Atty practiced using his moves for hours. His muscles felt a little sore from all the recent exercise, but despite the mild discomfort, it felt good to be so active again. Xerneas called for him as it turned dark. The moon hung high overhead. It looked just like the moon people see everyday, but for some reason, in this realm, there was just something... mystical about it.
"Are you ready to learn your final move?" she asked. The umbreon nodded. "This move requires the moon to be overhead when you use it. And it will allow you to recover from any damage you may take in battle. It's called Moonlight. Umbreon have a unique connection to the moon, and can feed off it's power. Just close your eyes, breath deeply, and focus your energy on the night." Atty did as he was told, closing his eyes and concentrating on the moon's energy, and the darkness around him. He could feel it's power surging through his body. The blue rings glowed brightly as the night slowly but surely restored him to peak condition. It was soothing and invigorating. "Perfect," the goddess said proudly. His eyes snapped open as she spoke to him once more. "You have done very well, and have mastered four moves in such a short time. Very impressive, considering you weren't born a pokemon yourself."
He chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks. Is there anything else I need to learn?"
She shook her head, "You've learned everything I have to teach you. I have but one question for you, though. Do you think your ready to take on whatever challenges come your way?"
"I still have my doubts," he answered. "But yes, I think I am."
"Then I suppose it's time to send you back. But before I do, do you have any questions?"
"Just one. It's been bothering me since I got here."
"What is it, child?" Xerneas tilted her head.
Atty twiddled his paws on the ground as he tried to speak. "Arceus said the dark and ghost types are the only ones being affected by this virus. And yet, I've become one of those types myself. Won't the virus affect me as well."
"I highly doubt it. You are still partly human, despite the new form, and the virus purely affects pokemon. And even if you weren't, Arceus strongly believes your heart is too pure to be tainted by it."
It was certainly a relief to hear. If it turns out to be true that is. But there was another concern regarding one of his pokemon. The lone dark type of the group. "Well, what about Abby?"
"You mean the absol?" He nodded. "Yes, I have wondered about that myself. Being a dark type herself, she is indeed prone to the virus. It would be risky to take her anywhere with you. If you're concerned for her safety, it may be best to leave her at home during your outings." Atty shuddered a bit at her answer as his ears drooped slightly. "But that is your call to make. Whatever you decide to do, you'll have our full support." He nodded, and gave a disappointing sigh. "Before I send you back, I have a parting gift for you." He felt a presence behind him almost immediately, knowing it was Darkrai before he even turned around. The dark pokemon held a pendant with a curious gem that glowed several colors similar to Xerneas. Darkrai placed it around the umbreon's neck. "This gem contains a small portion of my power. Keep this on you. If you are in need of guidance, simply rub it between your paws to summon me, as you did before with Darkrai. I will also use it to contact you if anything comes up."
Atty gave an acknowledging nod as he looked down at the stone, holding it in his paw as the glistening colors almost seemed to hypnotize him. "What should I do once I'm back home?"
"Just stay put for now. I will let you know if something comes up. But if you need something to keep you busy in the meantime, there are certainly a lot of pokemon who could use your help. I can sense those who are in distress, and I will let you know where they are and the dangers to expect when I do." He felt a chilling hand on his shoulder, meeting Darkrai's gaze.
"Are you ready?" the mythical dark type asked.
"Y-yeah. I suppose," Atty stuttered.
"Goodbye, Atemis. We will speak again soon." He gave a respectful bow to the fairy pokemon. Everything slowly began to turn white as he bid farewell to Xerneas.
----------
As the light faded and Atty regained consciousness, he felt something plush and cozy under him. He was back in his room, and on his bed. Only this time, he was an umbreon. He didn't see anyone else in the room at the moment, which was good. He needed a minute to figure out how to approach the others. A look at the clock in his nightstand revealed it was only four in the morning. Xerneas was right. It seemed that even a whole day in the Realm of the Ancients was only a few hours at home.
It wasn't long before he heard so footsteps. He recognized them right away before the silhouette of a wolf appeared at the door frame. Luna appeared half asleep as she wandered lazily into the bedroom. She only caught a glimpse of him as she stuttered, "Good morning, Master. Up a little early aren't you?" He gulped as the lycanroc jumped up on the bed with him. It was only then that she noticed a complete stranger, taking a defensive stance and growling, teeth bared and body arched as she prepared to pounce. "Who are you?! How did you get in here?!"
The umbreon jumped back into the headboard as his tail tucked between his legs. "W-wait, Luna! It's met, Atty!"
"You expect me to believe that?" She lunged at him, pinning him to the wall. "What have you done with the master? Talk!"
"I am the master, Luna." He stuttered as he tried to look away from the wolf. She scoffed.
"I guess we gotta do this the hard way then." She brought her fangs close to his neck with the intent to inflict as much pain as possible. He shut his eyes tight as he felt the rock type's breath against his fur. Then suddenly, she stopped, and started sniffing him as a familiar scent filled her nostrils. Her ears dropped as she backed off and released him. "Your scent. Can it really be? M..master Atty?" He nodded. "But... How is this possible?"
He gave a relieving sigh as he regained his composure. "It's a long story." Atty explained to her about everything that had been happening since the other day. He talked about meeting Arceus, being changed by Darkrai, and training with Xerneas. Luna felt a mixture of shock and awe, and didn't quite know what to make of the situation. "Listen, I need you to gather the others together. I'd rather explain this to all of you all once."
"S-sure. No problem." She hopped off the bed and left him alone in his bedroom. He felt as though a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders, but at the same time he had never been so scared before, especially of his own pokemon. At least that part was over with. He couldn't help but wonder how the others would react, though...
----------
He waited for a moment, thinking things over as he awaited the lycanroc's return. Convincing her wasn't as hard as he thought, but he wondered how the rest would take it. If they would believe him at all, that is. Luna finally returned a few minutes later.
"They're waiting. Whenever you're ready." He nodded, arching his back and stretching as he followed the wolf downstairs.
He followed Luna to the living room, where he saw four others sitting idly waiting for him. Someone was missing. He looked to the wolf pokemon at his side. "Would you please go find Jewel?" She gave a nod and left him alone with the others. Their staring made him feel a little uneasy. He wondered what was going on through their minds. He still didn't know how he was going to tell them the news.
Luna returned moments later with the espeon close behind. Jewel noticed the umbreon, and gave what he could only describe as a seductive smile and flirtatious eyes, approaching slowly with hips swaying and her tail wagging slowly in the air. "Well now, who is this handsome fellow?"
Atty blushed hard, left completely speechless as she came closer. "M-me?"
"Yes silly, who else?" She was face to face with him now. "So tell me," the espeon began to circle him, brushing her body against his with her tail caressing his neck and chin, "what's a cutie like you doing here? You a friend of Luna? A gentleman caller perhaps?"
"Uh, I... I." The umbreon wanted to tell her who he was, but he just couldn't get the words out. It was also hard to grasp his espeon's behavior. All he could do was blush and stutter.
"A shy one, are you? I like that." She chuckled and gave him a lick on the nose, causing him to jump in surprise and blush hard. She giggled. "By the way, where's Atty? Luna said he had an announcement." The lycanroc snickered with a paw covering her mouth. "What's so funny?"
"This umbreon...," the wolf had to muster all her willpower to keep herself from bursting out laughing. "He IS Atty."
"What?!" Everyone shouted at once. Atty chuckled nervously as the unnerving stares returned.
"Um.. hi everyone."
"A-Atemis?" Jewel stared unblinking for a moment, but quickly returned with that seductive glare and tone of voice. "Well, now this is interesting. This new look suites you nicely." The espeon brushed up against him, purring. "How about you and I sneak off for a little fun in the morning sun?" she said with a wink. Atty choked a bit, blushing harder than before as his heart raced and his legs almost turned to jelly. Luna stepped between the two and tried desperately to break them apart.
"Not now, Jewel," the lycanroc said with a huff.
"What's the matter, Luna? Feeling left out? We can share. I don't mind." Her response only encouraged an angry snarl from the wolf, causing her to hunker down with her ears folded and her tail tucked between her legs. "I'll be good."
"Well, I don't believe it one bit." An angry tone filled the room. Everyone's attention shifted towards the luxray as she approached the umbreon. "There's no way this is Atemis. Humans don't turn into pokemon. It's impossible."
"But it's true, Tess," Luna spoke out.
"Oh really?" The lioness got up in his face. Her piercing red and yellow eyes brought fear to him. His heart skipped a beat, his ears folded, and his tail tucked as she stared him down. "How do we know this runt isn't just some stray that wandered in here. How do we know he didn't do something with the real Atemis?"
"Tess you're being ridiculous," Luna leered.
"No, I'm being rational. Something you whelps wouldn't anything know about." She scoffed. "If you really are Master Atemis, why don't you tell us something only he would know?" Atty felt confounded. He always knew she was headstrong and hot headed, but to experience it first-hand was unsettling. "Well? We're waiting."
He sat speechless as he tried to think of something quick to satisfy the luxray. He looked among the other five and caught a glimpse of the leafeon hiding in the background. Everyone seemed stressed about Tess's outburst, but none so much as her. She was trying to avoid eye contact with anyone. There was something about her Atty had never noticed before. There was... a unique glow about her. He was filled with conflicting feelings. Feelings he couldn't yet describe. It was then he thought of his answer. His appeasement to the angry lioness. "Juniper!" he called out. The grass pokemon perked and looked towards him as he shoved the electric type out of the way and approached her. He looked deep into her brown eyes, making her blush as she stared back. His voice grew softer as he spoke to the leafeon. "June. Do you remember how I came up with your name? We were taking a stroll through the forest and took a break near a blooming juniper tree. I knew then and there what I wanted to call you. I even started calling you my little flower because if how beautiful and delicate you are."
Her blush grew brighter. She smiled sheepishly. "I...I've never mentioned that to anyone. Atty's the only one who ever calls me flower." She rested her head against him with a purr. "I... do remember that day. It was a warm spring afternoon, and you were just released from the hospital after your injury. That moment was when I..." She paused for a minute and looked the umbreon in the eye. She choked for a moment, and her face turned red and hot. "Uh.. that was the moment I knew.. you were the trainer for me." The leafeon chuckled nervously. Atty cocked his head at her. He knew she was shy, but had never seen her like this before. Atty felt a nudge on his side, and as he looked, he was meet face to face with the ninetales, Valentine.
"So it really is you, then." He nodded. "Well, you have our attention now. What is it you wanted to tell us, Atty?"
He gave a sigh. "It's a long, crazy story."
----------
Atty explained everything to his team. About meeting the legendary pokemon in the Realm of the Ancients, training with Xerneas, and the evil that Arceus had warned about. The more detail he went into, the more unbelievable it seemed. They all stared at him in shock. At first there was silence, until Val spoke up.
"So this virus," she started, "how much does Arceus know about it?"
"Not much," the umbreon answered, "other that it makes specific types of pokemon extremely aggressive."
"And he thinks you can stop it?"
"He certainly seemed sure of it. But still, I have my doubts. I can only hope he's right about me." He felt a nudge on his side. Luna was looking at him with a reassuring smile.
"No matter what happens," the lycanroc said, "we'll be right behind you. We've always believed in you, just as you've always believed in us." She brushed her cheek against his own as she tried to comfort her master.
"Thank you, Luna."
"So, what is it Arceus wants us to do?" Val continued.
"Nothing until they learn more about the virus. Until then, Xerneas has some other tasks for us. There's a lot of pokemon out there who need our help."
"But Master Atty," Luna interrupted for a moment, "how will we find the ones in need?"
"Xerneas has the ability to sense those in distress. She'll tell me if anything comes up."
"Why should we wait at all?" Tess snap, and suddenly all eyes were on her. "We should be taking action. Staying here is just a waste of power and skill for someone like me."
"Xerneas said to stay put, Tess," the umbreon exclaimed. "And even if I were to consider disobeying a legendary pokemon like her, charging in head on still isn't the answer. We don't know what to expect."
"If you wanna wait for orders like some obedient lackey, then it's no fur off my back." She started bolting out, until she was stopped when Luna stepped in front of her.
"This isn't the time for your nonsense, Tess."
"What you call nonsense," the angry cat leered, "I call confidence."
"And what you call confidence, the rest of us call arrogance. It's only gonna get you killed."
"Get out of my way, mutt!" The luxray's anger continued to grow.
"No." The lycanroc snarled. "This isn't about your strength or your ego. Atemis needs us more than ever now. If he thinks we should stay put, we should at least be willing to do so."
Tess returned the growl and glared down at the wolf. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Atty isn't human anymore, which means I no longer have to listen to him." She shoved the canine aside and continued her path, then stopped and looked back through the corner of her eye with a chuckle. "But I suppose I could humor you. Once." They waited until she left and was out of earshot. Luna smacked a paw on the ground and huffed.
"Ugh, I can't stand her! Someone really needs to put that bitch in her place." She took a moment to regain her composure before returning to the group. "Don't listen to her, Master. She doesn't know what she's talking about. Like I said, we'll support you no matter what."
"I appreciate that, Luna." He smiled.
"Is there anything else you need to tell us?" The ninetales jumped in.
"Not right now. You can return to your normal routines for now." They all nodded, and left the room one at a time. Jewel was the last one out, and before leaving, she looked towards the umbreon one last time.
"If you're ever in the need of some 'company', Atty, my invitation still stands," the espeon said with a seductive tone, a wink, and wiggle of her hips. He almost choked, and was only able to give a nervous chuckle with a hard blush as she finally left him alone.
