Disclaimer: Yeah… I don't own Pokémon. There. I'm just a random person in this vast world that likes Pokémon, and that lead me to liking to write about these strange creatures. This one-shot has been revised in random spots, hence why the beginning of this might have better writing then further paragraphs down the line, but I'll get around to fixing that. Maybe. Eventually. I'm a very lazy person, sorry. X3 Regardless, I hope you enjoy!
The day wasn't the nicest for this foxlike creature. His dust brown pelt thrashed through thorny foliage as he struggled and faltered in a stumbling dash, running—from what, it was unclear by a mere glance, the quadrupedal already having outrun the person. A mane of silky, creamy fur draped around his little neck, thick and soft and colored a vanilla hue, but various twigs knotted throughout it in unkempt, leafy tangles. The cub's matted-furred legs shuddered in this aimless run, unstable and weak from fatigue, and a tiny heart thrashed heavily within his ribcage as if flailing for escape. This eevee's ruffled physique glared with panic, the utmost primal fear; he desperately needed to escape this unknown someone as if he or she embodied death itself.
I'm still being followed. He's still after me. The little Pokémon's thoughts rambled the same phrases over and over, almost blurring together in his head. I can't stop yet! A burst of adrenaline kicked his sore paws forward and he rushed faster through this forest. The energy dried from his blood as soon as it arrived, however, and his legs felt to collapse from the overexertion. Despite this, the eevee muscled through the pain, deciding to run and run some more until his body would ultimately fail him and he truly collapsed. This eevee couldn't let his pursuer's grubby hands to yank him up from the tail—he'd rather die than be captured again.
The cub's poor, mistreated body couldn't endure the abuse and shortage of air. One forepaw flew in front of the other almost like subconscious sabotage, and the eevee to tripped over his own paws, tumbling forward and falling down steep, grassy slopes. He scrambled blindly for purchase but he rolled helplessly—he couldn't stop himself, too drained of energy—and barreled through wild weeds, numerous low-hanging branches, and other nearby nature until the hill evened out. The eevee lay battered on the leveled ground, whimpering from the aches surging up and throughout his body and rasping desperately for fresh air in his strained lungs. Whether he liked it or not, the eevee had to rest, and he'd have to do so in unconsciousness.
An hour passed, and a sharp, greedy inhale shot through his senses, as if the cub escaped a near drowning. The eevee's slim, angular ears twitched; spots of black left his vision. Then, a slow, paced exhale: his tensed muscles began to relax and unwind. Inhaling and exhaling felt like remarkable events to the eevee as life and consciousness flooded him again. Memories dawned on his awakening mind, and when his breathing eventually returned to normal, he managed to sit up.
That was rough…
The eevee fought for a moment to stand, unbelieving to the fact that he could actually enjoy a moment of peace, but throbbing muscles forced him immobile and he instead absorbed the quiet scenery around him. There weren't any worrisome disruptions in the forest's tranquil atmosphere, soft leaves fluttering on their branches from light, afternoon breezes as they always did Thus, the eevee hesitantly assumed his Pokémon trainer, the one he had ran so hectically from, was long gone. This consoling standstill of action was welcomed to the relieved cub, and he reluctantly relaxed for the time being.
The eevee started to reflect about his escape since it, besides the solacing nature encompassing him, consumed his mind and thoughts at the moment. The eevee's ex-trainer was just like any other, striving to be the very best by aiming to conquer the Pokémon League, and this dream started off with streams of avid ambition. Eventually, the dream chipped away once the trainer realized how difficult it was to achieve, and the goal became a forgotten, dismissed memory. The human lost sight of the reason he set out travelling in the first place. It waned away along with his good nature; treating Pokémon kindly, with love and care, had long since disappeared from his ideals. Pokémon weren't sentient creatures but tools in his eyes.
Now, imagine hearing countless times from passerby about a rare, valuable Pokémon, and then you hatched it from a Pokémon egg. That—that very thing happened to the trainer. The brown-and-cream furred creature, an eevee, was one of the rarest one could get. Eevees are well-known for their diverse choices in evolution, and all eight types helped trainers with forming a superior, balanced team of Pokémon that few can match up against in battle. The trainer even named his eevee by Champ—the little cub despised it.
The one formally known as Champ refused to be referenced by it anymore, rather being nameless.
When the human started brutal training to prepare the eevee for battles, he was just born: a kit, a cub, a pup. As an addition to that, the eevee thought of battling as immoral, wincing every time an attack landed on its intended target and whenever forced to attack others. This had provoked the eevee to run away, and it's evident he successfully did so. However, since the eevee only planned out jailbreak and nothing else, the little fox had no idea what to do next in that large forest. The nameless eevee finally escaped his human, but the eevee's guarantee of safety was gone as well.
The fox's ears pricked at that last realization. He may have been tormented constantly in training, but at least the eevee wouldn't die with the human—well, possibly not, that is. Although, in the wild, the eevee couldn't possibly defend himself; he was just a small, tired kit. He'd become some predator's meal if he couldn't find shelter soon. The eevee leapt to his paws in panic, ignoring his protesting muscles; he was alone, vulnerable, and an exhausted, wild Pokémon.
Other, captive Pokémon would be craving for what the evolution fox had. His freedom was only a matter of luck and fortunate mercy from Arceus. Yet the newly wild was already, ironically, craving for the black abyss known as a Poké ball. The eevee had smacked it out of his trainer's hand seconds prior to commencing his escape; it smashed and shattered against a tree trunk. It granted the eevee a guaranteed life away from the trainer if the kit could outrun him. An image of cylinder-shaped, tasteless, dry pellets that were oddly appealing to Pokémon crystalized distinctly in the youngling's mind. Thoughts of the bland, Pokémon food caused hunger to gnaw at the fox's stomach; being born in a trainer's care was almost a sure sign of the strikingly-accurate phrase, 'once a pet, always a pet.'
The eevee rested back down in a patch of ferns, timidly viewing the vegetation that surrounded him. Which way should I go? the scared fox wondered. He remained there for a moment, panicking internally with his rampant thoughts and quick heartbeat, but eventually climbed back up to his paws. He chose a random path and began to trudge through numberless weeds, knowing that soon—hopefully—there would be some form of a new home and he'd escape the scathing wilderness. The eevee wasn't meant to be a wild Pokémon; that much he was sure of, and he definitely couldn't return to that abusive trainer.
The bright green canopy above him lost its rays of pure sunlight. Shadows linked and formed, deep twilight threatening to consume the forest within a matter of hours. That kind of time could pass shockingly quickly if you were lost; the eevee needed to find somewhere to sleep and fast. The eevee hoped a wandering Pokémon would come by and offer a home; he wanted to be with someone, anyone, again.
More time passed. The eevee's legs were trembling and begging for rest, and his ears started drooping from his lack of strength. His stomach was so empty that he felt lighter, yet at the same time his shoulders, ears, and tail felt stuffed with rocks. The treetops above him were rimmed pink from the sun blinking out of the sky; clouds and several, vibrant colors dominated the usual blue and were rapidly darkening. If the eevee just looked up through the gaps in the canopy, he could've witnessed the uplifting, setting beauty. Maybe it would've cheered him up and rejuvenate some hope in his weakened state. However, his disheartened gaze remained on the grass. The way he mindlessly stepped around the trees and how he trudged at such a lagging, mesmerizing pace betrayed how deep in thought the lost creature was. Where would he go? Find another trainer? What if all humans were bad; what if he had to live in that forest the rest of his life?
Even without experiencing it more than an hour or two, survival in the wild proved to be a challenge despite the battered, fatigued eevee not encountering any predators yet. The eevee's current damage was barely anything to a born-wild Pokémon. How could he even live a day in such a brutal place? There needed to be an extremely kind human to raise the abused creature: one that would love and treasure the eevee. A human that would overlook an eevee's unique, adaptable genetics and see how big a heart one can have.
When the rosy rims of light around the treetops had severely darkened, the eevee stumbled upon a sort of clearing. Some crooked trees stood on the open-spaced outskirts of the area, making leaves droop overhead a small meadow of flowers. Soft, white petals plagued the field with a strange depth of awe. The brown fox stiffened; it wasn't from the beautiful meadow dappled in evening light that caused this or the light blue cottage laying some meters away, but a human.
Humans weren't common in forests, mainly taking habit in those rough, polluted areas normally called towns or cities. Despite this fact, the eevee also knew that some humans liked to reside in forests because of how clean and peaceful they were. If that girl was one of those country humans, then the eevee liked her already. The little fox presumed that she lived in that neat, cozy cottage a short distance away; he'd appreciate living in a place such as that.
Wait, no, the eevee thought dismissively, roughly shaking his head. All humans can be bad. The poor, young eevee wasn't sure if humans were trustworthy anymore, especially because of the horrible experiences with his past trainer. Good, bad? It was impossible for him to tell. The brown fox knew he had to take a cautious approach whether or not it was only a human cub. The eevee started to stalk through the daises, hoping they'd conceal him so he could observe without detection, and discover if the playful girl was a friend or foe.
Aleu absolutely adored the daisy field. The fresh, forest air and the nature surrounding her always made the little girl extremely tranquil. Aleu felt safe out there, too, since her parents were watching just from inside their cottage. Aleu carelessly picked out a wilting, scrawny flower from the petal sea that surrounded her. The six-year-old girl twirled it in her tiny fingers like a strand of her long, faded black hair, and admired the shriveled daisy with her sea green eyes.
That serene tranquility didn't last long. Even while being at a young and curious age, any sudden or unusual noises easily frightened instead of intrigued Aleu. The eevee, albeit thinking he stepped with perfect stealth, wasn't adjusted to the skill. It was impossible to keep the white flowers from shaking noticeably and Aleu was firmly aware of the eevee's presence. She couldn't stop her thoughts whirling on how it was definitely a wild Pokémon, and her pure bliss flipped into a great amount of fear. She would've already yelled for her parents if she didn't think it'd trigger the creature to attack. Aleu thought back to the strict and serious lectures her parents had given her, and she recalled what to do if she was alone and ever encountered a wild Pokémon. The girl stood up and, as quietly and calmly as she could, slowly backed towards the cottage.
The eevee froze in his crouched position. She knew he was there. That's why she was backing away. Over-paranoid ideas suddenly stormed in the eevee's small brain: thoughts of how the girl would pull out a Poké Ball to imprison him with. He tensed up further and his heartbeat quickened. The eevee didn't notice his long, diamond ears and teardrop tail sticking above the flowers like a flashing sign asking to catch him. He was just so frightened.
Aleu stopped in her slow approach to the front door, only a yard away from the porch steps. If you knew anything about rare Pokémon, you'd recognize slim, diamond-shaped, fuzzy brown ears as an eevees. If that wasn't an indication, then the cream-hued tail tip poking out of the soft petals sure was, only standing out of the wave of white flowers because of the brown, tail fur showing along with it. The ears didn't instantly remind Aleu of his species, but the name 'eevee' clicked in her mind upon seeing that tail. Is that an eevee? Aleu was astonished.
Everyone knew about eevees; at least, people in that vicinity did. It was due to a local newspaper from a nearby town, which articles Aleu's parents explained about to their little girl only a few weeks previously. There were little amounts of eevee due to the poaching for their luscious, light brown pelts and lack of Pokémon breeding. These newspapers kept laying out articles about how people should be trying to save the adorable species even though most people were capable of only petite efforts. If people weren't getting their acts together soon, maybe the cute, happy-filled fur balls would die out in the next couple years.
Aleu advanced a few steps towards the eevee. If Aleu went inside to tell her parents, he'd probably be gone before she came back out. Eevees are basically harmless, she thought negligently. I really found an eevee!
The newly wild Pokémon slowly treaded back, crushing flowers from not being aware of the weight he put into each step. Despite being so young, Aleu was still three times his size; not nearly as big as his old trainer, but dangerous nonetheless. He continued inching back through already ruffled flowers as she moved closer, resulting in breaking daisies beneath his paws even further and revealing more of his appearance. The eevee didn't care about being seen anymore, though; he just wanted to stay a good distance away from the potentially dangerous human.
Aleu saw more of the eevee's appearance, yet it caused her to frown. She expected a perfectly groomed coat with light fur so well-treated that it'd appear to have absorbed sunlight, along with an amazingly fluffy tail and playfulness dancing in his eyes. Instead, his fur was mangled and a bristly, dark brown from all the dirt caught in it, and what she hoped to be a fluffy tail was instead a matted mess. His mane, usually supposed to have a swaying, creamy look that'd hang lightly around his neck, was tangled with numerous twigs and leaves in an unkempt, dirty state. His eyes were cheerless, only fear and severe distraught weighted in those pools of dull, shaky brown. It defied the royal picture of the well-tamed eevee Aleu had seen in the newspapers. Just one glance at the Pokémon and you couldn't tell he was in captivity just hours before.
As Aleu took a step forward, the eevee took a step back. The girl dropped her inattentive acts and started approaching more carefully; Aleu slowly held out an open palm in an offering of friendship with sadness dawning in her expression. She didn't care about how rare an eevee was by that point; she just wanted to help the poor creature. When they were still staring at each other, the eevee practically shooting daggers at the human girl, Aleu kept insisting on getting closer. "Don't be scared," the girl shakily spoke, her green eyes appearing to sparkle before the little fox. "I won't hurt you."
It was a classic thing for humans to say. Those were some of the first words the eevee had heard when he first hatched. The trainer he narrowly escaped from just hours earlier streaked his thoughts; it was just for a few milliseconds, but it caused the quadrupedal's fur to stand on end as a warning for Aleu. If she copied a phrase exactly from his old, distrusting trainer, then the eevee would bolt away soon. He didn't want to suffer in the hands of a cruel trainer again. The eevee would rather risk a night in the bizarre wilderness than stay with a foul, wicked human.
Aleu started to feign a smile. She really wanted to continue frowning, heartbroken from how mistreated and vicious the eevee had become, and she recognized him as only a kit: hardly a year old. His eyes were unyielding as he appeared to size her down, fur spiking out to add to his malevolent look. Quickly, Aleu noticed something off in those glaring, vehement eyes. The eevee wasn't hiding fear quite well. If it wasn't for the warped act he was keeping up, his terror would've been radiating.
The girl kept beckoning with that small, warming smile. The brown fox kept backing away through the flowers, yet he felt himself slowly succumbing to her welcoming aura. The eevee felt part of him wanting to run, the other half pleading to stay. It confused and scared the eevee greatly, and after some quiet debating, he finally allowed Aleu to close most of the gap between them. Her outstretched hand was soon just half a foot away from his nose, and the eevee held a bemused gaze for a moment. She wanted him to rub his head on her open palm; it was one of the only ways to communicate if the eevee wanted to remain or flee.
When the eevee actually considered the option, he realized it how important of a decision it was. So far, he had been extremely judging towards this girl and had forgotten about the positive outcomes of him staying. He knew he couldn't spend a night out in the wild even if he wanted to; he would be no better than a scraggly rattata, and he would probably be turned into something's snack during his slumber. A kit couldn't be alone in a forest. It wasn't right; the laws of survival were turned against him.
She doesn't seem that bad. Why didn't she pull out a Poké Ball yet?
It took eevee a short moment to understand why; she didn't have any. All trainers had at least one Pokémon on them, too, since those were trainer regulations. Is she even a trainer? Maybe her Pokémon were left in that nearby cottage, but she didn't have a typical trainer image, either, puzzling the eevee more than he already was. She had combed, black hair dropping just past the shoulders, lively green eyes, and a white daisy, hair clip sweeping and holding her bangs to the left. She wore a comfortable looking shirt; it was light brown with a cute, rosy pink flower in the middle. She also had light pink shorts, containing no signs of a trainer belt or any necessary gear for traveling. With only a small glance at Aleu, you knew she wouldn't ever harm a fletchling. The only reason the eevee still thought of Aleu as possible threat was because she was human and appearances didn't define characters by much. Aleu could easily grab the eevee's tail, yank him up, and if she held him just right, he'd be helpless towards freeing himself. He'd be doomed if that happened.
"Do you trust me?" the girl suddenly questioned, snapping the eevee out of his train of thought.
He pondered her words for a moment, all that he mentally discussed about Aleu replaying in his tired mind. Do I?
The eevee smiled faintly when he reached a decision. He rested his head in her outstretched hand and started nuzzling it. "I guess," he mewed lightly. To Aleu, of course, she just heard him speak his species' name, but she could easily tell that he agreed.
The girl finally had no trouble smiling, knowing that her family would be a great home for the Pokémon. The eevee looked so abused: so mistreated, so broken. Aleu hadn't been the least bit certain that he would've accepted her offer of friendship. She nearly thought any sense of trust in the little fox was long gone. Although, there he was, gingerly rubbing his fuzzy head against her small hand, bestowing his care into the few responsibilities Aleu carried. Since her friendship made it across, Aleu would get the eevee to show open trust towards others again. His warped state would soon become a well-treated and pleasant one.
"I'll name you… Eevee." Aleu waited for his response to the name, which was a gentle, hesitant lick to her hand. The name Eevee wasn't very creative, but at least it wasn't the dreaded Champ or something demeaning such as 'Sweetie Pie'. That would've been disastrous in Eevee's opinion, especially considering he was male.
Eevee gazed up at Aleu with weary eyes, silently pleading to head into her sleeping quarters for some rest. As Aleu took note of their surroundings, she realized that nighttime was settling in. She'd be in trouble if she didn't head inside her family's cottage immediately. "Come on, Eevee." The girl reassuringly smiled at the quadrupedal before swiftly skipping towards her home and newly-named Eevee followed close behind. He was still uncertain with his final decision on staying and wasn't sure if other humans were nice, but something just felt right about being with Aleu. She seemed so positive, upbeat, and trusting even to him. Eevee knew how repulsive he appeared, yet she persisted on being friends regardless.
Aleu was excited and suddenly energized. She had thoughts of doing everything with Eevee: playing with him, walking by his side, and finding him waiting at the door whenever she came home from somewhere. The only thing that could've disheartened Aleu at the time would be her parents declining the opportunity of keeping the eevee kit, but Aleu's parents planned on buying a Pokémon for a long time. They preferred something with a big heart such as a poochyena or pachirisu, so Eevee fit the bill. Aleu's parents would be thrilled, and with an eevee no less.
So that was the start of Aleu and Eevee's friendship. They met in a small meadow of white daises, and they'd be together for years to come.
Eevee bubbled up with excitement. He was barely managing to stay in Aleu's lap, beyond ecstasy for what they were both anticipating. The twelve-year-old girl had her delight balled up inside of her, nervousness surpassing the excitement, and was unable to relax despite having Eevee for company. A queasy feeling churned in her stomach and paranoid thoughts spun throughout her head. In her clenched hands were about five or so context cards, each scribbled over in fancy, cursive handwriting that Aleu would soon read out to a fairly-sized crowd. She was dressed nice for the presentation; she wore a chocolate brown dress with a white flower pattern on the bottom half of it, and a white daisy clip swept her bangs off to the left side, per usual. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line and her expression betrayed these nervous emotions.
"Hey Aleu!" The girl slowly glanced up at who interrupted her thoughts, seeing a guy about Aleu's age loping in her direction. He was a dirty blonde, wearing a regular t-shirt and worn jeans, and was smiling encouragingly as he came to her side. He sat in a chair beside her, folding his arms and resting them on the chair's armrest.
The tween girl meekly smiled and avoided his gaze. "Hi Cooper," she squeaked. Eevee mewed boldly, leaning over and licking Cooper's hand in affection.
Even though Eevee had demonstrated a nice act of friendship, Eevee's thoughts were contrasting to his actions. If you so as much as touch her arm, I will bite this hand. So. Hard. Eevee knew he had to remain kind despite his hatred; he didn't enjoy the last scolding from Aleu. Eevee tackled Cooper when the carefree tween threw a baseball cap on their family cottage's floor like he owned the place. Either Eevee would pretend to like Cooper, or he would be grudgingly ignored by a very sweet girl for a couple nights.
"You nervous?" Cooper asked, raising his eyebrows and staring at Aleu with cheerful eyes. The girl attempted to ignore his look and stared downcast; Eevee noticed a pink tint on her cheeks. The small fox didn't like that at all.
Aleu paraphrased a few words that her mother told her earlier. "I have to give a speech about the greatness of owning an eevee, contributing to the 'Save Eevee' campaign, and I have stage fright. No, I'm not nervous at all!" Aleu was so tense that it was visible, and Eevee's anger was starting to boil from Cooper's ignorance. The quadrupedal managed to choke down his anger somehow, however, and forced a smile.
The boy chuckled loudly despite Aleu talking out of scared humor, stimulating Eevee to become further irritated. Aleu was afraid to present things to crowds, was going to announce something important to one anyways, and Cooper had the nerve to laugh? How can Aleu even stand him?
Cooper's smile widened, and he shook Aleu's shoulder like the good friend he actually was. Eevee's hackles rose but neither of the two noticed. "Relax Aleu. Everything will be okay! You just have to go on stage with Eevee, say a few words, and leave. Get on, talk, and get off. As simple as that!"
Aleu sighed, turning her head slightly in his direction, but didn't have enough courage to look him in the eyes. "My mom made me a five-hundred word speech." She moved one of her hands limply, letting Cooper see the several, context cards in her sweaty palms. "Cooper. Five hundred words. I think I'll pass out on stage! Th-the whole town is out there..." Cooper shook her shoulder encouragingly again, still keeping up that bright but obnoxious smile.
"That's pretty short actually! Did you know some speeches are thousands of words long and take hours? Hours?!" Cooper moved his hand away and clapped both of them together in his lap. Just in time, too; Eevee nearly unsheathed his claws and let his attacker instincts take over.
Aleu laughed; it was a nervous, fearful laugh. "You're messing with me."
"I'm serious! Or, well… That's what my dad told me, and he exaggerates sometimes." The cheerful boy sheepishly grinned and impulsively scratched the back of his neck.
"Whatever…" Her smile widened as she rolled her eyes, appearing as if some of her confidence had returned.
"Jokes aside, I'm sure you'll be great. They'll love you." His rashness seemed to fade and an odd shyness seeming to surface. He stared at her dress with a slightly awed look. "You look ama—"
"Aleu! You're on in one minute!" The man who interjected came from around a corner, disappearing right behind it once he witnessed Aleu's nod of recognition.
Thank Arceus, Eevee thought, releasing a sigh of relief. That conversation may have been short but it was tragic! And right when he was going to compliment her. Ugh. Eevee leapt down to the cement floor and stared with an urgent look at Aleu, silently telling her to stop chatting and leave.
"Thanks Cooper," Aleu hastily added, getting up from her chair and glancing the way towards stage.
"No prob!" He beamed at his tiny, childhood crush. "Good luck out there. I'll be watching on the sidelines! Don't worry about the entire town waiting out there for you!" Aleu froze for a second before stepping away. Eevee rolled his eyes.
"That's totally the best way to calm someone with stage fright, idiot," Eevee deadpanned, which, of course, he was oblivious to. The tamed Pokémon scowled at him: another thing he didn't catch. Cooper's eyes were fixated on Aleu walking away as he carried a loopy expression of sorts. Eevee growled quietly at the boy and chased after Aleu. The girl was staring at the context cards in her trembling hands like a deerling stunned before glaring headlights, and she stood feet away from the shabby, town stage. Several, inaudible voices sounded from a crowd, causing Aleu to look even more hesitant.
A man came from the other side of the stage. He appeared very proper in his stylish, slick suit as he slowly approached a standing microphone. By the time he reached it, most of the chatter from the audience had died down. "I thank all of you for deciding to attend. Today, we shall have a young girl of our small town and her beloved Pokémon present something very special. Hopefully, it'll help our campaign to save the rare, dying species we all know and love as eevee. Now, please welcome with a round of applause, Aleu and Eevee!"
Eevee took only a step out before stopping; he saw that Aleu was paralyzed. In a reassuring but slightly rough manner, Eevee nuzzled Aleu's ankle to help her regain self-control. Aleu shakily glanced down at her best friend, seeing that comforting grin plastered on his muzzle, and felt a new sense of bravery. Eevee would be by her side. She'd be fine. Aleu looked out, seeing that man on stage beckoning towards her while backing off the platform, and Aleu took a deep breath. "Let's go, Eevee."
The strongly-bonded pair stepped out onto the stage. Aleu was nearly overwhelmed with the clapping; it had been deafening from her perspective. She barely managed not to scream and race offstage from the amount of people in the audience.
I can do this. I can do this, Aleu meekly thought, her legs trembling and palms sweatier than earlier. Her stomach felt like a leaf tornado rampaged inside it and her throat closed up as she reached center stage. She adjusted the microphone and stared out at the somewhat small crowd, but it still seemed gigantic and thundering to the girl. Aleu gulped. I can't do this! What am I thinking?! I'm going to throw up on someone in the front row if I don't get off, and now!
If her feet didn't feel glued in place, she would've already run off. Aleu's heart pounded in her ears; can the audience hear it? Her fingers felt so weak that Aleu feared that she'd drop the context cards, have to reorder them, and already be embarrassed in front of everyone before her speech even started. Aleu thought that everything would end in disaster.
Aleu felt a warm, fuzzy feeling by her ankle. The mortified twelve-year-old stared down at Eevee, seeing him reassuringly nuzzling her once more. A small, quiet chorus of 'aw's came from the people who noticed the boldness Aleu gained from her pal's support. I have Eevee with me. As long as he's by my side, than I can do this. I can do this.
And so Aleu started her speech with a partially cracked voice, but it soon evened out. When she proceeded to walk offstage at the end, the place was filled with applause.
Furious knocking pounded on the front door of a certain cottage. Aleu hurriedly grabbed Eevee since he was growling with risen hackles; the girl didn't want Eevee to attack whoever decided to visit. The teenager sent a questioning look at her parents that had rushed over, but her mother just returned Aleu's stare with a similar one and the father just shrugged. No one knew who it was? It unnerved the family once they realized this.
Eevee was the only one in the family with an idea. His instincts were screaming that something dark and sinister was about to take place. He didn't know exactly what would go down, but he knew that it'd be a horrible time for all of them. The one question bothering Eevee the most had been about how drastic the measures were. How bad is everything going to turn?
Heavy, impatient knocking once again resounded through their home. No one that the family knew would've ever pounded on their front door like that, not even bashful and oblivious Cooper would no matter what the circumstances. Aleu's mother and father briskly demanded Aleu to go and wait in her room. Aleu numbly followed their directions and carried her not-so-agreeing, agitated Pokémon to the door at the end of the hall. However, the two didn't even make it through the doorway; the front door to the cottage had been harshly kicked in and gruff people stormed inside. Aleu froze up in fear and Eevee's entire pelt spiked up. There were only three people, but each of them looked like expert trainers with their scarred appearances and scratched-up, Poké Balls.
The parents and Aleu gasped. They recognized the large, crimson red 'R' on those deep black uniforms. The evil organization known as Team Rocket had been huge news throughout the world as of late. Why are they here?! Aleu thought with immense worry. They collected and stole other trainers' Pokémon. Why would they…? No! Not Eevee! The teenager held the growling fox closer to her chest, tears brimming in her eyes. "I-If you're here to take Eevee... W-Well, you won't! You wo-won't!"
Two of the members lunged forward and tackled the parents to the ground. Aleu screamed at them to back off, but they ignored her, solidly pinning the adults down so they could easily tie them up with thick, burly rope. The crying girl held onto Eevee tighter and slowly stepped away.
Eevee's face wrinkled up in downright fury. His eyes could've been shaded red with how infuriated he became, especially since he recognized one of the people. It wasn't one of the two wrapping gnarled rope around Aleu's parents, but the last person standing in the doorway with a very familiar smirk. It was the human who had once named Eevee a five-lettered word that disgusted him severely: Champ. The enraged fox's growl deepened into a snarl and he managed to squirm out of Aleu's numbed grasp. He unsheathed his claws, threw his old trainer the fiercest glare he could muster, and fell into attack stance before the three members. "You… You monster!" Eevee roared. He was restraining himself by that point from shredding his old trainer's ugly uniform into confetti. It had been so many years, but that overlap of time only caused Eevee's hatred to grow towards his old trainer.
The man that Eevee despised with all his being let his smirk drop into a perplexed frown. He rarely saw Pokémon that were so angry. Either that, or the creature had a disturbing liking for bloodlust. That's what the man thought anyways. He didn't remember at the time that he had hatched an eevee, named him Champ, and abused him in his training so badly that the little fox ran away. It had been too many years ago. Eevee's old trainer sighed and scratched his nape in a lax way; he expected to kick around a weak pet, not get stuck with a battle-ready runt. He groaned while reaching in his sturdy, leather belt for a black-and-white ball with goldenrod markings. The trainer known as Nathan only brought one Pokémon because Eevee was supposed to be a dumb, untrained pet as helpless as a magikarp instead of a decently-looking battler. Eli should be able to take him out without a problem.
Nathan was smart, part of the reason why he didn't have the low rank of grunt and had a slightly higher position within Team Rocket. He knew releasing Eli in that cramped cottage would've ended in disaster; the damage to the place didn't matter, but the selfish trainer didn't want to risk his own health too much if he could help it. Nathan needed to coax Eevee out somehow. He noted how the angered Pokémon stood firmly by Aleu and her parents; if Eevee had to go somewhere, the other three had to be there, too. "Tie the girl up," Nathan coldly demanded. The two grunts nodded in obedience, finished dealing with the parents by duct taping their mouths, kicked them aside, and stiffly faced the terrified teenager.
Aleu unfroze upon hearing that command. She let out a pitchy cry and tried to glare daggers through her teary eyes. Eevee swiftly leapt into the space between the teenager and grunts, viciously growling and claws at ready. The Team Rocket members halted once they realized an obstacle lay in their path; they held out the Poké Balls, each about to release their measly zubat. They couldn't get to Aleu without a fight.
Nathan groaned, leaned against the door frame, and rested his head in a gloved hand. He didn't care about having a battle in such a small space anymore. He just wanted to capture the stupid eevee already, and he'd let the grunts do the dirty work in lieu of him. He thought that since their target was unevolved, Eevee couldn't possibly have been that strong. The runt doesn't deserve to battle Eli…
What he didn't know, however, was how many wild Pokémon Eevee protected Aleu from over the years, and how great training it had been for the pet. The only reason Eevee wasn't evolved was because of an Everstone stored in his mane. Aleu gave the odd stone to Eevee to prevent evolution a couple years back; they both liked the little fox the way he was and didn't want him to change.
The grunts released their poison types. Those scrawny bats hissed in Eevee's general direction, and the fox couldn't help but feel intimidated by their sharp fangs. They could easily cause some brutal damage. He stood his ground, ready to throw his life out there to protect his best friends and family. For a while, Eevee thought against battling and injuring fellow Pokémon at all times, and he still believed that battling was wrong. But if Pokémon chose to obey such evil trainers or sought to harm his family, Eevee would be more than eager to teach them a lesson.
After dodging several, badly-aimed, aerial and toxic moves, Eevee quickly knocked the zubat unconscious with a series of Quick Attacks. The zubat had been very low-leveled Pokémon: exactly the kind that grunts would have. The grunts returned the fainted, pathetic bats and slowly backed towards their boss, hoping that the still-healthy eevee wouldn't tear them apart next. Nathan leered at his retreating allies, confused by their actions. "Where's your other Pokémon?"
They both nervously gulped beside him while twiddling their thumbs. Nathan growled at the trainers and gestured angrily at the front door; he deemed the two temporarily as worthless and wanted them out of the way. Nathan's snarl caused the grunts to jump in their tight uniforms and hastily rush out of the cottage. They're regulated to have two Pokémon on them! Nathan thought with irritation. Sure, he also had been regulated to keep three Pokémon in his belt, but he wasn't the type to follow orders as well. He always followed the rules when there were higher-ranked members of Team Rocket around, but there was truly no way of the team knowing if he strictly followed regulations all the time. He preferred doing what he felt was right; Eli was the only Pokémon he liked being around, so he kept whoever else locked up at home whenever he could. Nathan grumbled curses as he grabbed the Ultra Ball from his belt and tossed it towards Eevee.
The adaption fox took his time after finishing the battle with the zubats to make sure his family was okay. The mother and father panicked in their roped up state, appearing unable to calm down, and Aleu nearly hyperventilated from all the chaos that sprung up around them. She had watched Eevee battle those zubat, and tears edged down her face at the thought on how the venomous bats could horribly injure her best friend. Eevee attempted to reassure Aleu by nuzzling her leg and letting her pet him, but he had little time to calm her down because of the whirling sound of an Ultra Ball opening behind him. He turned to face a smudgy black, snarling beast with golden eyes and crookedly daggered claws.
Eli tensed her muscles, ready to pounce once commanded to and knock out Eevee in any way she pleased. The luxray and eevee both remembered each other; they recalled how much hate sparked between them since Eevee was a kit and Eli was a shinx. They were both immensely anticipating their battle so they could rip each other into bloody shreds. Aleu, realizing that the luxray was very strong, ran as far down the hall as she could to helplessly watch the battle with watery eyes from a safer distance. She wouldn't ever be able to give Eevee battle commands in her trembling state, so she hoped that relying on attacker instincts would assist Eevee better than she could.
With the simple command of 'go' from Nathan, Eli lunged forward with her fur sparking insanely, ready to release a dangerously powerful, close-up Discharge. Eevee prepared to sidestep through a doorway and into a different room, but not before powering an attack of his own. Eevee moved from the hallway into the kitchen with a simple leap, and Eli landed right where he had just been while starting to redirect her pounce. With a three-sixty spin, Eevee whirled around on the tile and flicked his tail in his opponent's direction, causing many specks of eerie, violet liquid to shower onto the electrified lion. Eli suddenly staggered on spot instead of pouncing, feeling the sickly hot substance rush down her fur and seep into her skin. She tried instinctively to zap the substance off by releasing her charged attack in her pelt, but it did nothing to shake off the Toxic attack. Eevee had badly poisoned Eli and successfully limited the duration of the battle.
Eevee wasted no time. As Eli released her Discharge in a vain attempt to rid of the poisoning, the swift fox darted forward with strangely sharpened fangs encased in a shadowy mist. Eevee bit down on one of the luxray's forelegs, dealing a decent amount of damage with the dark type move. Electricity sparked up and numbed his mouth, but it had only been leftover sparks from Eli's powerful attack. Eevee released his teeth's grasp on the foreleg as the mist dispersed from within his mouth, and his fangs quickly dulled back to their normal sharpness.
Even though Eli had taken some damage, she could easily deal with that kind of pain. Eevee's Bite hadn't even drawn blood through her thick skin; he couldn't possibly have been a match for her. All she had to do was make one of her attacks land before Toxic affected her too much. Just in case Eevee tried to use Bite on her again, she charged and stored enough electricity in her massive fur so it'd actually shock the small fox, and she forced enough of her element to spark up in her maw so that a shield of bright, crackling yellow structured and strengthened for Eli's own, fang-based attack: Thunder Fang. Her piercing eyes locked onto Eevee's and she prepared to dash towards the waiting-to-dodge Pokémon. She wouldn't allow him to sidestep out of the way again.
She then heard a whistle. Eli recognized it as the noise Nathan made for catching her attention; she twitched her ears and flicked her tail, signaling that she would be listening. He then whistled again, and even after she repeated the signal, he did it a third time. Eevee just stood there during all of it, waiting to observe Eli's move so he could cleanly leap out of the way and deal damage as he had last time. The trained luxray didn't want to take her sight off the fox, but after hearing her master make that high-pitched noise yet a fourth time, she angrily whirled to face Nathan with an annoyed glare just for him.
The cruel trainer shook his head and 'tsk'ed, staring pointedly at Eli's muzzle. It took her a moment to understand that he disapproved her Thunder Fang. "We want him alive," he sighed, stressing the last word.
Seriously, Master? Eli choked down her irritated hiss and nodded grudgingly. She let the strong voltage collapse in her mouth, cancelling the Thunder Fang, and whirled back to face Eevee. All my moves can kill that stupid kit. I do not want to stick to physical moves like slamming my paws into him or something! Why should I even…? Wait. Her eyes slightly widened as she noticed that Eevee was nowhere to be seen. No longer did he stand readily in the center of the room or anywhere else within sight; he somehow disappeared. Ugh. That coward is hiding, isn't he? Whatever. Not a setback.
A bright shimmer gleamed in Eli's eyes as they completely filled with a dark, golden hue. She swung her head around, using her enhanced vision to briskly observe the room. Her vision shifted into a mode that worked like an x-ray, making her see the silhouettes that lay behind other objects. Eli saw various shapes within a crummy fridge, random items strewn inside drawers, and a tensed, foxlike form behind a kitchen isle. Eli gained a malicious grin, ready to jump over the counter and release a flurry of claws onto her old teammate.
With a sprint and a pounce, the fierce lion leapt over the wooden obstacle with her claws at ready. She threw her right forepaw forward, about to scratch Eevee up in a way that wouldn't cake his blood on her paws but still inflict damage, but was met with a lavender-black ball of ghostly energy that reached her before her claws reached him. It exploded upon contact, creating a large amount of smoke that seconds later caused a fire alarm to sound off. A long, furious hiss was dragged out of Eli's throat as she fell sprawled on the tiled floor next to the clever eevee. Without using up his distinct advantage, Eevee charged up another Shadow Ball in front of his maw as he jumped, and once gravity allowed him to head as high in the air as he could, he fired yet another sphere of destructive energy.
The luxray, although in pain from the stunning blow, released a thick streak of electricity that collided with Eevee's Shadow Ball halfway between the two battlers. After the attacks fought to overpower the other for a split second, the Thunderbolt visibly cut into the Shadow Ball and the kitchen filled with a larger amount of charcoal-colored smoke than previously. Eevee fell through the stifling aftermath towards the frustrated luxray, using the momentum of his fall to strengthen a tackle aimed for Eli's neck. The luxray's unique vision picked up the sight of Eevee advancing towards her just a second before impact commenced; she pulled one of her forelegs back, braced herself, and sent her clawed paw forward at the small fox.
He had successfully barreled into Eli's throat, knocking plenty of breath out of the lion, but she also slashed at his eyes right before he made contact.
That damage to the neck and a burning dose of poison had been enough to make large, dark spots fill Eli's suddenly fuzzy vision. Her sight blurred in and out of focus, and after she tried to leap to her paws to finish Eevee off, a sharp pain shot through her body and the luxray collapsed. Eevee hadn't weakened the luxray enough to send her into unconsciousness, but the damage and poisoning would render her helpless for some time.
Unlike his opponent, Eevee suffered more stinging and permanent pain. Eevee instinctively pressed his paws against his eyes as he rolled off Eli's neck, whimpering wildly and continuously. Three lines crossed over the top half of Eevee's face and was gouged in just above the muzzle. Not only did Eevee's vision blur as the claws scraped across his eyes, but a flash of crimson filled his vision, and then everything around him paled into disturbingly milky white. Eevee didn't think his eyes were closed because he'd instead see pure darkness. Am I… staring at the tile floor?
He used the confusion for motivation; he ignored the throbbing but fading pain momentarily and stumbled to his paws. Eevee whirled in circles while staggering slightly, but whiteness remained flooded in his sight. He felt himself looking down, but he couldn't even see his fluffy, creamy mane. The badly damaged fox couldn't see anything.
With angry grumbling, Nathan held up an empty, Ultra Ball, grumpily mumbled the word, "Return", and a beam of red light highlighted over the injured luxray. Once Eli rested in the safety of her mechanical sphere, Nathan hurriedly advanced towards stumbling, injured Eevee. He stepped around Aleu's tied up parents, ignored the slight damage evident around the room, didn't mind the beeping of the still noisy, fire alarm, and rounded the kitchen isle so he could claim the helpless fox. Within seconds, Eevee started flailing his paws vainly in an attempt to claw out of Nathan's white-knuckled grip.
Nathan trudged towards the front door of the cottage that he kicked down earlier. He planned on throwing the blind Eevee to one of his grunts waiting outside, and then they'd stomp off into the woods to where their tickets home, midnight black motorcycles, would be. As soon as he put one foot out of the doorway, however, the cruel member of Team Rocket was suddenly dragged back with a grunt by his collar.
He didn't realize the abrupt throbbing in his jaw until he had roughly fallen to the carpeted floor. Nathan glanced up at the person standing by his side, who was rubbing her fist because it hurt from punching him. She then swiftly planted her boot-protected foot on Nathan's chest, bent down to pick up the troubled Pokémon he dropped, and tried to keep an unyielding expression as she stared down at the Team Rocket member. She eventually failed to do so because of the tears still dripping out of her eyes.
Aleu spotted Nathan reaching for the foot on his chest. Before he could pull Aleu's leg out from under her, she stiffly placed more pressure down on the very frustrated person. Nathan growled with a cringe, and he couldn't help but cry out when Aleu stomped her other boot down on the leg closest to her. He kicked blindly with his free leg, but he could only shake the foot not on his chest off because Aleu needed to keep one on the ground for balance.
I need one of those idiotic grunts to help me already! You… ugh! Why am I still pinned?! Nathan struggled to get free, but he was too exhausted to shake out of the terrible pin. He moved his glaring look so he stared out at the daisy meadow where his grunts were waiting, and his pained jaw nearly dropped open when he noticed them retreating into the forest. You cowards! Traitors! You... I'll make sure that even Giovanni knows about this! Aleu suddenly shifted all of her weight onto Nathan's chest. "Ngh!"
All Aleu had to do was keep Nathan in her cottage for a minute or two longer. During Eevee and Eli's battle, she snuck off into her room and called the police station in the nearby town. She gave Officer Jenny directions so she could find the cottage, and she had stumbled back into the hallway to see Eevee in Nathan's grasp. It shouldn't take much longer, Aleu tiredly thought.
And it hadn't. After exactly half a minute more, a few motorcycles roared into the daisy meadow. Nathan had broken free of his pin seconds before they arrived, reeled out onto the front porch, and tripped down the wooden steps once he heard the blaring of red sirens. It didn't take long till Nathan was cuffed and seated on the back of one of the motorcycles. Aleu's parents were freed from their roped up state, Eli was confiscated from soon-to-be imprisoned Nathan, and Officer Jenny rushed Aleu and Eevee to the nearest Pokémon Center once she saw the urgency of Eevee's condition. Once there, a certain nurse and worried chansey rushed the injured fox into the emergency room. Aleu wasn't even allowed to follow, forced to wait outside in the lobby with a heavy heart.
After some time painstakingly passed, Aleu crumpled into the nearest chair and bawled. Nurse Joy personally delivered the news. Eevee was permanently blind.
A car door snapped shut and a black-haired girl stepped out with a bundle of bristly, brown fur in her jacket-protected arms. The adult frowned and stared at the barely moving ball of fur, his breathing slow yet even, and his senses nowhere near as acute as they originally were. Soft snowflakes gently swirled around the pair as Aleu trudged up to her house, unlocked the front door with red-tipped fingers, and speedily rushed out of the cold.
She closed the door and leaned against it from the inside, the slamming sound instantly cutting off the whirl of frosty wind to replace it with the gentle humming of air vents. The common-sized, living room was warm, already melting the thin veil of frost that clung to Aleu. She shivered the whole way home because the heating system in her car was broken. She thanked Arceus for keeping Eevee from becoming too cold, especially in his weakened state. Carefully, Aleu put down her best friend so she could take off her snow wear, and she was soon wearing just a plain, midnight-blue shirt and black sweatpants.
Aleu noticed that the quadrupedal had wandered over to a vent on the floor. His bristly fur blew upwards from the comforting, air current and he prepared to lay down to bask in its warmth. A pained smile curved onto Aleu's lips; seeing Eevee in such a weary and delayed state made her heart chip a bit. The days when Eevee was so playful and energetic were long since gone.
They had just come back from a nearby Pokémon Center where Eevee received his monthly checkup, and it was very necessary for him because of his old age. Pokémon didn't usually live as long as Eevee had; wilds barely made it to ten years, and trained Pokémon typically had about fifteen. Since Aleu never really knew when Eevee was born - due to finding him in the wild - she just estimated his age based on the start of every New Year, and so Eevee turned twenty-three exactly a week previously.
According to Nurse Joy, that was quite an achievement. Aleu was beyond happy that Eevee was still by her side after so long, but there was a bit of a guilty conscience within her. Eevee may have had the loving treatment any Pokémon could ask for, but that didn't mean Eevee was free from pain. It was a struggle for him to walk most of the time, he slept throughout most of the day, and being fully blind was tragic. If it wasn't for Aleu finding him in that daisy meadow that one, fateful day, he'd be dead by this point.
Aleu stared at her nearby, noctowl clock. "Seven-thirty…" she drawled to herself. Aleu had taken Eevee out on a few errands throughout the city before they headed to the Pokémon Center. They'd been out only a few hours but it was still tiring; Aleu could only imagine how exhausted Eevee must've been. She glanced at the aged, fur ball and saw him curled up by the vent, ready to fall asleep. The deep brown color that used to be in his eyes was replaced with milky white, and only little traces of the old color were visible. It showed anyone with a mere glance at him that one of Eevee's most valuable senses was gone.
The worried girl stomped over and stared down at her best friend, watching his eyelids droop shut. Eevee barely reacted as Aleu gently scooped him up in her arms, trotted up some stairs, stumbled down a relatively short corridor, and entered a room at the end of the hall. It was the master bedroom, consisting of a fairly-sized, flat screen, a comfy looking bed, and a few other necessities for a main bedroom. Aleu gently laid the adaption Pokémon on her bed and searched for the remote, ending up wasting a few minutes before finding it behind the TV. Soon she was beneath the covers, Eevee snuggling against her side, and Aleu surfed the channels to waste the remaining rays of daylight they had.
When she scrolled along a movie marathon playing the best-hits from Pokéstar studios, the time raced by till it was nearly midnight. It was during the final minutes of some science fiction film when Aleu finally realized how late it was. She groaned, recalling that she agreed to help Nurse Joy at eight in the morning, and she needed at least some sleep if she didn't want to act like a half-dead parasect in the morning. Aleu needed that money; she got fired from a low-paying job about a week prior and couldn't find a better one yet.
Aleu wearily saw the TV's screen flash black, nested deep into her cocoon of warm blankets, and dozed off with her faithful pal beneath one arm.
-.-
Aleu awoke to the morning sunlight peeking through her window's blinds. At first, she tried to flip to her other side and block out the golden rays by holding a pillow against her face, but she noticed a bundle of fur hooked in her left arm before doing so. If she could help it, Aleu wouldn't wake Eevee up. The half-asleep adult instead used her free arm to shield her eyes, but it felt uncomfortable to her tired joints. Yesterday had been filled with hard work before they both returned home; Aleu didn't want to wake up just yet.
Getting out of bed was inevitable. The sunlight filtering through her open blinds continued to mock Aleu, and after the girl grumpily thought about how she needed to remember shutting them at night, she carefully removed her arm from Eevee's torso and quietly got out of bed. Aleu groaned, recalling how she had to work at the Pokémon Center at eight, and all she wanted to do was curl up with Eevee and keep warm under the blankets. She already knew it wouldn't be that great of a day.
After taking a quick shower and getting changed into clothes that could withstand time at the Pokémon Center, Aleu returned to her bed to see Eevee still asleep. He hadn't even budged. Eevee was normally an early riser and naturally woke up before Aleu did, so it was peculiar behavior at the time. Maybe he just wanted to stay in bed, too? Nonetheless, Aleu wanted to make sure she could say farewell to her buddy before leaving for work. It'd help improve her mood and tough out the day. Eevee could also go straight back to sleep after a quick goodbye anyways, so it wasn't much of a problem.
She lazily stumbled over to her messy bed and softly poked Eevee's ribcage. "C'mon Eevee," Aleu coaxed with a soft, drowsy voice. "Time to wake up. It's a new day."
Strangely, the adaption Pokémon didn't stir. Aleu nudged Eevee a little rougher, wondering what sort of dreams he was stuck in. Hopefully, he wasn't suffering some sort of nightmare. It didn't look like Eevee was enduring a bad dream, but she couldn't dismiss the idea. She needed Eevee to wake up.
Aleu then noticed something that made her freeze. Not only had Eevee been stiff as a board, but his sides weren't lifting up and down. With some horrifying ideas abruptly resounding in her thoughts, Aleu picked up Eevee and pushed around the cream fur on his chest. She put her non-trembling fingers beneath his fur and on the right side of his chest, waiting with bated breath to feel a rhythmic beating.
It's nonsense to think like this, Aleu stressfully assured herself with deep breaths. What are you thinking?
She waited, and waited, and still waited. At least two minutes had passed with nothing but the girl standing there, clinging to diminished hope and fading denial. Aleu couldn't possibly keep her breathing normal during that time: not with her best friend so silent. There was no heartbeat. Eevee was unmoving, limp yet stiff. After another minute, Aleu hastily backed away from the brown-and-cream furred Pokémon and her bed. The adult stood paralyzed, eyes wide in terror, and her arms weakly fell down to her sides.
Aleu's mind fell deep in denial again. She hurried to find a sign of life in the quadrupedal once more, unbelieving to the fact that Eevee was gone. She wasted a few minutes in her vain attempts to find Eevee's vanished life, and then gave up on it—rage consumed her. Why is he dead?! It's so sudden! He was fine last night! I… I never said goodbye, or anything… Eevee… She glanced down at her motionless friend, and her anger shattered like the frailest of glass.
Tears finally dripped down Aleu's red face, and she used Eevee's dull pelt to muffle her whimpers. He can't… Within what felt like a drab eternity but really couldn't be more than half an hour, Aleu's sobs sapped all of her energy. She curled up by the side of her bed, cradling the ball of bristly fur in her arms until she eventually drifted back to sleep, a deep void of nightmare-ravaged, despairing rest. Eevee…
She cancelled heading to the Pokémon Center. Aleu knew Nurse Joy would be agitated, especially from not receiving a voicemail on the matter, but the talented nurse of the town knew plenty about Aleu and Eevee's special bond, so Aleu knew that she'd understand. Instead of working, Aleu spent the rest of the day running certain errands around the city, and when she finished them up, she trembled as she stood in her snow-packed backyard. Aleu stared down at the grave she completely filled up with dirt, and a bouquet of flowers rested in her light grip. Her errands included buying a gravestone with a memorial carved into it, a quick trip to a flower shop, changing into all-black clothes, digging the grave, and shoveling the dirt back in with Eevee's corpse laying at the bottom.
Light snow gently swirled around Aleu, and in the girl's eyes, the white flakes didn't just collect on the newly-dug grave but it kissed it, began covering the dirt like a fluffy blanket, blessing the lost one's treasured life. "Eevee. A Beloved Friend," Aleu read with a raspy voice. She felt the tears building up again, but she sharply blinked them away. The grieving adult then turned her gaze so it touched the bouquet in her hand: a white daisy bouquet. Aleu placed the flowers with shaking fingers on the frost-covered, tampered dirt of the grave, and appreciated the almost-silence within the frostbiting winds.
He's really gone, huh?
Tears started to trail down Aleu's paled face once more.
Well… She sniffed and wiped away some tears. Goodbye, Eevee.
The following days went by in a whirl. Everything felt so far off: so distant. It took a few months for her to finally adjust to living alone and having no support but the comfort of friends and family. Within days of discarding a calendar, her new one showed the date as the seventh of January, precisely a year after her beloved pet's death. She took the day off from her job, visited the flower shop she went to last year, and set another bouquet of those white daises on Eevee's grave. It became the most special, tear-bringing tradition that she ever had.
Years crawled by. She grew old, but never retired; she instead continued to operate like any regular, young person would. Whenever the seventh of January came by, Aleu made sure to clear her schedule so she could stay at home, settle another bouquet of white daises on her deceased, best friend's grave, and spend the rest of the day grieving in her room. She mainly watched some of Pokéstar studios' best hits, or movies starring an eevee and its evolutions.
During all this time, ever since encountering an abandoned kit in a daisy meadow to enduring the lonely days in her cozy home, Aleu never went a day without thinking about Eevee.
In memory of my dad's black tabby cat, Thomas. My dad bought him when he was a year old, and so I've been around him ever since a very young age—since birth, in fact. Thomas went fully blind due to age two years prior to his death, and since he made it a week into 2013, he had been alive for an outstanding twenty-three years. Thomas died in his sleep after one last day with his family, and there will always be a special place in my heart for him.
I know it's rather strange to write a Pokémon oneshot as a memorial, but this is one of the only ways I can thank him for the happiness he brought my family. I hope after reading this, you'll think about your cats or other pets, and maybe value them by your side a little more than you already do. Treasure your dogs and cats or whichever animal is the case, keep them close to you, and love them with all your heart. Do it so that when they're gone someday, you'll appreciate the time you had together instead of regretting not spending enough. :3