If you want to kill us, at least have the guts to do it yourself!"

Geyser lunged, dragging his claws across Yips's face, and followed it up with Aqua Tail. The Mightyena snarled defensively and slammed his jaws together inches from Geyser's ear. Geyser ducked beneath his jaws and rammed his head right into the Mightyena's throat. One of the other Mightyena paused to bark a rough laugh at Yips' expense, only for Bubbles to hit him with a Scald.

We're winning!

Pearl flicked her claws across a red nose and threw another Mightyena over with another Surf. She was tiring of Water-Type attacks, but not as much as the Mightyena were tiring of fighting with the Lake Tribe. She barely felt her wounds anymore, from her Aqua Ring or from the sheer thrill of the fight.

"MOTHER!" Yips was howling, fleeing toward her with his tail between his legs.

Midnight was taking on three Lake Tribe members at once, growling and snapping, her jaws foaming with blood, but far too outnumbered to stand a serious chance. Even as she lunged at Mist, Rapids dragged her back, her jaws catching only empty air.

"STAY OUT OF MY WAY!" Midnight snarled at her son.

But it was all Splash needed to launch an Aqua Jet, sinking his claws into her face and clinging there like a burr until Midnight finally managed to dislodge him, blinking the blood out of her eyes.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" she howled, leapt over her three combatants, and lunged once more for Pearl.

"You are the only one I want!" she sounded near insane, her eyes wild, her ears drawn back, her once beautifully groomed pelt now clotted with mud and blood and missing huge tufts of hair.

But she tripped as she lunged, over Silent, who wove his way between her paws and sent her crashing to the ground. Pearl wasted no time, swiping again with her tail and driving her muzzle into the dirt. When she tried to stand, Geyser was there, knocking her paws out from under her with an Aqua Tail, rolling her onto her belly. Her head fell at Pearl's paws, her soft neck fully exposed.

Pearl met the Mightyena's scarlet eyes. It would be so easy. It wouldn't even be a Water-Type move. It would be a swift movement of her paw, a snap of her jaws.

In that moment, Pearl found that she could have easily killed a reasonable creature. It was simply that she didn't want to.

"You lose, Midnight," she stated. "Take your pack and leave."

Midnight thrashed, now pinned in her position by Geyser and Silent, trying to swipe at them with her claws. It was too easy for either of them to duck out of the way, and Midnight writhed futilely.

"We don't want your stinking blood," Pearl continued. "Leave, and you will come to no further harm."

"RRAWRG!"

Midnight roared, showing every one of her giant fangs and drawing the attention of all the battlers. Pearl heard Yips whine in terror, flattening himself to the ground. Finally, the huge Mightyena stilled, panting heavily.

"Let her up," Pearl ordered Silent and Geyser. "Let her leave."

"Are you sure, Pearl?" Geyser asked. "I'd hate for them to come back. We should take care of it."

"No," Pearl shook her head. "They won't come back, because now they'll know what they'll find. Isn't that right, Midnight?"

Midnight's eyes burned in her head like furious flames, but her face was a mess of blood. She drew back her lips, again baring her long fangs.

"Mother, I want her dead!" Yips cried.

"Shut up, Yips!" Midnight snapped. "We'll leave. Let me up."

"How can we know?" Geyser insisted.

"Because if she fights, we'll fight back," Pearl said to Midnight. "And she can't win. You know that, Midnight. This is only risking your pack's lives further."

Midnight glared at her, and slowly, slowly craned her neck, and whispered to Pearl, so softly she thought only she could hear.

"How?"

"How?" Pearl repeated. Momentarily confused, she looked up to meet Geyser's eyes, and suddenly understood. "I'll tell you how- Because we fight for our friends, our family- Our Tribe. Not for fun, and not for revenge. Because we have something worth fighting for."

Midnight squeezed her eyes shut, her breath rumbling in her chest like she was still considering growling. Then, she seemed to shake herself as best she could.

"Let me up," she said. "We'll leave."

Pearl nodded to Geyser and Silent. Geyser gave Pearl a skeptical look, but stepped back, his claws still unsheathed. Midnight rolled to her paws, shook out her pelt, and gestured to her pack with her tail.

It seemed that many of them had run off. One of her Pokémon slunk out, unharmed, from behind a bush where he had been hiding to watch the fight. They no longer seemed so huge and intimidating with soaking wet fur plastered to their torn, bleeding skin. Pearl couldn't imagine having ever been intimidated by them, especially not now that her Tribe was here.

"If you ever harm the Lake Tribe again," Pearl warned. "We will show no mercy."

"I don't doubt it," Midnight sighed.

"Mother," Yips whispered to her.

"Oh, quiet, Yips," she snapped. "You've had your fill of their blood, if you want more you can fight for it."

Yips flattened his ears, his remaining eye flickering nervously across the Lake Tribe Pokémon bristling before him.

"Let's go."

That was all Midnight said before the Mightyena turned and loped into the forest. The sound of their pawsteps faded into the distance as Pearl stood, staring after them, half-fearing they would slink around from behind to attack again.

"Let's go, too," she recommended.

Pearl stepped forward, at the head of the Tribe she led. Beside and just behind her were Geyser and Silent. Geyser had a fresh scratch on his flank, but it didn't seem to bother him. Even the Eevee, Silent, had a deep nick in his ear and no more. Pearl had taken the worst beating out of the Lake Tribe, and still emerged victorious.

Finally, she felt confident leading the way home. Finally, she felt she had proven herself worthy of her leadership. She had proven it to herself.