Chapter 23
Some Enchanted Eevee'ning

Somewhere in the distance, a gull screeched. Annabelle lay straight backed and stiff against the hard mattress of her Pokemon centre bed. Sleep eluded her. It was an affliction that was becoming all too common lately. She wondered how much it had to do with nerves and how much simply because Paul's rumbling snores somehow seemed to fill every corner of the room.

The bright green of the clock read 03:16. It was a warm night, which helped nobody. A prickly, suffocating sort of heat that wouldn't be appeased even after she threw her covers off. She had filled and refilled a water bottle all throughout the night but aside from numerous trips to the bathroom, it had accomplished nothing.

Maybe her problem was that she simply wasn't tired. Swinging her legs around, Annabelle slipped out of bed. Feeling around in the dark, she slipped on a light cotton cardigan over her Venonat patterned pyjamas and pulled on some shoes. She was halfway out the door when she thought to turn back and grab her bag containing purse and Pokeballs. There were vending machines down on the first floor. Water or tea, maybe even a snack or something. Anything to trick herself into feeling sleepy.

The dedicated Pokemon Centre nurse was clacking away at the keyboard when Annabelle trotted downstairs. They exchanged hellos, but thankfully the nurse knew not to be nosey. There was a chill downstairs; the air conditioning obviously working better down here than it was in the bedrooms. Annabelle was grateful of her cardigan.

She positioned herself in front of the vending machine and studied what it had on offer. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, warm tomato soup. Easily the best thing about Pokemon vending machines was how dirt cheap they were. Annabelle deposited a few coins and in return a cup of thick, steaming hot chocolate dropped to the bottom. Comforting and soothing, if anything would make her sleepy, this would be it.

The Cianwood Pokemon Centre was picturesquely plopped on the side of the beach. At high tide, the waves would reach only a few feet away. Annabelle stepped outside, hot chocolate in hand. It was pleasantly dark, her pale body easily shrouded by the night. She could hear the gentle breath of the waves lapping the shore even though she couldn't actually see the ocean. There was a pleasant chill in the air that cooled her body and she felt the benefit of the warm chocolate. She took a seat overlooking the shore and kicked her shoes off, squishing her toes into the grainy sand. Another Wingull cawed overhead. She wondered if it was the same one that kept her from sleeping all night. Yet, outside in the open air, the noise was companionable.

She enjoyed the time to herself. Paul had been under her feet all day, impeding her concentration. She had wished that he had left her alone, spent time combing the beach for Pokemon or other trainers or something, but he had stayed close by her. She had lost count of how many times she had glanced his way and caught him unashamedly watching her.

Right now, it was the first time she had felt relaxed all day. Once filled with facts and figures and snippets of speech, her head now felt clear and free of concern. As time dripped by, her body relaxed and became heavy, the thought of sleep finally feeling an attractive prospect. Her thoughts drifted back to Paul sleeping alone in the Pokemon centre room. She should head back to make sure he wasn't worrying. Right?

One last quick walk, she decided. To guarantee she was tired enough to claw back maybe four or five hours of sleep. Lifting herself from the bench, she walked down to the shore. Just five minutes, she told herself, as the soft sand engulfed her toes.

She really was starting to get tired now. The wind coming in from the waves was brisker and colder than she had thought and she felt a slight shiver tease down her spine. This was getting a bit silly now, she reasoned and she trudged back towards the Pokemon Centre.

Pausing momentarily, she knelt down to grab her shoes. Typically they were filled with sand. Cursing slightly, she started to shake the grains out. Then, a noise cut through the peaceful silence.

Most reasonable people, upon hearing voices behind them while alone on a beach at 3am, would freak out entirely. Even Pokemon trainers weren't immune to frights after all. Yet Annabelle surprised herself with how calmly she reacted. Hand straight on her first Pokeball, she turned around as silently as she could and faced the direction of the noise.

Illuminated under the light of a solitary street lamp, Annabelle could see two figures. Well, she presumed only two figures. Hunched over and huddled together, it was quite hard to tell. It wasn't unusual to see people out late at night, workers finishing night shifts, even the odd insomniac like her, but there was something about the way these two figures behaved that made Annabelle's heart rate quicken.

They spoke in fervent whispers. Annabelle had to strain to hear what they were saying.

"You have it?"

"Course, bruh. You got the money?"

Annabelle breathed a sigh of relief. It was typical. She had ended up eavesdropping on a drug deal. Were the youth of Cianwood that bored? Did they have that little to do with their time? She allowed herself to relax and let her hand slip off her Pokeball.

The next thing she knew, she saw the unmistakable flash of a Pokeball. Annabelle squinted against the dull orange light. A Pokemon of some sort stood in-between the two silhouettes. Barely a foot tall, a short, puffy tail and long pointed ears. Annabelle's breeder instincts ticked overtime in an attempt to identify it, but she was just that little bit too far away to make a proper guess. The voices rose up into a shout. All of a sudden, she felt very afraid for the little creature.

"This one has the same problem as the last one!" Then, the sound of a blow and a whimper. The little creature sunk to the ground and didn't get up again.

Annabelle couldn't stop herself. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

The two figures jerked in surprise. "Who's there?!"

The other voice sounded far more panicked. "Shit, man, just run for it!"

"What about the—?"

"Just go!"

Annabelle thought fast. Nobody was going to get away with hurting a Pokemon, not while she was there. Deftly unhooking a Pokeball, she threw it as hard and as far as she could muster. Abigail the Fletchling soared into the air.

"Abigail! Follow those people!"

With an affirmative caw, Abigail flew higher and higher until she disappeared into the murky black sky. "Good girl, Abigail." Annabelle muttered. She wasn't worried about her ever faithful Fletchling, but the abused Pokemon was a different story. Bare feet slipping on the sand, Annabelle stumbled back up towards the hill overlooking the beach. Thankfully, the Pokemon was still there, its paws over its head and shivering violently.

Annabelle wasted no time in yanking off her cardigan and wrapping it around the Pokemon. Shock was an easy thing to forget but if the Pokemon wasn't treated for it, there was a whole host of problems to come with it. Keep them warm, keep them calm, that was the mantra. After the Pokemon stilled, she was able to get a better look at it. Light brown in colour and fluffy, it was very obviously an Eevee. Considerably smaller than normal. Was it young or just small?

Thanking Arceus for her basic training (a requirement for a breeder's license!) she quickly assessed the Eevee. Breathing fine, heart rate a little fast but nothing too worrying. Then check the legs, back and sides for bruising or any other noticeable injury. She then turned to look at the Eevee's face and let out a gasp.

Eevee was a species beloved for its cuteness. The best bred boasted chocolate brown colourings and large amber eyes, not to mention heart shaped faces and soft fluffy fur. There was a reason they were so highly coveted. It seemed like every idol and celebrity going had one. Media bombarded you with high fashion glossies of beautiful people with equally beautiful Eevee; so much so that you could almost forget that Pokemon had their own individual differences too. Maybe that was why it was such a shock when Annabelle got her first proper look at the poor unfortunate creature.

One side of the Eevee's face was completely lopsided, one eye half lidded and lower than the other. Its mouth lay agape and drooling over displaced teeth. Glancing downwards, the tiny, perfect paws adored by Eevee fanatics were grossly oversized on short stubby legs. She was inexplicably reminded of little girls setting their feet in their mothers' shoes. It was evident to Annabelle immediately what had happened. It had been inbred.

"You poor, poor thing…" she whispered, holding the Pokemon at arm's length. She had seen inbreeding before, but nothing this bad. It made her heart sore.

The Eevee squeaked as Annabelle shifted him around in her arms. She quickly checked the Pokemon's eyes and mouth. The teeth that had come in were milky and rounded. Baby teeth. The eyes were thankfully clear of fluid and seemed bright and alert. Just as she finished, the Eevee gave a little "yip!" and licked her face. She couldn't help but chuckle. He seemed a happy little chap – despite it all.

A sharp caw from above startled both Annabelle and the Eevee. Abigail was back, circling above their heads.

"Come on, little man." Annabelle wrapped the Eevee up in her arms and held him close to her chest. She was about to run but common sense put a well-meaning hand on her shoulder. It seemed to whisper in her ear "Get Paul. You can't do this by yourself. Go back and get Paul."

It was a much better idea than chasing after them herself. There she was, barefoot, at 3am with an abandoned Eevee that was obviously the result of some inbreeding nightmare. Going back would give her time to check the Eevee properly, have some proper checks done. Most importantly, guarantee it to be safe.

But those men… Annabelle had heard of similar things during her first few months of training. Breeding wasn't an easy business. Expenses mounted up and ethics papers and enforcers would clean you out of house and home if you made even the slightest error. Rigorous background checks for each and every Pokemon were the norm and no breeder worth their salt would risk breeding any Pokemon with anything closer than its second cousin. Degenerative disorder, disease were rampant. Some of the higher tiered breeders even charged for DNA testing if a trainer brought two of the same species of Pokemon together. As such, black market breeding rings operated right under the noses of the police and reputable breeders.

Annabelle had seen cases of Growlithe born with extra toes on each pad, Salandit born with crippling kidney disease, infertile Miltank unable to produce milk and countless other horrors. Pokemon that hatched stillborn, Pokemon born with severe respiratory and cardiac problems. And for what? What was the eventual goal? What it always boiled down to in the end - to save a bit of money.

Underground breeding rings never dealt with just one Pokemon. How many more were in immediate danger? How many more did they have hidden away, probably in terrible conditions? She had to find out where they were – before they moved the Pokemon and they were lost forever.

The bitty road stung at her bare feet but she pushed on. Abigail soared ahead and took her down roads she barely knew and avenues she had only heard of in passing. Before long, the Fletchling came to a slow stop, circling above what looked like some sort of industrial building, perhaps one of the old factories? It was fenced in, but Annabelle was nimble and light on her feet. Tying her cardigan into a sling, she carefully settled the young Eevee as one would sling a baby to their back, and scaled the side and landed safely on the other side.

Letting out a long steady breath, Annabelle steeled herself for the next step. The perimeter surrounding the building was lit up by bright beams from streetlamps. Nothing moved around them. Annabelle glanced up to Abigail who gave an affirming chirp. Recalling her obedient Fletchling to her Pokeball, Annabelle took a moment to think about what to do. Her phone had no GPS, being a much older model. She never much liked taking it out when Paul was around in case he made fun of her. But with no GPS and no clue where she was, how was she going to let anyone know where she was? There wasn't even a street sign nearby.

"I need you. One of the back alleys a few minutes away from the Pokemon centre. Urgent. Please come."

It was cryptic at best. She cursed herself for not thinking more responsibly. And that was assuming the great big lump slept with his phone on.

There was another problem staring her right in the face. How the hell was she going to get access to the building?

Keeping to the back walls and staying as far away from any light source as she could, Annabelle slowly approached the disused factory. Her eyes remained sharply peeled for any movement, her eyes keenly tuned to any noise. The windows were boarded shut, every door bolted and unmoving even against the wedge of her shoulder. Cursing, she circled the building once, twice, three times, looking for something that would gain her entry.

It was on the fourth time around that Annabelle noticed the window. About a foot above her, it had been smashed in and replaced with a thin board with peeling black tape. Dragging an abandoned crate from nearby, she hopped up and started painstakingly unpicking the fraying tape. After five minutes, her legs and arms were cramping and the Eevee was snuffling unhappily against her back. Cursing, she aimed a swift punch to the cardboard and it caved under her fist. Ripping it away from the window, it left a gap just small enough for Annabelle to clamber through.

The room she landed in was dark. Blocky shapes rose like skyscrapers all around her. The air tasted of must and age and she coughed on the first lungful she took. Arms outstretched like feelers, she attempted to negotiate the murky maze of the room. She found the door. Pressed her ear up against the aged wood and listened. She could hear nothing but the beat of her own heart. Had she been wrong to come here? Had Abigail found the wrong place? Had she just broken into some random place for nothing? On her back, Eevee quivered and burrowed himself further into the makeshift sling.

She creaked the door open and stepped into the next room. This room was lit, a sullen white glow from a naked bulb. Cages lined the walls. Stacked on top of each other. Strewn across the floor. So many that Annabelle couldn't count them. Immediately she ran to one wall, looking desperately in the cages. Empty, aside from bowls half full of food and water and some soiled straw. Annabelle swore under her breath. This wasn't good.

The next door led out into what looked like a meeting space. Upside down cardboard boxes positioned around the embers of a fire built into a small pit. Takeout wrappers and bottles of beer everywhere and the pungent scent of sweat. Annabelle hung back for a moment, listening carefully, and upon hearing nothing, stepped out.

The other door led to a room much like the last one. She was met with the strong smell of dung and mould. This time, the cages had occupants. Mostly Eevee, all with the same facial disfigurement as the one on Annabelle's back. There were a few Meowth, a Purrloin, and a very sick looking Oddish. Feeling hot tears prick at her eyes, Annabelle desperately rattled the cages. She had to free them. Somehow.

Everything happened at once.

The door at the other end burst open and hard sharp jaws closed around her ankle, bringing her down to the ground. Pain shot through her entire body and with a terrified squeal, the Eevee in the sling wrenched itself free and dove behind one of the boxes. She glanced down and came face to face with the glowing amber eyes of a Poochyena. She shrieked, felt blood spurt from her ankle and from sheer instinct, smacked the Poochyena on the top of the nose. It yelped and scuttled off, giving Annabelle the chance to grab her phone.

"I don't think so!" A hand grabbed Annabelle by the sling on her back and she was hauled upwards. Another hand seized the phone and she watched in horror as her old faithful flip phone was snapped in two in front of her.

"Who are you?!" the man shoved Annabelle against the wall. Her knees buckled but she forced herself to stay on her feet this time. "I thought you weren't followed!"

She recognised the voice that followed as the same voice she had heard near the Pokemon centre. "I didn't know, boss, I swear!"

"It's bad enough you left one of the livestock behind! Now you bring this little bitch back with you?" He aimed another blow at Annabelle who had attempted to step forward. "She'll blow this whole damn operation!"

Two other men stepped in. "Boss, drag her through here," one said. "We'll tie her up and get out of here. Go somewhere else."

"I suppose you're right."

Annabelle was dragged forcefully back into the room with the remains of the fire and cardboard boxes. She threw her head over her shoulder, just in time to see the little Eevee from before poke his head out, looking sad and frightened.

"There's the one you lost! Grab it! Lock it up!"

"No! No!" Annabelle fought against the man who had her in his clutches. "Don't touch him! Don't touch any of them! You can't do this!"

"You'll find, little girly, I can do anything I want!" the man pushed Annabelle and she went sprawling onto her back on the floor. "Look at this pathetic little thing," He laughed, standing over her. "Thinks she can walk in here and tell us what to do with our business."

"Get here! Come here!" A crash sounded in the other room and suddenly, the Eevee came tearing in. Another man stumbled in after it, but the Eevee could move surprisingly quickly on unsteady legs. It disappeared behind some boxes close to Annabelle and she did the only thing she could think of to do.

She scrambled to her feet and stood, arms outstretched and feet solidly planted against the ground. "Don't… don't you hurt him!"

"Oh, little girl." The big man laughed. "I'm not going to hurt him. These guys on the other hand…"

Annabelle's gaze was drawn to four more figures moving in. Her heart dropped, expecting more thugs, but the reveal was arguably worse. Four Pokemon. A menacing Kingler, a Seviper, a Gulpin and the Poochyena from earlier, its muzzle still spattered with her blood.

"These guys won't be so easily convinced!" The man snorted. "Now. Why don't you step aside and let the big boys carry on with their work, eh sweetheart?"

Annabelle's mind ticked into overtime. Still she stood, trembling, facing the four men. She was the only thing separating Eevee from the onslaught of those four Pokemon. They looked almost as feral and neglected as the poor things stuck in the cages. What could she do? That poor Eevee was quivering in a corner, under a pile of boxes. She thought of Paul back in his bed. She thought of her phone, broken in half and useless.

The man growled as Annabelle remained silent. "I'll give you one more chance sweetheart," he said with a deliberate step forward. "Move out of the way or I can't guarantee these guys here will treat you favourably."

"Don't take one more step toward me!" Annabelle barked, wishing she could keep her eyes on every single figure in front of her.

The space behind her was rapidly disappearing and they were gaining on her. She could run. Maybe. She was smaller and more agile than they were. But that would mean leaving the Eevee, and all the other Pokemon behind. And she could only run so far, on a damaged ankle, nonetheless. There would be no guarantee of someone else being conveniently nearby. And the men's Pokemon… Kingler, Seviper, Gulpin and Poochyena, weren't to be trifled with.

"What do you think, boys? Should we?"

"After you, boss!" The smallest one cackled.

"I mean it!" Annabelle cried. "You're not getting away with this!"

The group of men laughed uproariously. "Really?"

"I won't let you do this to any more Pokemon!"

The men looked at each other, great stupid grins plastered across their faces. "Who do you think you are, sweetheart? A Pokemon master?"

"No." Annabelle's mind was set. Her fingers traced over the Pokeballs at her waist. "I'm a Pokemon breeder!"

Throwing all three balls at once, Abigail, Dusty and Cleopatra formed a barrier between herself and the men. Upon seeing her team, the men chortled again.

"You poor deluded bitch. You think you can beat us with three Pokemon?"

"Heh." Annabelle smirked. "No. I think I can beat you with two Pokemon." A quick nod of the head and Cleopatra obediently trotted to the side. Directing her safely towards the cowering Eevee, Annabelle turned her attention back to the men. "See, the difference between breeders and trainers… most people don't know it. Trainers train. But breeders… we do everything. We raise, we encourage, we mould, we model, we grow. We know our Pokemon inside out. And they know us. You'll never beat a breeder who's perfectly in tune with her Pokemon!"

Author's Note

Oh my gosh, I finally updated!

There we go, a little bit of Annabelle bad-assery. She gets a chapter all to herself and gets to show off a bit as well. So this was quite fun to write, especially her little bit at the end!

This is some quite tough chapter material to deal with and something I really wanted to touch on. I've always seen things bred willy-nilly on the games and always wondered about a real world consequence. So there we have it.

So yeah, please continue to read and review and support me as I really do appreciate every comment, follow, favourite that comes my way.

See you on the next one!