Four years later...
Sloth was walking down the town streets; it was not as busy as tournament days but still busy. Sloth looked over at the water tower, Glacier and the Pichu were not there. It had been like that since the last tournament. Sloth sighed and went down to the park. There were very few Pokemon in the open field. It was nice and relaxing, the warm sun, few clouds. Sloth sat on a bench and smiled. He took a deep breath of the nice warm air. He closed his eyes, leaned back and relaxed. He heard a light thump and a sigh next to him. "mind if I sit here?" A voice asked.
He peeked one eye open to see a Leafeon. "I don't mind," He said and then went back to relaxing.
There was a silence. "The parks are beautiful, huh?" Sloth said. "Hm? Yeah, it is" She said. "What's your name?" She asked. Sloth opened his eyes and leaned forward again. "My name's Sloth, what about yours?" He responded by putting a paw to his chest. "My name is Vine." "Nice name." Sloth said and smiled kindly. "thanks..." She said and looked down. There was another silence. "So, what did you think of the tournament last month?" Sloth asked. "oh, it was okay. I guess. I really thought that Charizard would beat our Luxray champion." She said and turned her body to face Sloth. "What do you want to evolve into? I'm just curious." She asked. "well... I don't know anymore...I wanted to be a Leafeon like you but now I don't know." "hm...well uhm...here" She dug in her satchel she had around her neck and shoulder. She pulled out a cloth and grabbed something in the cloth and pulled it out.
It was a leaf stone.
"If you want you can have it, just be careful not to touch it with your bare paws or you'll evolve. Just giving you an option" "really? Aren't leaf stones stupid expensive? and you're just going to give it to me just like that?" Sloth asked confused. "They are expensive here in town. I found this one while exploring." She said. "Here come with me, let's go buy you a satchel so you don't accidently evolve." Vine said. She got up and walked a little bit down the pathway. "you coming?"
Serious Stranger Danger vibes! But she is kind... perfect for a trap...but what would she gain from luring me into a trap?
"Yeah, I'm coming" Sloth said and hopped after her.
She smiled and they continued. "listen, I know this is more personal information so don't answer if you don't want to but what's your age?" She asked.
Serious VIBES!!
"I'm 7 going to turn 8 in a month or so." "nice so think of this as an early birthday present?? Although I barely know you, wait- You are older than me!?" "wait really?" "yeah! I'm only 7 and turning 8 in 7 months ''''I think I'm over age for evolving." Sloth said. "maybe, but yet again I've met an eevee who was 37 years old." She said and turned the corner. "HEY WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" Sloth turned the corner to see a Scrafty and a group of Scraggy looking angrily at Vine. "Sorry, didn't see you when I turned the corner." Vine walked around with Sloth following. "ugh I hate that group!" Vine whispered. "why?" They walk around thinking they own the place and pick on lower level pokemon. That Scrafty is level 52 He's pretty strong I wouldn't fight him If I were you." Vine explained. "jerks!" Sloth whispered as they got out of earshot from the group going up the street that went over a hill.
"yeah" Vine snickered. "what?" "it's really cute to see an eevee sound threatening. I don't know why but that was adorable." Sloth blushed. "l-let's just keep going." Sloth said. Vine smiled and giggled once more.
Sloth and Vine passed by a restaurant that seemed empty... but it was open. "Are you hungry?" Sloth asked. "A little bit, why?" Sloth nodded to the restaurant and they stopped walking. "I heard of that place; it's supposed to be really good... Why is no one else there?" She walked over to the restaurant door. "it's open I see a few poke." She shouted back and Sloth ran over. "I have a little bit of pokedollars," Sloth said and opened the door. "Ladies first." He smiled. Vine giggled at his gesture. She walked in and Sloth walked in but just before he did, he noticed the Scraggy group coming up the hill.
"Hello welcome to Poke 'café! Here are your seats and menu's ring the bell whenever you want to order" A hyper Ninetales explained and walked them to a seat by a window overlooking the town.
"Thank you," Sloth and Vine said. Sloth and Vine both looked at their menus "hey, thank you for suggesting lunch...now I'm starving." Vine said awkwardly. Sloth giggled.
After a few minutes of silence, Sloth and Vine were about to order when the Scraggy group barged in and spotted Vine. "YOU! OUTSIDE NOW!!" They demanded, ran over, and grabbed Vine. "HEY!! Let me go!" Vine protested and struggled. "Vine!" Sloth jumped up and ran after them.
Sloth saw them throw Vine on the street and Scrafty looked at her. "I said to watch where you are going." He spoke. "but I apologized and left." "who cares! we 'ought to teach you a lesson, so it doesn't happen again." The Scrafty charged up a Shadow ball and flung it at close range, hitting Vine on the head. She whimpered and used razor leaf summoning tons of little projectiles and sent them at the Scrafty he ducked and dodged, avoiding all but one leaf. He winced but did not back down he ran at her and Sloth rushed at the Scrafty and headbutt his side launching him in to left of Vine and in front of Sloth. He landed on his feet after his initial surprise. "why you little." Sloth rushed and used quick attack. Slamming the Scrafty's head into the pavement. The Scrafty did not move. Vine looked at Sloth who ran back to her side.
"You okay?" Sloth asked and looked at the Scrafty annoyed. "I'm fine."
Scraggy's jumped off the roof of the café and headbutt downwards onto Sloth and Vine. They kicked Sloth away and some went after him while the rest attacked Vine. Sloth landed on his side and got up quickly. He used swift on the incoming Scraggys. It had little effect knocking only one down. The rest kicked him and cheered. Sloth was knocked off his feet and into a trash bin against a brick wall of the café. The trash splattered everywhere around him. Some even covered his fur.
They laughed hysterically. When suddenly Sloth felt an aura of energy next to him... he looked down and noticed a weird glow. He shifted the trash and saw a thunderstone. The Scraggys continued laughing "we kicked you back home apparently!" One shouted and laughed. They all stopped laughing. The ones attacking Vine stopped and stared as a bright light outlined Sloths figure, but it was changing, it was growing. Sloth flung his head upward and the light broke flinging particles in the air as a newly evolved Sloth as a Jolteon. The Scraggy stepped back and then jumped at him.
He growled and used thunderbolt electrocuting the entire group. They all shrieked and limped away from him. The ones attacking Vine stopped and ran. Vine got up and shook. "I'm going to feel that tomorrow." She felt her head. She looked over at Sloth whose fur was pulsing with electricity.
"Sloth?" She went over to him. "you okay?" he asked with worry. "yeah, I'm fine, you evolved..." "made my final decision I guess..." He said. "that's cool though a Jolteon!" Vine smiled. Suddenly Vine launched forward into Sloth "KYA!" She shrieked. Sloth was under a fainted Vine and a Scrafty with a burning fist was standing over them. "there's the lesson" he then ran off to join his friends.
"Vine?!" Sloth got up and set her gently down. She fainted and had no healing items in her satchel. Other pokemon started gathering around to see what all the fighting was about. Sloth scooped Vine up and onto his back. "what happened?" "I don't know" "Scraggy group again."
The bystanders kept talking while Sloth limped down to the pokecenter. Vine groaned a little bit every now and then.
"Groan once If you want to hang at the park after this?"
two minutes later and Vine groaned after Sloth stepped and almost fell over.
Sloth laughed and opened the doors of the center, but he stopped laughing as worry filled him. "hi wel-"The Chancey saw Vine. "bring her here" Sloth walked in and into the back of the center with a froakie, braixen and chespin giving them surprised looks. "Heal her up really quick." Sloth gently slid her off his back and onto the medical table. "what did she fight?" Chancey asked while grabbing items. "We both got jumped by the Scraftys gang. She has a burn on her back as well."
"that's what that battle was..." She walked back over with a Revive, Hyper Potion, and a Burn Heal, She placed the Revive near Vine and the Revive was attracted and latched onto her back and slowly seemed to melt into her fur. Vine groaned lightly and her eyes slowly opened. Sloth put his front paws on the table. "Morning, glad to see you're better," Sloth smiled. "Sloth?"
She got up slowly and winced feeling her back. "where is the burn pain?" Chancey asked. "It's the center of my back- AGH!!" Chancey sprayed the Burn Heal on the burn and Vine shrieked in pain.
Vine grabbed Sloth's paw and she squeezed it. Sloth winced at her grip, but it was okay, it was a natural response. Vine whimpered as Chancey wrapped a bandage across her chest and back.
Vine looked at Sloth who had a half-worried smile. She gave a halfhearted smile.
Chancey sprayed the hyper potion over some bruises. "alright we're done." Chancey smiled and Vine hopped off the table, still holding onto Sloth's paw. She noticed and let go. "s-sorry"
Sloth smiled at her, "It's okay, although you have the grip of a Machamp." Sloth teased.
Vine giggled a little bit and Chancey cleaned the area and walked to them "alright you're good to go, have a great day." She smiled and opened the door for them. "thanks" They said and walked out. No one else was in the poke center which was odd. "Sloth?" "yeah?" "are you alright?" "what do you mean?" Sloth walked forward trying to hide his limp. "Well, I saw you take a beating before you evolved...speaking of which are you okay with evolution? I know there is no way to reverse it but still are you comfortable?" Vine asked and looked like she was examining him. "I'm fine, and I'm fine with evolution, it's nice to be a Jolteon.'
Another Leafeon came in, "Hey have you seen my nephew?! He is a male Eevee with violet eyes. He was supposed to come home 25 minutes ago after he went to the park and hasn't come home, and I can't find him at the park!" Sloth turned to her. "hey aunty" "Sloth?!" She ran and hugged him. "two things don't worry me like that and two YOU EVOLVED?!?!!?" his aunt almost blew out his eardrums. "chill please!" Sloth backed up and bumped Vine on accident. "Sorry" "it's fine" she smiled.
"three, who are you?" she asked Vine. "I'm Vine, I met Sloth at the park" Vine smiled and held her paw out for a shake. Sloth's aunt shook her paw. "nice to meet you.... What happened to you and Sloth?" She asked, noticing Sloth had his back right leg up a little more than it should and Vines bandages. Sloth and Vine exchanged a look. "You know the Scraggy gang led by the Scrafty?"
"you fought them!?!?!?!?!" Sloth's aunt nearly shouted. "well, we bumped into them by accident, then we were about to eat, but they dragged out Vine because she initially bumped into them. Then we battled in self-defense." Sloth explained "During the fight Sloth evolved and scared them off and then carried me here" Vine said right after Sloth finished. "yeah, wait, were you still conscious when I picked you up?" "barely, I remember being lifted and feeling a slight tingling against my stomach. Which I assume was your charged up electricity" "oh."
Sloth's Aunt was just viewing and walked to Sloth and gave him a hug. "I guess you can stay with Vine a little longer...I'll be at the market if you need me." His aunt said and turned to Vine. she nodded before walking out. Vine looked at Sloth's back leg. "you know you don't hide that well." She walked to his right and gently poked it with her tail. Sloth winced, "it's just going to bruise" Sloth said, moving a little. Vine dug in her satchel and pulled out a potion. "WHAAA???? I looked in there before there were no healing items." Vine giggled and sprayed the potion on his leg. "there's a pouch in the back of the main compartment." "of course." He scolded himself.
"Well, that should take care of your leg, everything else can heal on its own. Not meaning to sound rude or anything" Vine said "hm? I heard nothing rude." "okay" Vine said and opened the door for him. He nudged her out the door first and smiled a bit. "Ladies first" he giggled. Vine blushed at his gesture then noticed the sky was getting orange and darker. "what?" "oh yeah today is the Daylights saving we went back an hour." Sloth said. Vine sighed "dang I thought that was 4 days from now, so I could go to bed earlier. I should be off; my house is decently far, I should be there by sunset, my Dad and Mom are going to get worried." Vine said, "I'll walk with you" "what?" "you know because of Scraggy and Scrafty." "okay..." Vine started walking ahead and Sloth walked next to her. Vine smiled. "hey, quick question..." "okay?" Vine looked around to make sure no other pokemon were around. "D-d-do you have a girlfriend?" Sloth stopped and blushed. "w-why do you ask..." Vine stopped. "I'm just wondering because I saw you with Glacier a couple months ago. "oh, she's not my girlfriend, I think of her as my friend. Plus, we only meet after a tournament." Sloth explained. "huh" "wait you know Glacier? Have you seen her? The last tournament I didn't see her or her Pichu friend." Sloth asked and Vine heard the concern in his voice.
"you didn't hear? She moved into a town 5 towns away because of some sort of schooling opportunity." Vine said and lowered her head. Sloth looked down, he shut his eyes and was upset that a close friend moved without telling him.
Maybe it happened too fast for her, yeah maybe she didn't have time to tell me.
He felt something brush his paw. "sorry I had to tell you." Vine said.
"It's fine...It probably happened too fast for her; she probably didn't tell me because she didn't have time." "maybe" Vine said and sat next to him. "we should probably hurry up, Ghost and Dark-type have an advantage at night. Don't want to get caught by one of them."
Vine nodded and started walking again.
The cobblestone was starting to get cold now, house lights were turning on, and a howl echoed in the distance . "Crap, looks like they are coming out earlier, look the suns still up, just barely" Sloth said. "you should head home." Vine suggested. "nah, I'll make sure you get home safe and then I'll book it home."
"okay then." They walked under a streetlight against a stone wall to hold up the backyard of a house. Sloth stopped as the howl got closer "Vine..." "yeah?" "hop on" "what?" Sloth got in front of her and she jumped onto his back. "where do I go?" "uhm...turn left here and then a right, then another right." Sloth started running as the howl got even closer.
Sloth turned left and narrowly missed an unlit streetlight. "agh!" A pokemon yelped behind them, followed by a metal clang. "seems like our pursuer hit the light" Sloth said running faster. "yep!" Vine looked over her shoulder and saw a figure underneath the pole and rubbing their head. "It's a lycanroc Midnight form." Sloth was quiet and kept running. He turned right into a neighborhood. The lights were on which made it easier to see. "one more right and I'll point it out." Vine said looking over her shoulder again. "okay" he turned right and saw only one light was on in this street. "dang!" Sloth mumbled and Vine pointed to the house with its light on.
"that's the one!" Vine said in a rush. Sloth ran and stopped in front of the door. Vine hopped off "thanks" "no pr-"a Dark figure tackled Sloth. "LYCAN!!" it shouted, pinning Sloth on his back. "Sloth!" She used Razor leaf hitting Lycanroc's back. He turned and snarled, Sloth punched the Lycanroc's head, stunning him for a second. Sloth pushed him off, got up, and lunged at his attacker! He tackled him through the wooden fence that surrounded the entire house except one gate in front. The wood shattered and Sloth pinned the Lycanroc in the middle of the street. "LYCAN!" It shouted and bit down on Sloths arm. "AGH!" "Sloth!" The door suddenly opened. "VINE, GET INSIDE!" An Espeon pulled Vine inside. "WAIT NO" She shouted, and the door shut leaving Sloth and the Lycanroc outside. The Lycanroc snarled and swung Sloth around. The Lycanroc let go and Sloth flung into an unlit streetlight. The metal bending and falling.
Sloth moved almost getting crushed.
"LYCAN!!" The Lycanroc lunged and Sloth jumped and headbutt the lycan sending it down. Sloth growled at the lycan as it stood still. They both stared at each other with hate in their eyes.
"Sloth!" Vine shouted from the window from the second floor. The Lycanroc saw her and jumped at the window. Sloth's eyes widened in shock, he shook it off and used quick attack sending the Lycanroc down the street. It hit a power switch of some sort in a bush. The lights in the street got brighter, almost blinding. Showing the dark red and white body of the Lycanroc midnight form. Sloth stepped forward; his fur stood on end. Electricity visibly coursing around him. "COME AT ME!" Sloth shouted and used taunt. The Lycan roared and ran at him. Sloth used quick attack. Landing a direct hit on its stomach. It gasped for air. Sloth jumped up and punched down on its skull smashing its head into the Cobblestone pathway. "Lycan," it said weakly.
Sloth backed off and fell on his right paw. Where the Lycan bit him, blood started to stain his fur dark red like the Lycan in front of him. At this point Sloth was sure he woke the whole neighborhood. The Lycan suddenly jumped up and bit down on his throat, (White spiky fur)
It threw Sloth against a chain link fence on the other side of the street. Sloth shook his head and used thunderbolt on himself electrocuting himself and the chain fence. The Lycan snarled.
Sloth smirked, He used Taunt.
The Lycan fell for it and rushed him. Sloth moved out the way and the Lycan ran into the electrocuted fence. It bounced right off and pinned Sloth. "LYCAN!!!!" It lifted its head up in a howl. Sloth punched its throat. It backed off and bit down on Sloths leg pulling him as well. It started flailing Sloth around like a ragdoll. "AHHH!!" Sloth screamed. It slammed Sloth down into the ground and used crunch on his throat. Sloth's screams died down as he fainted. "LYCAN!!" It howled in victory. "HEY!" Vines door opened and a Espeon used psychic, The Lycan was highlighted by a blue power and was lifted. Vine ran outside, "Vine get inside!" The Espeon shouted. "help me get him inside." Vine said, pulling Sloth towards the house. "where's the forest again?" Vine pointed north. Espeon looked north and the Lycanroc flew over to where they looked. "Bye" they said and flung the Lycanroc into the air towards the forest.
"LYCANNN!!!" It screamed as it flew. "help me" Vine said pulling Sloth. "WHY?! He's a wild pokemon just like that lycanroc!" Espeon shouted. "no, he Isn't, he's from the town I met him at the park." Espeon glared suspiciously at Sloths unconscious body. They used Psychic and Sloth was effortlessly pulled into the house. "thank you!" She ran into the house. "I swear this is going to go sideways." They said and shut the door.