Leafeon's P.O.V
Its been a week since Nightshade and Rudy came back.

Already, everything is falling apart.

When they returned, Nightshade was in really bad shape but, she wasn't dead.
I was so happy.

Was.

Somehow, Hershel said it was from a hard fall, Nightshade shattered her spinal cord, leading to her being paralyzed from the waist down.

Hershel recommended that Miracle get rid of her now that she can't walk let alone battle.

She got really mad, offended even, and started calling him out for never having faith in anything.

I don't know what it is about Miracle keeping around disabled Pokemon; I can't say I'm upset as most wouldn't have even batted an eye.

Hershel said he admired her loyalty and decided to make a custom Wheelchair for Nightshade all for the low price of $10,000!

She doesn't have that kind money, yet she still agreed.

The race that was coming up next week would give her enough money if she won. August and West suggested that she try and save up money but, she said if her and Rudy train hard enough, they'd be able to win.

But then, Nightshade got ill.

Hershel said she caught it from one of the horses. August quickly debunked it by saying no unhealthy horses would even be allowed to set hoof near the Stables.
'But horses still carry disease that can harm others,' Hershel said.
I'm sure he made August feel really dumb.

With this new sickness quickly taking over, Miracle absolutely had to win that race to be able to pay for that wheelchair, as Nightshade's medicine was so expensive.

Three weeks later and we're still in this mess.

Miracle has to work...her job is picking up horse dung all day because it pays well. Because she's dedicated all hours of the day to scooping up horse poop, she has no time to train for the race.

West and August help her out, though. Although, West is always flirting with her so he never gets anything done, raising August's blood pressure even more.

I'm envious of how optimistic Miracle can be during times like this. She's always smiling and cracking jokes.

I can't even go outside unless Isa tells me to because you never say no to Isa.
I jump at every little sound and the only time I feel safe is when Hau is around.

I hate it.

I hate that without Nightshade I'm nothing but a scared mess

A loud sigh redirects my attention to Hau, Gladion, Lillie and now Miracle, who actually looks like she got some sleep.

Every couple of days, they'll come to the ruined stables and just talk about how their 'missions' have been.

Hau waves at her, "Soooooo? How's it been?"

Miracle rubs her eyes, "Wonderful." She mumbles sarcastically sitting on a hay bale.

Hau frowns, "Aww, I'm sure you've gotten somewhat close-"

"I had to steal the medicine." She says nonchalantly

"Oh."

I crawl out from under the large, broken wagon that I call home, and happily bound over to him, headbutting his legs and purring very loudly.

Hau pats my head, "How's Leafeon been?"

Miracle shrugs"I don't know. She's always hiding."

"Oh..." He picks me up and I lick his nose, "Hmmm, I think she's sad."

"Couldn't have guessed that."

"Just steal the wheelchair." Gladion suggests, "He made it for you in the first place."

Miracle lies down on her back and closes her eyes, "I can't steal it."

"You stole the medicine you can steal a wheelchair."

"Hershel caught me."

A loud crash from outside turns everyone's attention to Isabelle, who is currently bothering Peanut, or as she likes to call him, her sidekick.

"Uhh, is there something wrong with Isabelle?" Lillie asks as Isa waves at her.

Miracle sits up and glances outside before sighing and plopping back down, "Yes. I need a new Primarina."

Lillie turns to her, "Don't say that."

"Why not?"

"Because she always gets sent back."

"I wonder why." Miracle whispers, "Is it because she's not the little angel they wanted?"

"Yeah.. How'd you guess that?"

"Because Primarina are known for being sweet and caring, they're friendly and like helping people and pokemon, who wouldn't want that? Nobody wants a Primarina that's grumpy and would much rather be with her thoughts." She shrugs, "But, I don't mind. She kinda reminds me of my cat with less sass."

"Isn't your cat named Zinnia?" Gladion inquires.

"Yup." Miracle groans, "And we still have to get her back. The person, not the cat."

"Don't forget rescuing Lusamine." Gladion reminds her.

Miracle blinks, "Riiiigt! Sure! I definitely want to rescue the person who tried to kill me!"

"Looks like you'll never see Zinnia ever again."

She shrugs, "I've got my cat." Gladion glares at her, "That was a joke."

"Wasn't very funny." Gladion mumbles.

"Whatever. Right now, that's the least of my worries. I need money for medicine and a wheelchair."

"Steal it," Gladion says with a shrug.

"You're never gonna let that go, are you?" Miracle asks.

"Nope."

Miracle groans, "Better suggestions, please."

"Win the race," Lillie says encouragingly.

"Sing!" Hau just screams.

Miracle chuckles, "I love music but, I can't sing to save my life."

"Good," Gladion says with a grunt, "We were leaving anyways."

My heart sinks.

Hau's leaving again.

I try my hardest to get him to stay. I even pull out the puppy eyes but, my attempts were futile.

He steps out of the stables then steps back in, "I have an idea!"

"What is it?"

"Your acting is superb! Use that to get money."

"Nah. It's not that good. You should go before Gladion leaves you behind, I know he will."

Hau waves us goodbye before scampering after Lillie and Gladion.

I sigh and head back to my hiding spot. For once it's quiet in the barn.

Until August and West show up.

"MIRACLE!" West shouts; he almost gave the poor girl a heart attack.

Miracle bolts up, "What!?"

West looks back at August who nods encouragingly, "Don't get mad. But, Hershel said that he has to raise the price on Nightshade's medicine."

Miracle leaps to her feet, "You're joking."

"I wish," August mutters.

Miracle pushes past them and they try their hardest to try and get her to calm down.

I really want to go out there and see what she's planning to do, but I can't muster the courage to walk outside.

So, for the rest of the day, I stay in the stables until someone shows up at around ten at night to bother me.

"Get up." Isa's stern voice says while lifting up the wagon with Psychic, "It's time for you to stop feeling sorry for yourself."

I lift my head up, "I'm not feeling sorry for myself..." I mutter.

Isa lowers her head down, "What was that? I couldn't hear you over that self-pity."

"It's not-"

"Yes, it is." She says confidently, "You're like a person. Selfish." She begins to circle around me. Her eyes glow in the darkness and bore into me, "The only reason you care is because you'll have something missing in your life that only Nightshade can provide. You're scared of her dying because you don't want to be alone. And that's selfish."

She stops circling me and smiles, "You're not going to deny it because you know it's true."

Anger flares up in my chest. How dare she! Nightshade wouldn't even be in this mess if she hadn't sent her away.

"Well, how would you know? I never see you and Tesla together."

She laughs, "Oh, Leafeon. I'm not a child, I like to keep my relationships private. None of that PDA junk."

"Well, go bother him..." I mutter.

"No. You need help."

"It's called leaving me alone."

"It's called helping your girlfriend. You moping around acting like a scared kit isn't helping anyone." She lifts me up, much to my dismay, and carries me outside.

The moment she sets me down I race back towards the stables. Unfortunately, I wasn't gifted with my sister's speed or four legs, so she somehow gets to the door before me.

"Listen. I know how it feels to have that one person you care about just disappear. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure that was Nightshade's doing." She sighs and looks up at the starry night sky, "I'm feeling really salty tonight. Would you like to go on a walk with Peanut and me?"

I shake my head but she drags me along with her anyway, "I won't take no for an answer."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Isa's idea of a walk is traveling over to Hershel's mansion.
It's large, like all mansions and on the outside isn't the most amazing.
But inside is a different story. It's covered in gold and has a large winding staircase leading to a balcony overlooking his grandiose garden.
The second staircase leads to a long row of bedrooms where I'm guessing August and West sleep, as they always leave ten minutes before Hershel leaves.

But, I know why Isabelle brought me here.
It's to lecture me, to tell me about her so-called wisdom.
She always acts so stoic, never telling you anything to keep you curious; that's how she gets people to listen to her.
It's not dumb by any means; it's pretty smart, as she is. But it's manipulative, a skill that my Father knows well.

Peanut stares at the mansion, his eyes glittering with awe, "It's so pretty!"

Isa shrugs, "Ehh, it's alright. Why an old southern white guy has a mansion is beyond me." She waddles over to the fence guarding the mansion and squeezes through the narrow cracks.

Peanut does the same, almost losing his disguise in the progress.

"Alright, Leafeon," Isabelle calls, "C'mon, we don't have all night."

I look at the mansion looming before me and take a step back, "Maybe we could come back during the day?"

Isa gives me a disappointed look, "No. C'mon, you Skitty!"

I shake my head, "I can't do it."

Isabelle sighs and turns to face the mansion, "Fine, but if you don't get over it now-"

I don't wait for her to finish speaking, I run away from that place as fast as my three legs can take me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, Isa decides to wake me up with some freezing water.

When asked why, She said it was funny and gave her immense joy.

Then I found out that it was two in the morning!

I shake the cold water off of my fur as she settles down in the hay near me.
"After you ran away, I knew that you had caught on to my plan." She whispers, "But it's ok, better actually, because now I can talk to you instead of guilt tripping you."

I uncomfortably shuffle away from her.

"Hey! I was kidding. Actually, I wasn't but, that's not what we're here to talk about. We're gonna talk about Nightshade."

My ears flatten instinctively, "No, we're not."

She laughs, "Uh-oh. She's mad." She turns to look at something hiding behind her, "Peanut, what to do, what to do?"

Somehow, I missed the small Mimikyu hiding behind her, "Just leave her alone, maybe." He whispers, "I don't really care..."

Isabelle sits up, "Nope. I won't let her sit her and act like she's got it bad. Nightshade's sick not her." She glances outside, "That girl's back at it. I really do wish I had a smarter Trainer; one I didn't have to babysit all the time."

Surely enough, Miracle, West, and August are sneaking around again.

"All we need is ten more dollars," The girl whispers.

"I just want to go to sleep," August mutters, "Can I sleep?"

"No, Augie," West says with a giggle,"We're working to save lives here."

Miracle chuckles, "Hehe. Augie. That's cute. I didn't know you swung that way."

There's some grunting followed by laughter before they scuttle away.

"You need to be doing that," Isabelle says before scowling at...the air?

"What are you looking at?" I ask.

"Her dead Pyroar friend." Peanut whispers.

"Correct," Isa shouts. When Peanut jumps a small smile creeps up onto her face but quickly vanishes.

"He's not exactly my friend. Anyways! Can we please get back on topic?"

"What do you want to do?" I ask knowing that whatever she says will not make me happy.

She pulls me and Peanut close, "We're gonna go find Kapua. I'm sure Nightshade seeing her long lost daughter again will make her well," She winks, "That's how the world works."

I pull away from her, "Lost daughter? What are you even talking about?! Nightshade is way too young to have a kid!"

She pulls me back with Psychic and waddles out of the stables, "Innocent child. No, sadly, she's not." She looks around her eyes landing on the only people out here, "We'll talk about it, but first, I have to tell Miracle I'm leaving."

I struggle and try to get out of her Psychic bubble, "What about Hau!?"

"Miracle will tell him."

Instead of walking up to the girl, like a normal Pokemon, she decides to shoot her with water before waving and leaving.

"We'll be back in no time," She reassures me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Isabelle promised, she did tell me about Kapua, and about Prince.

I hope that when I see Prince again I'll somehow have an immunity to Fire-type moves and have gained Father's ability to control the ocean.

The sun started rising mere seconds ago, turning the starry sky into a beautiful pink and orange sea...in the sky.

We've been traveling all night, using Isa's Psychic to soar through the sky.

I don't know why we had to fly, I can see the Stables from the cliff we're sitting on. If we would've walked, Peanut wouldn't have barfed all over me.

Why are we on a cliff? Because we're waiting for Lilo and a Salandit named Percy, who Isa says is the female Rafiki.

How Isabelle knows all of this is honestly amazing and creepy at the same time.

She also seems to have the power of convenience as the Sylveon and Salandit show up in no time at all.

It hasn't even been thirty minutes.

The butterfly that's been stalking Lilo flutters up to us and lands on Peanut.
He nearly jumps off the cliff in fear.
I thought ghost types were supposed to be the scary ones.

A Salandit bearing a white and blue hat with the letter 'D' on it points up to us, "Look! There are Pokemon up there!"

She begins jumping around and I notice something strange about her.
Her whole head is a ghostly white.
Most shiny Salandit have white bodies, but black heads.
She's like a reverse shiny!

I don't know why noticing this made me so happy.

Isabelle gives me a confused look before clearing her throat and waddling, I mean floating, down to the three.

"Peanut!" Isabelle yells, startling the poor Mimikyu.

"Y-yes," He stammers.

"Give her the stone."

"He." Lilo corrects her.

Isabelle rolls her eyes, "Fine. Give him the stone."

Peanut creeps over to the Hat-Salandit and hands him an Everstone before dashing back behind Isa.

The Salandit places it on his wrist and smiles, "Now, I'm like Percy."

"Is that a bad thing?"

He shakes his head, "Nope. I like Percy. She's funny and smart and-"

"She's going to tell us where your mother is." Lilo interrupts and turns to Percy, "Where is she?"

Percy shrugs, "Ask Mermaid Seal."

"It's Isabelle."

"Opal. Ask Opal."

Isa groans and facepalms, "Whatever!" She turns to the Salandit and lifts up her hat, "Kapua? That's you, right?

He nods and grabs Isa's flipper so that his hat covers his eyes, "But you can call me Pua."

"L-like the pig from Moana." Peanut whispers.

"I am so sick and tired of Moana!" Isa shouts.
Shame, Miracle makes a great Maui...isn't her father named Maui?

Kapua lifts his hat up and stares at me, "Is that a Leafeon?" He slinks over to me and lifts up my white paw, "She's got a white paw...and three legs! You must be a Warrior!"

Lilo pulls him back with her ribbons, "No-"

Pua struggles out of them, "Wait! You're Tidal Wave's daughter!?"

"Yeah," I say, slowly backing away from the overly energetic Salandit.

Kapua smiles brightly before turning to Lilo, "Is she that Leafeon?"

"Leafeon hates kids. So, no."

Kapua frowns, "Oh. Well, she'll love me! I'm-"

Isabelle covers his mouth with a flipper, "You are annoying! You have Clementine's hat so be more like her!" She removes her flipper and looks at the Stables in the distance, "Do you want to see your mother or not?"

Pua's eyes widen, "More than anything, yes!"

"Well, she's dying. So, at the rate we're going, you might not meet her while she's alive."

Lilo turns to Percy, "You never told me she liked telling crude jokes."

Percy narrows her eyes, "She doesn't."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A short walk...flight back to the stables and already, Miracle is trying to go back to jail.
Sitting on the dusty ground, rubbing his slightly bloody jaw, is Hershel.

"She punched him!" Somebody yells.

West jumps to her defense, "We clean up horse dung all day for money! Wouldn't you be mad if some old bat told you 'It's not enough money'?"

August holds her back, "You really didn't have to punch him, we just need more money and it'll all be ok."

Miracle struggles out of his grip, "No, August! We are out of time! Nightshade is out of time! I need medicine now!" She slams her fist down on a wooden table with medicine on it, "I will not hesitate to steal it from you!"

"Just like every other black person?" Hershel says with a smirk.

Harper pushes past the sea of people. "Alright!" She yells causing everyone to go silent.
"You!" She points to her father, "Don't be racist."

"And you!" She points to Miracle and hands her a bag full of medicine, "Take this and pay us back next week with the remaining money."

Miracle clutches the bag as tears well up in her eyes, "Thank you!" She mumbles before running off towards Hershel's mansion with August and West not far behind her.

Harper sighs and lights a cigarette before helping her father up, "Sweet Arceus, why do that to the poor girl?"

"That Salazzle was gonna die anyways, I was only lessening the pain."

I unsheathe my claws and growl softly gaining a small chuckle from Isa, "So, I was right, if I want her to fight all I have to do is threaten Nightshade's life. Alright!"

Pua stares at the two humans in awe, "Humans! I've never seen humans before!"

Percy hits him over the head with her stick, "Liar!"

Pua rubs his head, "Owowowow! I'm not lying!"

Lilo sighs, "I'm telling Nightshade on you."

"What's she gonna do? Chase me!?" Percy cackles, "In her dreams!"

Isabelle steps on her head, "One: Not funny. Two: Do you want to see the Salazzle or not, for the millionth time?"

"Yes!" Pua yells, "Do you not know what 'yes' means?"

"No." She waddles after Miracle, "C'mon we don't-" She pauses, "Oh, wait, I said that already. Let's go, maggots!"

You want to know the best thing about Isabelle?
When she puts on her commanding voice everyone automatically listens to her with no hesitation; not even Lilo faltered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at this..terrible place. Once again, I can't bring myself through the now open gates.

Isa rolls her eyes, "Fine. Don't come, I'm sure that'll make Nightshade happy."

"Stop guilt tripping me!"

"Then get in here!"

I leap through the gates, a bit too dramatically, and land at Isa's open flippers, "Was that so hard, Holly?"

I swat at her, "Don't call me Holly."

She laughs, "Ok, Tiger."

Isabelle has never been in this mansion yet she knows exactly where Nightshade is.
Maybe she could hear West and Miracle screaming in there.

Isabelle flings the door open, scaring the three teens.

West and Miracle were leaned up against the wall.
When Isa flung the door open, his face turned a bright cherry red while Miracle looked relieved.

I really don't want to know.

August is sitting on a bed that has so many covers on it I'm sure a giant is hiding under them. He has the bag full of medicine sitting close to him and holds a syringe in his shaky hand.

August brings the syringe close to him and curses under his breath before turning to Miracle, "Get your Primarina under control for the love of Arceus!" He yells and turns back to his work.

Miracle runs over to her, "Why'd you do that?"

Isabelle shrugs and Miracle groans, "That's her answer to everything."

Pua's eyes shine, "That human spoke to you!" He breathes

"She's my Trainer of course she did. She's Nightshade's Trainer too.

"I want her to be my Trainer!" He says running over to her, "She could replace you with me."

"She already has a Salazzle-" She's cut off by a frighteningly weak cough from the bed.

Isabelle lowers her head, "Actually, she could replace you with-"

"SHHHH!" Lilo hisses, "Can you please stop talking like that?"

"Death is a thing." She shrugs, Y'know, it's karma, for killing Opal."

The two Fairy types glare at each other before Lilo realizes that Pua has snuck his way over to the bed.

"Is she dead?" He whispers.

August notices him peeking and hoists Pua up onto the bed.

I pad over and watch him closely.
He's just sniffing the bed and bouncing on it.

Until he sees Nightshade.
I feel my heart drop; she looks terrible.
She's shaking and her breathing is labored, if you can call it breathing.
It sounds like every breath brings her pain.

Pua nudges her, "Mama?"

Nightshade slowly opens her eyes, "Ka..pua..?" She mutters, "Is..is it really you..?"

Lilo stares at them in shock, "Well I'll be damned."

"Language." Percy reminds her, "There are children here."

"Oh shut up, Percy."

Percy smiles smugly.

August smiles, "Hey, she opened her eyes! It's a-" He smiles mischievously

Miracle glares at him, "Don't say it-"

"Miracle!"

"I need more female friends." She grumbles before pushing August off the bed and onto the floor, "I think you're the one making her sick."

August pulls her down and whispers something in her ear.
She nods and turns to Isa, "Alright, Isabelle, we're leaving. Please, please, for the love of all that is holy, don't try and chase anyone off."

August then ushers her and West out of the room and closes the door softly.

"You...you brought her back." Nightshade whispers, "I thought she was dead."

Lilo leaps up onto the bed followed by Percy, Peanut, and Isa.

I keep my paws rooted to the cold, shiny floor below, fear keeping me in place.

Lilo smiles gently, "I keep my promises."

Percy swats at the butterfly, "I remember you promised to get rid of this butterfly but it's still here."

"It's special, leave it alone."

Pua, who was being surprisingly quiet, is now holding up a music box. He smiles at it and turns it over, flipping the switch. He sets it down gently on the bed and begins turning the handle. Soft music fills the quiet room and a small giggle escapes Kapua's mouth.

"We used to sing songs when the music played," He whispers, "One of them was like...uhhh.."

"Come stop your crying it'll be alright." Nightshade whispers as Kapua's face lights up, "Just take my hand, hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you, I will be here don't you cry."

While everyone else is smiling, Isabelle is staring out the window with a dark, somber expression on her face. I look outside and see that the once blue sky is now covered in dark, brooding clouds.

She notices me staring and bows her head, "I'm so sorry, Leafeon."
She turns to Percy and Lilo who nod, "Kapua, we have to go." Lilo says.

"What? Why? We just got here." Lilo pulls him off the bed, "Leafeon and Nightshade have to talk." She says sternly.

Kapua frowns and takes one last look at the bed before scampering after the Sylveon.

Now, it's just me and her.

I take a deep breath and jump onto the bed being sure to not step on Nightshade. I settle down next to her shaking frame.
Her body is so cold.

"Holly?"

I stare at the slightly cracked door, "Yes." my voice is barely a whisper.

"Look at me."

I turn my head to look at her, her once brilliant violet eyes are now dulled, but they look happy.

She smiles at me and tries to lift her head up only to have it fall weakly onto the bed.

My heart shatters at the sight of her.

I inch closer to her, thinking of what to say.

"Don't be sad." Nightshade says, "I'm not afraid of death."

"You're not going to die." I say leaping to my paws, "I won't let you die."

"You can't stop death." she coughs, blood covering the white sheets.

My eyes fill with tears, "But you can't die. You promised me...you promised you would never leave me. I can't lose you." I nuzzle her, "Please, I need you."

Her breathing grows more labored, "This is all my fault." I whisper, "I could've stopped you from leaving."

"Don't you dare blame yourself. She sputters.

I lie down next to her and wrap my tail tightly around her, "Please don't go."

Her heart beat is the only thing I can feel right now.
It grows weaker with every passing second.

"I...I want you...to take care of Kapua..."

"I will! I'll raise him like he was my own!"

She chuckles, "Don't kill her..."

I feel the tears run down my face.
How can she be so happy?

I feel something cold wipe my tears away, "Don't cry over me. Smile. Smile because you got to meet someone who made you happy; remember all of the good times we had...and you'll be ok." She says gently.

I nod, "I..I will."

She smiles faintly before her hand goes limp and falls to the bed.

I look at her eyes. The once happy and positive light they once held is gone.

I collapse onto the bed, my cries filling the quiet room.

She's gone...my light..my miracle.

I bury my face into her.
I'll never get to see her smile, hear her laugh, hear her sing...

I hear the door creak open, "She would've wanted you to have this," Isabelle whispers.

She sets down a large box and opens it, revealing a large colorful pile of flowers.

I jump off the bed and land in front of the flowers.

I look up at Isa, "She..she.."

Isa pulls me close and pats my back, "Shh, I know, I know."

She nudges me outside of the room, "Let's get you out of here."

She takes one last somber look at the bed before closing the door, leaving Nightshade alone in the darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Word count: 4581

I feel numb.
Everybody is dying.
I just killed off my favorite character and ruined my favorite ship.
And precious child Leafeon is sad, that's the biggest crime here.