Eevee Therapy: Chapter 4.5, A Twist in Space Before a Journey Begins

“...and I still don’t know why she wandered off up here again.” Shirou sighed as he leapt over a boulder. “She’s out of service range on a day where we’re supposed to be preparing for our trip!”

Yagi nodded, leaping after his training buddy. “Illya is being a little obtuse. While it’s good that she’s trying to keep her promise, Dawn stones are exceedingly rare.”

Ritsuka landed beside her partners. “Hey, those three can take care of themselves! Besides, I’m pretty sure they’ll remember to come home soon enough.”

Shirou shook his head. “Like she remembered after the last trip out here? She was hours late getting back, and we don’t want her to miss our meeting.” He frowned. “Granny Carolina said it was an important visitor. We need to look our best.” He looked out over the crag-filled highlands they were exploring. “We just need to get in range of her communicator, and we can call her home.”

“Fair enough Shirou.” The currently female Eevee grunted in reply, resolve burning in her eyes, “So, mountain climbing time?”

“Yeah. Best to get started now. Thank goodness that I had the foresight to purchase that climbing gear for all of us.” Shirou stated, more to fill the air with conversation than anything else. Climbing in silence was disturbing.

As he began to pull out the gear, he paused, his nose going haywire with the scent of magic, shifting dust, and fire. “Wait, what–” He looked up, only to see a dome of prismatic light covering the entire region in which he stood. “Oh, that can’t be good.”

“Oh dear. A space-time breach!” Yagi barked, looking disturbed, “It seems that we will have to reset the ‘days since last space-time breach event’ calendar to 0. A pity, last I checked it was at 351.”

“That’s a thing?” Ritsuka squeaked. “What– we’re in the middle of it! Why aren’t you more concerned?”

“Panicking would simply do more harm than good.” Yagi grunted, feelers flapping in a nonexistent breeze, “We will want to avoid any Pokemon. Those that appear in rifts are far stronger than normal, and are being actively driven to unfeeling rage by distorted space-time. The Pokeball’s effects protect us, but not them.”

Shirou nodded, reaching into his bag and withdrawing a long polearm, the practice naginata solid in his hands. “We’ll need to work our way to the edges, and get out there.” He closed his eyes. “We should head along the mountain steppe. No sense in trying to push uphill or risk our footwork going downhill.”

Ritsuka nodded, then paused, her nose twitching. “Oh no– incoming!”

All three looked up as the distortion closed over them, a sudden pulse of purple light coalescing into a massive, red-and-brown dragon. “TY-RAN-TRUM!” It roared in unintelligible rage.

“Run!” Shirou yelped, taking off with long strides, vaulting with his pole as his pokemon followed him.

“Shirou, I hate to be the one to tell you this,” Ritsuka snarked as she took a look at the Tyrantrum, “But we are not going to outrun a Tyrantrum even on a good day. We’ll have to make a stand at some point.”

“We can’t fight it!” Shirou shot back. “I’m just waiting for–”

“DAC-TYLE!” Another pokemon, this one a massive spiky reptile-bird, slammed into the Tyrantrum, knocking the massive Pokemon for a spin. The two ancient fossils began to thrash against each other, teeth ripping and tearing.

“-that.” Shirou responded.

“Not enough. Mama’s busy, but the kids want a meal, it seems.” Yagi yipped as a trio of Tyrunts dashed up to circle them. “We’re going to need to fight.”

“Right, I’ll take the one on the right, you take the middle one, and Shirou dances with the smallest bugger till we can help him.” Ritsuka growled, tail turning to iron as she blitzed the Tyrunt she’d ‘called’ dibs on with agility enhanced speed, “Eat steel, rockface.”

“Runt!” It roared as it took the hit, before lashing out with a burning bite. The two pokemon began to dance even as the world around them continued to warp, long-extinct grasses and ferns covering the soil briefly before fading back again, leaving behind odd fruits and flowers.

Shirou slammed an aura0enhanced fist into one of the charging Tyrunt, before spinning and slashing its side with his weapon. The creature screamed, unused to the range advantage of a weapon, before opening its mouth and sending out a shotgun blast of rock fragments, which the trainer avoided with a yell. “Worry about yourselves, I can handle this one!”

“Understood!” Yagi barked, slamming a Force Palm into his opponent, sending her flying towards the Tyranatum, who was still busy dueling the flying type, “I have- persistent bugger, aren’t you.” He grunted, tanking the head-smash with an Endure before countering with a Reversal, slamming the Tyrunt harshly into the ground, “Stay. Down.”

The Tyrunt screeched as it fell, and Yagi sighed with relief, just before a pack of small yellow pokemon dashed forward. “Velo-zolt!” They crowed as they closed on the fallen Tyrunt, others leaping forward to aim crackling jaws at Yagi.

Shirou held back his instinctive reaction to help at any cost, instead swinging his naginata and sending the Tyrunt he was fighting flying towards the encroaching Velocivolts(?) smashing the poor kid against the leader, “Alright, fall back everyone!” He cried, noticing Ritsuka’s rather brutal takedown of the largest Tyrunt, the Eevee having come out of Dig, slammed the rock-type with a Double Kick, then sent him flying with an Iron Tail for good measure. Watching the Tyrunt collide with another Velocivolt, he revised his assessment of his first Pokemon a bit. She was… a bit violent about expressing it at times, but she clearly cared about him and his ideals.

As the three partners disengaged, more cires rose around them, prehistoric and ancient Pokemon materializing out of the distortions as the three broke into a sprint. A Cranidos charged from the thickets to be met with a counter from a Shieldon, while Pokemon more befitting the heights emerged from hiding, Mammoswine tussling with ancient Golem and Glalie. The group managed to enter a long gully and make good progress towards the edge of the distortion before their luck ran dry.

Yagi looked up to spot a trio of Archeops descending on them, jaws trailing frothing slime.  Frowning, the Riolu began to form an aura-sphere within his palms, grimacing as it began to destabilize rapidly. Carefully waiting for the right moment, Yagi threw the unstable sphere, whopping in satisfaction as it burst at just the right moment, sending the trio of primitive flying types into the ground.

“Nice anti-air Yagi!” Ritsuka called, her own shadow-ball following moments later and detonating right as it reached the center of the pile, sending the trio of Archeops tumbling in three different directions, “We gotta keep pushing though!”

Shirou nodded, eyeing the intensifying dimensional instability with some trepidation, wincing as something similar to lightning began slamming into the ground all around them, “The reports I read about recent dimensional tears said nothing about localized storms…” he frowned, face grim, “Something big might be coming.”

“Then we keep going!” Yagi barked, even as the three fliers tried to get airborne, only to be pounced upon by a pack of rat-like creatures.

As they took off running, Shirou couldn’t help but look back, swallowing as the storm took on an ugly red glow. A single bolt of crimson  lightning struck near the center of the distortion, and a massive cry rang above the crowd, the sheer pressure contained within in the roar forcing the trio to cover their ears, lest they lose their hearing.

“SAL-A-MENCE!” The creature roared, massive wings swiping aside all flying opponents as it gained altitude. It then breathed in, before letting loose a hail of purple-gold blasts from its maw, sweeping the exploding shots across the ground, one intercepting the most direct path to the exit. The massive creature howled again, swooping overhead as it breathed purple flames to send a pair of Tyrantrum packing.

Shirou swore, clambering out of the ditch. “Run!” He cried, even as Yagi and Ritsuka ran up the slope to join him, the eevee trailing purple sparks as she skirted too close to the blaze in the trench.

Unfortunately, this was the wrong decision, as the massive dragon turned its attention to the trio of fleeing prey. With a scream, the Salamence breathed out a Dragon Pulse, the burst of energy washing over the group as it connected with the ground nearby. Shirou was sent tumbling, knocked back and to the side; his weapon tossed from his hands as he was sent careening towards the edge, a fall which would separate him from his two partners.

The purple light behind him coalesced into a single point, before a winged figure erupted from it. Wings beat the air as a once-tiny form burrowed sharp, curved claws into Shriou’s shirt, dragging him up and away from the edge as it pulled him back, even as Yagi dashed after his partners. Shirou landed on his feet, and Ritsuka landed beside him, panting slightly as her new draconic tail twitched behind her.

“... You evolved.” Shirou gasped, awe coloring his voice as he shook off the temptation to admire his starter’s new form, “... How much do you think Illya and Dr. Carolina will freak out?”

“Not now Shirou!” Ritsuka chided immediately, bapping her trainer’s head with her tail, “I’m not confident I can carry you, so run! I’ll distract the Salamance until you’re all out of range; recall me when your safe!”

Without waiting for her trainer’s response, the genderfluid Eeveelution launched herself into the air, crying out a challenge to the Salamence, whose feathered wings and white crest marked it as some sort of throwback, spitting a stream of purple flames out from her maw as she repeatedly buzzed the larger Pokemon.

The Salamence spun, thrashing briefly in mid-air in an attempt to catch the smaller Pokemon, before giving up on anything targeted. Instead, the massive creature beat its wings once, twice– before releasing a massive pulse of shadowy energy, a dense miasma sweeping the air around it and sending Ritsuka tumbling from the sky.

Shirou turned from his flight, Yagi beside him, about to go back and rescue his friend– and missing the arrival of a new human to the distortion zone.

A clear voice sounded as a Pokeball was thrown. “Aster, Dragon Rush.”

Even as Ritsuka looked up at what might have been her killer, an equally sized blue creature slammed into it, fin-blades glowing gold as they crashed their target into the ground. An absolutely massive Garchomp stood over her target, felled in a single strike. She turned, then blinked as she peered down at the fallen Eeveelution. “Huh. That’s new.” She reached over, one claw hooking under a wing and helping Risuka to her feet. “Up you get. Boss lady has your friends in hand.”

“...boss lady?” Ritsuka turned, her eyes fixing on the very familiar form and black coat of Sinnoh’s current champion. “Oh. Oh wow.”

“When grandma said I had siblings out of absolutely nowhere, I’ll admit I didn’t expect a pair of fallers.” The aforementioned champion stated, eyes assessing Ritsuka’s trainer briefly before she nodded, “She was worried when a space-time rift opened up on Coronet right at the location you were probably going to be at, so she sent me to help you out. I’m glad; that was a Salamence from the past, ‘Roaring Moon’. They tend to be rather violent when ripped out of their time.” She looked around, then sighed in regret. “Most of these would be the same, in fact. Too bad; there are some interesting specimens here.” She pointed over her shoulder. “Let’s go, and I’ll double back for some scavenging when you all are safe.”

Shirou nodded as Ritskua trotted back to his side, all three youngsters crossing the boundaries back into the real world. Shirou got three steps into the real world before a white blur collided with him, Illya wrapping her brother in a hug. After a moment, she thumped her head on his chest, right under his chin.

“... You scared me.” Illya grumbled breathlessly, resting her chin on his shoulders, “Don’t do it again, little brother…”

Yagi grunted. “Don’t ask for promises neither of us can keep… but we can promise we’ll come home, right?”

“Not good enough. I’m coming with you all from now on.” Illya retorted, frowning at the Riolu, “Not losing my new family without a fight.”

“I can agree to that.” Shirou replied softly. “Though, I was out here looking for you. Did we pass each other, or–”

Illya let him go, taking a step back. “We must have. I ran into… I guess big sister Cynthia on my way into town, and then we both found out you were still up here looking for me.” She shook her head. “Also, flying on a Togekiss is awesome. As soon as the dome went up, we landed, and she headed in after you.”

Further discussion was interrupted by a happy, near-mocking chitter from nearby, and both the Emiya siblings turned to see Matilda inspecting Ritsuka. “Hah, a brand new evolution, and I can still kick your tail, even better than before!” Her grin dropped. “And I am the only one who gets to do it, understood?”

“Of course, oh great and benevolent imouto. I shall endeavor to remember that in the future in case of suddenly Salamence in the future.” Ritsuka snarked back, a small smile flickering across her face before it was gone, “... Well, darn. Now I really have to make Iron-Tail my bitch.”

“It won’t save you. Nothing will, once you’ve recovered enough for me to remind you not to throw down out of your weight class.” Matilda responded, then frowned at the folded limbs on her currently-sister’s back. “Humph. I can’t deny I’m a tad jealous of the wings. Do they work?”

“Yeah. Mercy if I take you flying later?”

“Perhaps. We can make a deal about that later.” She turned, tail twitching. “Okay, we have done the requisite talking. Withdraw my sibling, please, and let’s go see the healers, hmm?”

“Once Cynthia comes back.”

“I’m back.” The selfsame person acknowledged, walking back out while Garchomp and Togekiss flanked her. “So, we’re heading back to Celestic? Pokemon center first, and then we can do the meet and greet we should be having now.” She smiled. “Oh, and… Shirou, right?” She held out the practice naginata. “You dropped this.”

Shirou accepted the naginata with a thankful bow, “I appreciate it, Cynthia-nee-san. It would have been a pain to replace, and my tutor would have killed me.”

Yagi shook his head. “Sensei would have been more upset at losing you, Shirou. Besides, you used it in self-defense and in that of others; if it broke, it would have done more than its duty.” He eyed the blood-touched edge with some interest. “I’m uncertain if practice weapons get names when first bled upon, but I’d say no. Might want to look into getting a live version made, if this is going to happen more often.”

One of the pokeballs on Cynthia’s belt flashed, and a Lucario emerged from the shell. “Perhaps wait until he’s a little older before having a custom piece created?”

Cynthia sighed. “All Pokemon should return to their balls, please. Someone’s going to have to ride on Aster as it is, and it’s probably going to be me.”

“...and really, I just wanted to meet the kids Carolina took in and thought so highly of. Not to mention the first two Mystery Gift humans in the home regions in thirty years.” Cynthia explained, sipping her coffee. “And you’ve made things interesting, to be sure.”

Shirou nodded. “We don’t mean to, but this is a new world. And, well…”

Illya grinned. “We’re not going to be quiet when there’s so much interesting stuff to do!”

Cynthia chuckled. “That’s a good attitude!” Her smile dropped a bit. “So, I’ve already heard a lot about what you’ve been doing here, preparing for your journey. Is it going to be a walk-about, are you going to take the Challenge, contests…” She sighed. “So many options.”

“We’re going to be challenging the league,” Shirou declared firmly, drawing a look of surprise from Carolina and Illya, “I can’t help people if I don’t get strong,” He continued, eyes firm, “And the league is both the fastest and safest way to do so.” Pausing, he dipped his head towards Illya, “And it gets us the most money.”

Illya nodded. “I also want us to take the Warden’s journey; I’ve found a knack for wilderness scavenging, and would like to hone it and get my Wilderness Credentials.”

Cynthia nodded. “I have those credentials myself, though I don’t need them as Champion. I’d be happy to give you both any tips, for your journeys.” She paused. “Which gyms will you pursue? There’s one here in Celestic, plus the eight main, three or four side gyms, and the two clan gyms.”

“Illya and I owe it to Lady Akari to challenge the two clan gyms,” Shirou mused, nodding slowly. “We might attempt to gain more than the usual eight badges depending on how much time we have till the Conference.” He paused, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, “Ritsuka would also enjoy the extra fights, and so would Yagi.”

Cytnhia hummed. “Sounds wonderful.” She leaned forward. “Any questions for me?”

Illya nodded excitedly, “A lot! First; how did you go about teambuilding?”

“You need to find… well, friends. A lot of trainers look for strong Pokemon first, or ambitious ones. But that’s not the best route; a lot of Pokemon like that will leave after a period of your journey, which means a constantly shifting team composition. Look for Pokemon who want to join your story, and are willing to devote themselves to your dreams, or whose dreams you can help to fulfill.” She paused. “And from there… well, you either need a combat philosophy or a good set of strategems, and figure out how your team can best fulfill that.” She sighed. “Not every Pokemon, not even your oldest or most powerful, can work to every strategy. You may need to rotate team members, or even bench some teammates. It’s hard, so you need to communicate with every one of your partners, and makes sure they’re all communicating with each other.”

“... That makes sense!” Illya mumbled, placing her hand on her chin, her brows furrowed, “Pokemon are people too, so friends will likely always do better than some random person off the street, for the lack of a better term.”

Shirou raised one hand, prompting a chuckle and a wave from the Champion. “I’ve seen a lot of different arguments as to how best feed and water a team in the field. Any advice?”

“I would learn what works best for your team first.” Cynthia answered after a few moments, frowning, “Some trainers try and place their Pokemon on a insanely strict diet from the getgo, forgetting that they’re people. It works for some, the ones that want to excel and have the motivation to do it, but for others, it can sometimes shatter a growing bond because the trainer is overstepping their bounds; at least from the Pokemon’s perspective.”

As the kids nodded, she motioned to her belt. “My team does have some dietary guidelines, but none of us need to follow a regime. I’ve heard you’re a bit of a chef; one thing I can’t advise is letting you or your party eat as much as they wanted. Avoid overeating, and instead have more, smaller meals if your team needs more than two or three a day.” She eyed Yagi, who was taking notes. “...ah, also… as an aside, make certain all your Pokemon have rest days.”

Yagi nodded. “Yes, that day I only do half my normal routine!”

“That’s not a rest day.” Cynthia scolded, frowning, “I assume you’ve already tried to talk to your Riolu about this, Shirou?”

“Yes, I have. Yagi is stubborn about it, and since it currently is not affecting his health I haven’t protested strongly. Ritsuka and I have an understanding, though.” The boy in question winced, rubbing the back of his head, “It’s not a solution, but it’s a temporary measure.”

Cynthia’s belt pulsed, another Lucario appearing in the room and looming over the Riolu. The large Lucario looked down at the little one. “Rest, small warrior.”

“But–”

“Sleep, food, mental pursuits. We are not just made of meat and steel, but soul and mind. You need to train those as you heal your body.” He plucked Yagi from the ground. “To bed with you, and then a good meal. You are far too light.”

Shirou watched his fighting-type dragged off, and shook his head. “Probably for the best.”

Cynthia nodded. “It is.”

Illya spoke up. “Umm. Evolution.” She paused. “I mean, most professionals fully evolve their teams, and I’m trying to find a stone to evolve my Snorunt, but there are some ringers out there who are unevolved. What should I do on that front?”

“Fully evolved Pokemon are powerful, yes. And most pokemon tend to want to evolve. Those unique ones that choose to remain in a specific pre-evolution generally are either non competitive battlers or companions, with a rare group of competitive battlers maximizing their innate potential through sheer grit. If you’d like a good example of such a Pokemon, I’d recommend you watch the Indigo Conference from about a year ago.” She paused. “Also… Snorunt?” She reached into the black bag at her side. “I think I have a dawn stone at hand…”

Illya’s eyes shot open as Cynthia withdrew a sky-blue stone. “Wha– I can’t just– those are really expensive!”

Cynthia frowned. “Hmm. You don’t want it?”

“I mean, yes, but not for free!” Illya shot back.

“How about this? On your journey, keep an eye out for old relics or interesting sites.” Cynthia shot back. “And let me know if you two find anything. We’ll call it even if you find something interesting, or you can pay me back when you finish your journey.”

“... I still feel like you aren’t getting nearly enough out of it, but that sounds better than as a random gift.” Illya allowed, nodding, “Deal, nee-san.” She continued firmly, reaching out a hand; one that Cynthia shook with no small amount of amusement.

“It’s a deal.” As the stone changed hands, Carolina entered the room, her hands filled with a tea service, which she set in the middle of the group.

“Well, I see the whole family’s getting along. Thank you for bailing Shirou out, Cynthia.” She looked back at Shirou. “Well, you’ve landed us in a tiny bit of trouble, Shirou.”

Shirou tilted his head to the side in confusion, unknowing of how cute the very act was for only a moment before Illya glomped him,

“Ohmygodsocute!”

“Gerrof Illya!”

“It’s like a couple of Gible.” Cynthia chuckled. “Settle down, please.”

As they settled, Illya sighed. “Okay, but why is he in trouble?”

“I didn’t say he was in trouble, just that he brought it.” Carolina corrected. “Cynthia, what happens to brand new Pokemon or evolutions when they manifest, in the hands of non-professional trainers?”

“I’m guessing the research labs chomp at the bit to study them?” Illya guessed, a sheepish smile directed towards Cynthia who simply shrugged, Shirou nodding along with her, “I’m gonna additionally guess that they get rather pushy about it.”

“Yes. Now, that’s not a huge problem, since I can run interference. But they will want to know more about Shirou, confirm that he won’t exploit or run off with the new discovery.” She looked at Shirou. “And you’re a Mystery Gift. No records and minimal documentation.” She tapped the table. “Of course, the solution is also one I’ve already planned for.”

Carolina nodded, then withdrew something from her coat; a printed email. “Professor Rowan already wanted to meet you two; Cynthia asked him to provide you with a Pokedex. Now, he is extending a more comprehensive offer.”

Shirou’s eyebrows shot up as he skimmed the document, Illya’s rather… creative methods at making him understand contracts and legalize coming in handy now. “... This is… very generous.” By his side, his older sister nodded slowly, eyes the size of saucers. “That is a lot of zeroes.”

“A reminder that that’s per quarter, as a stipend. It will mean you won’t have to worry about feeding your team at all, so long as you itemize your purchases. That’s as extraneous medical care,” Cynthia explained, then pointed further down on the paper. “He does want to meet you before you start your battles proper, though. So you’ll need to catch the train to Sandgem town before you can go haring off into the wilderness if you accept.”

“Shirou…” Illya started, properly flipping through the contract, “This is… a very good deal.”

The boy in question nodded firmly, “I don’t mind at all, nee-san. This lets us pursue our goals with far more ease, and the money will be useful for more than just the stated stuff. Supplies, better camping and traveling gear, et cetera. We can justify it under research expenses; page 4, section A.”

“...already memorized that? Impressive trick. Part of your magic?” Cynthia asked, peering at the third sheet of paper.

“No, I’m just currently looking through and Illya nee-san doesn’t trust me with this stuff; rightfully so, quite yet, Cynthia-nee-san.” Shirou replied idly, scratching Ritsuka’s ears as the Eeveelution demanded pets by butting his head against the redhead’s legs. “Cuddly today, aren’t you Ritsuka?”

“No judging.” The Eeveelution purred, eyes closed in contentment.

“Of course,” Shirou snorted. “No judgment here.”

Cynthia paused as she noticed something, squinting. “...wasn’t Ritsuka… female, earlier?” She ventured peering at the Eeveelution…

Illya groaned, cradling her head in her left hand, and weakly pointing at the aforementioned, now smug Pokemon, “Ritsuka can change their sex at will. They’re genderfluid, and they do not know how they do it. I am assuming magic or genetic experiments at the moment.”

“...Rowan is going to be very excited.” Cynthia said. “And I think this year will be very interesting, all told.” She paused, then snapped her fingers. “I knew I was forgetting something!” She pointed at Shirou. “Shirou, do you know a Matou Sakura?”

Shirou blinked very slowly, “... vaguely, yes. She’s a friendly acquaintance. I assume she was deposited in this world as well?”

“Yes. Processor Rowan was contacted by one of his colleagues, who appears to have adopted Miss Sakura, along with her sister, Rin.” Cynthia remarked as she pulled out a tablet computer. “Ah… Tohsaka Rin. Apparently, Sakura was adopted out?” She frowned. “Regardless, she was hoping to reach out to you.”

“Otouto, you know the Tohsaka and Matou scions?” Illya asked, looking mildly surprised, before shaking her head, “No, that makes sense. You’re extremely good at hiding when you want to be, and Tohsaka-san wouldn’t have any reason to suspect you, I suppose. It would be good to talk, I think.”

Shirou smiled gratefully, “Thank you, nee-san.” Turning to Cynthia, he bowed. “I would love to talk to both of them. Please let them know that Illyasviel von Einzbern is present too.”

“I believe they already know.” Cynthia nodded, then grimaced. “And on to less… pleasant conversations… would I be right in suspecting that your father is Emiya Kirisugu?”

“... Is papa here too?” Illya whispered, eyes blank. Her younger brother immediately moved to her side and wrapped her in a tight embrace.

“Yes. Though we don’t know where he is right now.” Cynthia paused. “Ah, my friend from another region would like to thank him, and would also like to know how he came to have such… lethal and direct skills.”

“... He wanted world peace.” Illya said simply, her voice empty, “He unfortunately fell prey to the mentality of ‘one life for one hundred’ for a while, before he met our mother.” Her voice began to quake slightly, before firming again. “He was known as the magus killer, because when he chose a mark, none have ever gotten away alive.”

“An assassin, dreaming of peace. Well, he seems to be going back to his roots, then.” Cynthia shook her head. “It would explain what happened at the hospital.”

“...what did the old man do?” Shirou asked intently, both children listening as Cynthia gave the broad strokes of Kirisugu’s work.