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Description
Chapter 2: The symbol

Eevee shook his head as a flareon stood before him and Claire.  His shining silver armor glinted in the sunlight that was pouring down through a shaft cut into the ceiling.  On his armors left shoulder plate was the golden insignia of the Nexus Teams.  This was the leader of their branch of the Nexus Teams, Eon.
Shortly after the loss of their first two leaders, Eevee and Charmander, to the collision, the Nexus team had divided itself into several branches.  Most of the branches became full rescue and exploration teams, while others changed to academies to train and teach new pokémon teams and recruits.  Beta team was one of the many exploration teams that specialized in exploring new areas in the changed world. Unlike the other Nexus Teams, Beta Team was one of the top four branches.  The only ones who made it to this level were the best of the best the recently established academies had to offer.
Beside Eon was a female vulpix dressed in similar armor.  Although the build of the armor was more geared to be like many of the other female versions of the standard combat armor.  It hugged her form, keeping her protected and looking good.
This was his partner and the basic combat training instructor, Ember.  While she looked more like a lingerie model than a warrior, the vulpix was a skilled fighter who used her brain more than her brawn to fight.  Underestimating her had been the downfall of many enemies.  Not to mention some of the new trainees from the academy.
“Alright, so you two do understand what your objective is, correct?” Eon asked.
Claire nodded, “Yes sir.  Our orders are to explore the newly discovered caverns near Crystal Cave and return with our findings.  And if we are attacked, we are allowed to engage any opposition to the completion of our mission.”
Eon nodded, “Good.  But before you go, we have something for the two of you.”
The flareon waved in a female pikachu.  She wasn’t armored like the rest of the pokémon in the room, but instead was wearing a pink top with one strap over her left shoulder and a pink pair of long pants.  Her powder blue eyes seemed joyful at the sight of the two as her tail wagged slightly, revealing that its tip was in the shape of a heart.
“This is Jade.” Eon explained, “Jade is in charge of all the official team symbols and colorations.  Since the design you have is only a draft of a concept she came up with, you two still need an official symbol.”
“And I just so happen to have that with me now.” Jade smiled.
As she took out two pieces of what looked like pink cloths from her pocket, Eon shook his head.  So far, he had rejected the colors for any other team, but this time it was the only one Jade would use.  Her favorite color.
“It’s pink?” Eevee asked as he held it.
“That’s right.” Jade said happily as the two put the neckerchiefs around their necks, “And it really brings out the tan in your fur.”
Claire had to smile at the symbol.  The neckerchief itself was completely pink, but the sapphire symbol in the center stood out easily on its light background.  A half circle with another partial circle inside it, both of them resting on an arc.  A rising sun to symbolize the dawn over the horizon.
“Come on it looks good on you Eves.” the lopunny smiled.
Eevee gave her a fish-eyed look and Claire giggled softly.
Eon cleared his throat, “Now that you have what you need, are you ready to go?”
Eevee and Claire nodded, “Yes sir.  We have our supplies and mission objective.”
“Excellent.” Eon replied, “Do us proud.”
As Eevee and Claire walked away, Ember looked up at her partner.
“Eon, do you really think it’s a good idea to send them out there?” Ember asked, “I mean, they are a brand new team.  We have no idea how they might react if they are attacked.”
“I know.” Eon replied, “But there’s something about those two.  I can’t put my finger on it, but I have a feeling they’re going to do something big.”
As the flareon turned away, Jade asked, “So, after seeing how well their insignias turned out, have you changed your mind about pink for a team color of more teams in the future?”
“Just because they took it doesn’t mean it’s something all the teams would take.” Eon smirked, “So don’t count on it.”
Jade quietly smiled and shook her head.  He might not have said yes, but he also hadn’t said no.
*           *          *
Hours later, Eevee and Claire stood before the entrance of a large cavern.  A light, warm breeze floated up from the depths of the blackness inside the entry.  Despite its warmth, the eevee shivered.
“Scared Eves?” Claire asked.
“Not at all.” The eevee lied, “Just felt a little cold.”
Claire smiled to herself and walked into the cavern, Eevee at her side.
Inside, the cavern wasn’t dark.  Instead, it was lit by several hundred luminescent crystals.  Blends of light lit their way down the caverns towards the recently discovered tunnels.  But oddly, there were no signs of any other pokémon in the tunnels.  And soon the two found out why.
“So, you finally made it.” A voice asked, lighting the darkness with the bright flames on his tail.
Before the two stood a charmeleon, his silvery armor reflecting the light of his bright tail flame to light the area around him and his team.  Beside him were another two fire pokémon, an arcanine and a cyndaquil.
When Claire saw Eevee’s confused look, the lopunny explained, “We were sent to investigate the new tunnels, but this team was sent to secure a path for us before we got inside.”
The arcanine nodded, “Team Firestorm, at your service.”
“Although our services are no longer required.” The female cyndaquil said quietly, “Right?”
“Unless you three want to stay and guard the entrance.” Claire smiled gently, “But I think me and my partner can handle this.”
The charmeleon smiled, “Alright, you two have your orders.  If you run into more trouble than you can handle, don’t fight it out.”
Claire nodded, “We know.  Bail back to the team headquarters using the escape orb.”
As the other team began to leave, the cyndaquil looked back into the caverns.
“Don’t you think we should have told them about what we saw down there?” she asked.
“No.” her leader replied, “After all, we aren’t even sure we saw whatever it was.”
*           *          *
Back down in the caverns, Claire was sitting on a rock as Eevee dug through his supplies.  Finally, the fox pokémon pulled a ball from his pack.
“This’ll come in handy.” Eevee said as he pulled his pack back on.
The ball was a sky blue color, emitting a faint, golden glow from inside as the eevee held it in his hands.  Painted on it was a picture of a sun.
“Smart thinking.” Claire said as she took the orb from her partner, “An illumination orb could come in handy later.”
The eevee smiled as Claire began to walk down the cavern.  Once again, the cavern was well lit, the glowing crystals around them casting a brilliant blue glow down the tunnel to guide the two.
But within the blue glow, Eevee saw something.  When his long ears picked up the sound of movement, the fox pokémon stopped in his tracks, turning towards the sound.
At first, eevee thought he saw something that looked like a small pokémon .  But when he looked again to find the tiny creature, Eevee couldn’t see anything.
“Hey Claire?” he asked.
“Hmm?  What is it Eves?” the lopunny asked, turning back to her partner.
“Did Team Firestorm clear this area as well?”
“No.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.”
As they continued down the tunnel, the eevee glanced back again.  Once again, he thought he saw the tiny figure of a pokémon, but when his eyes moved to examine the spot, it was gone.
The lopunny placed her hand on her partner’s shoulder, “Come on, let’s keep going.  I’m sure nothing will attack us out of the blue.”
As they continued down the tunnel, Eevee glanced back at where he thought he had heard something.  But when nothing made itself apparent, he continued to follow his partner down the tunnel.
Once they had gotten out of range, the area where Eevee had looked began to change.  Soon, a foot tall pokémon floated where the fox pokémon’s eyes had been examining.  It’s blue skin blended in and out of the glowing lights of the crystals as it floated.  With years of experience keeping out of sight from those who would travel into its tunnels, the tiny pokémon had learned to judge accurately on those who dared to enter.
With a smile and without a sound, it vanished again.

Description
Chapter 2: The symbol

Eevee shook his head as a flareon stood before him and Claire.  His shining silver armor glinted in the sunlight that was pouring down through a shaft cut into the ceiling.  On his armors left shoulder plate was the golden insignia of the Nexus Teams.  This was the leader of their branch of the Nexus Teams, Eon.
Shortly after the loss of their first two leaders, Eevee and Charmander, to the collision, the Nexus team had divided itself into several branches.  Most of the branches became full rescue and exploration teams, while others changed to academies to train and teach new pokémon teams and recruits.  Beta team was one of the many exploration teams that specialized in exploring new areas in the changed world. Unlike the other Nexus Teams, Beta Team was one of the top four branches.  The only ones who made it to this level were the best of the best the recently established academies had to offer.
Beside Eon was a female vulpix dressed in similar armor.  Although the build of the armor was more geared to be like many of the other female versions of the standard combat armor.  It hugged her form, keeping her protected and looking good.
This was his partner and the basic combat training instructor, Ember.  While she looked more like a lingerie model than a warrior, the vulpix was a skilled fighter who used her brain more than her brawn to fight.  Underestimating her had been the downfall of many enemies.  Not to mention some of the new trainees from the academy.
“Alright, so you two do understand what your objective is, correct?” Eon asked.
Claire nodded, “Yes sir.  Our orders are to explore the newly discovered caverns near Crystal Cave and return with our findings.  And if we are attacked, we are allowed to engage any opposition to the completion of our mission.”
Eon nodded, “Good.  But before you go, we have something for the two of you.”
The flareon waved in a female pikachu.  She wasn’t armored like the rest of the pokémon in the room, but instead was wearing a pink top with one strap over her left shoulder and a pink pair of long pants.  Her powder blue eyes seemed joyful at the sight of the two as her tail wagged slightly, revealing that its tip was in the shape of a heart.
“This is Jade.” Eon explained, “Jade is in charge of all the official team symbols and colorations.  Since the design you have is only a draft of a concept she came up with, you two still need an official symbol.”
“And I just so happen to have that with me now.” Jade smiled.
As she took out two pieces of what looked like pink cloths from her pocket, Eon shook his head.  So far, he had rejected the colors for any other team, but this time it was the only one Jade would use.  Her favorite color.
“It’s pink?” Eevee asked as he held it.
“That’s right.” Jade said happily as the two put the neckerchiefs around their necks, “And it really brings out the tan in your fur.”
Claire had to smile at the symbol.  The neckerchief itself was completely pink, but the sapphire symbol in the center stood out easily on its light background.  A half circle with another partial circle inside it, both of them resting on an arc.  A rising sun to symbolize the dawn over the horizon.
“Come on it looks good on you Eves.” the lopunny smiled.
Eevee gave her a fish-eyed look and Claire giggled softly.
Eon cleared his throat, “Now that you have what you need, are you ready to go?”
Eevee and Claire nodded, “Yes sir.  We have our supplies and mission objective.”
“Excellent.” Eon replied, “Do us proud.”
As Eevee and Claire walked away, Ember looked up at her partner.
“Eon, do you really think it’s a good idea to send them out there?” Ember asked, “I mean, they are a brand new team.  We have no idea how they might react if they are attacked.”
“I know.” Eon replied, “But there’s something about those two.  I can’t put my finger on it, but I have a feeling they’re going to do something big.”
As the flareon turned away, Jade asked, “So, after seeing how well their insignias turned out, have you changed your mind about pink for a team color of more teams in the future?”
“Just because they took it doesn’t mean it’s something all the teams would take.” Eon smirked, “So don’t count on it.”
Jade quietly smiled and shook her head.  He might not have said yes, but he also hadn’t said no.
*           *          *
Hours later, Eevee and Claire stood before the entrance of a large cavern.  A light, warm breeze floated up from the depths of the blackness inside the entry.  Despite its warmth, the eevee shivered.
“Scared Eves?” Claire asked.
“Not at all.” The eevee lied, “Just felt a little cold.”
Claire smiled to herself and walked into the cavern, Eevee at her side.
Inside, the cavern wasn’t dark.  Instead, it was lit by several hundred luminescent crystals.  Blends of light lit their way down the caverns towards the recently discovered tunnels.  But oddly, there were no signs of any other pokémon in the tunnels.  And soon the two found out why.
“So, you finally made it.” A voice asked, lighting the darkness with the bright flames on his tail.
Before the two stood a charmeleon, his silvery armor reflecting the light of his bright tail flame to light the area around him and his team.  Beside him were another two fire pokémon, an arcanine and a cyndaquil.
When Claire saw Eevee’s confused look, the lopunny explained, “We were sent to investigate the new tunnels, but this team was sent to secure a path for us before we got inside.”
The arcanine nodded, “Team Firestorm, at your service.”
“Although our services are no longer required.” The female cyndaquil said quietly, “Right?”
“Unless you three want to stay and guard the entrance.” Claire smiled gently, “But I think me and my partner can handle this.”
The charmeleon smiled, “Alright, you two have your orders.  If you run into more trouble than you can handle, don’t fight it out.”
Claire nodded, “We know.  Bail back to the team headquarters using the escape orb.”
As the other team began to leave, the cyndaquil looked back into the caverns.
“Don’t you think we should have told them about what we saw down there?” she asked.
“No.” her leader replied, “After all, we aren’t even sure we saw whatever it was.”
*           *          *
Back down in the caverns, Claire was sitting on a rock as Eevee dug through his supplies.  Finally, the fox pokémon pulled a ball from his pack.
“This’ll come in handy.” Eevee said as he pulled his pack back on.
The ball was a sky blue color, emitting a faint, golden glow from inside as the eevee held it in his hands.  Painted on it was a picture of a sun.
“Smart thinking.” Claire said as she took the orb from her partner, “An illumination orb could come in handy later.”
The eevee smiled as Claire began to walk down the cavern.  Once again, the cavern was well lit, the glowing crystals around them casting a brilliant blue glow down the tunnel to guide the two.
But within the blue glow, Eevee saw something.  When his long ears picked up the sound of movement, the fox pokémon stopped in his tracks, turning towards the sound.
At first, eevee thought he saw something that looked like a small pokémon .  But when he looked again to find the tiny creature, Eevee couldn’t see anything.
“Hey Claire?” he asked.
“Hmm?  What is it Eves?” the lopunny asked, turning back to her partner.
“Did Team Firestorm clear this area as well?”
“No.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.”
As they continued down the tunnel, the eevee glanced back again.  Once again, he thought he saw the tiny figure of a pokémon, but when his eyes moved to examine the spot, it was gone.
The lopunny placed her hand on her partner’s shoulder, “Come on, let’s keep going.  I’m sure nothing will attack us out of the blue.”
As they continued down the tunnel, Eevee glanced back at where he thought he had heard something.  But when nothing made itself apparent, he continued to follow his partner down the tunnel.
Once they had gotten out of range, the area where Eevee had looked began to change.  Soon, a foot tall pokémon floated where the fox pokémon’s eyes had been examining.  It’s blue skin blended in and out of the glowing lights of the crystals as it floated.  With years of experience keeping out of sight from those who would travel into its tunnels, the tiny pokémon had learned to judge accurately on those who dared to enter.
With a smile and without a sound, it vanished again.