Chapter Text
Helio was tired. Another supply raid. The espeon sighed not being able to do anything about it. She sent some of her best commanders, but they ended up dying or captured during the raids; nobody came back to tell the tale. She couldn’t figure out what she was doing wrong.
“Helio?” someone called, which caught her off guard.
“Oh-um.” Helio stood before they could see her depressive state. “Y-yes?”
“We were going to try having active guards on the supply shipments. Commander Noraco wanted your opinion.” It was just Hydra. Her second in command. Hydra (short for Hydrangea) was a lovely shiny vaporeon, violent tendencies aside she was Helio’s closest friend at the moment.
“No.” Helio responded, and she watched Hydra’s face drop. “I wont put active guards out there just to stop a couple of raids. Just, reroute.”
“But Pokemon in the Sunset Valley need those shipments, and we’ve already tried rerouting to the other less populated parts of Randicota’s territory. We have to-”
“Randy can shove his tail up his ass!” Helio cut off Hydra. “I wont kill soldiers on my side, nor on his. He may be an enemy, but he’s still Pokemon. If we hurt anybody, it will be Randy.”
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Pixel shuffled around the loudest looking branches, trying his best to remain quiet on the forest floor. He had once overheard one of the food shipments to Sunset Valley being destroyed, so, typically when the raids had finished, he gathered all he could to bring to them. The Black Rat’s soldiers don’t take all of it, so he thought: Why don’t I just bring to leftovers to them?
So now, Pixel had a sack tied to his back full of the leftovers that he was currently carrying to Sunset Valley.
It was already hard for him to sneak around, given he was pink and white, typical for a sylveon, but whenever the BR’s forces smashed trees it made more noise on the floor. The sun was approaching the highest point in the sky, which meant he would need to move faster, as he no longer had the cover he once did.
Humming some of his favorite lullabys he continued down the memorized path to the Valley.
SNAP.
Off in the distance it would be painfully obvious Pixel’s paw just landed on a branch. He cringed, waiting to die at the claws of a BR soldier, but nothing came.
Pixel began sprinting as quietly and as quickly as he could away from the noise, knowing that if he stayed there he’d most likely be caught. Dropping the sack he settled in a small shaded area with lots of brush if he needed to hide.
He let out a long held breath as his muscles relaxed.
Which was soon interrupted by the yellow rings off in the distance. He jumped down onto his stomach in the middle of some brush, and just hoped that he wasn’t about to die. Why did he keep saying that? Maybe he should say violently dismembered instead. No- that’s awful too.
The yellow rings approached just as it appeared the area got darker.
Shit. I need to get out of here.
Pixel slowly crept backwards into more brush, testing the area with his back paws, until he finally hit a very tingly tree. Pixel looked back, only to see a small pinkish rock. Huh. He reached out with one of his forepaws, the bag no longer tied balanced on his back fell on top of one of his feelers. Pixel yelped and began trying to tug the feeler out.
Then he remembered the scary yellow lights that were now directly in front of his face.
“AAH!” He thrashed around and landed on the pink rock just as the Pokemon reared upward.
Now being able to see it clearly it was a fully-grown umbreon. Which terrfyed Pixel even more. Before the umbreon could land an attack, a pink ring of light emmitted from under him, hitting the umbreon’s hind leg. It sliced into the heel, and the umbreon fell down.
“Ah-fuck.” he hissed.
Pixel grabbed the rock and ran, taking the bag with him. Hopefully he could make it to Sunset Valley before they went to find him.
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Caster was returning with nothing. That sucked as Randy had asked him to bring in some information on the Clairvoyant, but no luck. He just ended up wandering around for an hour or two until he heard a sylveon. A SYLVEON of all FUCKING things he could’ve found.
Normally Caster could’ve been completely fine agaisnt a fairy type, knowing he had something to counteract their stronger attacks, but this one managed to make him bleed.
Blood was trailing on Randy’s courtroom, now he just hoped Randy wasn’t feeling particularly murderous. They were still cleaning the last one.
“What did you find?” Randy said as he forced his voice to appear much deeper than it actually was. It booming across the hall.
“Nothing, sir.”
“I see you ran into an issue?” Randy commented.
Caster tucked his leg farther under him, careful to avoid appearing like he was hiding. “Yes. The Clairvoyant have an enhanced sylveon in their midst.”
“Well then, hurry up. Go to the healers. I don’t want your blood on my floor.” he said at last.
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Pixel rushed home the second he left Sunset Valley. He needed to show Captain Helio what he had found.
“Come on, Noraco! You know me!” Pixel pleaded.
“No is my final answer.” he grouched. “Captain doesn’t want anyone inside at the moment.”
“Helio! Captain! Please! There’s a grouch at your door and I wanna talk to you about something really important!”
Helio’s head popped out the crack in the door with the most alert expression he’d ever seen. “Come on in Pixel!” Then she shot Noraco a stare.
“Sorry about him, what was it you wanted to tell me?” she practically shook when she spoke, which worried Pixel. “Just go quickly, I have a meeting with the commanders in 20 minutes and I need to be ready!”
“I found this.” He held out the pink rock. Helio’s expression practically dropped. She rushed over and cradled it in her paws.
“Where?”
“In BR’s territory, by the southern outposts.” Pixel blurted, instantly regretting it.
“The southern outposts?! What the hell would you be doing there!”
“I was delivering the rest of the rations from the most recent raid.” Pixel admitted reluctantly.
“How many times do I have to tell you? Don’t go into BR’s territory without permission from your commander, Pixel!” Lieutenant Hydra stepped into the room, saving Pixel from a long explanation.
“Helio!” Hydra addressed Helio while completely ignoring Pixel. “There’s been a large number of soldiers around the southern outposts, we think someone is trying to enter. Should we send backup?”
“That was.. that was me.” Pixel breathed, then immediately tensed when Helio craned her neck at him.
“You were SEEN?!” Helio exclaimed. “By who?”
“Some big umbreon! They just came out of nowhere!”
“Anything else?” Hydra added flatly.
“Uhh-, they had a blue ring on there ears. Somethin’ round their neck, maybe a scarf. Must’ve been a glittery scarf. I cut open their foot, but they got-”
“You let them get away?” Hydra asked.
“I just ran.”
Helio had her paw to her chin, clearly thinking something as everyone turned to her. Hydra tilted her head slightly.
“What is it.” Hydra sighed. “We all know you’re thinking about something.”
“I know who attacked you.”
“Who?” Pixel and Hydra answered at the same time.
“My brother.”