FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter Six

"How..." Axel started in surprise the next day, "Did you know this was here...?"

Psy had led Axel and I after we woke very deep into the forest, off the beaten path down what appeared to be a secret walkway. We never questioned where he was leading us, but in the distance, through the canopy of trees, I eventually saw a looming tower. It wouldn't have been visible very far away and on the main path, but we were close enough to notice it now.

When the Abra led us into an alcove at the base of the tower, I was surprised to find what was like a very small settlement, except it was filled of only two pokémon. Eevees, and Leafeons.

"How did you know this was here?" Axel repeated, "The locations of the towers is top secret." He hissed lightly as his ears folded back when one of the Leafeons saw them, walking up to us as Psy slapped his tail lightly on the ground.

"Relax Axel." Psy stated calmly, "I probably know more about your 'secrets' than you do."

I exchanged looks back and forth between Axel and Psy, wondering what kind of secrets Axel was keeping, but I suppose secret keeping wasn't something I should berate for.

The approaching Leafeon's tail waved as it came closer, raising its voice to us as it did, "Halt! State your business here or begone, these are sacred grounds for...the..." He trailed off as he saw Axel slightly behind Psy's body, and instantly his tone changed. He suddenly bowed down lowly. I saw Axel blush slightly and he looked off to the side.

"Forgive me I had not seen you there, Prince Axel." He said as he was bowed, before straightening once more, noticing how the other pokémon was now looking away pointedly.

I blinked in confusion, "Prince?" I stared at the Eevee in disbelieve. "You're a prince?"

"Shhhh!" He hissed back at me, blushing still and he kept looking away. "I'd rather not everyone I know outside of my family treat me like royalty." He glared at the Leafeon then, "Thank you, but please, no formalities, I am not here to choose to become a Leafeon."

I only stared longer as Psy started before the Leafeon could continue questioning Axel, "Sorry to visit without notifying first." He spoke to the Leafeon in a tone that tore his attention away from the Eevee quickly. "I need to speak with your Elder about a situation which I belive only what's at the top of the tower can help with."

The grass type's eyes narrowed, "How do you know of it?" He seemed very annoyed that the Abra seemed to know what their secret was.

"I have seen it before." The Abra slapped his tail on the ground next to him, "Please, there is no reason to be hostile, do you think Prince Axel would be with me if I was untrustworthy?"

I heard Axel grumble something under his breath then, barely able to pick out a few words.

"...knew all along...blasted psychic types...never...stupid Espeons...'ve known better"

I giggled slightly to myself as he was mumbling. He realized I was listening and stopped, huffing and blushing still. His tail lashed about behind him in mild irritation as the Leafeon seemed deep in thought.

"I suppose not..." He agreed, "Very well, follow me."

Axel and I began following the grass pokémon while Psy would occasionally teleport just in front of the Leafeon. He led us to a small hut inside the grove, grown from the grass itself. I realized the whole encampment's structures were grown from the grass, the Leafeon's using their abilities over the element to cause the very ground to mold to their whim.

"The Elder is here, please remain respectful while you stay." The Leafeon told us then left.

Axel entered first while I came in close behind him, a voice from inside quickly shouting in excitement.

"Oh! Nephew! What a surprise, I thought you were in training?" An elderly Leafeon nesting in a small bed of grass spoke excitedly, "Are you here for what I think you are? Has that much time passed already?"

Axel smiled slightly and he shook his head, "Sorry Auntie Clora. I'm not here to evolve I'm afraid, I wasn't even aware I was coming here." I then entered the room and the elder Leafeon continued on.

"Oh, who is this you've brought with you...?" Her eyes narrowed at me the same way that previous one's had at Psy, who just then teleported in behind us. "Oh, there's two! Axel you know better than to-oh wait, Psy is that you?"

"Hello Clora." Psy said, "Sorry to come by unannounced."

"No trouble at all, you've helped us before so you are welcome." A bright smile appeared on her muzzle.

"Not everyone seemed to think so." Psy commented and Clora tilted her head then nodded.

"We have some newer members of the group that probably would not have recognized you right away, or were too young when you and your group first came by." She explained, "But please, why are you here?"

"Step forward Ruli." Psy's voice rang in my mind and I stepped forward, while Psy then spoke out loud.

"This is Ruli, Clora, he's student at our school, the son of the one I came here with before. Something has recently changed about him. Can you tell what it is?"

She eyed me closely from where she was sitting and hummed, "By his body...fit...well trained...Pangoro's work, a few years and a heck of a lot recently." She seemed to be examining me, and she suddenly rose and got up to walk up to me. "His eyes...lively...full of life and energy as young ones usually are. You're his son all right." She giggled lightly then became serious again, "I am sorry for his passing, he was a good pokémon." She then sniffed at the air around me then as she started to walk around me, I wondered what she was doing as I watched her, standing still throughout though.

"Scent...many others...hmm, conflict with other children? Frustration at his own life, wondering why he was alone. A shame...but I suppose someone growing up without their parents would cast themselves out...it is natural." How did she guess that? That was Ruli rather, not me, but how did she know?

"Hmm, but recently that changed, rather dramatically. Too recent for smell to tell me much more though about why." She finished circling and I blinked at her, I couldn't help but ask.

"I'm sorry...but, how do you know all that?"

She grinned at me and explained, "Smell can tell you a lot of things, the scent of fear, conflict, distress, and other emotions cling to a pokémon longer than they think they do. Leafeon's are attuned to nature, our sense of smell is greater than most others, and not even washing can hide them."

"Your past clings to your fur, full of strife. Your most recent time isn't as horrible, but the past is still so much thicker for me to tell what changed so much better for you."

I nodded and she continued, "As for Psy's question...I can't tell what has changed you, but it sure seems much better for you than your past."

Psy spoke then, "I need him to see the mirror..." He said lightly to her and the Leafeon stared at him pointedly.

"The mirror is not something to just go and see." She said sternly, "Even you know I can't grant you permission to just go up the tower."

"The mirror is the only thing that may help him find the truth." Psy returned, "Listen to me Clora, I know what I'm asking you to do for this child is extreme, the importance of the mirror is paramount, we both know that, but only that mirror can show him the truth. Think of what his father did to get his own chance, you owe Ruli this."

"His father..." she repeated and she and Psy spent another few moments staring at each other, until the Leafeon sighed and turned away, going back to her nest and she settled back into the grass. "Very well, but leave as soon as you find what you're looking for, and consider the debt repaid." She added lightly to the psychic type.

"Thank you Clora." Psy bowed his head slightly as his voice spoke to Axel and I in our heads.

"Go to the base of the tower, I will met you both there." Then he vanished as both of us took our leave.

__________________

The rest of the Leafeons did nothing to stop us as we approached the tower. I had no doubt that somehow that Clora had been able to broadcast that we had permission to approach.

Psy was already waiting at the base.

"What was it my father did Psy?" I asked as I approached, but he only grinned at me.

"Telling you that story would take all day. Perhaps another time." He chuckled, "Are you both ready to climb the tower?"

"I suppose." Axel stated and shuffled, "I've only ever climbed the one with my family, back in the scorched lands."

"You have already climbed one?" Psy seemed surprised for once.

Axel nodded, "All Eevee have to climb their family's towers to reach the top and see the mirror...it's the mirror that tells an Eevee if they are ready to go on our journey."

"There's a mirror at the top?" I asked and tilted my head back. The tower was at least six stories tall, a good hundred or so feet.

Axel nodded again, "Each Eeveelution family protects a tower. We were chosen for this duty long ago because as Eevee, we adapt to our environment and evolve to suit it. Such as my family is Jolteons, the reason the area is called the scorched lands is because there is almost constant storms raging through the area, raking the land with lightning. They can command that lightning to accurately fend of intruders if they are deemed hostile. This tower, settled deep in a forest, the Leafeon command the land around them to protect it. It's not obvious, but they could probably have had the very land itself after us." Axel looked back behind us at the encampment.

Psy nodded, "That's right, each family protects a tower, each tower has a mirror. There are seven towers. The seven mirrors keep this world in balance and stable, they also keep our world separated from the world of humans."

My ears perked at that, "The mirrors keep a barrier?"

"Of sorts." Psy nodded again and he stared at me. "See you at the top." and with that he vanished once again.

Now I understood why Psy wanted to bring me to the mirror. He wanted to see if the mirror would react to my presence at all. What did he expect to happen? Would it just show a reflection of my true self, or would it react violently and try to destroy me somehow? Was he trying to get rid of me? I stood wide eyed for perhaps a moment too long as these thoughts went through my head as Axel coughed.

"I-is something wrong?" He said worriedly between the two of us and I quickly shook my head, trying to calm myself.

"N-no, nothing's wrong. So um...let's get climbing?"

"Yeah, sure." Axel confirmed but he tilted his head as he eyed me.

We entered the tower and I realized that it wasn't as easy as walking up stairs to get to the top, there were actually stacked bricks that went around the tower in a circle. There were no floors, just this ground floor and then the rising blocks.

"We have to climb one square at a time...?" I asked in vain hope that Axel knew some kind of secret.

"Yup, it's a test of your will to get to the top..." He grumbled, dashing the hope I had. "That's why it's difficult for Eevees to grow up and evolve, some of us aren't strong enough to get all the way up there and take years to get the strength. Besides getting up, then you have to get back down."

I looked up again through the tower, there was a ceiling, the last block opened up to the roof there. It seemed so far away from down here. "And you climbed yours before?"

Axel nodded, "Yeah, back in the scorched lands. Any Eevee wishing to take a journey has to get permission from their Elder, then has to climb the tower to prove their strength to go on said journey. The mirror itself shows you a glimpse of your destiny, meant to give you a sense of where to go."

"What did the mirror show you?" I asked him after he paused a moment, curious about this.

He remained silent a moment longer as he stared up at the ceiling, and I realized that it may be something private. "Sorry, you don't need to say if you don't want to. Should have realized it's probably really private."

"No it's all right." Axel nodded, "You're right it's meant to be private, I was told only to tell it if I wanted to. I don't mind telling you though, if you tell me what it shows you once you're up there." He chuckled and smiled at me then. I smiled back and nodded.

"Sure."

The Eevee sighed lightly, closing his eyes and I noticed his cheeks became a little flushed. "The mirror showed me...I'm apparently destined to become an Umbreon. That's why I found it funny when you told me you thought I should become one. I was living at the coast town, where the school is. I looked really happy living there. That's all it showed me though, just a brief glimpse of daily life."

"Wait, you weren't back with one of your clans?" I asked in surprise.

Axel shook his head, "No, I wasn't, and that's what gets me the most." He looked at me then as he tried to explain, "I mean...Ruli, I'm sorry but you truly don't understand how much that vision meant to me. I have never wanted to dedicate my life to living in one place. The scorched lands themselves are desolate and dreary and I delighted in every moment I spent at the coast before, even being in the care center. It's much more lively there than it was back with my clan and I want to stay there. I want to be my own pokémon, live my own life. The fact that the vision showed me that, I instantly sent a messenger to enroll me in the school."

I nodded, "I can kind of understand..." I rubbed my head with a paw as I looked at the ground and at my feet. In the back of my mind, I had been thinking that the reason I had become Ruli was because as a human, I had never felt right being one. Though, perhaps I was just trying to find reasons to just give up this quest and try to settle into being a Riolu.

Axel continued on, "I know that what my family and the other clans do is important...but...I want...more, you know?" I nodded to him again and smiled.

"Yeah, I understand. I'm sure your clan would be fine without one of you, right?"

"Yeah...it's getting them to let me take that path that's going to be difficult. Every clan knows when an Eevee from any clan is on a journey. Clora instantly thought I was here to become a Leafeon. It's...aggravating." He growled and I chuckled.

"I didn't know you were a prince though." I teased him and he bristled at me.

"My mom and dad are the leaders of the Jolteon clan, that's all!" He hissed at me, though playfully as I grinned. He twitched his tail as he grinned back, "Let's get climbing."

I walked up to the first block then and jumped, grabbing onto the ledge and lifting myself up on top. Axel jumped up next to me rather nimbly, wagging his tail as I stared at him in surprise.

"What? I've done this before remember?" He stuck out his tongue at me before jumping up to the next block, while I shook my head and jumped, grabbing the edge and lifting myself up to follow.

___________________

I panted as I finally pulled myself over the last block and onto the ceiling. Psy was waiting there, slapping his tail on the ground lightly.

"Cheater..." I growled at him while standing up slowly. I saw then the mirror a little ways behind him, standing about seven feet tall and very wide, the reflections of the three of us within it.

Psy chuckled at me and I saw a grin on his muzzle "I've already been up here, so I can just teleport up."

"Who were you here with before?" Axel asked.

"Ruli's father." Psy answered and I perked my ears. "Hmm, the mirrors show a glimpse of any pokémon's future, not just the Eevee's. Your father came here after just evolving wanting to know what to do. He truly did not know what he wanted to do with his life after evolving. I came with him as my family had actually sold me to him since he was going to travel. He had to do quite a bit for Clora to earn the right to climb, but again, that's a story for another day."

"What do you expect me to see in the mirror if I look?" I stared behind him at the mirror then.

"That is for you to see." Psy said and then he teleported to be beside the mirror instead of in front of me, and Axel stepped off to the side, leaving only me in its reflection.

I stood still a moment as I continued looking at the mirror, then I realized that it began to get hazy, the reflection waving as the me within faded away, leaving a foggy space in the glass.

I felt compelled to move closer. As I stepped closer, the image in the glass became more clear. It wasn't until I was standing nearly right in front of it that I fully saw what was within. Four humans, standing around some kind of machine, a large capsule looking chamber with a single door.

"Are you ready?" A voice suddenly spoke from the mirror, one of the humans motioning to the me through the mirror.

"Yes, I'm ready." I heard my own voice speak and I blinked as I realized that the mirror was showing me this through the eyes of someone, but the voice troubled me. Was it me whom I was looking through? Back when I was a human?

"We don't know if this will actually work or not, but if it does, remember what you're meant to do?"

"Get to the mirrors, and destroy them."

I blinked again, eyes widening and unable to stop watching the vision.

"Good." the other human in the vision said, "Once we get the system perfected we'll send in others after you to assist."

The vision bobbed as if he nodded and entered the chamber, turning around to face the other side as it closed around him and left him in complete darkness. There was a massive humming sound, crackles of blue electricity firing around in the space and building in volume until a bright white flash occurred.

The vision wobbled during the flash, and slowly my reflection returned to me, showing me in my Riolu form staring back at me.

I shook a bit, startled, confused, and troubled by what I saw. What did all that mean? I lifted my paw to my head as it throbbed a little painfully, I suddenly had a massive headache.

"What did you see?" Psy asked as he saw me move.

I shook my head, "I...I don't know...I need a moment..."

"Explain it. The more you remember the better, the longer we wait the more you might forget." Psy pressed. He seemed eager to know and not willing to wait.

I stared at Axel then and paused, realizing I had to skip around the truth again here. Psy might probably know what I was meaning, but I didn't want Axel to know I was a human yet.

"I saw...something through the eyes of another..." closing my eyes as I tried to think of what to say.

"Another?" Axel asked, confusion in his voice, "The mirror doesn't show you visions of someone else, and only shows you visions of your own future. There's never been a vision where someone saw through their eyes either or-."

"What was it you saw exactly?" Psy pressed again, interrupting Axel.

"I...or they, where with four others, they told them they were going to send them somewhere, and that they would soon send others after them once the process was perfected. It seemed like...they were a test subject." I swallowed while trying to think of how to say the next part, "They asked them if they knew what to do once they got through..." I paused, wondering if this was really okay to say. If it really was myself in that vision I was seeing through, what would Psy do to me if he suspected I had been sent to destroy their world?

"And?" Psy pressed again, slapping his tail and I jumped, looking away and closing my eyes as I sighed and trembled a bit, balling my paws into fists.

"Their goal was...to destroy the mirrors."

To my surprise, it was Axel that actually reacted violently, his fur bristling in rage as he snarled, "WHAT?! Are you serious!?"

"Relax!" Psy's mental voice, much louder in volume as he was able to control it, boomed in both our heads, causing me and Axel both to cringe in place a moment and stare at him. His tail slapped the ground multiple times for the next few moments as he stared at me, but then he said "Was there anything else?"

I nodded and continued, still a little shaky, "T-then they entered a...portal of some kind..." I settled on that since I was now guessing that it was that they had been sent through either way, "There was bright white flash, and that was it..."

"This is crazy." Axel said, scoffing, looking at Psy, "You can't belive this do you?" I felt hurt that the Eevee didn't believe me on this. I looked down at the ground as he went on. "This...this throws everything we've known about the mirrors out of whack. The mirrors don't show you visions through the eyes of others or anything, they only ever show you your own future."

"Perhaps it is Ruli's future to stop these criminals, so the mirror is giving him knowledge to point in the direction of his destiny. That is the definition of what the mirror does is it not?" Psy asked and Axel rolled his eyes and paced around in a circle, "To give directions to your destiny?" I was thankful to Psy, he was already thinking of different ways to interpret the vision. Though the question still remained to me that haunted my thoughts at the moment, was I really sent here on a mission to destroy the mirrors so that the human world could penetrate the barrier...?

"Yes, but it shows you yourself in the same vision always at least once." Axel insisted, "Every single Eevee or pokémon to stand before that mirror has always seen themselves."

"So they say. Pokémon are all capable of lying. Even then, some are unwilling to say what they see." Psy stated.

"What would they have to lie about?" Axel asked, still with that tone of voice that made it clear that he thought this was insane.

"Then why are you insisting that Ruli is lying about what he saw?"

"I am not saying he is lying..." The Eevee said, then looked at me and finally noticed my downfallen posture, and he stammered as he tried to continue, "I um, didn't mean it like that...I'm just saying that...this goes against all the rules of the mirrors that've I've been taught to know my whole life and...I don't know how to take it I guess. It's hard to believe."

Psy slapped his tail on the ground, "Being close minded...as an Eevee with the dream of being free of his family's responsibilities..." He stopped at that but his unfinished comment clearly hit home, as Axel now became just as downfallen as I was.

We both were staring at the ground now as Psy slapped the ground a few more times still, before speaking again. "At any rate...this is still a lot to take in. I will have to think on this. For now, meet me back at the bottom of the tower. We will begin our journey back to the coast. I'll met you both back down at the bottom." And with that he vanished.

______________________

Axel and I stayed mostly silent on our way back down the tower. Axel seemed very anxious about what the situation, both because of its craziness, and that he realized that what he had said had hurt my feelings. I was feeling upset about everything myself. The worrisome vision haunted me more than my hurt feelings of Axel's anger.

"Hey...Ruli." Axel started softly as we had just hopped off the last block and back onto the ground floor.

"Yeah?" I asked him, snapped out of my thoughts and I turned to him. He sat down next to me as he looked at me and tilted his head slightly.

"I'm uh...sorry. I didn't mean to take out my anger at you."

I nodded, "It's okay...really, I understand. It doesn't make sense to me either." I sighed and shook my head, "I'm just...worried."

"What do you think it meant?" Axel asked me.

"I don't know. I wish I could take what Psy said to heart and that its just a vision telling me I'm here to stop them but...what if I was the one that entered the portal and...I don't know, something went wrong and I somehow took over Ruli's body and lost my memory? Is Ruli himself out there somewhere, inside my original body and lost his memory as well?" I shook my head and whined, "I don't know...there's too many unknowns there, it didn't give answers just more questions."

"More will reveal itself in time I'm sure..." Axel tried to assure me.

I stared at him then and asked, "What if...I really was sent here to try and destroy the mirrors?"

He tilted his head again, "Even if you were, you don't remember if that's what you supposed to do, and I'm hoping you have no inclination to."

"Of course not, but what if I was? What about the others the vision said would follow?"

"Relax Ruli." Axel said worriedly as I began talking fast. "Look, take this as you being given a new chance, if that really was you you saw, to turn a new leaf. Even if those others follow...we don't even know what they look like, where they'll be, anything." He smiled softly as he kept going, "The towers are well protected too, it wouldn't be easy for four others to destroy the other mirrors, you know. No one's ever dared to try, and the Eeveelutions don't slack in training."

I stared at him a moment and at his warm smile, soon finding myself smiling as well. "Yeah...yeah, I suppose...I couldn't do anything about it now if I really wanted to anyway. No sense in letting myself get worried so much right now."

"That's better." Axel chuckled and wagged his tail, "Now come on, let's get going."

I nodded and followed the Eevee out of the tower, leaving most of my worries about the mirror behind. I suppose he was right though, even if I was that human that got sent here to destroy the mirrors, I had essentially been given a different option. I didn't remember being a human anymore, and I could enjoy being a Riolu instead. I'd have to speak with Psy and tell him I didn't really want to pursue this anymore. I'd rather just find my place in this world.

Psy waited for us outside and began to teleport along with us as we walked out of the Leafeon enclosure and started back into the forest, to begin our trek back home.

_______________________

Somewhere, at the edge of a forest far away from the Leafeon tower, came a sudden crackle of heat in the air like a spark. Soon, where the air was hottest, a tear in the fabric of space opened up feet off the ground, slowly expanding. A blue vortex of crackling electricity was within, swirling slowly with a black hole in the middle. It spat out a lone figure onto the ground, who grunted at the force of their landing, before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

"Finally found the way through." The figure chuckled as he then sat up, completely nude. A human, but instantly, his form began to change, his body seemed to become like putty, changing shape rapidly. He looked at his hands as they changed and laughed again.

"Just as we thought, this world rejects us, it's turning me into a pokémon...I feel great though, the data we got from sending that kid helped tons." He studied his hand as it morphed into a blue, large palm with three thick fingers. "Wonder what I'll become..." He mused as he stood, and realizing he was suddenly shorter as his legs had morphed as well. He kicked the ground, causing it to crack open from the force behind his newly developed pokémon strength, and he had to pull his foot, now blue as well and stubby and pointed. He admired it a moment before he looked around himself, and grinned as he saw a tower in the distance, in the middle of a great dry plain, scorched by lightning. A constant storm seemed to be in the air around the tower, small and mostly calm, arching lighting flashing from clouds, the rumble of thunder barely recognizable this far away.

"Well, that was easy." The half morphed human grinned and he began walking into the wasteland as his body still changed, his hair falling out as he became bald. His eyebrow started to curve, grow thick, and become a jet black color.

"One mirror found, six to go."