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Hi everyone! I know I'm still working on Marvelous Journey right now, and am writing chapter 32.5 as I speak, but I got bored and thought I'd post one of my older stories here so all of you can read it. Now, just so you know, this was written in 2013, when Pokemon X and Y were first being revealed to the world, and Sylveon's type wasn't specified yet. As soon as I saw Sylveon, a muse attacked me and I just HAD to write this story. Granted, I'll admit it does have its flaws, and some details are admittedly wrong because certain information hadn't been revealed yet, such as Sylveon's means of evolution, but even so, people on Fanfiction.net still love it regardless, and to this day it still gets reviews, favorites, and follows. You can read it here on my Fanfiction.net account, and here on AO3. It's complete, so you don't need to worry about lack of updates or anything like that.
With all that said, presenting Sylvia The Sylveon! Enjoy!
***
Chapter 1: Eight Little Eevees
Eevee are a very rare and special species of Pokemon. Eevee are rare because they are not seen often, especially females, and especially in a cosmopolitan region like Unova, the region I was born in, and special because they can evolve into different kinds of Pokemon, mostly different types, depending on the situation, timing, and the items we receive. Our DNA composition is very chaotic and irregular. We can evolve depending on the environment and into different type classifications as a result. Eevee are a Pokemon species that are still surrounded by mystery, even to this day. I have always heard these words from the humans who come to visit the ranch. I’ve heard them for as long as I could possibly remember. I never understood why we were so strange, so special, so mysterious. I had never thought much of it until later in life, even though we were always surrounded by these words.
My older siblings say I both have a good memory and am very forgetful. But how can someone have a good memory and be forgetful at the same time? It doesn’t make any sense! But anyway, my earliest memory is playing in a vast, green field held in by a rusty wooden fence with my seven siblings. The purple lavenders and lilies were sprouting all over the place, creating a huge, beautiful field of nothing but purple. Purple, purple, purple! That was all we could see on the ranch. Me, my siblings, and the Pokemon from the ranch played in those fields like no tomorrow. I loved playing in this field, from what they’ve told me. I loved looking at the purple flowers and staring at them and watching the Beautifly and Butterfree suck the nectar out of them. But I also felt bad for the flowers as some of the other Pokemon, like the Mareep and Flaaffy, would eat them. I know most Pokemon eat grass, but these flowers were so pretty, so sweet, so serene, and so nice-looking...why would some Pokemon eat such innocent flowers? They didn’t do anything wrong. My siblings often chastised me for having such silly notions, but I don’t think they’re silly at all. Everyone has their preferences, don’t they?
The ranch my family and I live on is what the humans call Floccesy Ranch. It’s owned by a man, a woman, and their three children, and they’re well known around Floccesy Town for being very kind and generous to both people and Pokemon. They’re right. They’re very nice and sweet, and I really like them. Two of my brothers don’t, though. They live in a big beige house with a pale purple roof and lots of other things on it. There’s also a red barn where we live, and it’s full of Ponyta and hay stacks. There’s also a little white house--that’s what I think it is but I could be wrong--that has lots of Pokemon eggs in it. From what Mother and Father told me, that’s where me and my siblings came from. Their daughter, I heard her name is Serena, isn’t like other human kids. I heard her parents, I heard their names are Darien and Vicky, say that she has something called Autism, and it prevents her from being able to communicate and socialize very well, from what I’ve heard. Mother thinks it means she sees and experiences the world in a different way than most humans.
I have to agree, though I think Serena is a bit strange. She flaps her hands, rocks back and forth, yells when something isn’t right, and doesn’t talk much, even though she’s only eight years old. Serena has short, pale blonde hair and pretty green eyes, and has a sprinkle of freckles going across her nose. She’s very shy and doesn’t like talking to people. She likes talking to Pokemon though. Her best friend is a Deerling she named Bambi, who is also my best friend. Like her, he’s very shy, but he’s comfortable around me and my sister Lucretia.
Oh! I forgot to talk about me and my family! I got sidetracked. My mother is an Espeon and my father is a Vaporeon. I heard Darien say their names are Duchess and Naiad. I’m the youngest of eight siblings. Here they are in order: Alseides (We like to call him Al or Alfie), Bolt, Vapor, Lucretia, Moondancer, Konoha, Yuki, and me, Sylvia. Lucretia and I are the only female Eevee in the family, save for my mother. Alseides has a bright and fiery personality, and he’s fun to chase around. Bolt is rather vain and arrogant, always thinking himself better than everyone else. Vapor is the prince of the family: charming, kind, chivalrous, and sweet, though he tends to let his kindness get to his head. Lucretia is the lady of the family. She’s just as nice as Vapor, but she isn’t a stuck-up princess. She loves to play with us and socialize with other Pokemon. Moondancer is very aloof and prefers to be alone some of the time, though he doesn’t mind being with me. Konoha is strong and cool, always helping others. Yuki is shy and timid, like Serena and Bambi, but he’s not as easily frightened. And then there’s me, Sylvia, the little runt of the family. Like Yuki, Serena, and Bambi, I’m shy and don’t like playing rough. I prefer to sit around and watch the world go by, gaze at the pretty flowers, listen to the Pidove sing and chirp, and watch the Pokemon play.
But that doesn’t mean I hate playing with other Pokemon. Mother says that when I was young, the Mareep would always invite me to play with them, and Alfie, Lucretia, and Vapor would always make me play with them. I was afraid of them once, as they were much bigger and fluffier than me. Not only that, they were electric Pokemon, and made thunderbolts appear from their bodies. I was shocked by one once, but not to a life-threatening degree. Eventually, I wound up playing with them, but not enough to be friends with them. My siblings, the Mareep and I would run and gallop round and round and round the field, running past and over anything we laid our eyes on. Sometimes they played rough, and they would ram each other with their deep blue heads. One time, when Bolt and Alseides were picking fights with some Lillipup and Riolu, Mother mewed for me and the others to come to her. We did as we were told.
“It’s time I told you. As you can see, you are all very special Pokemon,” She told us in her old but kindly voice. “You are of a rare Pokemon species that is not known or seen in this region. You know very well that the Pokemon here are good and kind, but the Mareep and Psyduck are bred for trainers and do not have very good manners. You are well bred and born. Your great-grandfather helped a very good trainer win the Unova Pokemon League, and your grandfather had the sweetest temper ever. There was never a Glaceon like her in the world, and you’ve never seen me kick or bite. I want you all to grow up gentle and good, and never learn bad ways. I want you all to hold your heads high, stand your ground when trouble arises, and be kind to all those you meet, good and bad. You all should never forget who you are. Be true to yourselves, and life will open its door to you all.”
I have never forgotten her words. I still remember them to this day.
I remember one day when me and Bambi decided to take a little stroll into the small forest that’s right near the ranch. We don’t go very far in there, as there are some Pokemon there that we don’t want to run into, but they usually don’t bother us as long as we don’t bother them so it’s been okay. Bambi and I found some Oran berries on the ground and decided to snack on them.
“Oran berries are so good, aren’t they?” Bambi asked. I nodded as I chewed on a piece of one, trying to make sure I crushed it completely with my teeth before swallowing one.
“So what do you want to play today? Hide and seek? Tag?” I asked curiously.
“Can’t we just look at the pretty flowers?” Bambi asked back, not liking either of my suggestions. Bambi loves flowers, just like I do. It’s no surprise since he’s a grass type Pokemon and has flowers all over him. But I’ve seen other Pokemon, even his own kin, mercilessly tease him for preferring to sniff flowers instead of get into fights. He’s the sweetest little boy Deerling I know, even though he’s much bigger than me. Not wanting to make him sad, I smile.
“Okay. We can look at the flowers. How about those little orange ones over there? They look nice,” I suggested. He smiled and we sat down and stared at the little orange flowers for a long time. Then we went to look at the yellow ones, the purple ones, the blue ones, the pink ones, all of them. Later, I heard Alseides and Bolt laughing amongst themselves, but we made sure not to pay attention, even though we could hear them.
“Ha ha! Look at those wimpy babies fawning over them flowers!” Bolt laughed.
“They’ve been staring at them all day!” Al said.
“Come on, boys! Stop being so insensitive! Honestly, you’re both so immature! Some Pokemon prefer to settle down and enjoy the little things in life, and sometimes they’re much better than putting others down!” Lucretia scolded promptly. She may be sweet, but when push comes to shove, she is not an Eevee you’ll want to cross.
“Geez, sis! Don’t be so annoying!” Bolt snapped.
“Bolt. That’s enough. Let’s go hang out with Dad,” Al suggested. He actually made a smart decision and Bolt, feeling disappointed that Al doesn’t want to join him in putting me and Bambi down, decided to obey, and they both left. Soon, Lucretia and Yuki joined us in flower gazing.
“I wish Bolt would stop acting so self-absorbed. He always thinks the world has to revolve around him,” Yuki said.
“Me too,” I agreed.
“Maybe I am a wimp...” Bambi muttered sadly. It broke my heart to see him looking so down-trodden, so I gently tapped him with my paw.
“You’re not a wimp! You’re the sweetest, nicest Deerling I know, and my bestest friend in the whole wide world!” I told him with a big smile on my face.
“Really? You’d wanna be friends with a scaredy-cat like me?” Bambi asked tearfully.
“Of course! I’m a scaredy-cat too, so scaredy-cats should stick together so we can be brave together!” I told him. He smiled and nudged me with his big black nose. I giggled and I leaped on him, trapping him in a good tickle attack. This is our favoritest game. Lucretia and Yuki decided to leave us alone and play together by themselves so we enjoyed our time together.
Sometimes, humans would come and visit the ranch and Darien would give the eggs to them. I remember running with my mother and stopping to watch a human girl, a little older than Serena, have a Pokemon egg given to her and leave with it. This confused me.
“Why is that human taking the egg?” I asked Mother.
“Perhaps Darien gave it to her,” Mother replied softly.
“Why is he giving her an egg?”
“Maybe it’s to thank her for being good.”
“But shouldn’t a Pokemon be free?”
“Well, some Pokemon are happy being free, and some are happy with being with humans. Maybe the girl wants a Pokemon and Darien is giving her one so it’ll be her friend forever and ever.”
Even though I’ve seen Serena and Bambi get along very well and enjoy each other’s company, I never understood why humans, who can’t understand us, would want to be friends with Pokemon. But Darien and Vicky are nice, so I like them, but I don’t consider them to be friends. Bambi’s my friend too, so I’ll be more than happy to share him with Serena. Lucretia is friends with everybody, both human and Pokemon, and she seems to like the attention, so that’s okay with me. But still...what purpose would it serve for humans and Pokemons to bond when we’re so different from one another?
I remember the whole family getting together once in the barn, our parents included. Father, Naiad the Vaporeon, Darien’s pride and joy, asked us all what we wanted to evolve into when we got older.
“What do you all wish to evolve into when you grow up?” Father asked in his low but sweet voice.
“I wanna be a Jolteon!” Bolt exclaimed happily, obviously wanting to be the first to say what he wanted to be. Bolt always wants to be first in everything. “I wanna be like the Ampharos and zap everybody with thunder and lightning! Zap! Zappity zap zap!”
Everyone laughed. “That must be why your name is Bolt!” Al joked.
“I was BORN to be a Jolteon! Believe it!” Bolt proclaimed proudly.
“I want to be a Glaceon,” Yuki muttered.
“That’s a wonderful ambition, Yuki. Did you know the word Yuki means snow in a foreign language?” Father explained. Yuki smiled brightly and his face turned red like a tomato.
“Can I be an Espeon like you, Mama?” Lucretia asked Mother as she snuggled up to her.
“Of course you can, Lulu. You can be whatever you wish to be,” Mother told her kindly, which made Lucretia snuggle up to her even more.
“What do you wanna be, Moondancer?” I asked Moondancer, who, as usual, sat on a big red chair right next to the fireplace, not caring at all about what’s going on around him.
“An Umbreon. Isn’t that obvious?” Moondancer answered back a little sharply. Moondancer has a bit of a venomous tongue.
“Watch the attitude, Dancer,” Vapor piped in.
“Don’t call me Dancer!” Moondancer snapped.
Not wanting a fight to ensue, I decided to step in. “Please don’t fight!”
“Yes, children. We don’t want to disturb Serena, and you know how she can be when she’s disturbed,” Mother told us sternly.
She’s right. When Serena is disturbed, she throws huge tantrums. She screams, shrieks, jumps around, flaps her hands, hits, kicks, and throws stuff when something upsets her to the point of making her explode. We’ve seen her have those meltdowns before, and they weren’t pretty. Usually when this happens, Darien and Vicky just leave her alone and put us in the barn until she calms down. I heard them say that forcing her to calm down only makes it worse, so when Serena gets upset, we try not to bother her. It usually works.
“I know what I want to be. A Leafeon! I think it’s the best evolution out of all of the Eevee evolutions!” Konoha said.
“No way! Jolteon’s the best one!” Bolt retorted.
“Nuh-uh! Flareon’s the best, and that’s the one I want to be!” Al piped in, not noticing that he stepped on Vapor’s tail.
“OW! Watch it, Al! You stepped on my tail!” Vapor hissed upon gazing into Al’s frightened eyes. Al, seeing his error, removed his paw from Vapor’s tail and trotted back a few steps.
“Sorry...” Al apologized sadly and sat next to the chair that Moondancer is sitting on.
“Idiot...” Moondancer muttered to himself.
“My only wish is to be a Vaporeon like you, Father. They’re the most popular Eevee evolution, aren’t they?” Vapor asked Father.
“From what I’ve heard, yes,” Father replied.
“So what do you want to be, Sylvia?” Mother asked.
“Me?” I asked, surprised that all eyes are suddenly on me. For some reason, I didn’t like the feeling of it. At first I didn’t know why.
But then I remembered. Everyone has an evolution that they want to evolve into. Lucretia wants to be an Espeon. Al wants to be a Flareon, Vapor a Vaporeon, Bolt a Jolteon, Konoha a Leafeon, Yuki a Glaceon, and Moondancer an Umbreon. But...what can I be? There are eight of us, and only seven known Eevee evolutions. Is there a special Eevee evolution that I can evolve into?
“Come on! Sylvie’s NEVER gonna evolve! She’s too weak and stupid!” Bolt retorted.
“Bolt! Bite your tongue!” Mother scolded rather sternly.
“Yeah, Bolt! Don’t go around saying bad things! It’s not nice!” Lucretia backed Mother on her claim.
“Don’t listen to silly Bolt. You can be whatever you want to be, Sylvie,” Yuki said kindly, with a smile on his face.
“Do I have to decide right now?” I asked shyly.
“No. You have all the time in the world to decide what you want to be. It’s your choice, not ours. I only wanted us to talk about something interesting, that’s all,” Father said and let out a laugh.
Soon the rest of the family laughed together until dinner time. Darien and Vicky gave us all big bowls of Pokemon food made just for us Eevee. I finished my meal first while Bolt decided to steal some of Al’s food, being the selfish glutton that he is. Soon he and Al were biting each other’s ears while Mother tried to break them up unsuccessfully. Father simply laughed while Yuki hid behind him in fear. As soon as Moondancer finished his food, he went back to his chair. Having nothing to do, I decided to join him.
I was going to be very surprised by what I’d hear.
“Sylvie. Someday, I’ll leave the Floccesy Ranch,” I heard him mutter in his high but solemn voice.
“What?!” I almost screamed, but I quickly made my paws fly to my mouth so I wouldn’t scare anyone, especially Serena, who is very easy to frighten. I didn’t want her to go into a meltdown so I decided to keep my voice down to a whisper, even though my voice is still covered with shock. “Why?”
“It’s boring here. Nothing exciting happens. There’s a whole world out there that I want to see. There’s so much out there that I don’t know about, and I’m sick of being cooped up here with that dribbling, addle-brained girl. I want to be a strong Umbreon who travels the world under the glistening moonlight. Mother says we should live our lives the way we wish, and I want to do just that. You’re more than welcome to come with me if you want,” Moondancer said.
While I do agree with him on living his life the way he wishes, I don’t think leaving Floccesy Ranch all of a sudden is the way to go about it. “But won’t Mother and Father be worried? I don’t want to see them sad,” I told him.
“It’s natural for parents to be worried. But they’re going to have to let me go someday. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life on a boring ranch where nothing happens.”
“Would you want to be with a trainer?”
Moondancer scoffed at the idea. I wonder if I said something bad. “No way! I don’t want to be controlled by some indecisive human! I refuse to be used for someone’s personal pleasure and amusement! I hate those humans who treat Pokemon like toys, like animals they can use and manipulate and perfect so we can meet their impossibly high standards! They can’t force me to do what they want!”
I didn’t understand back then, so I tucked his words somewhere in the back of my head and locked them up so I could think about them later. But while I don’t understand how humans and Pokemon can bond while we’re so different, I know that Darien, Vicky, and Serena are very nice, and Moondancer makes it sound like all humans are bad, and that isn’t true. Normally I would never do this, but back then I decided to be bold.
“Not all humans are bad, Moondancer. Darien and Vicky are nice,” I told him without any hint of shyness in my voice.
“They don’t really care about us. They’re just breeding us so we can increase the Eevee population and be given away to trainers,” He replied sharply.
“Is that really why?”
“Why else do you think they give those eggs away? They’re giving Pokemon away to trainers for them to use! Why else do you think they didn’t get rid of Mom and Dad when they had the chance? They’re only using them for breeding, nothing else!”
“But Darien loves Mother and Father! He lets Mother sleep with them in their bed at night. Is that really someone who uses Pokemon for breeding?” I didn’t know what the word breeding meant, but Moondancer made it sound bad, and I saw first hand that Darien didn’t treat Mother and Father like items they could use. When I said that, however, Moondancer fell silent. I wondered if I had insulted him.
“Sorry. I’m not trying to be mean. Honest,” I said softly.
“I know you’re not. You’re a good girl, Sylvie. You should live your own life the way you want to. Don’t let others control you and make you what they want you to be. I know you’re a nice Pokemon, but sometimes being nice all the time can be bad. It’ll make you easy to manipulate,” Moondancer replied softly.
“What does manipulate mean?” I asked.
“To manipulate someone means to control them or trick them using complex means. When you grow up, be strong, Sylvia. Be a strong Pokemon. You’ll need to be strong in this world, but you don’t have to come with me.”
“I don’t want to stop you from fulfilling your dream, but I don’t think you should just leave Floccesy Ranch. Maybe it’s too early. Wait until we’re a little older. Are you going to tell Mother and Father?”
“I plan to, but not now. I want to get stronger first.”
I licked his face. For the first time in a while, he smiled.
“You’re a good sister, Sylvie.”
“Thanks, big brother.”
Even though Moondancer and I are close sometimes, I didn’t agree with his view on humans being all bad. Feeling a little sad about that, I decided to talk to Father.
“Father? Are there such things as bad humans?” I asked later that evening.
“What put that idea in your head?” He asked back, surprised by my question.
“Moondancer says most humans use Pokemon for their own purposes.”
Father and I sat down by Serena’s bed and talked.
“Sylvia, dearie. Moondancer is right in a way. There are bad humans in this world who use Pokemon for evil means. Some even hurt them, even kill them, simply because we’re Pokemon and they think we do not have feelings like they do. That, and they only like the strong Pokemon, not the weak. But that doesn’t mean all humans are bad. Most humans in this world truly love Pokemon, even the weakest ones. Look at Darien and Vicky. They made the ranch so they could save many abandoned Pokemon. They saved me when I needed them the most,” Father explained kindly but solemnly.
“You were abandoned?” I asked, suddenly curious.
“Yes. A trainer who adopted me only wanted me to be strong. I did not meet his expectations, and he decided to throw me into a river so I could die. Darien found me and nursed me back to health before he and Vicky got married. Unlike the trainer who wanted me to be a heartless battle machine, Darien treated me the same way he did Vicky and his family. He made me feel loved and appreciated, even though I considered myself weak and worthless. I found a water stone and evolved into what I am now, and he didn’t mind one bit. Darien took me under his wing, and we partook in many battles together. We met lots of good Pokemon and people. Darien is the kindest man I know, and I’m sure there are people like him and Vicky in the world. Don’t live a life believing that all humans are bad, Sylvia. Someday you’ll find someone who you will love very much, like Bambi has,” Father explained.
“But why would humans like Pokemon?”
“Some people love them because they are mysterious. Some want to learn more about them. Some want to find ways to understand us and help us co-exist with them. Some want to help them become stronger. Some people just simply want a friend who doesn’t judge them or treat them bad and will always be there for them no matter what.”
“Is that why Darien and Vicky adopted Bambi? So Serena can have a special friend?”
Father nodded slowly. “Yes. Serena seems to communicate better with Pokemon than with people, and they decided that having a Pokemon would be good for her. Bambi’s helped Serena, and Serena is helping Bambi, so everyone’s growing and learning in their own way. Oh! It seems Vicky wants me to assist her.”
Vicky asked Father to help her with Serena’s bath so he went with her. This conversation helped me understand a bit more about humans. They’re complex. Sometimes they’re mean, sometimes they’re nice. Everyone is different. Plus, Bambi and Serena get along very well, and they always look so happy when I see them together, so I didn’t want to get in the way of that. Maybe Moondancer saw that as well, but perhaps he doesn’t want to accept that humans can be good. But I knew why he called Serena a dribbling addle-brained girl. She tends to go from sweet and serene to violent and wild in short spans of time over things happening around her.
But that didn’t mean she was a bad person.
The day after my conversations with Moondancer and Father, Vicky had to leave early to pick Serena up from school. Something bad had happened. When they came home, Serena ran to her room crying and screaming loudly. I could see huge tears pouring out of her eyes like the water that the Azurill would shoot out of their mouths. Feeling bad for her, I decided to go into her room. I found her on her bed, cuddling with Bambi while howling into her pillow. While in her room, I accidentally overheard Darien and Vicky talking. Vicky sounded extremely angry.
“I can’t believe that stupid teacher! Those kids picking on her are at fault, yet she had the nerve to claim Serena is the bad one! She isn’t, for God’s sake!”
“What happened, Vicky?”
“Serena told me the boys at school kicked her into the mud and threw dirt and rocks at her! She tried to make them stop, but they outright refused! Then she started screaming and hitting them in retaliation. Mrs. Dunphey called me to pick her up. It’s a good thing Meredith was there and explained everything to me. But that Mrs. Dunphey! I am so sick of her! She claims I don’t discipline her correctly and lectured me about putting her in an institution! She should have punished the boys, but noooo! Those boys have been picking on Serena for months, yet she’s never done one darned thing about it, and she thinks she knows everything! I’m just happy Meredith gave those boys a good scolding herself since that Dunphey lady’s too stupid to care about anything and anyone but herself and her reputation!”
“Not once did she do anything?”
“No! She just stood there watching! She kept yelling at Meredith for sticking her nose in places where she’s not wanted and stupid nonsense like that! Seriously, I want to take Serena out of that wretched school! I should file a lawsuit!”
“I have a friend who’s a lawyer.”
Serena was bullied? And only the one-to-one assistant helped but nobody else would? How horrible! So bad humans do exist after all. Just like father and Moondancer said. But why would humans think other humans are bad simply because they have something they don’t want? I didn’t think something like that seemed right, and Serena cried really hard. What did Serena do that was so bad? It broke my heart to see Serena so sad, so I hopped onto her bed and very gently licked her tear-stained face. She continued to howl, but I didn’t care. I didn’t let it bother me. After licking her some more, her crying lessened and she looked up at me with her sad green eyes. She let me cuddle her and touch her face with my tiny paws. She smiled and hugged me. Bambi did the same, and she made room for him too. She cried into the both of us, but we didn’t mind. Bambi and I looked at each other and smiled, feeling good about doing something nice for her.
After about a few hours of cuddling her and reassuring her with our presence, Serena finally calmed down. Once she did, she dug into her pocket and pulled something out. It’s a pale beige ribbon with a silver letter S carved out of silver. She wrapped it around my big, fluffy neck and tied it around me, with the S in front of me. Serena smiled.
“S for Sylvia. It’s for you. I made it in art class. I made one for Bambi too,” Serena told me. She then pulled something out for Bambi. It’s a blue ribbon with the letter B on it in silver as well. She wrapped it around Bambi’s neck. He blushed and smiled as she tied it around him.
“B for Bambi. You two are my bestest friends!” Serena said with a bit of a stutter upon trying to say friends. After that she hugged the both of us.
Serena’s tender hugs and warm heart despite the hardship she endured really made an impression on me back then. Perhaps Father is right. Not all humans are bad at all. Perhaps me and Bambi are the special friends she really needed since nobody in school except for Meredith likes her.
After she gave us the ribbons, Serena, Bambi, and I played together for the rest of the day. Soon Lucretia, Yuki, an Azurill she named Bubbles, and a Lillipup she named Patrasche, joined us too. We played with toys, listened to music (mostly classical, as Serena loves classical music), played pretend Pokemon battle (Only pretend. We didn’t use any attacks or hurt each other. Serena hates hurting Pokemon), watched TV, ran around in the farm, chased the Mareep, went into the forest to explore, and looked at the purple flowers. When night came, Bambi and I slept with Serena in her bed, hoping she’ll have nice dreams with us around.
This day made me decide what I wanted to be. I still wasn’t sure about what I wanted to evolve into, or whether I wanted to evolve or not, but I definitely decided I wanted to be a friend to those who needed one, to comfort those who are sad and feel as though nobody likes them for who they are. Those who believe they’re worthless and unwanted because people say so. I wanted to remind Serena that she has someone who will always be by her side. I know Bambi’s here for that, but nobody said that someone only needed to have one best friend.
However, nobody, me included, was prepared for what we were going to see tomorrow morning.
When I woke up that morning, I heard the voices of my siblings.
“Wow! Look at you! You’re wicked, bro!”
“Man! You’re black as the night!”
“Congratulations, Moondancer! You evolved!”
“You look so cool!”
What happened to Moondancer? I heard something about evolving, but I wasn’t sure if I heard right, so I ran out into the backyard. Much to my surprise, amongst my mother and father and a gaggle full of Eevee, there’s this strange, black figure standing out starkly among them.
This creature is taller than all of us by at least two feet. His skin is black as the night, with some bright yellow ovals on his slender, spindly legs. Yellow stripes donned his pointed ears and tail, and his eyes are red, like tomatoes, yet they had a strong but gentle sheen in them. My parents and siblings are worshipping this creature. I wasn’t ready to accept what was standing before me, even though I knew I had to.
After all...
“...Moondancer?”
He nodded. “Yes. It’s me, squirt. I evolved. Just last night. I’m an Umbreon now.”
“You look lovely, my son,” Mother said in her kind voice.
“You evolved first! No fair!” Bolt complained.
“Get over it, you silly goose!” Lucretia scolded.
“How’d you do it?” Konoha asked.
“I saw some nasty little Patrat bullying a helpless Riolu, so I stepped in to help. In the heat of the moment, the moon’s light shone down on me and I evolved. I scared them away as soon as they saw me,” Moondancer explained with a smile on his face. He then looked down and me. “Are you sad that I evolved?”
I shook my head. “No. You look great. I’m happy for you,” I lied to him, even though I felt ashamed to do so. It wasn’t his evolution that made me sad.
It was what came afterward.
“Everyone...now that you’re all here, I have something I want to say to you all. You may hate me for saying this, but I wish to tell you all. I...I want to leave Floccesy Ranch,” Moondancer told us, his smile fading.
“What?! You want to leave us?!” Bolt exclaimed.
“Why?! Don’t you love us anymore?!” Yuki yelled. This is very unlike him, as he never yells.
“Hush, children. Let Moondancer speak,” Mother told them. They quieted down, even though I could tell that in their hearts, they wanted to yell and scream and berate Moondancer for his announcement.
“I don’t think there is a future for me here in Floccesy Ranch, even though I am grateful for Darien and Vicky’s kindness...and yours. I want to travel the world, meet many Pokemon, and become a strong Pokemon. I want to show the world that I’m strong and will not let anyone step on me,” Moondancer explained.
“You are a fine Pokemon, Moondancer. If that’s what you want, then we will not stop you from fulfilling your dream,” Father said softly.
“But Papa! Dancer’s gonna leave us forever! Aren’t you the least bit sad?!” Lucretia yelped tearfully.
“I won’t be gone forever. I’ll come back and visit whenever I can,” Moondancer said.
“You liar!” Bolt snapped.
“Bolt! Don’t call Moon a liar! He never lies!” Konoha snapped back. I had to agree with Konoha. It’s very unlike Bolt to call Moondancer a liar, and Moondancer, despite his aloofness, is usually known for being extremely brutally honest.
“Children! Stop bickering at once!” Mother commanded. Bolt and Konoha stopped arguing, but everyone was sad at this point.
“I’m sorry for deciding this so suddenly, and it is not my intention to make you all sad. I have a feeling that my time here in Floccesy Ranch will only open up an opportunity for a trainer to capture me, and I don’t want to live my life as someone’s slave. I hope you all understand,” Moondancer explained softly.
I turned to Mother and Father. I could see that they’re trying to hold back tears, yet they looked so calm and serene. Lucretia burst into tears right off. Alseides just looked away. Konoha, Vapor, and Yuki all looked down at the grass, trying not to cry. Bolt continued to howl angrily. All I did was stare at his new, sleek, black fur.
“Are you sure this is what you want to do, Moondancer?” Mother asked.
“Yes, Mother. I hope you’ll forgive me for not thinking about you guys,” Moondancer said sadly.
“It’s alright. If this is what you want, then go and fulfill your dream. We’ll support you all the way. After all, I did tell you and your siblings to live your lives the way you wish after all. But most importantly: never forget who you are,” Mother told him.
“I’ll come back whenever I can, and I’ll show you all my new powers. Goodbye,” Moondancer muttered softly.
“Take care of yourself, my son,” Father said.
Moondancer nodded and proceeded to go in the opposite direction. Right toward the gate that lead to the next route. Suddenly, I found myself hopping in front of him.
“Don’t go! I’ll miss you!” I pleaded tearfully, not wanting him to go. I could see the sadness in his eyes as well. He gave me a sad smile and licked my furry head gently.
“I’ll miss you too, Sylvia. But there’s more to the world than just Floccesy Ranch, and if I want to protect you all, I have to get stronger. You understand, don’t you?” Moondancer told me.
“But what if someone catches you? What if you never come back?” I asked tearfully. Now the tears fell, and I could feel my fluffy cheeks moistening.
“I’m not so stupid as to let myself be caught by silly humans. We Umbreon are intelligent and nocturnal. I won’t go down so easily. Perhaps when you decide what you want to be, maybe we’ll meet again. Partings don’t last forever, you know?” Moondancer said.
I didn’t know about that last part. As much as I wanted Moondancer to stay, he seemed so set on his decision, and I feared that if I whined and complained and persisted in making him stay, he’d get mad, and I didn’t want him to get angry. I’ve seen him get angry, and he’s much worse than Bolt. I could hear Bolt screaming back at the ranch but I tried not to pay attention. With one last smile and lick on the cheek, Moondancer finally left in the daylight. He disappeared once he turned a corner, and all of a sudden, I couldn’t see him anymore. I stayed there for so long, I failed to notice Bambi coming up right next to me.
“Where’s Moondancer going?” Bambi asked innocently, unaware of what just happened.
“On a journey. He says he wants to get stronger,” I told him.
“You okay?”
“No. My big brother just left and...what if he doesn’t come back?”
I cried into Bambi’s fur and he didn’t seem to mind. We sat down together and he licked my head again, like how Moondancer did. I wondered how life would be without him (Moondancer). But then I remembered. Moondancer was never very social, and whenever we had special occasions together, it always seemed as though he was never there, even though we always acknowledged that he was. I wondered if he always thought about leaving. Maybe he planned it all along, feeling like all we Eevee do is play and frolic and not do much of anything. Once I stopped crying, however, I hoped that Moondancer would be happy with his new life.
It didn’t occur to me that later on, the rest of my family would soon disappear one by one.
With all that said, presenting Sylvia The Sylveon! Enjoy!
***
Chapter 1: Eight Little Eevees
Eevee are a very rare and special species of Pokemon. Eevee are rare because they are not seen often, especially females, and especially in a cosmopolitan region like Unova, the region I was born in, and special because they can evolve into different kinds of Pokemon, mostly different types, depending on the situation, timing, and the items we receive. Our DNA composition is very chaotic and irregular. We can evolve depending on the environment and into different type classifications as a result. Eevee are a Pokemon species that are still surrounded by mystery, even to this day. I have always heard these words from the humans who come to visit the ranch. I’ve heard them for as long as I could possibly remember. I never understood why we were so strange, so special, so mysterious. I had never thought much of it until later in life, even though we were always surrounded by these words.
My older siblings say I both have a good memory and am very forgetful. But how can someone have a good memory and be forgetful at the same time? It doesn’t make any sense! But anyway, my earliest memory is playing in a vast, green field held in by a rusty wooden fence with my seven siblings. The purple lavenders and lilies were sprouting all over the place, creating a huge, beautiful field of nothing but purple. Purple, purple, purple! That was all we could see on the ranch. Me, my siblings, and the Pokemon from the ranch played in those fields like no tomorrow. I loved playing in this field, from what they’ve told me. I loved looking at the purple flowers and staring at them and watching the Beautifly and Butterfree suck the nectar out of them. But I also felt bad for the flowers as some of the other Pokemon, like the Mareep and Flaaffy, would eat them. I know most Pokemon eat grass, but these flowers were so pretty, so sweet, so serene, and so nice-looking...why would some Pokemon eat such innocent flowers? They didn’t do anything wrong. My siblings often chastised me for having such silly notions, but I don’t think they’re silly at all. Everyone has their preferences, don’t they?
The ranch my family and I live on is what the humans call Floccesy Ranch. It’s owned by a man, a woman, and their three children, and they’re well known around Floccesy Town for being very kind and generous to both people and Pokemon. They’re right. They’re very nice and sweet, and I really like them. Two of my brothers don’t, though. They live in a big beige house with a pale purple roof and lots of other things on it. There’s also a red barn where we live, and it’s full of Ponyta and hay stacks. There’s also a little white house--that’s what I think it is but I could be wrong--that has lots of Pokemon eggs in it. From what Mother and Father told me, that’s where me and my siblings came from. Their daughter, I heard her name is Serena, isn’t like other human kids. I heard her parents, I heard their names are Darien and Vicky, say that she has something called Autism, and it prevents her from being able to communicate and socialize very well, from what I’ve heard. Mother thinks it means she sees and experiences the world in a different way than most humans.
I have to agree, though I think Serena is a bit strange. She flaps her hands, rocks back and forth, yells when something isn’t right, and doesn’t talk much, even though she’s only eight years old. Serena has short, pale blonde hair and pretty green eyes, and has a sprinkle of freckles going across her nose. She’s very shy and doesn’t like talking to people. She likes talking to Pokemon though. Her best friend is a Deerling she named Bambi, who is also my best friend. Like her, he’s very shy, but he’s comfortable around me and my sister Lucretia.
Oh! I forgot to talk about me and my family! I got sidetracked. My mother is an Espeon and my father is a Vaporeon. I heard Darien say their names are Duchess and Naiad. I’m the youngest of eight siblings. Here they are in order: Alseides (We like to call him Al or Alfie), Bolt, Vapor, Lucretia, Moondancer, Konoha, Yuki, and me, Sylvia. Lucretia and I are the only female Eevee in the family, save for my mother. Alseides has a bright and fiery personality, and he’s fun to chase around. Bolt is rather vain and arrogant, always thinking himself better than everyone else. Vapor is the prince of the family: charming, kind, chivalrous, and sweet, though he tends to let his kindness get to his head. Lucretia is the lady of the family. She’s just as nice as Vapor, but she isn’t a stuck-up princess. She loves to play with us and socialize with other Pokemon. Moondancer is very aloof and prefers to be alone some of the time, though he doesn’t mind being with me. Konoha is strong and cool, always helping others. Yuki is shy and timid, like Serena and Bambi, but he’s not as easily frightened. And then there’s me, Sylvia, the little runt of the family. Like Yuki, Serena, and Bambi, I’m shy and don’t like playing rough. I prefer to sit around and watch the world go by, gaze at the pretty flowers, listen to the Pidove sing and chirp, and watch the Pokemon play.
But that doesn’t mean I hate playing with other Pokemon. Mother says that when I was young, the Mareep would always invite me to play with them, and Alfie, Lucretia, and Vapor would always make me play with them. I was afraid of them once, as they were much bigger and fluffier than me. Not only that, they were electric Pokemon, and made thunderbolts appear from their bodies. I was shocked by one once, but not to a life-threatening degree. Eventually, I wound up playing with them, but not enough to be friends with them. My siblings, the Mareep and I would run and gallop round and round and round the field, running past and over anything we laid our eyes on. Sometimes they played rough, and they would ram each other with their deep blue heads. One time, when Bolt and Alseides were picking fights with some Lillipup and Riolu, Mother mewed for me and the others to come to her. We did as we were told.
“It’s time I told you. As you can see, you are all very special Pokemon,” She told us in her old but kindly voice. “You are of a rare Pokemon species that is not known or seen in this region. You know very well that the Pokemon here are good and kind, but the Mareep and Psyduck are bred for trainers and do not have very good manners. You are well bred and born. Your great-grandfather helped a very good trainer win the Unova Pokemon League, and your grandfather had the sweetest temper ever. There was never a Glaceon like her in the world, and you’ve never seen me kick or bite. I want you all to grow up gentle and good, and never learn bad ways. I want you all to hold your heads high, stand your ground when trouble arises, and be kind to all those you meet, good and bad. You all should never forget who you are. Be true to yourselves, and life will open its door to you all.”
I have never forgotten her words. I still remember them to this day.
I remember one day when me and Bambi decided to take a little stroll into the small forest that’s right near the ranch. We don’t go very far in there, as there are some Pokemon there that we don’t want to run into, but they usually don’t bother us as long as we don’t bother them so it’s been okay. Bambi and I found some Oran berries on the ground and decided to snack on them.
“Oran berries are so good, aren’t they?” Bambi asked. I nodded as I chewed on a piece of one, trying to make sure I crushed it completely with my teeth before swallowing one.
“So what do you want to play today? Hide and seek? Tag?” I asked curiously.
“Can’t we just look at the pretty flowers?” Bambi asked back, not liking either of my suggestions. Bambi loves flowers, just like I do. It’s no surprise since he’s a grass type Pokemon and has flowers all over him. But I’ve seen other Pokemon, even his own kin, mercilessly tease him for preferring to sniff flowers instead of get into fights. He’s the sweetest little boy Deerling I know, even though he’s much bigger than me. Not wanting to make him sad, I smile.
“Okay. We can look at the flowers. How about those little orange ones over there? They look nice,” I suggested. He smiled and we sat down and stared at the little orange flowers for a long time. Then we went to look at the yellow ones, the purple ones, the blue ones, the pink ones, all of them. Later, I heard Alseides and Bolt laughing amongst themselves, but we made sure not to pay attention, even though we could hear them.
“Ha ha! Look at those wimpy babies fawning over them flowers!” Bolt laughed.
“They’ve been staring at them all day!” Al said.
“Come on, boys! Stop being so insensitive! Honestly, you’re both so immature! Some Pokemon prefer to settle down and enjoy the little things in life, and sometimes they’re much better than putting others down!” Lucretia scolded promptly. She may be sweet, but when push comes to shove, she is not an Eevee you’ll want to cross.
“Geez, sis! Don’t be so annoying!” Bolt snapped.
“Bolt. That’s enough. Let’s go hang out with Dad,” Al suggested. He actually made a smart decision and Bolt, feeling disappointed that Al doesn’t want to join him in putting me and Bambi down, decided to obey, and they both left. Soon, Lucretia and Yuki joined us in flower gazing.
“I wish Bolt would stop acting so self-absorbed. He always thinks the world has to revolve around him,” Yuki said.
“Me too,” I agreed.
“Maybe I am a wimp...” Bambi muttered sadly. It broke my heart to see him looking so down-trodden, so I gently tapped him with my paw.
“You’re not a wimp! You’re the sweetest, nicest Deerling I know, and my bestest friend in the whole wide world!” I told him with a big smile on my face.
“Really? You’d wanna be friends with a scaredy-cat like me?” Bambi asked tearfully.
“Of course! I’m a scaredy-cat too, so scaredy-cats should stick together so we can be brave together!” I told him. He smiled and nudged me with his big black nose. I giggled and I leaped on him, trapping him in a good tickle attack. This is our favoritest game. Lucretia and Yuki decided to leave us alone and play together by themselves so we enjoyed our time together.
Sometimes, humans would come and visit the ranch and Darien would give the eggs to them. I remember running with my mother and stopping to watch a human girl, a little older than Serena, have a Pokemon egg given to her and leave with it. This confused me.
“Why is that human taking the egg?” I asked Mother.
“Perhaps Darien gave it to her,” Mother replied softly.
“Why is he giving her an egg?”
“Maybe it’s to thank her for being good.”
“But shouldn’t a Pokemon be free?”
“Well, some Pokemon are happy being free, and some are happy with being with humans. Maybe the girl wants a Pokemon and Darien is giving her one so it’ll be her friend forever and ever.”
Even though I’ve seen Serena and Bambi get along very well and enjoy each other’s company, I never understood why humans, who can’t understand us, would want to be friends with Pokemon. But Darien and Vicky are nice, so I like them, but I don’t consider them to be friends. Bambi’s my friend too, so I’ll be more than happy to share him with Serena. Lucretia is friends with everybody, both human and Pokemon, and she seems to like the attention, so that’s okay with me. But still...what purpose would it serve for humans and Pokemons to bond when we’re so different from one another?
I remember the whole family getting together once in the barn, our parents included. Father, Naiad the Vaporeon, Darien’s pride and joy, asked us all what we wanted to evolve into when we got older.
“What do you all wish to evolve into when you grow up?” Father asked in his low but sweet voice.
“I wanna be a Jolteon!” Bolt exclaimed happily, obviously wanting to be the first to say what he wanted to be. Bolt always wants to be first in everything. “I wanna be like the Ampharos and zap everybody with thunder and lightning! Zap! Zappity zap zap!”
Everyone laughed. “That must be why your name is Bolt!” Al joked.
“I was BORN to be a Jolteon! Believe it!” Bolt proclaimed proudly.
“I want to be a Glaceon,” Yuki muttered.
“That’s a wonderful ambition, Yuki. Did you know the word Yuki means snow in a foreign language?” Father explained. Yuki smiled brightly and his face turned red like a tomato.
“Can I be an Espeon like you, Mama?” Lucretia asked Mother as she snuggled up to her.
“Of course you can, Lulu. You can be whatever you wish to be,” Mother told her kindly, which made Lucretia snuggle up to her even more.
“What do you wanna be, Moondancer?” I asked Moondancer, who, as usual, sat on a big red chair right next to the fireplace, not caring at all about what’s going on around him.
“An Umbreon. Isn’t that obvious?” Moondancer answered back a little sharply. Moondancer has a bit of a venomous tongue.
“Watch the attitude, Dancer,” Vapor piped in.
“Don’t call me Dancer!” Moondancer snapped.
Not wanting a fight to ensue, I decided to step in. “Please don’t fight!”
“Yes, children. We don’t want to disturb Serena, and you know how she can be when she’s disturbed,” Mother told us sternly.
She’s right. When Serena is disturbed, she throws huge tantrums. She screams, shrieks, jumps around, flaps her hands, hits, kicks, and throws stuff when something upsets her to the point of making her explode. We’ve seen her have those meltdowns before, and they weren’t pretty. Usually when this happens, Darien and Vicky just leave her alone and put us in the barn until she calms down. I heard them say that forcing her to calm down only makes it worse, so when Serena gets upset, we try not to bother her. It usually works.
“I know what I want to be. A Leafeon! I think it’s the best evolution out of all of the Eevee evolutions!” Konoha said.
“No way! Jolteon’s the best one!” Bolt retorted.
“Nuh-uh! Flareon’s the best, and that’s the one I want to be!” Al piped in, not noticing that he stepped on Vapor’s tail.
“OW! Watch it, Al! You stepped on my tail!” Vapor hissed upon gazing into Al’s frightened eyes. Al, seeing his error, removed his paw from Vapor’s tail and trotted back a few steps.
“Sorry...” Al apologized sadly and sat next to the chair that Moondancer is sitting on.
“Idiot...” Moondancer muttered to himself.
“My only wish is to be a Vaporeon like you, Father. They’re the most popular Eevee evolution, aren’t they?” Vapor asked Father.
“From what I’ve heard, yes,” Father replied.
“So what do you want to be, Sylvia?” Mother asked.
“Me?” I asked, surprised that all eyes are suddenly on me. For some reason, I didn’t like the feeling of it. At first I didn’t know why.
But then I remembered. Everyone has an evolution that they want to evolve into. Lucretia wants to be an Espeon. Al wants to be a Flareon, Vapor a Vaporeon, Bolt a Jolteon, Konoha a Leafeon, Yuki a Glaceon, and Moondancer an Umbreon. But...what can I be? There are eight of us, and only seven known Eevee evolutions. Is there a special Eevee evolution that I can evolve into?
“Come on! Sylvie’s NEVER gonna evolve! She’s too weak and stupid!” Bolt retorted.
“Bolt! Bite your tongue!” Mother scolded rather sternly.
“Yeah, Bolt! Don’t go around saying bad things! It’s not nice!” Lucretia backed Mother on her claim.
“Don’t listen to silly Bolt. You can be whatever you want to be, Sylvie,” Yuki said kindly, with a smile on his face.
“Do I have to decide right now?” I asked shyly.
“No. You have all the time in the world to decide what you want to be. It’s your choice, not ours. I only wanted us to talk about something interesting, that’s all,” Father said and let out a laugh.
Soon the rest of the family laughed together until dinner time. Darien and Vicky gave us all big bowls of Pokemon food made just for us Eevee. I finished my meal first while Bolt decided to steal some of Al’s food, being the selfish glutton that he is. Soon he and Al were biting each other’s ears while Mother tried to break them up unsuccessfully. Father simply laughed while Yuki hid behind him in fear. As soon as Moondancer finished his food, he went back to his chair. Having nothing to do, I decided to join him.
I was going to be very surprised by what I’d hear.
“Sylvie. Someday, I’ll leave the Floccesy Ranch,” I heard him mutter in his high but solemn voice.
“What?!” I almost screamed, but I quickly made my paws fly to my mouth so I wouldn’t scare anyone, especially Serena, who is very easy to frighten. I didn’t want her to go into a meltdown so I decided to keep my voice down to a whisper, even though my voice is still covered with shock. “Why?”
“It’s boring here. Nothing exciting happens. There’s a whole world out there that I want to see. There’s so much out there that I don’t know about, and I’m sick of being cooped up here with that dribbling, addle-brained girl. I want to be a strong Umbreon who travels the world under the glistening moonlight. Mother says we should live our lives the way we wish, and I want to do just that. You’re more than welcome to come with me if you want,” Moondancer said.
While I do agree with him on living his life the way he wishes, I don’t think leaving Floccesy Ranch all of a sudden is the way to go about it. “But won’t Mother and Father be worried? I don’t want to see them sad,” I told him.
“It’s natural for parents to be worried. But they’re going to have to let me go someday. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life on a boring ranch where nothing happens.”
“Would you want to be with a trainer?”
Moondancer scoffed at the idea. I wonder if I said something bad. “No way! I don’t want to be controlled by some indecisive human! I refuse to be used for someone’s personal pleasure and amusement! I hate those humans who treat Pokemon like toys, like animals they can use and manipulate and perfect so we can meet their impossibly high standards! They can’t force me to do what they want!”
I didn’t understand back then, so I tucked his words somewhere in the back of my head and locked them up so I could think about them later. But while I don’t understand how humans and Pokemon can bond while we’re so different, I know that Darien, Vicky, and Serena are very nice, and Moondancer makes it sound like all humans are bad, and that isn’t true. Normally I would never do this, but back then I decided to be bold.
“Not all humans are bad, Moondancer. Darien and Vicky are nice,” I told him without any hint of shyness in my voice.
“They don’t really care about us. They’re just breeding us so we can increase the Eevee population and be given away to trainers,” He replied sharply.
“Is that really why?”
“Why else do you think they give those eggs away? They’re giving Pokemon away to trainers for them to use! Why else do you think they didn’t get rid of Mom and Dad when they had the chance? They’re only using them for breeding, nothing else!”
“But Darien loves Mother and Father! He lets Mother sleep with them in their bed at night. Is that really someone who uses Pokemon for breeding?” I didn’t know what the word breeding meant, but Moondancer made it sound bad, and I saw first hand that Darien didn’t treat Mother and Father like items they could use. When I said that, however, Moondancer fell silent. I wondered if I had insulted him.
“Sorry. I’m not trying to be mean. Honest,” I said softly.
“I know you’re not. You’re a good girl, Sylvie. You should live your own life the way you want to. Don’t let others control you and make you what they want you to be. I know you’re a nice Pokemon, but sometimes being nice all the time can be bad. It’ll make you easy to manipulate,” Moondancer replied softly.
“What does manipulate mean?” I asked.
“To manipulate someone means to control them or trick them using complex means. When you grow up, be strong, Sylvia. Be a strong Pokemon. You’ll need to be strong in this world, but you don’t have to come with me.”
“I don’t want to stop you from fulfilling your dream, but I don’t think you should just leave Floccesy Ranch. Maybe it’s too early. Wait until we’re a little older. Are you going to tell Mother and Father?”
“I plan to, but not now. I want to get stronger first.”
I licked his face. For the first time in a while, he smiled.
“You’re a good sister, Sylvie.”
“Thanks, big brother.”
Even though Moondancer and I are close sometimes, I didn’t agree with his view on humans being all bad. Feeling a little sad about that, I decided to talk to Father.
“Father? Are there such things as bad humans?” I asked later that evening.
“What put that idea in your head?” He asked back, surprised by my question.
“Moondancer says most humans use Pokemon for their own purposes.”
Father and I sat down by Serena’s bed and talked.
“Sylvia, dearie. Moondancer is right in a way. There are bad humans in this world who use Pokemon for evil means. Some even hurt them, even kill them, simply because we’re Pokemon and they think we do not have feelings like they do. That, and they only like the strong Pokemon, not the weak. But that doesn’t mean all humans are bad. Most humans in this world truly love Pokemon, even the weakest ones. Look at Darien and Vicky. They made the ranch so they could save many abandoned Pokemon. They saved me when I needed them the most,” Father explained kindly but solemnly.
“You were abandoned?” I asked, suddenly curious.
“Yes. A trainer who adopted me only wanted me to be strong. I did not meet his expectations, and he decided to throw me into a river so I could die. Darien found me and nursed me back to health before he and Vicky got married. Unlike the trainer who wanted me to be a heartless battle machine, Darien treated me the same way he did Vicky and his family. He made me feel loved and appreciated, even though I considered myself weak and worthless. I found a water stone and evolved into what I am now, and he didn’t mind one bit. Darien took me under his wing, and we partook in many battles together. We met lots of good Pokemon and people. Darien is the kindest man I know, and I’m sure there are people like him and Vicky in the world. Don’t live a life believing that all humans are bad, Sylvia. Someday you’ll find someone who you will love very much, like Bambi has,” Father explained.
“But why would humans like Pokemon?”
“Some people love them because they are mysterious. Some want to learn more about them. Some want to find ways to understand us and help us co-exist with them. Some want to help them become stronger. Some people just simply want a friend who doesn’t judge them or treat them bad and will always be there for them no matter what.”
“Is that why Darien and Vicky adopted Bambi? So Serena can have a special friend?”
Father nodded slowly. “Yes. Serena seems to communicate better with Pokemon than with people, and they decided that having a Pokemon would be good for her. Bambi’s helped Serena, and Serena is helping Bambi, so everyone’s growing and learning in their own way. Oh! It seems Vicky wants me to assist her.”
Vicky asked Father to help her with Serena’s bath so he went with her. This conversation helped me understand a bit more about humans. They’re complex. Sometimes they’re mean, sometimes they’re nice. Everyone is different. Plus, Bambi and Serena get along very well, and they always look so happy when I see them together, so I didn’t want to get in the way of that. Maybe Moondancer saw that as well, but perhaps he doesn’t want to accept that humans can be good. But I knew why he called Serena a dribbling addle-brained girl. She tends to go from sweet and serene to violent and wild in short spans of time over things happening around her.
But that didn’t mean she was a bad person.
The day after my conversations with Moondancer and Father, Vicky had to leave early to pick Serena up from school. Something bad had happened. When they came home, Serena ran to her room crying and screaming loudly. I could see huge tears pouring out of her eyes like the water that the Azurill would shoot out of their mouths. Feeling bad for her, I decided to go into her room. I found her on her bed, cuddling with Bambi while howling into her pillow. While in her room, I accidentally overheard Darien and Vicky talking. Vicky sounded extremely angry.
“I can’t believe that stupid teacher! Those kids picking on her are at fault, yet she had the nerve to claim Serena is the bad one! She isn’t, for God’s sake!”
“What happened, Vicky?”
“Serena told me the boys at school kicked her into the mud and threw dirt and rocks at her! She tried to make them stop, but they outright refused! Then she started screaming and hitting them in retaliation. Mrs. Dunphey called me to pick her up. It’s a good thing Meredith was there and explained everything to me. But that Mrs. Dunphey! I am so sick of her! She claims I don’t discipline her correctly and lectured me about putting her in an institution! She should have punished the boys, but noooo! Those boys have been picking on Serena for months, yet she’s never done one darned thing about it, and she thinks she knows everything! I’m just happy Meredith gave those boys a good scolding herself since that Dunphey lady’s too stupid to care about anything and anyone but herself and her reputation!”
“Not once did she do anything?”
“No! She just stood there watching! She kept yelling at Meredith for sticking her nose in places where she’s not wanted and stupid nonsense like that! Seriously, I want to take Serena out of that wretched school! I should file a lawsuit!”
“I have a friend who’s a lawyer.”
Serena was bullied? And only the one-to-one assistant helped but nobody else would? How horrible! So bad humans do exist after all. Just like father and Moondancer said. But why would humans think other humans are bad simply because they have something they don’t want? I didn’t think something like that seemed right, and Serena cried really hard. What did Serena do that was so bad? It broke my heart to see Serena so sad, so I hopped onto her bed and very gently licked her tear-stained face. She continued to howl, but I didn’t care. I didn’t let it bother me. After licking her some more, her crying lessened and she looked up at me with her sad green eyes. She let me cuddle her and touch her face with my tiny paws. She smiled and hugged me. Bambi did the same, and she made room for him too. She cried into the both of us, but we didn’t mind. Bambi and I looked at each other and smiled, feeling good about doing something nice for her.
After about a few hours of cuddling her and reassuring her with our presence, Serena finally calmed down. Once she did, she dug into her pocket and pulled something out. It’s a pale beige ribbon with a silver letter S carved out of silver. She wrapped it around my big, fluffy neck and tied it around me, with the S in front of me. Serena smiled.
“S for Sylvia. It’s for you. I made it in art class. I made one for Bambi too,” Serena told me. She then pulled something out for Bambi. It’s a blue ribbon with the letter B on it in silver as well. She wrapped it around Bambi’s neck. He blushed and smiled as she tied it around him.
“B for Bambi. You two are my bestest friends!” Serena said with a bit of a stutter upon trying to say friends. After that she hugged the both of us.
Serena’s tender hugs and warm heart despite the hardship she endured really made an impression on me back then. Perhaps Father is right. Not all humans are bad at all. Perhaps me and Bambi are the special friends she really needed since nobody in school except for Meredith likes her.
After she gave us the ribbons, Serena, Bambi, and I played together for the rest of the day. Soon Lucretia, Yuki, an Azurill she named Bubbles, and a Lillipup she named Patrasche, joined us too. We played with toys, listened to music (mostly classical, as Serena loves classical music), played pretend Pokemon battle (Only pretend. We didn’t use any attacks or hurt each other. Serena hates hurting Pokemon), watched TV, ran around in the farm, chased the Mareep, went into the forest to explore, and looked at the purple flowers. When night came, Bambi and I slept with Serena in her bed, hoping she’ll have nice dreams with us around.
This day made me decide what I wanted to be. I still wasn’t sure about what I wanted to evolve into, or whether I wanted to evolve or not, but I definitely decided I wanted to be a friend to those who needed one, to comfort those who are sad and feel as though nobody likes them for who they are. Those who believe they’re worthless and unwanted because people say so. I wanted to remind Serena that she has someone who will always be by her side. I know Bambi’s here for that, but nobody said that someone only needed to have one best friend.
However, nobody, me included, was prepared for what we were going to see tomorrow morning.
When I woke up that morning, I heard the voices of my siblings.
“Wow! Look at you! You’re wicked, bro!”
“Man! You’re black as the night!”
“Congratulations, Moondancer! You evolved!”
“You look so cool!”
What happened to Moondancer? I heard something about evolving, but I wasn’t sure if I heard right, so I ran out into the backyard. Much to my surprise, amongst my mother and father and a gaggle full of Eevee, there’s this strange, black figure standing out starkly among them.
This creature is taller than all of us by at least two feet. His skin is black as the night, with some bright yellow ovals on his slender, spindly legs. Yellow stripes donned his pointed ears and tail, and his eyes are red, like tomatoes, yet they had a strong but gentle sheen in them. My parents and siblings are worshipping this creature. I wasn’t ready to accept what was standing before me, even though I knew I had to.
After all...
“...Moondancer?”
He nodded. “Yes. It’s me, squirt. I evolved. Just last night. I’m an Umbreon now.”
“You look lovely, my son,” Mother said in her kind voice.
“You evolved first! No fair!” Bolt complained.
“Get over it, you silly goose!” Lucretia scolded.
“How’d you do it?” Konoha asked.
“I saw some nasty little Patrat bullying a helpless Riolu, so I stepped in to help. In the heat of the moment, the moon’s light shone down on me and I evolved. I scared them away as soon as they saw me,” Moondancer explained with a smile on his face. He then looked down and me. “Are you sad that I evolved?”
I shook my head. “No. You look great. I’m happy for you,” I lied to him, even though I felt ashamed to do so. It wasn’t his evolution that made me sad.
It was what came afterward.
“Everyone...now that you’re all here, I have something I want to say to you all. You may hate me for saying this, but I wish to tell you all. I...I want to leave Floccesy Ranch,” Moondancer told us, his smile fading.
“What?! You want to leave us?!” Bolt exclaimed.
“Why?! Don’t you love us anymore?!” Yuki yelled. This is very unlike him, as he never yells.
“Hush, children. Let Moondancer speak,” Mother told them. They quieted down, even though I could tell that in their hearts, they wanted to yell and scream and berate Moondancer for his announcement.
“I don’t think there is a future for me here in Floccesy Ranch, even though I am grateful for Darien and Vicky’s kindness...and yours. I want to travel the world, meet many Pokemon, and become a strong Pokemon. I want to show the world that I’m strong and will not let anyone step on me,” Moondancer explained.
“You are a fine Pokemon, Moondancer. If that’s what you want, then we will not stop you from fulfilling your dream,” Father said softly.
“But Papa! Dancer’s gonna leave us forever! Aren’t you the least bit sad?!” Lucretia yelped tearfully.
“I won’t be gone forever. I’ll come back and visit whenever I can,” Moondancer said.
“You liar!” Bolt snapped.
“Bolt! Don’t call Moon a liar! He never lies!” Konoha snapped back. I had to agree with Konoha. It’s very unlike Bolt to call Moondancer a liar, and Moondancer, despite his aloofness, is usually known for being extremely brutally honest.
“Children! Stop bickering at once!” Mother commanded. Bolt and Konoha stopped arguing, but everyone was sad at this point.
“I’m sorry for deciding this so suddenly, and it is not my intention to make you all sad. I have a feeling that my time here in Floccesy Ranch will only open up an opportunity for a trainer to capture me, and I don’t want to live my life as someone’s slave. I hope you all understand,” Moondancer explained softly.
I turned to Mother and Father. I could see that they’re trying to hold back tears, yet they looked so calm and serene. Lucretia burst into tears right off. Alseides just looked away. Konoha, Vapor, and Yuki all looked down at the grass, trying not to cry. Bolt continued to howl angrily. All I did was stare at his new, sleek, black fur.
“Are you sure this is what you want to do, Moondancer?” Mother asked.
“Yes, Mother. I hope you’ll forgive me for not thinking about you guys,” Moondancer said sadly.
“It’s alright. If this is what you want, then go and fulfill your dream. We’ll support you all the way. After all, I did tell you and your siblings to live your lives the way you wish after all. But most importantly: never forget who you are,” Mother told him.
“I’ll come back whenever I can, and I’ll show you all my new powers. Goodbye,” Moondancer muttered softly.
“Take care of yourself, my son,” Father said.
Moondancer nodded and proceeded to go in the opposite direction. Right toward the gate that lead to the next route. Suddenly, I found myself hopping in front of him.
“Don’t go! I’ll miss you!” I pleaded tearfully, not wanting him to go. I could see the sadness in his eyes as well. He gave me a sad smile and licked my furry head gently.
“I’ll miss you too, Sylvia. But there’s more to the world than just Floccesy Ranch, and if I want to protect you all, I have to get stronger. You understand, don’t you?” Moondancer told me.
“But what if someone catches you? What if you never come back?” I asked tearfully. Now the tears fell, and I could feel my fluffy cheeks moistening.
“I’m not so stupid as to let myself be caught by silly humans. We Umbreon are intelligent and nocturnal. I won’t go down so easily. Perhaps when you decide what you want to be, maybe we’ll meet again. Partings don’t last forever, you know?” Moondancer said.
I didn’t know about that last part. As much as I wanted Moondancer to stay, he seemed so set on his decision, and I feared that if I whined and complained and persisted in making him stay, he’d get mad, and I didn’t want him to get angry. I’ve seen him get angry, and he’s much worse than Bolt. I could hear Bolt screaming back at the ranch but I tried not to pay attention. With one last smile and lick on the cheek, Moondancer finally left in the daylight. He disappeared once he turned a corner, and all of a sudden, I couldn’t see him anymore. I stayed there for so long, I failed to notice Bambi coming up right next to me.
“Where’s Moondancer going?” Bambi asked innocently, unaware of what just happened.
“On a journey. He says he wants to get stronger,” I told him.
“You okay?”
“No. My big brother just left and...what if he doesn’t come back?”
I cried into Bambi’s fur and he didn’t seem to mind. We sat down together and he licked my head again, like how Moondancer did. I wondered how life would be without him (Moondancer). But then I remembered. Moondancer was never very social, and whenever we had special occasions together, it always seemed as though he was never there, even though we always acknowledged that he was. I wondered if he always thought about leaving. Maybe he planned it all along, feeling like all we Eevee do is play and frolic and not do much of anything. Once I stopped crying, however, I hoped that Moondancer would be happy with his new life.
It didn’t occur to me that later on, the rest of my family would soon disappear one by one.
