Here I am with a Thanksgiving themed one-shot as the holiday season approaches. I figured I would whip up something a little different compared to what I've been recently writing. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
Pokémon are always mysterious in how they interact with other living things. For years, scientists have tried to pinpoint what exactly a Pokémon will act like as soon as a trainer catches it and pass that information to trainers. It's not just related to the physical body or just the personality of them; there are also other factors to consider. Environment is one that is overlooked in the grand scheme of how Pokémon in Johto interact. Most Pokémon thrive in the environments they were born in while others adapt accordingly. However, research has shown that a Pokémon way out of its comfort zone has very little chance of survival.
The southern area of Goldenrod City has a little bit of Ilex Forest bulging around a small rest area and occasionally there are some interesting forest Pokémon going into the surrounding grasslands. One of the borderline Pokémon is Eevee. They prefer to live in the forest but every so often some of them go to the grasslands to play or get away from all the bug types. Each Pokémon knows the risk they take when they want to play. The fear being caught rises above all other fears that they may have. Ilex Forest is so dense that many passing trainers stay on the main pathway to get out quicker; all Pokémon living away from the path have heard stories of ruthless battles only to hear their friends or family have been taken from them. Those stories are the only knowledge of humans that most of them have. Any other human going off the path is either a scientist or a hopelessly lost person. In both cases, the Pokémon keep their distance when humans see them or run away.
It was yet another serene summer day in Ilex Forest when a pack of Eevee decided to head into the large grassland to run around in the sunlight. Unfortunately for them and all the Pokémon around, a younger trainer had made her way into the grass.
"Oh wow! Look at all of these cuties! One of you is coming with me!" she squealed at the sight of the Eevees. "Go Butterfree! Sleep Powder!" If there was ever a cue to run, this was it.
So off they went back into the forest hoping to elude capture. It had worked until one of them was overcome with sleep from a few spores that snuck in its nose back in the grass. The girl had not given up on the chase and the Great Ball she threw connected with the sleeping Eevee. It shook violently but stopped when the *ding* sound was heard; it was over. She was eager to catch the other two as well. However, she had no more balls on her which resulted in her storming back to the grassland in frustration. With the pack down a member in the worst way imaginable, they all had to be even more aware of their surroundings from now on.
Time went on as summer transitioned to fall. By this time, most Pokémon were searching for food even though winter wasn't for another month or two and the Eevees was no different. While everyone else went for the highest branches to hoard berries, they went into the tiniest cracks to get the best nature had to offer. Food that they would eat were in unfavorable locations though; a lot of their food supply was close to the main path of Ilex Forest. For the next few weeks, everything went smoothly but the pack was gathering less food each day due to their fear of getting caught. Their luck ran out when a young married couple saw them all digging for apricorns.
The husband went with a Pidgeotto while the wife opted for a Wooper. Escaping wasn't a possibility with a healthy Pidgeotto's speed and ability to track them from the air. The Eevees went charging in with Tackles; all of them landed. A Quick Attack and Water Gun managed to weaken two of the brown balls of fur while the third one tried to help by using Sand Attack to blind the foes. It seemed to work as the two who were hit followed up with Tackle yet again; that decision proved to be a bad one. The two Eevees were inches away from their targets once the ball hit them in the head. After some violent shaking, the balls stopped. Only one Eevee remained as the wife pulled out an Ultra Ball but it sprinted away; she had put her trust in Sand Attack to disrupt Pidgeotto's chase from above. Hours later, the couple was still searching for her until the wife had grown tired of walking in addition to the husband's Pokémon not having any clue where the fur ball went. When Eevee finally saw them leave for good, she sobbed for hours alone in a hollow log.
Numerous nightmares kept her from getting a good night's sleep for days after she finally came to terms with her friends being caught. Would they live good lives? Based on what other Pokémon have told her, probably not. Still, she thought that not all humans were bad. To deal with her stress, she started eating a decent amount of the winter stash they had all gathered once she went back to the storage spot. On a cold yet sunny day she ventured to the grassland for some different food in the hopes that trainers would not notice her in the tall grass. It wasn't long before another human had come across her. He just looked at her.
"An Eevee huh? Eh, not really looking for Pokémon to battle now," he said to himself as he moved on past her. "Although you would be a nice addition to my collection," he mumbled as he turned to look at her. "I have your evolved forms from trades, but not… you." She was stunned. A trainer older than the young girl but younger than the couple didn't even try to capture her immediately. "I don't think I have any balls now so I guess I'm out of luck. Poké Maniac Bill doesn't capture a rare Pokémon… ha! Oh why am I such a klutz?" he said to himself as he walked away mentally kicking himself. Unfortunately, another trainer just minutes later spotted her on her way back to Ilex Forest. This new trainer sent out a large Onix to block her route to the dense forest. Just like last time, she used Sand Attack to help her flee. There was only one option left: run north to the city to escape the trainer.
Goldenrod City was the largest city in the region by far. The hustle and bustle of the city worked as a perfect cover against trainers. City Pokémon weren't really valued as good battlers for two reasons. First, their battle style was documented as "undisciplined" since they relied on pure power to fight. Second, a lack of cooperation within a traditional team and owner is a problem due to city Pokémon are not used to taking orders from anyone except alphas. Clearly an Eevee in the city wasn't going to attract any serious battlers. However, there is still the possibility of being caught in the alleys.
Hours had passed since she fled the safety of the wild and to say she was lost was an understatement. No clue how to get food. No place to sleep comfortably with streetlights illuminating the city. No pack to back her up. No way to find her way home as the smell of trash and tall buildings made it hard to concentrate. For the first time, she was truly alone. After walking around aimlessly she found an alley where some Meowth were rummaging through a dumpster. All of them just shot her a glare as they ran to another alley to continue the search for food. It wasn't pretty but there was some food left in the form of stale bread.
"Hey you." One of the Meowth got her attention. "Yeah you. Listen, we're not gonna do anything this time but I can't promise what other Pokémon are gonna do to you since you look new to the city. Better enjoy that food because you'll never know what you'll run into here." Shop owners had shooed every Pokémon away once it was closing time so she went to find somewhere to sleep. So many alleys to choose from but not many spots to lie down. Very territorial Pokémon hissed at her in passing on her way to a very small cardboard box that once held a toaster. Being so small wasn't so bad after all in the big city.
Nighttime went by fast considering the new environment was very dangerous to the forest born Eevee. Waking up was something to be desired since the sound of heavy traffic was a horrible alarm clock. Berries were nowhere to be found so it was back to the dumpsters for breakfast. A bag full of pastries was just placed in the dumpster by her makeshift home for being too overcooked.
A Houndour approached the Eevee with the bag already in her mouth. "You have a lot of guts little lady. Get out of the boss' personal bakery."
The quiet young forest Pokémon tried to muster up the courage to speak back. "I-I-I'm s-s-sor…"
"Shut up. Just drop the bag and walk away," he replied with a snarl. She did so while shaking from her nervousness. Houndour was on edge from her movements and let loose an Ember attack which hit her because she was too scared to move. "Stop shaking! Just get out of my sight." He got up in her face to prove his point after she still stayed frozen in fear. "I never want to see you in this alley again for your sake. If boss sees you here, then you'll be in more trouble than you would ever imagine."
The wounded Eevee limped from alley to alley in search of food or anything to recover what was left of her strength. A limp was a sign of weakness and that was enough for others to attack. Kicking up dirt was her only defense since her Tackle attacks wouldn't be doing too much to the veteran city Pokémon that loved to fight recklessly. Going back to the wild was looking like a good idea in spite of not being able to leave the city until the injury seemed to get worse after the sun went down. She returned to the cardboard toaster box to plan on what to do next.
The male trainer from before had been spotted by the injured Eevee but she was relieved that he didn't notice her across the street. A voice came from behind her as she went to crawl back inside. "Even though my associate told you not to return, you still did anyway. That will be the last mistake you make in this city." The Houndoom emerged from the shadows along with two Houndour bodyguards.
Poor Eevee was scared out of her mind. "B-b-b-b-but l-l-l-let me move f-f-first," she stuttered in pure fear.
Houndoom's eyes narrowed in on her. "No. You had your chance. That box of yours will belong to me after we fight. It'll make some nice kindling. Get ready to fight, outsider." With that cadence, he fired off an Ember then flawlessly transitioned into Bite. Both attacks dealt severe damage sending Eevee on the ground feeling dizzy. He took some time to admire his work. "Well I guess you don't have much to live for since you won't even fight back." She lifted her head to see two Houndooms forming into one. "Since I'm in a good mood I'll let you beg for your life. Go on, do it."
"P-p-p-please let me live! I'll do anything!"
"Anything?" Houndoom asked while grinning and tilting his head trying to figure out what to do next. "Come with us," he growled. "You look like you could steal some nice sweets for us. That, or we'll find another use for you."
Eevee was still scared but she refused to go with them fearing her life would only get worse. "I'm not sure if I can do that." Her answer was met with a glare from all three fire types.
"I gave you a chance to walk away from this with no severe injuries and yet you say that!?" He paced side to side for a few seconds figuring out his next step until he looked at her again. "I've decided that I won't kill you. Hmm… I'll bring you to the edge of death here and deal with you later on." Another Ember hit her directly on top of her head almost knocking her out. She kept her head lowered due to the dizziness but still managed to hear footsteps and an angry voice by her.
"All of you against one isn't exactly a fair fight. However, I can make it work." A quick glance up using the rest of her strength had her seeing three copies of the male trainer from earlier before. "Quagsire get out here!" The blue blob materialized in front of the alley exit facing the fire Pokémon ready for action. Houndour bodyguards charged with Bite and were quickly overpowered by a Water Gun from the Quagsire. Houndoom was faster than his associates but was still no match for a powerful Mud Shot followed up by Water Gun. With all three fire types knocked out, he made his way over to the terrified Eevee.
It had started to shiver and even cry out in pain from the previous Embers in addition to the fact a human was about to take her. "It's okay little one." Her eyes were now sealed shut because she didn't want to see what was going to happen. "I'm an idiot! I still don't have any Poké balls," he said in a frustrated tone. "I'll get you out of there though." As soon as he picked her up she went unconscious.
The Eevee woke up in an unfamiliar environment for the second time in a matter of days after she had to roll over. It was a somewhat dark room that had been kept full of medical supplies. The window had been covered to prevent the sun getting in. She looked at her paw then went to move it only to be in a mild amount of pain despite bandages around it. Bandages also were wrapped around her head as well. Her mind raced trying to comprehend what happened only to pass out again. Footsteps on the carpet were the thing that woke her up this time. Had that trainer had taken her in? She definitely wasn't caught in a ball. Everything started to move fast until he spoke softly.
"Hey there girl. Are we feeling back to normal?" Eevee just started at him blankly. Multiple injuries that were lingering were practically gone except for the light soreness. "Well that's okay if you're not sure. I can tell you're better off than when I found you haha." His laugh was very gentle yet she still wanted to hide away from him. She flinched away. "Oh no it's okay. My name is Bill and this is my apartment. Don't be shy; I'll give you the tour." Bill picked her up very carefully as she tried to go into the corner. After getting comfortable in his arms, she just stared at him-trying to gauge him until he brought her out of the bedroom. Slowly he walked through the apartment full of technology gadgets while showing her everything that he owned and sometimes gave a demonstration on how certain things worked. Five minutes later she was placed on a footstool since the tour was over. Bill sat in the chair across from her and moved his face closer to hers.
"I just couldn't stand to see you beat up like that. Sure, city Pokémon fight but that was just unfair. You're lucky that I noticed the commotion unlike everyone else on any given day. Can't recall the number of fights I've broken up. It's okay to fear humans, but I will never do anything to hurt you if you're with me and I will not let anything bad happen to you. Do you understand?" She was absolutely stunned at what she just heard. Teardrops started to form and she eventually was bawling her eyes out on his chest while she pet her to sleep. "Let it out. Nothing bad will happen to you. I promise."
By the time she woke up again it was early evening. Bill had neither moved from his spot nor sopped petting her. Dinner had to be cooked for everyone so Bill had gently placed her on the warm chair while he whipped up some dinner. A delicious aroma from some tomato sauce filled the apartment minutes later along with some Pokémon food. Eevee killed some time by wandering around a second time just so she really could get a feeling for the place. It wasn't too long before dinner was set to be served. Kitchen tables were normally small but Bill had made his own to accommodate his Pokémon so they could eat with him. Eevee was clearly nervous when she saw the three extra bowls on the table; she pawed at him to get his attention.
"It's okay girl. The rest of my team is very accepting of you since I told them what happened. Tell you what… I'll go one at a time so you're not overwhelmed." Quagsire was sent out first. He was clueless looking as usual yet he was still very friendly. Bill's first Pokémon he had seen since coming to Johto was a Wooper and decided to capture it. Next was the counter to Quagsire's grass opponents, Vulpix. She was happy to see another female Pokémon on the team after being caught north of Goldenrod City. Lastly came the speedster Persian who stayed with him since day one. He was a little more reserved, but still introduced himself accordingly. "Great! Now let's eat some food!" Everyone had their own type of food with Bill's pasta thrown in as a treat. Once everyone had their fill they all went back to their balls; Eevee hadn't eaten much.
Bill took her to her bed to change her bandages. Eevee still flinched when he reached for the bandages. "You need them changed," he sighed quietly. She managed to hold still after awhile while new ones were being wrapped up tightly. She was moved to his bed after he left the room to get her dinner. "See? It wasn't that bad. Now you need to eat good food. Dumpster food isn't exactly healthy for you." Once he started petting her, she started to scarf down the food. "Perfect. There isn't anything I need to do now but I am really tired so let's call it a night shall we? Do you know what tomorrow is? It's Thanksgiving! We have a big day tomorrow so get some sleep." Eevee was placed in her own bed as Bill turned the lights out.
Morning had come too early as Bill was woken up by the brown ball of fur he saved not too long ago. "Sounds like you're ready." Eevee happily licked his face to make sure he stayed awake. "Alright alright, I'm moving." Breakfast for everyone was relatively quick in order to finish Bill's long list. The first stop of the day was the department store so he could buy a ball for Eevee. Great balls were the cheapest since Poké balls were out of stock so Bill bought one and officially caught Eevee right on the spot. People by the counter were in shock that a wild Pokémon behaved so well in a department store while others cursed under their breath that they didn't think of catching it for themselves. A quick stop to the Pokémon Center made sure Eevee was all better as well as the other three Pokémon on his team.
Next stop was the local market by the almost built Magnet Train. Carts were full of last minute goodies that the citizens had bought for the holiday. Bill already had some items at home but still needed a turkey in case his parents couldn't make it; the weather was iffy at best leaving Kanto. Family members were supposed to pitch in for this year with his parents bringing the drinks plus the turkey, grandparents bringing the stuffing, cousins bringing the desserts, and Bill making the mashed potatoes in addition to the sauces. Unfortunately, the weather report was not looking good over in Kanto's Vermilion City where the ferry was supposed to depart. All of Bill's family was possibly experiencing a blizzard at this moment. Snow seemed to be on the horizon of Goldenrod City as well. His stroke of luck came when he saw there were about a dozen turkeys left; a very good number considering there more last minute shoppers and it was only a few hours before dinner would be served.
List items involving going out were officially done once he left the market. He started to make sauces for the delicious food his family made after he tossed the turkey in the oven. Pokégear ringing began to echo in the apartment. "Hello?"
"Hey Bill! How's it going?" his dad asked on the other end.
"Just cooking up some food at the moment. So, is everyone coming over from your place on the ferry or are you snowed in?"
"I'm sorry… we can't come over Bill. The snow is too much along with the rough waters. If we could fly over safely then we would."
Pictures started to appear on the screen. "Wow… that's bad. It looks like we're starting to get pounded too. Stay safe and say hello to everyone for me. In fact, can I see Vaporeon, Flareon, and Jolteon? Even though they wanted to stay in Kanto, I still miss them." A blob of yellow soon covered the screen.
"Jolt! Jolt!" Jolteon was happy to see his master in the small window and started to lick the screen.
"Flaaaaaaaaaaaaar" Flareon squealed in delight.
"Vapoooooo? Va!" Vaporeon pushed the other two aside to look at the camera on his father's end.
Bill smiled as the three jousted to be in the camera's view. "Hi guys! I'll be home for Christmas so you can see me then okay?" They all sulked in fake disappointment. "See you guys soon!"
"Love you!" his parents yelled. A clicking sound signaled the end of the call. Now he was stuck with turkey and mashed potatoes which wasn't too bad although stuffing was the best part by far.
Snow piled up in a hurry as Bill was working on the mashed potatoes. By the time he had it done the power went out. Despite the setback, Bill didn't have too long left on the turkey. "Vulpix I need some help." The red fox was happy to help cook Thanksgiving dinner by heating the plain turkey under his careful supervision and constant poking with the meat thermometer. She then lit the burners on the stove with her fire to keep the mashed potatoes heated. "Great job Vulpix. Now get a quick rest." Bill's mental clock said that dinner time was almost here even though he had no visitors coming. Still, he strived to eat at the same time as in years past to keep the tradition alive.
After what little he had left to do, it was time to eat. All four Pokémon were called out to enjoy the miniature feast. Vulpix lit the fireplace and candles to bring some light to the apartment "My family can't come this year so it'll just be us. And to think I would have to move my time capsule equipment into my room this year. Guess it's not all that bad haha," he joked. "Don't worry though because you guys get more food! Persian, cut some turkey and let's eat!" Master chefs have tried, but they still can't cut to the precision of any Pokémon which made the turkey that much better. With all the plates full of food, Bill got everybody's attention.
"Thanksgiving is about reflecting on what you are thankful for. You guys are… without a doubt… are what I am thankful for the most along with my family. Also, I am thankful I found Eevee in that alley and I am thankful she opened her heart up to all of us when she could have run away or rejected us. It is with great pleasure that I formally introduce Eevee." Everyone had their eyes fixed on the new member as she blushed with embarrassment. "Eevee had been a shy wild Pokémon that caught a bad break. Now she sits here among us, her new family. We will always treat her with respect and I offer her the same promise I offered to you three again. As long as you are with me I will not hurt you. As long as you are with me nothing bad will happen to you. Welcome to our family Eevee."
Everyone let out a cheer before scarfing down the food on their plates. Eevee was the first done with her food this time in addition to getting seconds. Dinner lasted roughly an hour with laughing and the occasional food fight. When it was all done everybody went to their beds. Bill had prepared comfortable makeshift beds for his team after seeing how happy Eevee was sleeping outside of a ball; all of them were thrilled he did such a thing. Bill watched the snow come down furiously for a little bit before hopping into bed for the night. He slept peacefully until he felt a soft paw on his face.
"Hmmmm what's up Eevee?" The little Pokémon happily yelped once then curled up next to him. "You ready for tomorrow after we clean up?" Another happy yelp came from her."That's my girl. You can sleep on my bed tonight." Both of them fell asleep in a matter of minutes. Their first day together as a family was only hours away.