The Search for a Home- A Jolteon Fanfic

Chapter 22 : Thief

Chapter 22

Eclipse: Alright, so, it's time to put an end to the Midnight vs. Sparky war. It was pretty cool, but it needs resolution, and here it is: The end result. Neither win!

Midnight& & Sparky: D:

Eclipse: Yep, that's right. A new, ravishing Eevee has stepped into the spotlight and claimed Jolt.

Flames: Um... hi...

Midnight: Uganda bee kitten me.

Jolt: *happily nuzzles Flames*

Flames: :P

Eclipse: Oh, and in case you've been wondering, there IS a reason the battle has raged on this long.

Credit to Jolteon of Flames for the character

Used with full permissions

Chapter 22- Thief

The Jolteon trudged through the forest, timidly looking around for danger. As the battle in the city below had raged on, there had been more and more cases of rouge soldiers from both sides attacking innocent Pokémon... and worse. She trembled at the thought of what might happen to her if she got caught, and always had her legs prepped for a sprint should the need arise. Every sound around her was terrifying; a twig snapping made her jump, or a bush rustling made her yip and dive for cover. She hated being away from the safety of her nice, secluded den, but what choice did she have? She had to eat sometime, even if there was the element of danger involved. The early morning sun glistened on the freshly fallen snow as she trudged though it, sniffing out for anything to eat. Her favorite patch of Rawst berries was nearby, and she was lucky it was so secluded that one would have to stumble across it like she had. Rawst was the only berry that grew in abundance in the winter due to its heat-resistant properties, and she had found a patch that was so dense that the scent couldn't travel outside the thicket.

The Jolteon brushed past the pine trees in her way, the needles only managing to tickle her a bit. One of the remarkable qualities her race possessed was that they were immune to sharp objects, due to their own spikes. Their skin cells had developed to cause the sharp tips to roll harmlessly to the side, much like a drop of water would roll down the side of polished marble. This is what made it possible for Jolteons to be together without having to have their fur relaxed all the time; otherwise the constant accidental pokes and pricks would've made life miserable. Though when a Jolteon was calm or intentionally doing so their fur could become soft and fluffy, many preferred their natural spikey, electrified state. As she brushed past the pine trees that most other Pokémon had to avoid, she came at last to the clearing where her food source was located. She remembered one of the last times she had come, not but a few short months ago, when she was attacked by Mightyena on her way home. She barely remembered anything from when she was knocked out, except a faint warmth and the sound of crying... The sight before her jarred her attention back to reality. The berries were gone.

"What?!" she cried aloud, her eyes frantically searching for a hint of food. Indeed, all the Rawst trees were there, but they were completely barren of fruit. Upon closer inspection, she saw paw prints leading into her clearing, around all the trees, then back out. "That's odd..." she muttered, analyzing them. From the way the Pokémon had gone, it hadn't eaten any of the berries, instead gathering them up and taking them somewhere. The tracks were fresh, too, a notably few degrees warmer than the snow around them. The Jolteon hated confrontation, preferring instead to run and hide, but at that moment, her belly growled. She needed food, and she didn't have time to search other areas and hope for luck. Reluctantly, she took off in the direction the tracks led, hoping to catch the one who took her berries, and hoping that Pokémon wouldn't be too big as well.

Jolt laid down against a tree, and opened his pack to enjoy his snack. It wasn't Stritus, but Rawst would have to do. Vince's girls didn't mind the food after years of eating it, and his companions liked the mix of berries it was made with. All his previous trainers had bought him a different mix, and he hated this one. Jolt was the only one who had any qualms with the food, though he didn't openly show it, instead choosing to give what he couldn't stomach of his rations to Midnight or Sparky, or occasionally Ripple. As a result he was often hungry, and that morning he just couldn't take it anymore. He had snuck out early with a bag to go find food in the forest. He popped a Rawst berry in his mouth, savoring the taste and the texture, loving the fact that it was natural and not "100% Organic."

Another Rawst went into his mouth, even bigger and juicier than the first. He focused on the taste, how the minty sweet juices tickled his taste buds, and the fleshy texture of the berry going down his throat. These two had tasted so good, and the best part was that his bag was full. He was going to eat well that morning. He reached for another berry, but instead his arm felt a stinging pain when he pulled it out of the bag. Dropping the berry, he clutched his arm and howled in pain, examining the cause of his agony through slit eyes. Protruding from his arm was a lime green pin missile. It didn't hurt nearly as much as it would if he were a different race of Pokémon, but it still stung painfully. He pulled it out quickly as a prick of red appeared on his skin, then a thin trail of blood fell down his arm. He looked at the missile closely. It looked incredibly familiar, much like the ones he fired from his own pe- his train of thought was severed by what felt like a train ramming into him at full speed.

The female Jolteon hadn't expected the spikey yellow Pokémon she collided with to be as light as it was. She had used her full force at top speed, so when she collided with the other Pokémon, both were sent flying. Flailing around in midair, Jolt was do discombobulated to stick a landing. Instead, he landed painfully on his side, skidding on the cold snow. A moment later something that weighed about as much as he did slammed into his chest, luckily at such an angle that didn't knock the air out of his lungs. Both the Pokémon slipped and skidded for a few feet before coming to a dizzy stop under a tree. For a moment, they laid there, locked in each other's unintentional embrace while their senses struggled to cope with what had just happened. Shakily, the female got up, and took a wobbly step back, clutching her throbbing head. "Ow..." Jolt moaned as he sat up, holding his side where he had landed. As his vision came back into focus, he angrily got up, and looked at the lime green figure in front of him. "Hey! What's the big idea?!" he shouted, furious about having his snack time interrupted. "You're the one who stole my food!" the figure retorted, making Jolt stop. The voice was unmistakably feminine. The last bits of glassiness faded from his eyes, and he found himself staring at a shiny, green Jolteon. A shiny, green, female Jolteon.

The female Jolteon took a step back, and their eyes met. Jolt had felt like he had fallen in love with Snow when he saw her. He felt that he had fallen in love with Sparky when he saw her, same as Ripple and Volt. But this one... this one was different. His heart didn't feel fiery and passionate as it did with the others. As he looked into her eyes, his heart beat a little faster, and it felt... well... happy. The best word Jolt had for it was happy. She was just like him; his other half. (If you read Us and Them, you'd know Jolt was Shiny, but chose to dye his fur yellow to look normal.) His anger and confusion had all vanished, being replaced by the happy, giddy sensation. Neither spoke for a solid minute, which felt like several lifetimes. The green Jolteon felt all her anger and hunger seep out of her body as she locked eyes with the yellow. She forgot her fear, her anxiety of the chase, and the pain of the impact. It was all replaced by a feeling of peace, blessed relief from her constant worry. Finally, one of them had to say something to break the tension. "H-hi... I'm Jolt..." the yellow stammered, neither able to take their eyes off the other's. "F-F-Flames..." The other responded.

Jolt and Flames sat under the tree, enjoying their snack of Rawst. "Again, I'm really sorry about the berries, I had no idea they were sustaining you," Jolt apologized, genuinely sorry. "Hey, I'm the one who shot your arm and tackled you full force," Flames retorted, and they both shared a laugh. Between the two hungry Jolteons, the food ran out more quickly than either would have liked. Jolt was frantically trying to think up ways to stick around with her, and Flames was desperately hoping he'd ask. Neither wanted the happy feeling in their heart to end. Jolt doubted bringing her back to the farm would be a good idea, so instead he asked, "hey, would you mind if we went back to your den for a little bit? I think those clouds mean a storm is coming." Sure enough, dark clouds loomed on the horizon. Flames was a bit hesitant to take him home at first, but he seemed sweet enough. What could it hurt to have him over for a little while? Besides, she didn't want the feeling in her heart to end. "Sure thing, let's go!" Flames said happily, and together they began to make their way back to Flames' den, both secretly relieved to stay together.