Celestic Town, Sinnoh Region

"Cythnia! Mom! Dad! Come quick! Something is happening to the egg!"

Matthew sat on the floor of his bedroom staring intently at the Pokemon egg which had begun to glow and shake in the early morning sunlight. The egg had been a gift from his parents on his 8th birthday only four months ago and he had begun to worry that the cold from the winter snows would prevent him from taking it on trips around town like Professor Rowan had suggested. When the weather had grown colder, Matthew had stolen several fluffy scarfs from his sister's room to build a makeshift nest for the egg which sat under a lamp on his desk.

"Mom, can you tell Matthew to stop yelling! It's Saturday, I shouldn't have to be up so early!"

"Cynthia! You should be more excited! You've never seen a Pokemon hatch before. Even that little Gible of yours was given to you in a Pokeball." Matthew's father hurried into the room, what was left of his gray-black hair sticking up in every direction but down. Despite how early in the morning it was, their father had a sparkle in his eye and a massive grin on his face.

"Who cares? It's not like Matthew is going to get to train the Pokemon anytime soon."

"If I didn't know any better Cynthia, I would say you were jealous." their mother stepped into the room followed by her ever-present companion, Molly, her partner Flareon. Dad's own Pokemon, Whiskey the Umbreon followed close behind. In the doorway, Cynthia leaned against the door frame as her little Gible who she hadn't named tried to push his way in.

"Shhh! I don't want you to scare it! It's happening!" Matthew giggled as a bright light began to warm his face.

A faint cracking noise could be heard from somewhere in the center of the bright light before the entire egg's shell exploded outward in confetti of color.

"Vee? Vee, vee?"

"It's an Eevee! Look how perfect he is!" Matthew screamed, before quickly covering his mouth remembering the newborn Pokemon's sensitive hearing.

"Haha. That Eevee is a girl! Look at her tail, you can tell from the little heart shaped coloring." Matthew's father chuckled as he watched the little Eevee's large brown eyes scan the room.

"Vee?" The little Eevee stood up and shook out its long fur of any remaining eggshell.

After sniffing the air a bit the little Pokemon climbed up Matthew's legs so it could be eye to eye with the young boy. The two stared at each other for a moment, neither one making a move. Seemingly satisfied by what she found, Eevee gently knocked her forehead against Matthew's before giving him a light lick on the nose.

"Looks like Eevee knows who its trainer is already. It can tell that you were the one who protected its egg." Matthew's mother had moved to stand next to her husband weaving her arms through his.

"Do you think so too Dad?" Matthew asked as Eevee settled herself in his lap.

"Without a doubt! Congratulations Matt, you just found your partner Pokemon! Let's all get dressed and we can get some breakfast before we take little Eevee there to the clinic to make sure she is good and healthy."

"Hey baby bro, do you have a name for the pipsqueak?" Cynthia asked, trying and failing to conceal her excitement over the morning's events.

"I have an idea but I want to make sure Eevee likes it too!"

Matthew gently picked Eevee up and turned her to face him. She gave no resistance to being held and even seemed to enjoy her new found view of the world from in Matthew's arms. Her tail wagged furiously scattering the eggshells on the floor across the carpet and under his bed.

"Eevee, my name is Matthew! If it's ok by you, I would really like us to be friends and maybe one day you could be my partner Pokemon!"

"Vee! Vee!" at that Eevee made a sound almost like a giggle. In excitement, the little Pokemon wiggled out of Matthew's hands and wrapped herself around the boy's shoulders.

"I'll take that as a yes! As for your name, I was thinking of Leia? What do you think?"

"Veeveeveevee!" the small Pokemon squealed with delight before covering Matthew's face in licks.

"Then it's settled! Matthew and Leia! Taking on the world!"

Route 210, Sinnoh Region

"Thanks for the shipment, Kati! Dad is always forgetting to order more Moomoo Milk for the clinic." Matthew spoke over his shoulder as he loaded the last case of milk bottles into the small cart attached to his bike.

"For one of the beat Pokemon Doctors in the world, your father has a tendency to be very forgetful. Lucky he has you to assist him!"

"Yea, but I don't know what he will do next month!"

"Oh, that's right! You start classes at Professor Rowan's Pokemon Academy next month right?"

"Yep! Leia and I have been training non-stop so that we are ready for classes. We've only waited two years to get going! I'll be 11 next month then it's just two years of school before I can start off on my own!" At the mention of her name, Matthew's Eevee, Leia, perked her ears up from where she was happily snacking on a berry in the front basket of her trainer's bike.

"You've got big plans! Trying to catch up to your sister? I hear she already has 6 badges."

"Cynthia has always been the queen of battling. I just want to explore, meet new Pokemon and see new places! If I win some badges along the way that would be great, but I am not in any rush!"

"Well, you should rush home now! Don't want the doctor thinking I kept his star assistant and besides your trip back will be slower with those milk bottles. Just make sure you stop by the Cafe Cabin before you head off to school to say goodbye." with that Kati the cabin's lead waitress kissed the top of Matthew's head before skipping up the steps with her Clefairy.

Route 210 curved along the base of Mt. Coronet and connected Celestic Town and Solaceon Town. Made up of wide open plains of grass, small thickets of towering oak and maple trees, and the routes famous waterfall bridges, Route 210 was popular with tourists and trainers alike. Matthew had spent a great deal of time training with Eevee here against the wild Pokemon and the group of boys his age who liked to refer to themselves as the "Ninja Boys." Of course, the route was most well known for the Cafe Cabin, a small store, and restaurant that was the only place in Sinnoh that sold Moomoo Milk. The milk's healing properties were perfect to use on resting Pokemon and people at his father's medical clinic.

Today was a perfect day to be out and about, which had made Matthew all the more excited about running this particular errand for his father. Overhead the sun lazily crossed the sky as big white puffy clouds rode the breeze. Kati was right, the trip back was always much harder with the shipments attached to his bike, but he didn't mind, just gave him more of an excuse to stop along the way. He had stopped just east of the waterfall bridges to stretch and grab a drink of water when he heard rustling in the nearby grass. Before he could even say something, Eevee was out of her basket and standing protectively in front of him. Soon the rustling grew a bit louder and Matthew could just make out the vague shape of a Pokemon.

"It's a Roselia!" Matthew exclaimed

The small Thorn-Pokemon had not noticed the unusual pair as it fanned out its flower petals to catch the afternoon sun. From the size and behavior, the Pokemon was probably on the younger side, which gave Matthew the sense of confidence he needed.

"Eevee, we should catch it! Ready?" Eevee looked back at Matthew and nodded, a strong look of determination in her eyes.

"Ok! Eevee use Quick Attack!" With a burst of speed, the small brown Pokemon charged forward at the wild Pokemon. The attack was fast, catching the grass-type off guard, sending it flying into the air.

With the flexibility and grace of a dancer, the Roselia twisted in the air and released a barrage of leaves from the two flowers on its hands. The Magical Leaf charged towards Eevee who did her best to avoid the attack which followed her.

"Eevee you can't dodge Magical Leaf. Use Quick Attack to charge at Roselia so it hits both of you"

In a quick zigzag across the field, Eevee changed direction and started towards Roselia. The two Pokemon collided as both Quick Attack and Magical Leaf collided. Both Pokemon quickly recovered though Matthew could tell Roselia was getting tired.

"You are doing great Eevee! Let's finish this up! Use Shadow Ball!"

Eevee and Matthew had been practicing Shadow Ball since Cynthia had sent him the TM a few weeks ago. She had picked it up at the Battle Park while training for her 7th Gym Battle and thought it would be a great move for Eevee to know considering it had so few options for long-range moves. The dark purple ball of energy formed just off the tip of Eevee's nose but grew to be roughly twice as large as the little Pokemon. With a grunt, Eevee pushed the Shadow Ball forward the attack picking up speed as it shot through the air. Unfortunately, Matthew had misjudged how tired Roselia actually was. The grass-type had used his hesitancy to regain a bit of strength, enough to leap into the air completely dodging Eevee's attack. The Shadow Ball ripped through the tall grass as it was sent slamming into the trunk of a tree which vibrated at the impact. For a moment everything was quiet until Matthew heard the faint sound of clicking wings.

"Oh, no. Roselia get out of here! Eevee back to the bike now!" Matthew took off running as the first Pokemon burst from the upper branches of the tree.

While most commonly found hiding in tall grass the Bug-type Pokemon, Scyther often make their nests in upper portions of tall trees. It was especially common to find small swarms of Scyther grouped together in trees around the base of Mt. Coronet to prevent them from getting caught in sudden floods from the mountains snow melts. Normally, despite their fearsome appearance the Mantis Pokemon were gentle and timid choosing to stay away from any trainers or Pokemon battles. It seemed that Eevee's Shadow Ball had been mistaken as an attack on their nest.

Behind them, the Scyther had taken to the ground where they were faster and able to move in a wider formation around the fleeing trainer and his Pokemon. Eevee, while not injured, was struggling to keep up with Matthew as they reached the bike. In a single motion, Matthew plucked Eevee off the ground depositing her in the basket, kicked the bike stand off the ground, and grabbed his helmet. With a solid push, the bike began to make its way west towards Celestic Town. Matthew had hoped that the sound of the mountain waterfall which filled the small bridge covered lake would deter the Bug-type swarm chasing them. Taking his eyes off the road for a second to look behind them, Matthew saw that the swarm was closing in on them. Eevee gave a startled cry causing Matthew to turn forward and slam his feet into the ground, sending the bottles of Moomoo Milk scattering out of their boxes. He had miscalculated his speed.

Standing directly in front of the entrance to the first bridge home was the largest Scyther, Matthew had ever seen. The Pokemon's wings beat furiously as it used its long claws to gouge deep trenches in the ground, a common sign of hostility. All around him the swarm moved and chattered creating a circle around his bike and blocking all chances at escape. Quietly, Matthew took off his helmet and stood to face the Scyther leader. Eevee wiggled her way out of the basket but was stopped by her trainer's hand.

"You stay in that basket. I'm not letting you get hurt." Matthew said flatly before rubbing Eevee behind her right ear where she liked.

"Scyther, please accept my apologies! My Eevee and I did not mean to disrupt your nest. We were battling a Roselia when an attack missed and hit your tree. Please calm down."

The swarm chattered loudly, the once dull clicking now sounding like a hundred guns being loaded. With a cry of pure rage, the lead Scyther swiped at Matthew with the blunt side of its scythe. He was knocked back hard into the dirt, a small dribble of blood dripping from where the end of the scythe cut through his sleeve. Eevee refused to be contained any longer. With a cry, she lept from her basket and shot a Shadow Ball at the attacking Scyther.

"Eevee, no!"

Her attack took the larger Pokemon by surprise hitting it in the head sending it tumbling backward. The rest of the swarm paused, watching their leader which gave Eevee the opportunity to launch itself into the air and let loose a wide arcing Swift attack. Glowing stars of energy slammed into the angered Pokemon sending some into the dirt while others shielded their eyes from the dirt caused from where the attack missed its target. Eevee landed in front of Matthew, panting from the strength of her two attacks which were far more powerful than anything she had produced before. The lead Scyther had regained its footing and looked around at its comrades who worked to shake off the after-effects of the Swift attack. Matthew stared at the Pokemon's eyes and found only rage. With a cry more fitting of a Luxray than a Scyther, the leader launched forward at Eevee, members of the swarm close behind.

Matthew acted on instinct and adrenaline. Closing his eyes he launched forward colliding with the larger Scyther as it reached Eevee. His momentum carried Pokemon and human forward over the bridge and into the cold mountain waters. The minute his body hit the water, Matthew was made aware of the burst of pain along his left arm and up his side. Screaming in pain he tried desperately to kick himself up knowing his arm would be no use in this condition. His legs felt numb, the cold of the water mixed with the exhaustion of their failed escape left him without the ability to navigate the rushing waters.

"I'm coming for you, Matthew! Hold on! I'm coming for you." Where was that voice coming from? Had he lost so much blood or air that he was hallucinating?

Suddenly, Matthew felt a great tugging sensation as his body was lifted out of the water and deposited on the plank bridge. He coughed violently, struggling to gulp down as much air as possible to fill his empty lungs. Slowly he lifted his eyes forward to a sight that he would never forget in his entire life.

Where the bridge connected to the dirt path of the route stood a sparkling purple Pokemon. Roughly the size of a small dog, the Pokemon stood on four light but muscled legs, perfectly balanced on a long forked tail. Of course, the Pokemon's appearance was less incredible than the scene playing out in front of it. Wrapped in the purple aura connected to Psychic energy and Psychic-type Pokemon, the small Pokemon had pulled the water from the lake in front of them creating a massive wall which towered above even the tallest tree on the route. On the opposite side of the wall, the angry Scyther attempted to claw their way through only to be met with long whips of ice cold water. Struggling for freedom and air in the center of the wall of water was the Scyther leader, who twisted and spun with no possibility of escape.

"Eevee… is that… did you evolve?" Matthew struggled to form his sentence.

With a defiant cry and a flick of its tail, the Pokemon launched the wall of the water and the trapped Pokemon forward crashing into the angered swarm. Wet, afraid, and injured the once vengeful Scyther fled into the safety of the tall grass. The mysterious Pokemon which Matthew identified as an Espeon, turned and ran over to his side. Gingerly it leaned forward and touched the red crystal on its forehead to his forehead passing a wave of warmth and love through him.

"It is you Leia. You evolved!"

You stupid stupid boy! You could have gotten yourself killed! Throwing yourself at an angry Pokemon like that.

"How are you talking to me?"

I'm not sure. When I evolved it was like a string between you and I was pulled tight and instantly I knew where you were. But don't change the subject! You charged at a Scyther and could have gotten yourself killed!

"And you pulled me out of a lake, and created a wall of water taller than most buildings! Care to explain that?"

The two looked at each other for a long moment, before breaking out in laughter. Espeon quickly tackled her trainer nuzzling her new velvet purple fur against his face as he hugged her tightly. Eventually, the two got to their feet and collected the Moomoo Milk bottles that had scattered across the ground, only a few having broken against rocks or fallen into the lake. Together Pokemon and Trainer walked side by side across the bridge and back towards their home.