Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Pokemon or any individual aspect therein. Pokemon is copyrighted to Nintendo and Game Freak.

Author's Notes: Despite being the first story in canonical order, this is actually the third Pokemon story I have written on paper. (But the first to be viewable online). Still, despite modifications, I still request reviews concerning the story or parts of it. With that said: enjoy!!

~ZX

Symbols Legend: (There can be an overlap)

"Talking"

*thinking*

=Telepathic communication= (I don't have a set name for it yet.)

The Story of Sola and Shadow

Her life started out on a poor note, born and raised only knowing the voice of her only friend, Bill the "Pokemaniac". She never went outside to play with other pokemon or meet new people. The reason she didn't have any other friends was because of a rare condition in both humans and pokemon- she was born blind. The little Eevee always moved under Bill's guidance, oftentimes through Bill carrying her, and never moved on her own.

Then, one fateful summer day in the city of Goldenrod, she sensed a new smell, followed by Bill's gentle hands picking up the little Eevee. The new scent got stronger as she was carried by Bill from her bedroom into the living room. She struggled nervously because she was a little scared of this new person.

"It's ok, little one." She heard from Bill. This seemed to calm her nerves a little.

She was set on the ground on all fours in the living room and she sat on the spot, listening to her friend speak with this new person.

"I haven't seen your face in a while, about a year to be exact." Bill said to the new trainer

"Yes, it's been that long since Katie and I met you at your place north of Cerulean. I've been out and about as of late, trying to find the best team to challenge the Pokemon League with. I'm making a little progress, though, and I intend to continue moving forward." The new trainer replied

"I don't mean to be burdensome, but I have a request for you."

"It might depend on the request, but let's hear it."

"Well, with all of my work on the PC system, I have little time to take care of some of my Pokemon. All of the rest of mine are either with Professor Oak or with my family. However, I wish for someone to take care of this little Eevee. If you won't take her with you, I'll ask another trainer I'm familiar with."

"Oh, there will be no need for that. I'll be glad to take care of her. Who knows, maybe she'll be a great help to me in the future. Plus, to be honest, I've been quite interested with Eevees for quite sometime. There's quite a mystery to them, don't you think?"

She felt gentle hands pick her up and cradle her; one hand was petting her on the head. She knew it was the strange trainer, but the trainer was being gentle and she was becoming accustomed to him.

"Well, if you are to take her with you, I must inform you that she's been born blind. The poor thing hasn't experienced much in her life." Bill explained.

"Oh, I see. That explains why she never moved and the pale look in her eyes. Poor little thing. Don't worry, Bill, I'll do the best I can."

After saying their goodbyes to Bill, they exited his home and went directly to the Goldenrod Pokemon center. Along the way, the trainer introduced himself:

"Oh, by the way, my name's Seth. Let's stop by the Pokemon Center first, as I have some things to take care of first."

Upon entering the Pokemon Center, she felt her paws touch the cold tile of the center's floor. She was released from his hands when she heard her new trainer begin to walk away. She sat in her spot, as she always did when she lived with Bill. After noticing that the Eevee wasn't following, Seth turned around to see her sitting in her spot.

"Well, come on, little Eevee. Just follow my voice, or use your nose to track my scent. Here, I'll tap my foot for you to listen to." Seth said, calmly.

After hearing Seth say that, she began to hear a steady tapping sound coming from in front of her. She slowly got up and carefully walked in the direction the tapping was coming from. Just as she was getting accustomed to the tapping, several trainers barged into the center causing a large clamor and drowning out the tapping sound. She was about to panic and sit back down when she picked up Seth's scent, the same scent she picked up when he first entered Bill's house. Now in a slight panic, she started running towards the source of the scent and wound up tripping over his foot.

"Are you ok, little one? I didn't expect that to happen, sorry."

She quickly got back up on her paws, walked back to Seth, and rubbed her head on his leg to let him know she was ok. They began to walk together and ended up at the PC system within the center, the clamor quieting down the farther away they traveled from it.

"Despite that unexpected situation, you performed quite well. I think I have a name for you too. You may not know this, but the sun is the reason that there is day and night, as the sun gives off a brilliant bight light. Bright can also be used to describe someone who is very smart. So, I've decided on Sola, a take on the sun. What do you think?" Seth told the Eevee.

*My being smart is kind of much, but I like the ring that name has to it.*

She barks happily to show her appreciation for the name, while swaying her tail from side-to-side. She heard some more beeping from the PC that Seth was using before she heard him shift, or turn around.

"Ok, I'm finished. Let's go get something to eat, Sola."

She was picked back up by the trainer and carried out of the Pokemon Center. Upon exiting the center, she noticed that he didn't walk very far before entering another building. As soon as they entered, Sola could smell many kinds of food, both human and some poke food. Seth walked in a short ways and sat at a table, placing Sola on the floor near it. During their quick meal, Sola heard Seth explain more about his situation:

"I'm going to take you traveling with me, so that you can experience the world in your own way. Teaching you how to walk around places using your nose and ears will help you quite a bit. I'll give you little lessons here-and-there as I train my other pokemon. However, during the weekends- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday- I go out at night quite a bit, and the night team I use already has all 6 spots filled. You'll have to spend some time in a pokeball then. Are you ok with that?"

Sola nods understandingly and receives a short rub behind the ears from Seth. After finishing the meal, Seth carried Sola back to the Pokemon Center. After being placed back on the cold tile, she followed Seth up to the front desk, where Seth requested to use a bedroom for the night. The woman at the desk (Nurse Joy) then led Seth, who led Sola, up a short flight of stairs. Sola had a little bit of a rough time in her first experience walking up the stairs on her own, but she paced herself and made it to the top without injury. After the stairs, they were introduced to a small room, simple in design. Seth picked up and placed Sola on the recliner, and she curled up to relax and slowly fell asleep. Seth was soon to follow, falling asleep a tad later in the single bed.

Over the course of the next twelve days, Sola received special training to help her navigate the land of Johto, and also underwent a couple of unexpected circumstances to avoid threats from native wild pokemon. She experienced the sounds and smells of Ecruteak City, Violet City, the Ruins of Alpha, and all the way down south to Azalea Town and the nearby Ilex Forest. All the while during this journey, she heard the sounds of battle- the Pokemon Battle. She noticed that Seth used pokemon that, he said, were his trusted partners throughout Kanto- Seth's homeland- noting that Seth used a Raichu, an Arcanine, a Pidgeot, an Alakazam, and a Venusaur.

On the twelfth day, after a brief encounter with a wild bug's nest in Ilex forest, Sola felt a little strange, as if something was changing inside of her.

"Y-you're evolving!? T-there was no stone! How can this be…?" Seth exclaimed in an astonished tone.

Sola had evolved from her Eevee stage to a new stage: the Espeon stage.

"Wait, I think I understand now. If this is daytime, then the other-" Seth continued to himself.

Sola came out of her evolution and relaxed all of her muscles. She felt stronger physically, and felt completely different then before. She opened her eyes and was immediately bombarded with bright lights and colors. She blinked a few times, thinking she was experiencing an unconscious daydream.

*What's going on? What am I experiencing?* Sola thought.

She shakes her head, as if to get rid of a bad dream.

*No matter what I do, I'm still experiencing this. C-could it be that I…-*

Sola looked around, seeing green all around where she sat that flickered in shade from the breeze. To her right, the green was interrupted by a large grey stripe that people were walking on. This stripe led to a few very large box-like objects. She looked straight forward, taking in the sight of the closest "box". It was a silvery white with a red top and to the left side (where the front face of the building is) she saw two thick white arcs enclosing a white circle. (A/N: free e-cookie to whoever guesses what this is) She began walking towards it.

"Sola? Where are you going?" Seth asked, confused as to why Sola is acting on her own.

*If this is a daydream- like I think it is- this thing shouldn't be real. I must find out for myself if I… can actually… see.* Sola told herself.

She kept advancing on the box, despite Seth's brief protest. After cautiously approaching the box for about a minute, she finally got close enough to "test". She heard Seth follow her the whole way, but he stopped before Sola did. Sola raised her left front paw and pushed it forward. She felt the cool touch of metal as her paw met the large "box". She barely moved afterward, as she was awestruck that the "box" was real. Seth showed just as much astonishment in his voice.

"You… you can see now!?"

Sola removed her paw from the "box", thinking about what her trainer just said.

*Yeah… I can see now… I can actually SEE everything!! This isn't a dream, this… no everything around me… is real!*

Her tail waved excitedly as she made the realization, she made a quick turn toward where her trainer's voice last came from and finally saw the face of the person- no, friend- that taught her everything about the world and was partly responsible for her new gift. Seth stood just two inches shy of 4' at 11 years of age, and leaned toward the slim side of average in overall body structure. He wore a navy blue t-shirt with white accents that depicted lightning going in random directions and faded black jeans with white and navy tennis shoes. This was in stark contrast to his yellow hair, spiked randomly. He opted not to wear a hat to protect his eyes from the sun, but rather wore black sunglasses hiding his emerald eyes. The only extras he carried were a black and blue backpack, and a black wristwatch on his right hand. Seth finally saw that the paleness he saw in her eyes as an Eevee were gone and all that was left were gentle lavender eyes. Sola quickly ran up to him, pure happiness clearly visible on her face, and playfully tackled him down onto the grass. She then quickly licked his cheek to say thanks before sitting down next to him. Seth sat up, patted the top of the now-Espeon's head, and rubbed behind her ears- which she began to really enjoy.

"I'm still recovering from this experience, but I've found an interesting conclusion from the evolution process. Professor Oak and Bill will be dying to hear this. Now let's see here…"

Seth took a small red machine out of one of his pockets and opened it up. After typing some things on a keypad, he pointed it at Sola. Sola flinched because he swung around so quickly, but quickly relaxed. After a quick "ping" from the machine, Seth began explaining what he was doing.

"This is a pokedex. Professor Oak from Kanto- my homeland- gave me the side quest of trying to record some sort of data of all of the pokemon I could using this. As an Eevee, you could evolve into one of many forms. The only 3 I knew of from other trainers were using Fire, Water, and Thunder stones. I obviously didn't use a stone on you, as I never had any in my pack. Your evolution puzzled me, astonished me, and helped me conclude that there aren't just those three evolutions, but five. I also think that it sparked because of our increasing friendship with each other. However, I see you are a Psychic-type (he quickly shows her the screen), so work on all of your talents just got more complicated. However, that's all I can say at this point."

*Psychic type, eh? I wonder what kind of talents these psychic types have?*

A light growl from the both of them hinted what they should do next, so they went to a local shop in Azalea Town to get supplies for lunch. For lunch, they retreated to the local pokemon center. During their short meal, Seth spoke up again:

"A psychic-type is capable of doing some miraculous things with their minds. They can confuse opponents, distract them, and attack them in essentially the same move. The best part is- it's pretty much all mental. We'll start honing your new abilities after this. However, I'll be making the switch to the night team this evening, so you know the drill."

*Using my mind for attacking? If it's my mind, then this might be easy. At least I hope it's easy.*

After Seth finished, he went to the corner with the PC and started it up. He then typed on a keypad while Sola watched what he was doing. He placed a pokeball next to the computer in a small chamber. The ball was enveloped in white light and disappeared. Seconds later, the beam of light returned and left a half-black ball with a yellow design on it. Seth took it, added it to his belt and motioned Sola to head outside. Once outside of the town perimeter, near Ilex Forest, Seth threw the new ball into the air. Out of the ball came an Alakazam.

"Alakazam here will help you tap into and focus your new psychic powers. Learning by example from a fellow psychic-type is much better than simply listening to me describe what I think is done." Seth explained.

He then turned to Alakazam.

"She's all yours. I won't be far, should you need my help at all."

Alakazam simply nods and Sola watches as Seth heads off down the pathway a short distance before sitting at the base of a nearby tree and taking a few things out of his bag. Her attention quickly turned back to Alakazam, eager to learn her new abilities.

"Well this is rather unexpected." Alakazam began "I must admit, this is the first time I've played the role of teacher to anyone, so you'll have to bear with me. Anyways, as Sir Seth has told you already, I'm Alakazam and am capable of using psychic powers. Hopefully, if I can teach this properly, you should learn to tap into your new powers and use them accurately. Well, first things first, we should get some materials to start with, eh?"

Sola quickly became interested in Alakazam's speech. It sounded very familiar to her, but she couldn't recall where it was from. After wandering around the general area for a while they found some fallen tree branches piled up off of the pathway.

"Watch and learn, young one. By using your mind, you can move objects and carry things you may need, like wood for a campfire out in the wilderness, or it can be used to repulse an opponent. Now this is the hard part to describe: You need to reach out with your mind, embrace the object, and move or carry it in the direction you wish to take it. Keep in mind that these powers are almost an extension of you. I'll start first to set the example."

Alakazam slowly closed his eyes, relaxed all of the muscles in his body. Slowly, one of the large logs at the edge of the pile began to rise up. After rising a few feet, it hovered and began moving toward them. Alakazam lowered it to the ground and set it a couple of feet in front of the two pokemon. Sola, slightly amazed, turned back to the Alakazam to see him exhale calmly and reopen his eyes.

"Now it's your turn, young one. Remember; just reach out with your mind just as if you were reaching out with your han-… er… paw. Once you master using your powers in this way, it should become second nature to you. The best way to train your mind is to start out with one of the smaller objects, then move on to larger ones." He continued

Sola then repeated what Alakazam had done; she relaxed her muscles and began taking slower and deeper breaths. She closed her eyes and was about to begin concentrating, when she was interrupted by Alakazam.

"Sorry to bother you like this, young one, but you don't need to close your eyes, especially since you are only learning how to do this. I only close my eyes because it is what I'm used to. Looking at the object you are concentrating on helps you concentrate on it more, if you understand where I'm going."

Sola nodded understandingly. She turns back to the pile of logs and isolates a smaller branch on the right side near the top of the pile. Looking at the branch, she began concentrating on the object and what she wanted to do. Slowly, she felt a wave of mysterious energy exit her and travel outward. This mysterious energy gave her the sensation that she was moving and feeling everything, but when she broke her concentration and looked at the ground, she notices that the energy stops flowing and realizes she hasn't moved an inch. Again, she isolates the branch and begins concentrating again, letting the energy flow to where she wants it to, and it eventually reaches the pile. She guides it to the branch and feels the energy embrace it. She then raised the energy into the air, except the branch didn't rise with it. So she tries again, this time she grasps it firmly using this energy and slowly raises it up above the pile. She then guides the branch slowly back to where the two pokemon are standing. Upon reaching them, Sola gently sets the branch in front of her and releases the branch. Alakazam is quick to applaud her first success. Sola remains quiet, however, and decides to try it again. This time, she would return the branch back to the pile. She is quick to grasp and raise the branch in front of her, but she still moves it back to the pile relatively slowly. Upon reaching the pile, she raises it above the whole pile and drops it at the top. Alakazam then takes the time after this attempt to speak to her.

"Splendid work, young one. Sure, there is still more to work on, but you seemed to master the core concept quite quickly. I must ask, since Master Seth told me you evolved from an Eevee, and they aren't able to use psychic powers, how did it feel? And how were you able to master it so quickly?"

"I… uh… I can't explain how it felt, other than it felt like there was this energy running through me, listening to my commands… I was in full control of it. I don't know, it almost seemed… natural… to me. I felt like I knew what I needed to do, and yet I also didn't know what I was doing. Sorry if this is confusing you." Sola replied.

"Oh no, young one, quite the opposite. It seems to me that when you evolved, you somehow obtained the knowledge to master your new abilities. However, it is hidden- waiting to be discovered by you. If you wish to keep practicing, feel free to do so until you feel comfortable with this ability."

"Yeah, I wanted to keep trying anyway, to get used to this feeling."

As Sola keeps trying out this psychic ability, Alakazam uses his abilities to read Sola's mental patterns as she continues practicing, and offers hints and advice every once in a while. During all of this practice, Sola moves from small objects to large ones, and also discovers other uses for this ability, including rotating the object while carrying it, being able to move it at faster speeds, and even swinging, throwing, and catching objects. Only a half-hour passes before Sola tells Alakazam that she feels comfortable with this ability.

"If you insist on moving on, then we can. There are deeper levels to psychic powers than moving or attacking foes. While these techniques confuse them, another ability that shocks others is the ability to mind-read. I'll have to tell you now, though, this ability will take more time to even get comfortable with, much less master. Mind-reading is part natural to psychic users, but it needs to be discovered individually. Are you ready to give this a shot?"

"Yeah, I'm ready." Sola replied, a tad nervous.

"Reading into another's mind is much like sensing the environment around you," Alakazam continued, "but the real trick is being able to penetrate into your target's mind and seeing what he/she is thinking. Now, I want you to use that energy, focus on me, and try to read what I'm thinking."

Sola nods understandingly and begins concentrating on Alakazam. She lets the energy flow through her once again, a feeling she is quickly getting accustomed to, and concentrates on Alakazam only. While letting her energy flow over Alakazam, she feels another strange energy.

*This must be his mind I'm feeling. Perhaps if I concentrate on that…*

She quickly focuses on his mind, and dives straight in. When she does, however, she is bombarded with sentences, images, and simply a traffic jam of thoughts flying every which way. She tried sifting through the mess to find what he's thinking about, but with thoughts and images going every which way made things very difficult. After several minutes, she found a phrase that kind of stood out among the others. She wasn't sure if this was what she was looking for, but she decided to try anyway.

"A-… Are you thinking about whether you are a good teacher to me or not?" Sola asked

"Actually, yes it is, young one. Well done!" Alakazam replied

"Then your answer is 'Yes'. But everything in the mind is so confusing."

"You are having trouble with this ability, aren't you?"

"Again, yes. It felt like… I see things going in every which direction, it's very hard to find out what you were really thinking about. I know I'll get used to it eventually, but how do you do this, Alakazam?"

"Well, when I see the mind, I see a sphere of thoughts, images and actions, as you do. However, I also see layers to the mind. The thin outer layer is the conscious mind; the slightly larger middle layer is subconscious actions and thoughts. The subconscious are things that can be recalled, such as memories, past strategies and techniques, and even alternative movements when in battle. The majority of the mind is the unconscious, which becomes very vague to describe. Instincts can be classified in the unconscious, as well as drives and motivations that encourage or discourage specific actions."

"Ugh… this is too confusing for me. I would rather just like to try again, if you don't mind." Sola said, shaking her head.

"Not at all. I'm sure if you keep practicing, you'll begin to understand what I'm talking about eventually. Let me think of something… ok ready when you are."

Sola begins concentrating on Alakazam's mind again, but accidentally makes the same mistake of diving right into his mind. She experiences the same traffic jam of thoughts, images, actions, and memories that confused her last time. Again, she sifts through the mess trying to find out what he's currently thinking about. After several minutes, she slightly relaxes her concentration on Alakazam's mind, mainly because she was beginning to get tired, and finds that the answer was more obvious this time around. Alakazam was thinking it was getting dark out and they should find Seth. After releasing herself from his mind, Sola looks around and notices the sky is beginning to darken into an orangish evening glow.

"I agree, we should head back now."

"Very good, young one! Let's go find Master Seth before it gets too dark. I'll lead the way."

Alakazam quickly retraces their steps mentally and remembers where Seth was sitting. Both he and Sola quickly return to see Seth sitting under the same large tree, with a few tools around him, and his wristwatch lay out in front of him, along with some miscellaneous parts scattered around. As soon as they noticed him, Seth began putting everything away, as well as placing the watch back on his wrist. Alakazam, while audibly talking, was mentally relaying to Seth what had happened as far as Sola's training while the trainer and two pokemon were walking back to Azalea Town.

"=She is progressing remarkably well. She has already mastered moving and redirecting objects. She is now working on looking into others' minds. However, she still has a long way to go on this, and I'd like to request more time to train her some more.=" Alakazam began

"I understand, Alakazam, but the fact that she has already mastered a psychic concept so quickly has me a little stunned. She shouldn't be able to learn this quickly if psychic powers are new to her. I honestly expected her to take longer to master some of these concepts. Anyway, I'll be reserving a room in the pokemon center. You two can resume training there." Seth replied

"=Thank you, master. I'm sure she'll be ready before next week, sir.="

"How many times have I told you not to call me 'master'? Honestly, you sound like an elderly butler talking to some rich prince. I'm not royalty, Alakazam, so try to drop the formalities please." Seth told Alakazam with a chuckle.

"=Yes, sir.="

It was then that Sola realized that Alakazam's speech and manners sounded a lot like Bill's father, whom stopped by on occasion. After re-entering Azalea Town, they stopped by a nearby building for supper, then Seth led the two psychic types back to the local pokemon center. After acquiring a room key, all three, led by Seth, walked upstairs to the selected room. Seth opened the door, pocketed the key, and motioned for the two psychic types to enter.

"I'm heading back out with the night team. Feel free to continue in here, I'll be back later." Seth said

Seth then tossed Sola's ball and Alakazam's ball onto the mattress before turning back and exiting the room, closing the door on his way out.

"Well, young one, we should best get started so you can master this." Alakazam started

"Yeah, that dinner really helped. Get ready, Alakazam." Sola replied

Sola practiced this technique several more times. During the practice, Sola began to understand Alakazam's description of the mind. Everything he was presently thinking about was felt near the surface of the mind and could be easily read. Near the end, Sola was picking out the particular word or phrase that Alakazam was thinking about almost instantaneously. Alakazam stopped the practices when he noticed this.

"Well done, young one! I must say, you performed splendidly that last time. I must ask- did you feel that this was natural to you as well?" Alakazam asked

"I'll have to admit, some of it did. But the action of finding out what someone else is thinking about… that took both experience and your help… Mostly your help, though." Sola replied

"Hmm, yes, there are a few techniques that you must learn on your own time, and are not naturally there from the start. Who knows? You may even find another use for some of your psychic abilities and battle moves. Speaking of which, I do want to teach you one more special technique."

"Another technique? I thought these two I learned were the-"

"Yes, those two techniques are the most popular, because they have the most uses, and believe me, you will master them quickly. However, there is one more technique that I know has very limited uses."

"What is it, then?"

"Thought Communication, but most humans call it 'Telepathy'. Few psychic-types discover this on their own, and most that do discover it- to the best of my knowledge- share a very close bond with their trainers. As you very well know, we cannot communicate verbally with our trainers because they are not able to understand our language. This technique helps us use the human language to communicate with them."

"Ok, I kinda understand, but the big question is: How do I-"

=It's quite easy once you understand what's involved.= Sola heard, however Alakazam's lips never moved

"Whoah!! Then tell me how! Please?"

=Settle down, young one. The real secret is entering the mind of the person or pokemon you're trying to communicate with. It's much like mind reading, but you are not entering their mind to steal their thoughts, but to give them your own. However, I must advise you to continue practicing mind reading to prepare yourself for this.=

As Alakazam was telling Sola how to use thought communication, Seth reentered the room. Both Sola and Alakazam only became aware of his presence when he spoke up while sitting on the bedside.

"Sorry to interrupt anything, but I have something for Sola. Consider it a surprise, though." Seth said openly, but privately asked,

=How's she doing, Alakazam?=

=Splendid. She has learned how to probe into another's mind, and I was just about to tell her about thought communication. I suggest you prepare yourself in case she tries this on you to spoil the surprise.= Alakazam replied

"Ready to go, Sola?" Seth asked the Espeon

=Don't worry, Alakazam, I can take care of myself.=

Sola nods excitedly. Seth picks up the two balls left on the bed from before. Raising the Ultra Ball, he withdraws Alakazam, but not before he hints to Sola to try looking into Seth's mind to discover the surprise. Seth then places the two balls on his belt and motions for Sola to follow him.

*This is like a pop quiz for me. Now, let's see what you have in store for me, Seth.*

Seth and Sola exit the pokemon center and turn to head out to Ilex Forest. The town is now only lit by lights inside houses and a few lights showing where the roads are. Sola then looks upward. The sky is mostly a dark navy blue, with a couple of black-looking clouds. She then looks back to where she's walking and begins to focus on her trainer's mind, trying to uncover what he has in store for her. The street lamps highlighting the road in front of them come to a stop as they head underneath the entrance to Ilex Forest. Sola physically hesitates a moment before following Seth into the now-dark forest. The entire time, however, while trying to read Seth's mind, Sola keeps hitting a "wall" of sorts. The only things she was able to see in his mind, despite her best attempts, was a scene of a few trees, one with fruits on it, with a yellow glowing "stripe" behind them along with one word: Shadow. She stops trying to read Seth's mind when the forest begins getting really dark, and can barely see where she's going. After continuing a short distance into Ilex Forest, Sola hears a faint rustle in the greenery nearby. She bravely decides to investigate it. After straining to look around, she notices trees behind the shrubbery. Contrary to her vision in Seth's mind, this one didn't possess a tree with fruits on it, nor a yellow glowing "stripe" behind it. She then hears Seth calling for her and decides to hurry back to him, already a little frightened. Before she can turn back to Seth, however, she feels something. Looking around using her psychic abilities, she feels the presence of another nearby. This feeling is confirmed when a bright flash of yellow shines from behind one of the trees. Sola quickly retreats to Seth, startled by this sudden flash of light, but turns back after reaching Seth to see what it was. A black creature, with rings glowing faintly yellow, jumps out from behind the tree she investigated. When it entered the open path, the figure takes the shape of a dog: namely an Umbreon, with rings pulsating brighter with a golden yellow color. Sola prepared herself for a possible fight, but Seth's voice stopped her.

"Shadow? I could've sworn I asked you to wait further up the path. Anyway, Sola, this is Shadow- the nighttime Eevee evolution. He's the surprise I had for you. The two of you will actually be the mainstays for a new team altogether."

Sola, now recognizing the glowing "stripe" as the ring on the Umbreon's ear, now becomes a little mad and begins complaining.

"=You mean to tell me you had me come out here at night into this dark and creepy forest JUST so see another pokemon!? You know that there are probably other pokemon that will stalk us in the night using this forest to hide and attack and even HURT us!? Not to mention IT'S THE NIGHT! I can barely see my paws in front of my face, much less see anything potentially dangerous out there. Now HE pops out of the bushes- who even might NOT have been the pokemon you were expecting- and NOW you expect me to NOT be scared!?="

"Please, settle down. The only reason you didn't see my rings that well was because I was resting. I didn't mean to scare you, honest." Shadow said, trying to calm the now-mad Espeon

"=IT DOESN'T MATTER! You popping out at me like that made this whole trip even scarier for me. There are plenty of other pokemon out there that could attack us on sight! How am I supposed to know YOU weren't one of them!?="

Seth just stood there, shocked. As well as hearing Sola speaking in her own voice, he was also hearing her voice in his head. Alakazam had told him that Sola was only told about it, and had not been given the chance to try it yet. But there she was, using telepathy in her fit of anger. He looked at Shadow and silently asked him if he could hear Sola's voice in his head as well, which was returned with a nod of his head. After a while of ranting, Sola suddenly stopped because she saw Seth standing with a shocked expression on his face. She tilted her head to the side, wondering what shocked him. All three stood in silence for a moment before Seth spoke up again.

"So-Sola, are you aware of what just happened?" he asked.

*Apart from being mad about being out here in the dark of night and almost being attacked, not really.* Sola thought, which was mirrored by her slightly confused expression.

"I heard you… and understood you. You were yelling in your mind, and Shadow and I both heard it perfectly. Sola… you were using telepathy!"

"I-… I was? Shadow, is this true?"

"Yup, I heard it too. It kinda took us off-guard." Shadow replied, nodding his head

"Sola… think you can try it again?" Seth asked

Sola simply shakes her head 'no' as she was just as confused as to how she pulled it off. Seth, opting to deter the curiosity for now, motions for them to head back out of the forest, much to Sola's relief. On the way back, however, Seth takes the time to explain something he knew Sola would ask, if she could.

"Sola, I was told by Alakazam that you might try to read my mind to spoil the surprise. So to keep the surprise a secret, I let you see the small things that I wanted you to see. It's another nifty thing I learned from working with psychic-types like Alakazam. You can essentially create a 'wall' of sorts inside the mind in order to prevent others from seeing things they shouldn't. On another note, I told both of you earlier that you will be the mainstays for my new team, so you both will be training for battle soon to hone your skills. This will help both you and me to understand your strengths and weaknesses, okay?"

They both nod. After exiting the forest and reentering Azalea Town, Shadow quickly apologizes to Sola for giving her such a scare. Sola was reluctant to forgive him at first, but eventually forgave him on the premise that he never try to scare her again. The three returned to Seth's room he reserved in the pokemon center and quickly went to sleep.

The following two weeks became quite busy for the two Eeveelutions. Starting in Ilex Forest, they began battling some of the local pokemon under Seth's guidance. Immediately, Sola showed more capacity for speed and special attacks using her new psychic powers. Shadow, on the other hand, showed more capacity for defense against both physical and special attacks. These advantages were shown very clearly in Seth's match against Whitney of Goldenrod City, along with some shortfalls. Sola couldn't handle many physical attacks, and Shadow wasn't very powerful in either physical or special attacks. After narrowly pulling out a victory against Whitney's Miltank, Seth quickly left the gym to get the two checked out at the pokemon center. While in the center, Seth became lost in thought on how to patch up their shortfalls. Sola and Shadow returned to see Seth spaced out looking at the ceiling. They both nudged him to get his attention.

"Oh? Sorry, you two. I guess I kinda got lost in thought. That battle with Whitney showed me that I might be falling behind in terms of training. So, for the time being, we'll be staying in the city to continue training. Sola, will you still want to practice your psychic powers with Alakazam?"

Sola shakes her head 'no'. Seth could see in her eyes that she wanted to perfect her powers her way.

"Alright, well if you two are ready, we can start in the National Park. Let's go." Seth said, getting out of the seat he was sitting in

With Seth leading the way, the three exit the pokemon center and began a short trek north to Goldenrod's National Park. Shadow questions Sola on the way.

"Hey, why did you refuse the special treatment? Don't you want to learn your powers quickly?" Shadow asked

"Well, you're not just gonna sit there and watch, are ya? You're gonna be training too."

"Of course I'm gonna be training, but how am I involved in this?"

"Hehehe. Just play along."

As Sola says that she brushes her tail against the side of Shadow's head, causing Shadow to instinctively blush lightly. Both of them then hurry a little, realizing they are falling behind. Seth looks back to see the two Eeveelutions in a run catching up to him. Assuming they got distracted, he simply shrugs and the group continues onward. Once they reach the National Park, they continue training for battle. Sola begins learning some new moves that utilize her psychic powers- Confusion and Swift- while Shadow begins learning Dark elemental attacks- Bite and Pursuit. Both also use Quick Attack, but are quickly experiencing deficiency in its use, since neither of them showed strengths in physical attacks. After learning Confusion, Sola began to truly understand the extent of her powers. All of the abilities taught to her by Alakazam were getting real-world experience, and instead of simply being comfortable with these abilities, they became almost second-nature to her.

Later that afternoon, both Sola and Shadow became fairly worn out from the training, and Seth wisely decided to call it a night. On the way back, however, Sola attempts to communicate with Seth applying what Alakazam had taught her. She entered his mind and began projecting what she wanted to say.

=Seth… Do you really think Shadow and I are getting stronger?= Sola asked her trainer

=You just answered your own question by asking me that, Sola.= Seth replied

=H-huh? What do you mean?=

=You think I'm not paying attention to what's going on, Sola? This is the first time you've communicated with me via thought since the incident where you met Shadow. By practicing what you know and learning new moves, both of you have become quite strong in your own ways. I've just been thinking of ways to try and cover or eliminate your respective weak areas.=

=Then shouldn't you be talking to us more often about this? It is US your talking about here.=

=I know. But I do have a general plan on what to do already. I want to raise your physical defense, so incidents like the match versus Whitney won't be repeated. Shadow on the other hand, since his strong points are his defensive prowess, will be raising his attack power. How these goals will be accomplished though, I'm not entirely sure.=

=Well, I guess all we can do is follow your lead, then.=

=One question, Sola. How did you become so attuned to this ability already?=

=Shadow was helping me practice in between battles. I'm starting to enjoy doing this now.=

=Well, keep it up. It'll be very useful for you.=

The three slept in the pokemon center for the night. The next few days were spent training in the Goldenrod National Park and the area south of Goldenrod City. Taking some tips from Whitney and other local trainers, Seth had both Sola and Shadow face off against more specific pokemon, with positive reinforcement from Seth, in order to help cover up both of their shortfalls. Within the lulls between battles, Sola and Shadow quietly conversed with each other- getting to know where the other came from, what each of them like or dislike, and even about daily happenings they hear about. This resulted in a deepening bond between the two Eeveelutions, alongside the strengthening friendships they shared with Seth. This increasing bond eventually blossomed into a mutual attraction for each other. Seth immediately noticed the attraction between the two when they began wandering off by themselves to talk. He even witnessed Sola wrapping her tail around Shadow's tail when they wandered off once.

The specialized training took them over the span of another month through Ecruteak City, west to Olivine City, then eastward to Mahogany Town, the Lake of Rage, and finally Blackthorn City. Immediately upon entering Blackthorn City, however, Sola started to have a problem with her memory, as well as a decrease in her physical ability. Upon having her checked out at the nearby pokemon center, Seth then found out that Sola had become pregnant. Seth immediately withdrew the two Eeveelutions into their balls and took out Falcon the Pidgeot. Seth flew on Falcon back to Goldenrod City and traveled southward to the Day Care center located there. He gave Sola to the day care couple there and explained the situation. They accepted and took Sola into their care. Early the next day, the couple called Seth at the pokemon center reporting that she had given birth. Seth and Shadow literally ran from the city to see Sola again. She had given birth to a litter of five pups, three were male and two were female. Sola, while tired from the birth, still managed to smile at Seth and Shadow upon entering. The five Eevee pups were bounding and playing around with each other in the day care couple's yard. Shadow went straight to Sola to help comfort her, while Seth went to the day care couple.

"You must be proud, lad. Your Espeon is now a mother of five strong pups. And judging at how she's reacting to the Umbreon, he must be the father and Espeon's mate." the Day Care Man started

"Well, I knew they were becoming attracted to each other, but I didn't see this happening. Hearing the news that she was pregnant was a shock to me." Seth replied

"You were lucky you got her to us when you did. We've become quite accustomed to seeing pokemon that were left here mate and bear children. Some trainers keep them, others don't. What will you do with them?" the Day Care Lady asked

"I-… I honestly don't know. Having all of these little Eevees might help research and unlock something about their wide range of evolutions, not to mention that these are Sola and Shadow's children, but I can't have all five pups with me at all times… Lemme talk with them for a moment, please."

Seth walks over to Sola and Shadow, whom are relaxing side by side. Shadow had his head lying on top of Sola's, but they both raised their heads when Seth approached. Sola knew what was on his mind, since she overheard the conversation, thanks to the navigational training she received when she was an Eevee.

"Well, you two. What's going to happen with these five young ones? I want to take them, but I won't have room to keep all five of them with us at all times." Seth asked the two new parents

=Shadow and I want to keep all of them also. Why don't you train some of them and evolve them into those other forms you told me about. We can be like one big family.= Sola replied

"That still leaves two with nothing to do right now. But I guess Professor Oak can take care of them in the meantime… Alright, I'll go tell the day care couple, so you two need to round up the pups so we can leave."

=Thanks, Seth.=

Seth returns to the day care couple to inform them of his decision. He then gives the couple a generous tip for their services and leaves the Day Care Center with Sola, Shadow, and the five pups in tow. Seth then heads back to the Goldenrod Pokemon center to officially make the Eevee pups his pokemon. One male and one female were then instantly transported to Oak's laboratory from the PC system inside the center. Since they were still pups, however, Seth didn't begin training them right away. He instead observed them while he continued Sola's and Shadow's training back in Blackthorn City. One of the males loved to run around while traveling- and often got separated from the group-, the other male intently watched Sola and Shadow's battles and seemed to enjoy them. The female tended to remain calm and seemed to have a secure attachment to Sola. While traveling, Seth came up with their names: Jolt for the runner, Blaze for the battle enthusiast, and Misty for the calm lady.

Once Sola, Shadow, and himself felt that the pups were ready, Seth focused the training on the pups, beginning near Twinleaf and working forward. Seth eventually evolved all three at the same time with stones at Ecruteak City. Blaze became a Flareon, Jolt a Jolteon, and Misty a Vaporeon. After their evolutions, Seth began to implement specialized training for the three new members of his team, as well as furthering Sola and Shadow's progress in their training. Despite the divided attention, he was able to pace himself and accomplish both in stride, eventually merging Blaze, Jolt, and Misty into the same higher-level training as their parents, Sola and Shadow, in Blackthorn City. It was at that point when they all became one large family, with Seth at its head, offering encouragement and supporting each other through any adversity. The close family bond and support propelled Seth and his new "Eevee Team" through the Johto Gym rematches and eventually Seth's fifth win over the Pokemon League. After the Pokemon League victory, they were challenged by the Elite Four: Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, and Lance. Despite many tough spots against each member, Seth and his team won and were offered a spot and the title of Pokemon League Member. Although unsure at first, everyone agreed and were initiated into the League later the same week. Even as members, they still continued to train together and grow stronger physically, mentally, and as a family, despite having to now occasionally answer to and take missions from the Pokemon League.

Author's Notes: This version is drastically different from my old handwritten version. The original handwritten version only took up 6 pages (3 sheets front and back) in script format, and the "Add-on" part (about how Sola learns her psychic powers and meets Shadow for the first time) was another 6 pages as an outline. Seeing this, I will probably make a revised handwritten version for myself somewhere down the line.

The whole add-on part about Sola learning her psychic powers actually came to me as I was starting to transfer the story from paper to computer. Eevee is technically the only pokemon that starts out without the ability to utilize any sort of psychic powers and then evolves into forms that do. (I say forms since Umbreon can use Psychic via TM in-game)

The whole "litter of pups" thing comes from my opinion that not all pokemon should hatch from or lay eggs. Since Eevees and their evolutions are very dog-like, I decided to use the real world reference and have her more-or-less have a litter of pups.

You may ask "What will happen to the other two Eevees?" Originally, there were only going to be 4 Eevee pups: 3 males and one female (the last male will reappear in the "futuristic" story). The extra female was another addition I made concerning the 4th generation of Pokemon. She will eventually become a Leafeon. However, since I don't have a story in the 4th generation yet, you won't see her for a while.