Chapter 22

Chapter 22- Beat down

"Stop it Flame! I don't want to hurt you!" Jolt screamed through tears. The Flareon didn't listen, and instead delivered another painful slash to Jolt's face. Frost came in from behind, and delivered a sharp, biting ice fang onto the Back of his neck. Jolt shrieked in pain, and shook violently to get her off. Jolt couldn't fight the both of them at once; he was already far too tired. Midnight, Rubi and River already lay on the ground, knocked out. Fighting the three of them left Jolt with barely enough energy to dodge some of their attacks, but he was now taking more hits than he was avoiding. Jolt fired a spread of pin missiles, but by now he was so weak the ones that did it barely hurt his assailants. It was too much for him, and he made a desperate run for the cave. Maybe if he got there in time, someone there would see reason. Jolt ran with a limp and a trail of blood behind him, with the two others hot on his tail, shooting at him the whole way. Jolt was one of the fastest in the group, but right now he was so tired and hurt that it was a miracle he could even stand. The cave came into sight. He was almost there. He was so close! A shadow ball exploded behind him at that very moment, sending him flying into their home and slamming hard into a wall of solid stone. "Snow!" he called. "Sparky! Anyone, help! Please!" those who hadn't gone out had stayed in their rooms, but Jolt's plea fell on deaf hears. No one would help him now, and it was too late anyway. Flame and Frost were already inside the cave, moving towards him with murder in their eyes.

"Mom!" Angel wailed. "Dad needs help! Why aren't you doing anything?!" It was a mere week after Angel had evolved into a beautiful Vaporeon, but she already looked bigger than Sparky. In the dim firelight, her face was covered in salty tears. Sparky said absolutely nothing. "Do you even care what they do to him?!" Angel yelled at her, but again received no response. Angel turned and ran out of the room. If her mother wasn't going to help her father, than she would. She ran out to see Jolt on the ground, being beaten by an enraged Flame. The sight disgusted her, and she didn't hold back anything as she hit him dead-on with a torrent of water. Flame shrieked in pain and fell backwards. Frost stared at Angel for a moment. It wasn't long before her surprise turned into rage, however, and she growled at Angel. Angel was scared; the Glaceon was much bigger and stronger than she was, and it wasn't a fair fight at all. Nevertheless, Angel stood her ground. She couldn't let them hurt her father anymore. He had suffered enough already, without coming back to his comrades turning on him.

The two said nothing as they stared each other down. Even though Frost was normally so quiet and reserved, she was truly scary when she was this enraged. Angel didn't want to be anywhere near her, but she couldn't back down. In the end it was Frost who backed down, as she didn't want to hurt the very young Vaporeon. She gave Jolt a final, hard kick to his chest, causing him to cry out in pain, and left to go collect her fallen teammates that were passed out in the snow. Angel looked at Flame to make sure she had knocked him out, then turned to her father.

She looked down at him with tears in her eyes. They were both silent for a long time. After what seemed like an eternity, she hit him in the stomach, where he was most vulnerable. Jolt tried his best not to cry, but his eyes watered from the pain. "You sold us out!" Angel screamed. "Now that those bastard humans know where we are, we'll need to leave again before they come up here to take us away!" Jolt clutched his stomach tightly, shaking. "They put a collar on me, and whipped and beat me until I came here!" Jolt said in his defense. "What was I supposed to do?!" Angel looked at his wounds. Slowly, she started to feel as if he deserved every one for his betrayal. "The damned Ninetails burned me until I wanted to die, and the Gengar drove me fucking crazy with all his little games and mind tricks. Do you know what dream eater feels like? It's like a part of you, a warm, safe part of you that you've grown comfortable in is ripped away, leaving you in a dark void until you wake up! I had no choice!" Jolt couldn't believe after what he had endured that no one, not even his mate or his daughter, cared enough to forgive him.

Jolt had gone down into the city for some food he wanted to get to make Sparky a special dinner. Her birthday was the next evening, and he wanted to make it special for her. It didn't take long for him to get the herbs, meats and fruits he needed and he was about to head back up with a full bag when he saw some pretty Snow lilies. Flowers were very rare in the cold terrain, so he figured he would pick a few to give to her in a bouquet. It was then that Jolt was hit with a pokeball. It glanced off him, since he had already been technically caught, but the stupid trainer was persistent. She wore a weird looking uniform with a G on it, and funny green hair. It was then that her Ninetails and Gengar jumped him. He was no match for the both of them at once, and he quickly succumbed to them. Through a rigorous interrogation they found out that he lived with a lot of Eeveeloutions. The Gengar was able to get the message to his trainer somehow, and she wanted to capture them all. It was then that they tortured Jolt for information, and at last, after three days and nights of suffering in a nearby glen, the Gengar was able to break into his mind and extract the location of the cave. Jolt poured his last little bit of strength into getting away, and luckily Rubi had been out for a walk when they ran into each other. Soon after, he regrouped with all the others and told them of the trainers that were coming. They were all furious, even Sparky and Snow. They had to abandon their home for an uncertain future, with a newborn Eevee that Sky had given birth to recently.

Frost returned with those Jolt had knocked out around the same time as Flame got up. "Pack up." Rubi said curtly. It wasn't long before all the supplies that could be carried were loaded up into bags, and the newborn was secured in a backpack on Skys back. They were all far past enraged by then. No one wanted to leave their home, and it was all Jolt's fault for not being able to keep his shit together. Jolt had to patch himself up from the beating he had taken, and had barely finished by the time everyone was ready to go. "Let's get going!" Midnight called. Jolt ran into the main chamber. "Wait up guys, I'm not ready!" he said hoping to delay them. "What makes you think you're going?" Rubi asked with malice in her voice. Jolt stopped, taken aback. "What do you mean, of course I'm going!" he protested. "Were family!" Rubi shook her head, and was joined by Midnight, Breeze, Frost, Sky and Flame. "You got us into this mess, so you get to stay here," Flame said sharply. The others nodded in agreement.

Jolt stepped back, dumbstruck. His family, the closest thing he would ever have to a real family, were telling him he had to stay behind. "You can't be serious," said Sparky, looking scared. "Yeah, of course Jolt can come. Like he said, we're family," Snow added. "No means no, dammit!" Midnight shouted, turning on Jolt. She had lost any feelings she had had for him a long time ago. Jolt couldn't believe it. He sat down, trying to take it in: they were going to leave him behind because he had been tortured into giving away their home. All the time he had spent with them, all their adventures and good times, it all meant nothing to them now. "You're welcome to stay here with him," Rubi said. "Were leaving." Snow looked at him helplessly. All she had wanted since she was born was to have a loving family and a place where she belonged, not like under the care of her abusive and neglectful trainer. Jolt was the only thing standing between her and that. The choice was the hardest one she had ever made, but it had to be made. "I'm so sorry, Jolt," she whispered, and stood with the others. "Come on Sparky, it's not safe for you and Angel here," Breeze said. "Let's go, c'mon Sparky," Frost added. Jolt looked at his mate and his daughter hopelessly.

Sparky was torn apart: her family and her daughter's safety, or staying by her mate. Sparky couldn't even believe what she was thinking, but they were right: it wasn't safe at all. There was no way Jolt could come, but she had to do what was best for their daughter and herself, even though it would hurt worse than the first time she had left him. Jolt got up finally, realizing he was being abandoned again. He would have to make it out on his own with just his mate and child. "Come on Sparky, we don't need them," he said. But as he turned around, he saw his Sparky, his lover, his mate, the one whom he wanted spend his life with, standing with the others. "Come on, Angel, let's go," Sparky said. Angel stayed where she was, frozen.

"Dad..." she whispered. "Dad, I don't want to leave you..." Angel threw her arms around him, sobbing. "How could you all be so cruel!?" She screamed at each of them, her mother included. "How could you all do this to your own family?!" Her words struck hard, and Sparky even thought about turning around and heading back to Jolt. Rubi knew she had to go before Angels pleas got to her, so she promptly began walking out, followed by the others. "Let's go Angel!" Sparky said sternly, despite the tears flowing down her face. "Go on, sweetie, I'll be fine," Jolt said, the pain of parting with them quickly becoming too much to bare. Angel reluctantly left with the group, and Jolt was left all alone in the cold cave.