A baby Eevee was sitting by a tree when a female Flareon ran towards him in a sort of panic. "Dusk! We need to get out of here! We need to run! A stampede of Tauros are on their way!"

A male Umbreon shouted, "Vivian, you and Dusk must go I will hold them off for as long as I can."

"I can't leave you here to fend for yourself, Lunar! You'll get trampled over by those angry Tauros. Those human poachers set them off. You would make it worse if you provoke them. You'll die!" Vivian argued.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take to protect my family and home. We need to protect our child as well as our future generations. You must go! Take Dusk to safety! NOW!"

The sound of loud, rampaging hooves hitting the ground were getting closer and more violent at each passing minute. "Go before it's too late and don't turn back, Vivian."

The Flareon picked the Eevee up by the scruff and began to turn around and run. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest. She didn't want to leave her mate behind... but she had no other choice. She had to protect her only son. She knew Lunar was trying to protect them from harm but she felt terrible. Her mate was sacrificing himself for her and their kin. She heard an explosion from behind her. She knew it was from a dark pulse attack her Umbreon mate threw at the Tauros in hopes to wear them out and stop their raging stampede.

Boom! Another explosion from another Dark Pulse attack, the growls of raging Tauros could be heard in her ears. She tried to drown out the sounds of the Tauros trampling her mate to his untimely demise and his screams of pain.

As much as it pained her, she continued to run. The Tauros stampede was not over as the sound of their stomping hooves continued to echo through the ground.

Vivian knew there wouldn't be an easy way out of this. Tauros never stopped running until they hit something. They could easily knock thick trees down and since there's so many Tauros in the stampede, it would take the entire forest being destroyed before this stampede would stop. The poachers captured so many Tauros but they had terrible experience training them all that they had to take desperate measures— so desperate that they used brute force to get them to obey. Unfortunately, it caused them to rampage and escape into the forest. It caused many Pokémon to evacuate their homes and leave the forest.

Vivian couldn't run forever. She had to find a high enough place to escape the rampaging Tauros. She found a cave. She could easily jump on top of it and it was high enough to avoid the Tauros. However, she noticed an exhausted Pikachu lying on the ground. Vivian couldn't just leave him there. She was raised to help the innocent Pokémon.

"I'm sorry, son. I can't just do nothing. I have to do something. I need to at least attempt to save that Pikachu. You stay here, Dusk. Don't leave the top of this cave, no matter what. Not until you know it's completely safe. If I don't make it back...Just remember Dusk, we all have a purpose in life. I know within the darkness in your path, you will find light.

Stay safe, my son and be strong. Remember to stay aware of your surroundings because evil can lurk in every corner. I have to lead these rampaging Tauros to something that will stop their stampede but I can't risk your life as well. You'll be fine here."

Vivian said her final goodbyes to her one child before continuing her run. She quickly gave the Pikachu a Sitrus berry but she didn't have a chance to really chat with him. She had to lead the Tauros away from the exhausted Pikachu and her son — or at least attempt to as best she could. The angry Tauros saw her and continued chasing the brave mother Flareon. There was no stopping their rampaging until she found a way to stop them even if it meant her own life would end.

The Flareon used Flamethrower on as many Tauros as she could before they trampled her and killed her instantly. However, the glowing flames and the rising smoke led a group of Butterfree to the location of the Tauros. They were a part of a rescue team of only Butterfree that knew sleep powder who were sent to stop the Tauros to save the rest of the forest and Pokémon. Vivian managed to use her final moments to receive help but at the cost of her Eevee son being an orphan... stuck to live in the wilderness alone...

Her spirit left her body and rose up. Before she disappeared into the heavens, she managed to say one last unheard message: "I'm sorry, my son. One day, we will see each other again... I know there is good in your soul and you'll do the right thing when you grow up. You will grow into something special..."

🔥🔥🔥

"Wake up, Dusk!" A loud male voice suddenly shouted in Dusk's large ears causing him to jolt awake in an instant.

"H-Huh?! What?!" Dusk gasped, in surprise. He noticed his Charmander friend in his face looking rather disappointed. "Oh... Good morning, Spike. Why are we up so early?"

"It's time to start our journey! Adventurers always wake up early after all. We need to head to the Johto region to go to the largest Kecleon shop."

"Why do we have to stop at the Kecleon shop in Johto?"

"We have to pick up some very important items to help us in our long journey. A lot of items are exclusively available at the Johto Kecleon shop and if we get there early enough, we should be able to get the best items before they sell out for the day."

"Oh, I understand." Dusk nodded.

"I suppose we should also search for some berries to eat on our way to Johto too. We can't continue on our long voyage without any food after all."

"Right! We need all the energy we can get to continue so stacking up berries is a good idea." Dusk mentioned.

"We also have to keep in mind that we should travel lightly so we don't waste all that energy so quickly but taking breaks to rest is also important. We can't travel nonstop." Spike quickly added.

Spike and Dusk quickly searched for berries, ate breakfast and continued on their way to the Johto Region, saving some berries to settle their hunger and keep their energy up.

It was a peaceful walk through the forest with little to no interruptions but it wouldn't last very much longer. After walking twelve miles, they suddenly heard a cry for help. Dusk was the first to hear the desperate cry with his large ears as they perked up in alarm. "Someone's in trouble, Spike!" Dusk said. "Come on, we have to go investigate where that cry is coming from and do something!"

"Of course, Dusk. We must help anyone who is in danger." Spike replied.

The Eevee and Charmander duo followed the cry they heard. Once they made it to where it came from, they gasped at what they say. A young Pichu was dangling from a tree over a cliff with a raging river down below!

"Oh no! That poor Pichu is in trouble!" Spike shouted. "We have to do something!"

The young fire type starter was about to climb the tree himself but Dusk stopped him. "Wait, Spike! It's too dangerous! If you fall in, the water would kill you! The flame on your tail will-"

Spike interrupted his panicking Eevee friend. "I'll be fine, Dusk. Sometimes you have to do dangerous things to save others. You have to take risks in life. Risks can be important in order to learn, grow, boost your confidence and staying ahead. The Starter Squad needs strong members that are capable of taking risks. Even if the odds are against you, you should still do things if it's important to you and joining the squad is what's important to me."

Dusk's eyes widened. "Spike is so brave and wise. He has so much enthusiasm. I want to be like him, but am I capable of that?"

"If you say so, but I still want to help." Dusk told his friend.

Spike smiled. "That's what I like to hear, Dusk! Now that you mentioned it, how good are you with heights?"

"Er... I-I'm not very good with heights, but... I mean... Like you said... I should take risks."

"That's the spirit, Dusk! Since you're a little lighter than me, I think you should climb the tree to reach the Pichu."

"Okay... I can probably get up there but getting down might be difficult." Dusk grumbled, a little unsure of himself.

"Don't worry about getting down. I'll use a rope to get you both down from there. I know a shop that's close by that sells mostly berries but they also can hold some held items. I even seen a rope item being sold there too. I wouldn't want to leave that Pichu hanging up there like that for too much longer or he'll lose his grip after a while, that's why I want you to climb up and get the Pichu back on the branch. You two can wait for me until I get back with the rope. Will you be alright up there by yourself for a few minutes?

"I think so... Just as long as I don't look down too much..."

"Have more confidence in yourself, Dusk. I'm sure you'll be fine." Spike informed him encouragingly. Spike could understand with the tone of Dusk's voice that he was unsure of himself.

"I suppose we shouldn't keep this Pichu waiting any longer. Hang on, kid. We'll get you down from there safely!" Dusk told the Pichu, unsheathing his semi-retractable claws, digging them deep into the trunk and bark of the tree.

"Be careful, Dusk, and believe in yourself. I'll be back with a rope." Spike responded, running off back into the depths of the forest.

The Pichu turned his head to see an Eevee climbing up on to the tree. His eyes went wide in a panic. "An Eevee?! Pl-please don't eat me!" He squealed.

"I'm not going to eat you. Why would I do that?" Dusk asked, digging his claws deep into the branch the Pichu was hanging on to.

"Wait... You're not? But don't Eevees eat small Pokémon like me?"

"No... At least I hope not!" He responded with a hint of concern in his voice. "I always prefer to eat berries, not other Pokémon."

"But Eevees were always known to be an enemy to my kind because they were either rivals to us or prey on us."

Dusk shook his head. "Not all of them are like that. I assure you. I won't harm you. You can trust me." Dusk offered his paw to the Pichu to help him up.

The Pichu didn't know why at first, but he felt like he should trust this one particular Eevee. He had a feeling the Eevee really did want to help and wasn't any threat. The Eevee seemed to be very endearing. Something the Pichu didn't think was possible. The tiny electric mouse grabbed Dusk's paw and he pulled him up. "Th-thanks, s-sir..."

"You're welcome. What's your name, young Pichu?"

"Everyone calls me Pipsqueak due to my small size. What's yours?"

"I'm Dusk. It's nice to meet you Pipsqueak. So what happened that you ended up that way?"

"I was climbing the tree to get an apple but then a Pidgeotto swooped down at me and stole the apple I grabbed. In a panic, I used a Thundershock attack, but I missed the Pidgeotto and he got away. Due to me being very inexperienced with my electric moves, I hurt myself and lost my balance. I managed to catch myself before I fell out of the tree but then I couldn't get back up. That's when you heard my screams and came to my rescue."

"I see... Well you don't have to worry now. You're safe. Why are you here by yourself though? You seem too young to be on your own." Dusk questioned.

"Well my home village isn't too far away from here. I know my way back and I was going to go back home after playing but then I got hungry and saw the apple. Maybe I should have just went home and ate there, but I always think with my stomach and not my mind."

"Sometimes I can be like that too, Pipsqueak. At least you weren't hurt though. My mother used to tell me to be cautious of my surroundings because evil lurks in every corner. However, there is still good in the world. You just got to trust the right Pokémon." Dusk explained.

"Yeah..."

Not too long later, Spike returned with a rope. "I'm back! I apologize for taking so long. Let's get you two down from there and get this Pichu home before any of his family gets too worried."

Spike threw the rope up at the tree and Dusk caught it in his mouth. He tied it around the branch of the tree and tugged it to check if it was tight enough to hold their weight without getting lose. "Let's get you down now, Pipsqueak. Get on my back and hold on tight." Dusk instructed the Pichu.

The Pichu quickly obeyed as Dusk slowly climbed down the rope safely back to the ground. "Thanks for saving me, Dusk and-"

"Spike," The Charmander quickly answered, realizing he never introduced himself. "I'm Spike."

"I'm Pipsqueak. It's very nice to meet some helpful and very friendly Pokémon."

"It is indeed. Now let's get you to your home village." Spike said.

Dusk, Spike and Pipsqueak walked through the forest together to find Pipsqueak's home which was indeed not too far away from where they were. A Pikachu mother and father ran towards their Pichu son as soon as they saw him, but one look at Dusk and the mother's cheeks sparked with wild electricity. "What is an Eevee doing here?!" She growled.

"Wait, Rika! We shouldn't make assumptions without-" the father was suddenly interrupted when Pipsqueak jumped in. 

To Rika's surprise, Pipsqueak objected his mother's response. "Wait, Dusk is not a threat! He saved me! I almost fell from a tree but Dusk climbed up the tree to help me up and Spike helped us both get down."

"Really?! An Eevee saved a Pichu?! I thought my mate was insane when I heard the story where a Flareon helped him when he collapsed from exhaustion after attempting to run away from a Tauros stampede. The Flareon gave him a berry but he never had the chance to say thank you before she ran off and led the stampede to her. She risked her life to save my mate. She was a hero, but I never believed that story until now." She turned her gaze to her mate next to her. "I'm sorry for not believing you at first, Zippy. Maybe not all Eevee and Eeveelutions are bad."

Dusk gasped all of a sudden. "A F-Flareon...?! A Tauros stampede....! Th-That Flareon... was my mother!"

"Wait, really?! I am so sorry for your loss... Your mother was a great Pokémon. She knew how to raise her child well. I should have known that you were related to her. Thanks for saving our son. You're growing up into a wonderful Pokémon and we wish you well. Good luck to you on what you two do." Zippy replied with a gasp of surprise. "It's very nice to meet you both. Spike and Dusk, right?"

"Yes. That's our names. It's a pleasure to meet you too, Rika and Zippy." Spike responded. "We should get going, we have a long journey ahead of us."

"Where are you two going?" Zippy asked.

"We're going to the Kalos region to join the Starter Squad." Spike answered, excitedly.

"Oh, really?! I heard of the Starter Squad! I hope they expand to other regions. Evil criminals are not just in Kalos. They are everywhere. We still have rescue teams but we feel like that isn't enough. We need more Pokémon fighting the crime and evil in this world for everyone's sake."

"I hope they will expand too. Maybe I can figure out how to persuade them into doing so. The Starter Squad is still small at the moment, but maybe something to motivate them into supporting other regions around the world." Spike said.

"That'll be great if you can." Rika smiled. "Good luck both of you."

Spike and Dusk continued on their way to reach their first destination of their journey — the Johto region.

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I finally got another chapter done of this rewriting of this old story. In this rewrite, I really wanted to give Spike, Dusk and Lightning more of an origin story rather than rushing straight to the main point and not give Spike any character development because I felt like Spike should have been very important to the story which he is.

I hope you enjoyed the story so far ^U^

More will be coming soon. Stay tuned!