Strength of Spirit Prologue

Zane's Big Day


    The sun shined into the room of a young shiny eevee named Zane, illuminating everything and waking him. He slowly got up out of bed annoyed at the sun for waking him up so early. Darn sun, couldn’t you have waited five more minutes. He yawned and stretched his legs. As he did, a sweet aroma reached his nose. “Mmmm.” Mom must be making pancakes. He started toward the doorway when, before exiting his room, it dawned on him what today was. This realization fueled him with energy from joy and excitement. Unable to contain this sudden energy boost, he ran out of his rom, through the hallway and living room, and into the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen, he tried to stop, but was moving so quickly that he ended up sliding on the smooth tiled floor and slid right into the dining table.
    “Zane, slow down. I know you’re excited since it’s your birthday, but be careful sweetheart,” a feminine voice said. Zane looked to where the voice had come, a leafeon, who was busy cooking.
    “Sorry, mom.” He started walking towards her taking a big whiff of the wonderful smell. “Are you making pancakes?”
    His mother giggled. “I sure am. They’re your favorite breakfast after all.”
    “Hey, mom. Where’s dad?”
    “He left to get your present.”
    “Really?! What is it?” he asked once again excited.
    The leafeon smiled at her son. He has grown so much, but when he gets excited, he still acts like a little kid. She giggled. It’s so cute. “Now Zane. If I told you that, it would ruin the surprise.”
    “Awww.” His ears drooped.
    “But son? Isn’t it more exciting not knowing what you’re going to get?” she asked turning away from the cooking pancakes.
    Zane thought about it for a moment and was full of energy yet again. “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, mom,” he said with a big smile.
    The leafeon smiled back at her son. Well that didn’t last long. She went back to cooking. “Zane, could you go wake up your sister. Breakfast is almost ready.”
    “Okay, mom.”
    “Oh, and Zane? Wake her up nicely. Okay?”
    “Aaawww.”
    “Zane,” she said sternly.
    “Yes ma’am.” Zane then headed to his sister’s room, which was right across the hall from his. He walked in quietly. Sure enough, she was still asleep. Man, I could have so much fun waking her up right now. But mom just had to ruin it for me. He sighed. I wish dad were here. He’d let me do it. Heck, he would join me. Hehe. After all, he has always done that with both of us when we slept late… Oh well. He walked over to his sister’s bed and just nudged the young eevee’s side lightly. “Hey, sis. Wake up,” he whispered. There was no reaction from his little sister. He nudged her again really pressing her this time. “Come on, May. Get up,” he said a little louder. She moaned and made an annoyed face, though her eyes were still shut. She rolled over so her back was facing him. “May, come on.”
    “No.”
    “Breakfast is almost ready.”
    “I don’t care. Ten more minutes.”
    Zane face palmed. Really. “Come on, May. Mom won’t let me jump on your bed to get you up. So please get up.” This statement made her smile. Zane sighed. “Please, sis. Let’s go. Mom made pancakes and…” Upon hearing the word “pancakes,” May’s ears perked up.  She rolled over and jumped up on her feet.
    “Pancakes!!?” was all she said before she dashed out of the room just as quickly as he had done earlier, if not quicker.

Zane face palmed again. All I had to do was say that we were having pancakes? Why didn’t I do that from the start! As he headed back, he heard a thud come from the kitchen.
    “Oh, May, sweetie. Are you okay? My word, you and your bother both,” the mother leafeon laughed.
    “I bumped my head, mommy.”
    “Oh let me look at it… It looks fine, May.”
    “So Zane said you were making pancakes.”
    “I just finished actually. So take a seat at the table and I’ll bring you a plate. Okay?”
    “Okay, mommy.”
    By now Zane had entered the kitchen. “Ah, Zane. Breakfast is ready.” Zane took a seat at the table. The leafeon brought two plates to the table placing one in front of each of them. The two young eevees began eating happily. A moment after they started eating, the front door opened and closed.
    “I’m back,” came a familiar voice. May looked up and smiled as she got out of the chair and ran to the door, practically tackling the glaceon that came in.
    “Daddy!” she yelled as she jumped and gave him a hug.
    He returned the hug. “Hey. How’s my little girl?”
    “We’re having pancakes, daddy!”
    “I can see that.”
    “You’re just in time, dear.”
    “Here, let me help you with that,” he said as he placed the bag he had been carrying on the table. He picked up two plates and placed some pancakes on them. He then placed them on the table; one in front of his mate, who had just sat down, and the other in front of himself as he sat down.
    “Thank you, Jerik.”
    “You’re welcome, Elana.”
    “Dad? What’s in the bag?” Zane asked.
    “Yours and your sister’s presents.”
    “Really, daddy! You got me one too!?”
    “Yes we did, May. Do you remember that on your first birthday, about a month and a half ago, that we had gotten you a present, but said that we wanted to wait to give it to you?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Well, today is that day.”
    “Really. On Zane’s birthday,” she said confused.
    “Yes. You see. Both yours and your brother’s presents are…related.”
    “How?”
    “You’ll see. But first, let’s eat this wonderful breakfast that your mother has so kindly prepared for us. Then we’ll give you your presents.” He laughed as the glaceon’s children began eating their pancakes quickly. A couple minutes later, the little eevees were done eating, while their parents had only finished about a third of their own. Jerik laughed and Elana giggled at the sight before them. Zane and May both had syrup scattered all over their faces.

    “Done!” they both said in unison.
    “Yes, but we are not. Besides, you two need to go clean your faces first,” Elana said trying to hold in a laugh.
    “Yes, ma’am.” They said as they got up to clean their faces.
Once the kids had left the room, Elana busted out laughing. Jerik joined her.
    “Oooohhhh! That was so precious!” Elana said when she was finally able to stop laughing.
    “Yes it was, but we should finish our breakfast before they get back.” So they continued to eat.
When the two eevees had returned, Jerik and Elana had already finished and were taking care of the dishes. “What took you so long? We thought you would have been back before now.”
    “Sorry, dad. Syrup is really hard to get out our fur.”
    “Well then, maybe next time you’ll eat slower and more carefully to avoid that,” he said with a chuckle.
    “Hey, dad? Where were you this morning?” May asked.
    “Oh, I was getting your presents from your Uncle Zeus.”
    “Uncle Zeus?! Will he be coming?”
    “Sorry, May, but he’s going to be very busy today.”
    “Aaawww, I like it when Uncle Zeus comes over,” May responded pouting.
    “Well, May, honey. As the village leader, sometimes his duties keep him busy,” her mother told her.
    “And Zane, Zeus wanted me to tell you that he hopes you have a wonderful birthday, and that he would try to visit the first chance he gets.” Up until now Zane had a glum look on his face because his uncle was not going to be able to make it. However, the latter part of the statement made him smile. “And now, for your presents.” Zane’s father reached into the bag and pulled out two small boxes.

    “Now since May had to wait for hers, she gets to open hers first,” the leafeon said as she took one of the boxes and placed in front of May. May opened the box and gasped at what was inside. It was a gem. It was in the shape of the sun with a smooth face and short, wavy points coming out of it. The color was a golden yellow and it seemed as though it was glowing lightly. She picked up out of the box continuing to look at it with awe. May then noticed that there was a golden chain attached to it. “Well, honey. What do you think?”
    “I love it!” she shouted with joy
    “Here, let me put it on for you.” Her mother took the pendant and placed it around her neck. “Oh, May. It looks beautiful on you.”
    “Thank you, mommy and daddy!”
    “Don’t just thank us. Thank your uncle too. If it was not for him, we might not have been able to get it or your gift either, Zane.” Jerik then gave Zane the other box. When he opened it, he also found a gem. His was different, however. It was in the shape of a crescent moon. Its color was oddly silver and seemed to glow in the same way as May’s. It was also attached to a silver chain. Zane picked it up and placed it around his neck. The whole time he had been quiet. “So, son? What do you think of your pendant?”
    “…I like it,” he said as a smile came across his face. “Thanks mom and dad. I’ll be sure to thank Uncle Zeus as well.”

    “We’re glad you like them kids, but I’m sure that you’ve noticed that your pendants have a glow to them. That’s because they are very special gems.” About that time, a cloud moved out of the way of the sun brightening the room. Some of the new sunlight fell on May’s pendant, and suddenly began shining. It was not blinding but was bright enough that still stood out even in the light of the bright morning sun. May gasped in surprise nearly falling out of her chair. “Calm down, May. It’s fine. You see, your gem is called ‘Sunlight Stone’ or ‘Sol Gem.’” When it is exposed to sunlight, it shines like it is now. It is found in a cave hidden behind a waterfall that pours into Sol Pond.”
    “What about mine?”
    “Yours, son, is called ‘Moonlight Stone’ or ‘Luna Gem.’ It acts the same as the sol gem but with moonlight rather than light from the sun. They come from a cave near the Moonlight Pool,” the glaceon responded.
    “The reason we got you these is because, May, you have always loved playing out in the sun; and you, Zane, have always been fascinated by the stars and moon of the night sky, even when you were little,” the leafeon mother said. For a moment the two little eevees just admired the pendants.
    “Wow, that’s so cool, May!”
    “Yeah, I can’t wait to see yours shine big brother. Thank you so much mommy,” May said as she walked over to Elana and gave her a hug.
    “You’re welcome,” the leafeon said returning the hug.
    Then turning to Jerik and hugging him as well. “And you too, daddy.”
    “You’re welcome, dear,” he said as he nuzzled her cheek. “I love you both.”
    “Love you too, daddy.”
    After she was done, Zane took his turn to hug their father. “Thanks, dad, and I love you too.”
    “You’re welcome, son”
    He then turned and hugged his mother. “Thanks, mom. Love you.”
    “Love you too, son,” she said giving him a lick on his forehead. Once they broke they’re hug. She asked, “So, we have the rest of the day. What should we do?”
    “Oh, could we go to the lake?” the shiny eevee asked.
    “Oh, yeah! Can we?! PPPLLLLLEEEAAASSE, MMOOMMMMMYY?!!”
    “I don’t mind. Besides, it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day. Jerik?”
    “I think that’s a great idea! We could have a picnic.”
    “YAY!!!” the two eevees shouted.
For the next few minutes they prepared some sandwiches for the picnic. Once they were done, they placed the food a basket and exited the house. “Is everything ready,” Jerik asked.
    “Yes, dear.”
    “Then let’s go!”

    They headed east from their house, which was on the northwestern side of the village. They live in one of many villages in a humungous forest. Their village is located on the west side of the forest. In fact, it is the closest village to the West of that is the Great Meadow, which has another forest on the other side. On the north side of the forest is a mountainous area; to the east is a dry and rocky plain; and to the south, a grassy plain that connects with the Great Meadow to the west and the ocean to the south. Now the lake to which the family is headed is located near the center of the forest, but is closer to the mountains than it is the grassy plain. The name of this lake is Crystal Lake. It got its name from the crystal clear water allowing one to see all the way to the bottom. This water comes from an underground spring. Crystal Lake also has a river that is just as clear as the lake, which begins from the southernmost point of the lake and runs all the way to the ocean. Because the lake is so close to the center of the forest, pokemon from all the villages love to go there.

    The family had been traveling for about fifteen minutes. “Are we there yet?” May asked.
    “For the seventh time, no! You’ve been to the lake many times before. Don’t you remember that it takes a while to get there?!” her brother responded annoyed. About a minute later, they could faintly here the sound of screaming and laughter of children playing. The two eevees got excited and rushed to the top of the small hill they were climbing. When they reached the top, they gazed at the sight before them, Crystal Lake. There were many families there, their children swimming and playing to their hearts’ content both in the lake and the clearing between the forest and the lake. There were even some pokemon who were simply lying in the grass basking in the sun. The family found a nice spot in the middle of the clearing and laid out a large blanket they brought with them and began to eat their sandwiches.

    “It doesn’t matter how many times I come here, the beauty of this place never gets old,” Elana stated.
    “No, it doesn’t,” Jerik agreed. The rest of the meal was quiet. A few minutes later, the family had finished. May noticed three eevees playing together not far from where they were.
    “Daddy, is it okay if we go play?”
    “Yes, sweetheart. Go have fun, but stay where I can see you. Okay?”
    “Okay, daddy. C’mon, Zane, let’s go play with those eevees over there!” May said as she ran ahead.
    “Okay.” He took off after her.
    When they reach the small group, May walked up to them. “Hi, my name’s May and this is my brother Zane. Can we play with you?” she asked innocently. The group ceased playing and turned to the two new comers.
One of the eevees smiled. “Sure, and my name’s Eve,” she said in a sweet voice.
    “I’m Alex.”
    Zane looked at the other and noticed something out them. “Wow, your eyes are really blue. There like sapphires.”
    The eevee smiled. “Actually, that’s how I got my name. I’m Sapphire.”
    “Wow, Zane, you’re a shiny? I’ve never seen one before…Hey what’s that on your paw.”

    Everyone except May stared at his right-front paw. There was white outline in the shape of a crescent moon, and inside the outline the moon has silver just like Zane’s fur but it had a metallic shine to it. “Oh, this? My parents said that I was born with it. Just a birthmark.”
    “A very strange one,” Eve stated. She then tilted her head. “Where did you get those pendants?”
    “We got them as presents for our birthdays. Today’s my brothers birthday.”
    “Really? Well happy birthday, Zane!”
    “Thanks.” He smiled.
    “Anyway, what do you guys want to play? We’ll let you decide, Zane, since it’s your birthday.”
    Zane thought about it for a moment. Then a mischievous smile came over his face. “Hehehe.”
    “Oh no, Zane, please not that,” May said worry in her voice.
    “Heh heh heh.” He walked up to Sapphire and touched her nose with his paw. “Tag, you’re it!” he yelled as he ran away. The rest of the group realizing what was going on suddenly dash away in Zane’s direction.
    “Hey, no fair!”
    While the five eevees played, Jerik and Elana just watched them and smiled. “Hello.” They turned to see an espeon.
    “Hello, can we help you?” Jerik asked politely.
    “Sorry, it’s just I noticed your kids were playing with my daughter and her friends and thought I might join you.”
    “Sure. Have a seat.”
    “Thank you. My name’s Amanda.”
    “I’m Elana.”
    “Jerik.”
    Amanda sat next to them. “So, what are your children’s’ names?”
    “The shiny one is our eldest, Zane. And the other is May. Yours?”
“My daughter’s name is Sapphire. She’s the one with the really blue eyes.”
    “I thought her eyes seemed unusually blue. Anyway, what about the others?”
    “Her friends are Alex and Eve.”

    The three continued to talk as their children played. Once they finished their game of tag too exhausted to continue, they walked over to the parents. “Having fun?” Amanda asked.
    “Zane…is really…fast,” her daughter said in between breaths.
    “Haha, yes he is. I have trouble catching him too when I play tag with the kids.”
    About that time, a jolteon was walking over to them. May caught sight him and, despite her fatigue, became very excited. “Uncle Zeus!” she screamed as she ran over him and jumped on him giving him a hug.
    “Hey, May. How’s my niece doing?”
    “Kinda tied,” she said plainly.
    “Tired?! But you seem so full of energy.”
    “That’s because you’re here. She gets such a charge from you.”
    “Haha, very funny, Jerik.” Everyone laughed.
    “We just finished a game of tag, Uncle Zeus.”
    “Oh, playing tag with Zane again huh? Maybe I should join in,” Zeus said mischievously as he walked over to join the rest of the group.
    “N-n-no, Uncle Zeus. T-t-that w-won’t be n-n-necessary,” Zane said nervously.
    “Oh come on, it’ll be fun.”
    “For you maybe, but not me.”
    “What’s with Zane?” Sapphire asked May.
    May smiled. “Oh, Zane may be fast enough to give our dad trouble, but he’s never been able to catch our uncle.”
    “Ooohhh!” Sapphire giggled.
    “Alright, fine! I won’t play tag with you,” Zeus said pouting.
    “Uncle, you look funny!” May laughed.
    “That’s what I was going for. Oh, and I see that you’re both wearing your pendants. Do you like them?”
    “We love ‘em! Thank you Uncle Zeus. I can’t wait to see Zane’s tonight.”
    “What do you mean?” Alex asked.
    “Our pendants glow when they’re exposed to light. Here let me show you.” May turned so the sun’s rays could hit it. Everyone’s eyes widened when the sol gem began shining. The three eevees hadn’t noticed before because the sun’s light had been blocked by her shadow.
   
    “Wow!” they exclaimed with soft voices.
    “The reason I said tonight is because Zane’s shines when light from the moon hits it.”
    They continued to admire the pendants for a moment. Once they were finished, they all began playing again and later went swimming. The adults just talked. After a while, it began to get dark.
    “Kids! It’s time to go!”
    “Aaawww, already! We’re having so much fun.”
    “Don’t worry, May. Turns out that Amanda, Sapphire, and her friends live in the village just north of us.”
    “Really?! So we can go visit them?”
    Elana giggled at her daughter’s excitement. “Yes dear. We’ll be able to visit.”
    “YEAH!!!”
    The family said goodbye to their new friends and began the long walk back home. “May, don’t even think of asking ‘Are we there yet?’ on the way home. Kapeesh?” Zane said.
    “But…oookkkaaayyy!” she said sadly. Zane noticed his sister’s change in attitude.
    “Hey, you know I love you right, sis?” he asked as he lightly bumped her.
   
    She smiled and leaned into him. “Yeah, love you too big brother.” Zane returned the embrace. They continued walking with only a little conversation between the adults. When they reached their house, they said good night to Zeus and went inside. Elana fixed their dinner. As they ate, they talked about all the fun they had and the new friends they made. When they had finished, the sun had gone down completely. It was clear and starry night. The moon was bright and nearly full. The family turned out the lights in the house and stepped outside. As they stepped into the moon’s light, the moonlight stone in Zane’s pendant gradually began to glow brighter until it was shining. It cast a brilliant yet soft, silvery light on them all. The family said nothing, just admired the beauty of the light.

    After a few minutes, the family went back inside, saying good night to each other, and heading off to bed. As Zane entered his room, he noticed that some of the moon’s light was falling on his bed. When he lay down, the pendant began glowing again illuminating his room much like that morning, but this was a much softer light than the sunlight. It was soothing and peaceful making him feel very sleepy. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Best day ever.