*This story is going to be focusing on the character, Gary Oak and his Eevee evolving into Umbreon. Since we never saw Eevee actually evolve into Umbreon, it is left to our imaginations why Eevee evolved in the first place. In the anime, there are many reasons why Pokémon evolve. Since an Eevee needs a high level of friendship with its trainer to evolve into Umbreon, I believe friendship was a key factor with Gary's Eevee. **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. *
A young trainer stood confident taking in this new region called Johto. He absorbed his surroundings taking in any sights of any new Pokémon he might suddenly encounter or any opponents worthy to battle. He had overly spiky auburn hair, wore a purplish blue shirt, jeans and tan boots. He also wore a blue and green pendant necklace. His name was Gary Oak.
Gary smiled confidently. He felt ready for whatever the Johto region brought him. He enjoyed traveling by himself. Sometimes it would get lonely traveling alone, but he felt it was crucial to focus on his training methods and learn and grow from them. He felt there was so much he needed to learn about Pokémon, and the best way to do that was by traveling alone. It gave him a sense of newfound confidence. Those cheerleaders that accompanied him back in Kanto were just a false sense of confidence. Gary was hesitant to admit this, but it was true. Besides, he wasn't really lonely. He reached for a Poke ball.
With a flash of white light, an Eeevee appeared.
"Okay, Eeevee! We're in a new region with new Pokémon to battle, so we have to really train if we're going to continue to be any good."
Eevee wagged its tail excitingly. This Eevee seemed to have the same confident nature its trainer had.
Eevee had a vast amount of energy just waiting to be unleashed in a Pokémon battle. Its fur was soft and shiny meaning that it was well taken care of. Gary had to admit, Eevee was quite cute even though he really wasn't into how cute a Pokémon looked. Strength was more important than looks as far as he was concerned.
"Okay, Eevee! Let's start out by working on your tackle attack!" Gary said. He figured a Pokémon would have to be agile and swift to pull off a notable tackle attack. So, Gary decided to work on Eevee's speed. He pointed out a wide grass area. "Run as fast as you can to that tree over there. I'll time you. After that, run back to try and beat your record. Go!"
"Eevee!" Eevee took off with a mad dash as dirt and grass flew. Eevee ran as fast as it could. It focused on its trainer's orders thoroughly wanting to make its trainer proud. Eevee reached the tree, paused for just a few seconds, and ran back just a bit faster than the first time. It stood in front of Gary and wagged its tail happily.
Gary patted Eevee's head. "That was awesome, Eevee! You did ten seconds the first time, and then seven seconds the last time. We'll just keep working hard with training and focusing on your attacks and your agility."
"Eevee!"
Gary took out another Poke ball. This time, an arcanine appeared. It too appeared strong and well trained.
"Alright, you two! Let's get down with some training! Arcanine, use fire blast on Eevee! Eevee, dodge it!"
Arcanine and Eevee stood confident facing each other like rivals both determined to win. Arcanine geared up to let out a powerful fire blast. Eevee did not hesitate to shift to the side dodging the canine pokemon's fire attack.
"Good job, Eevee! Arcanine, you too!" Gary said. "Now Eevee, use skull bash on Arcanine and Arcanine, dodge that attack!"
Eevee stepped back preparing for a skull bash attack. As Eevee charged, Arcanine was ready to dodge. Eevee was so close to landing a successful attack but Arcanine had dodged Eevee's attack just in the knick of time.
After a few hours of training with Eevee and Arcanine, Gary was a bit tired from training and knew that Eevee and Arcanine must have been tired too. He sat down in the grass, reached into his knapsack and pulled out a bag of Pokémon food and two dishes.
"Okay, Eevee and Arcanine. I'm sure you must be hungry," Gary said pouring the food into the dish.
Eevee munched on the Pokémon food right away. So did Arcanine.
Gary shrugged and pulled out a sandwich from his knapsack. He had to admit he was bit hungry. He sat with Eevee and Arcanine by his side as they all enjoyed their lunch enjoying the views that Johto had to offer.
Looking off into the distance, he thought about his journey in the Johto region and what was waiting for him there. He reflected on what he had learned in Kanto. It was a hard pill to swallow, but he had been far too arrogant back in Kanto. He thought he had what it took to wipe out any trainer in the Indigo Plateau. He was wrong, and he realized that he had a lot to learn about Pokémon training.
He remembered one particular trainer. It was his rival, Ash Ketchum. That guy was so far behind! Had he even gotten to Johto yet? Gary smirked but thought about his rather snobby comment. He had to give Ash credit though. He had to admit; the guy really cared for his Pokémon and was actually a decent trainer. Ash believed in forming a strong bond with one's Pokémon. He glanced over at Arcanine, then over at Eevee. The little Pokémon wagged its tail content as it ate its food. Forming a friendly bond with his Pokémon, huh? Gary undeniably cared for his Pokémon, but he didn't see the point in being best friends.