A long time ago, there was a little town full of eevee. No evolutions in sight. Eevee used to grow bigger and more diverse than they do now. You could catch them with stripes, or bars, or spots, of all shades of fur. And the Eevee were happy. They had all they could ever need in their little town, and so they stayed. Or at least, most of them did.

The first few who decided their hometown wasn't enough was three close friends: Flare, Vapor, and Jolt. Mist and Ghoul, a pair of less close friends, tried to talk them out of it. They had so much here already, after all; they don't need to leave everyone else behind. But, each relying on the support of the other two, remained set on the notion of leaving, even if only for a little while. They had to agree to return relatively soon before anyone would let them venture into the surrounding forests.

And into the unknown they went. Surely there were worlds besides their own out there, right? What could be more rewarding than finding something new?

But of course, the three found themselves grossly unprepared and grew unsettled. Jolt wanted to go home, Flare grew irritated with the notion they might fail, and Vapor tried their best not to rock the boat. They had no food, no shelter, but some water, though that didn't make them feel much better. For a full week the trio wandered.

Their prayers were soon answered, however. A village appeared on the horizon; or rather, within the horizon. Flare scurried ahead in triumph with a tired Jolt and Vapor in tow; not to say they didn't share their companion's enthusiasm. They finally did it. They found somewhere new.

The village itself was incredible, constructed in a deep impression in the ground. Deep grooves ran between the walls of the town and what had to be its buildings. Vapor was entranced, but Flare was wondering where all the residents were. Jolt suggested they get a move on and find somewhere to spend the night. Vapor happily, and Flare begrudgingly, obliged.

The village was explored, and to the delight of everyone, food was discovered. Stores and stores of dried fruits were packed into a building near the center. None of them could complain about the consistency when they hadn't really eaten in days, though Jolt hesitated to give the dull tastes a chance. They hadn't been as lucky when scouring for beds, but after searching the entire thing they were all happy to call it a night wherever and whenever possible. The three friends slept under the closest roof for hours, stomachs finally full. None of them woke until next afternoon.

Flare was the first to stir and took the opportunity to wake up the other two as soon as possible. Nothing had changed while they slept, but Flare's plan was to gather as many supplies as they could and keep moving. Jolt nodded along, but Vapor, oddly, didn't seem to like that idea. The other two were surprised. Vapor had never been a very opinionated soul as far as they new, but there the eevee was, refusing to leave. Flare was almost hurt. They'd decided to go together, after all. But Vapor insisted they'd found something they truly enjoyed for once. This village made them happy, more than anything back home ever had. An argument broke out and Vapor only withdrew. Flare, demanding Jolt follow, stormed out.

Before long Flare and Jolt were on the road again, leaving Vapor to their own devices.

Needless to say the trip was less fun with only two adventurers. Flare began to doubt their own motives and methods, which only made them more frustrated. They should be able to handle this, right? Well, maybe not. After some discussion, the two agreed to head home.

Unfortunately, neither could remember which direction they had come from. Jolt began to panic, so Flare took to keeping a calm face on and suggested they scout in a few directions for anything familiar and come back. They had food now, after all. They could handle they journey better this time. Jolt was hesitant to go off alone, but agreed. Jolt trusted Flare and Flare trusted Jolt.

The storm that was brewing, however, didn't trust either of them. Only minutes after the two set off in different directions, rain began to fall. Before they knew it, the sky was pouring and thundering at an alarming rate. Both of them were horribly lost, but continued forwards in hopes of finding anything at all.

Flare took refuge in what appeared to be a cave, scrambling for anywhere that was warmer and dryer than where they were before. They were all alone now, heaven knows what happened to Jolt and Vapor. It ate at Flare. Their big adventure, a failure. It made them so upset, and the storm wasn't helping. Jolt was lost somewhere amidst the ocean of trees, and Vapor… Vapor had never been happy with them in the first place. Flare wanted to scream. It was all wrong. Maybe they should have just stayed home.

And then someone found them.

The town of eevee-no one called it anything, for they never went anywhere else-grew worried over the next few months. Rumors and whispers arose about the missing nature of their three most adventurous friends. Eventually a handful of volunteers decided to set out and search for them, and three teams were organized.

Umbra and Esper were among the first to volunteer; the former cared deeply about every eevee life, whereas the latter was more or less bored with their life as it was. Glace and Leaf were both young and excitable, and practically inseparable. Sylvan and Eon were an odd pair, but no one questioned their well-meaning. Both Ghoul and Mist had offered halfhearted help, but didn't follow through. Both were afraid, but nobody really blamed them. Ghoul sniffed back tears as they watched the small parties trickle out of their homes and out into what they could only assume was the harsh outside world. Mist didn't believe success was possible out there, but kept their mouth shut.

Esper quickly grew weary of Umbra's worried rambles and offered a thought of their own: how could they expect to find anyone if they had both no idea where they went and no idea how far they traveled? Umbra seemed offended that Esper didn't bother hoping, in response to which Esper explained they were only here to get out of town. Agreeing to disagree, the two went their separate ways.

Glace and Leaf kept each other going. Everything was a game to the pair and they were alright with that. They bounded through the forest, trying to enjoy as much of it as possible. Never being close with the first three adventurers, they quickly forgot the point of their endeavor. The next point of interest was soon a colorful bundle of berries, which Leaf decided to taste. Immediately Leaf fell ill and collapsed. Overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation, Glace decided to run. They never thought something like that would happen to them, out of anyone.

Sylvan and Eon were silent for most of their journey, neither wanting to admit what they were thinking. Sylvan never wanted to come back, and Eon had promised themself they'd turn and run for home at the soonest opportunity. They ate, slept, and continued forwards in dead silence, neither having the heart to leave the other alone.

Not a single one of them returned home. The reclusive little eevee town was grief-stricken, and collectively decided not to let anyone else leave the safety of their home ever again...

"...So, that's why I can't go outside at night? Does the story keep going?"

"You can't go outside at night because you're a growing little eevee and you need your sleep. Never mind the story, it's getting late. I'll tell you the rest tomorrow."

"..You promise?"

"I promise. Now goodnight, Miru."

"G'night, mom."