When Tyler woke up, late the next morning, he didn't waste any time. After finding a berry bush to eat and a puddle of water to drink from, he set out along the road, back the way he had come. He had seen enough of the town the night before to be pretty sure that neither his family nor the Catchers who had taken them were there. Now it was time to look somewhere else.

He was able to get through the forest fairly quickly, though there was a tense moment when he surprised a Caterpie and it sprayed sticky threads all over him before retreating up a tree. He was mostly all right, but the threads had tangled around his right forepaw so that he had to hop along in a sort of limp. After a little while, though, the threads had dried enough that Tyler was able to shred them with his claws and teeth and free himself. It was annoying, but, he thought, better than getting poisoned again. The encounter reminded him again to be careful of the bug Pokémon, and he made it to where the road left the forest without any more trouble. He was proud to see that even with the Caterpie attacking him, he made it there by noon.

As the road headed out across the grasslands, Tyler followed the forest verge as before. He turned into the forest a little after noon to find something to eat, and he had to find water every so often, but for the most part Tyler pressed on the entire day. Later on, he moved a little further under the trees, since the afternoon sun slanted further and further in and made the treeline almost as hot as the grasslands. It slowed him down a little, since the brush and trees made it harder to go in a straight line. When he stopped for the night, though, Tyler felt satisfied with how far he had gotten that day.

When the sun woke him the next morning, he was struck by how few Pokémon were about. They weren't gone; he could still smell and sometimes see and hear them, but most of them were still in their dens. Thinking back, Tyler tried to remember if his family had been like that. Father, he knew, was always awake well before the sun came up, making his morning patrol. As far as he could remember, though, his siblings had always woken up with the sun. After he had eaten and was starting out again, Tyler started to see more Pokémon emerging from their dens and going about their day. He was pleased to see the forest Pokémon he was familiar with, Pidgey, Spearow, Sentret, Teddiursa, Rattata, and others; he had had enough of bug Pokémon for a while. As he trotted along the grass by the forest, Tyler noticed that the shadows of the trees still cast shade pretty far out, letting him stay on the grass without getting hot. Mornings were definitely a better time for travel.

As he traveled, Tyler thought about what to do next. He didn't really know what was out there in the other direction; Ryan had mentioned that there were stronger Pokémon and Catchers around the area, but he didn't know much else. It seemed like the place he needed to go if he was going to keep looking for family, but he was still worried about facing Catchers. Maybe his new power would be enough to keep him safe, but somehow he didn't think so. Not by itself. Somehow, Tyler needed to get stronger.

First, he decided, he would find Ryan again. The Quilava would want to know how things had gone with the forest town anyway, and he might have more advice on what Tyler could do. Maybe he could go into the forest, too, to find Cora. No – that would take days. And he still didn't know just where she lived in the forest, since he'd been lost when he met her. She wouldn't be watching for him, either, since he'd told her he was leaving. With a sigh, Tyler realized he wouldn't be able to visit the kind Pidgeotto who had helped him get home. Hopefully one day he could come back and find her again.

So then, Ryan it would be. Peering out as far as he could see, Tyler estimated the distance he still had to go and realized it would still be a few days before he got back. It had taken him four days the first time, and this was only the second. Although it might be a little shorter if he didn't get caught in another rainstorm.

Tyler kept going all that day and the next, walking alternately in the grass during the morning and in the forest when the afternoon sun started to angle over and heat things up outside the trees. He made good time, and as the sun set the third time he saw the town he and Ryan had visited appear out ahead of him. It had only taken him three days to reach it. Well, almost reach it. Tyler thought about pushing ahead that night, but he was tired from walking all day. He could still get to where the town was and find Ryan early the next morning, and so he found a comfortable spot a little way into the trees and slept.

Tyler woke early the next day, excited to finally be back somewhere he knew. He hurried around, finding food and drinking from the stream, then set out to finish his trip. It was still midmorning when he found himself opposite the town, and he turned into the underbrush, looking for the Quilava. To his disappointment, though, Ryan wasn't anywhere on the path, but Tyler wasn't about to give up that easily. Sniffing the air, he decided to track Ryan by smell.

Ryan's scent was pretty strong everywhere on the path – he obviously traveled it frequently – but there were a few places where it left. One was out of the forest, into the grasslands, but the scent there wasn't fresh, so Tyler moved on. He was surprised to find that another scent trail that led deeper into the forest, following the stream. His interest piqued, Tyler followed it, noticing that it led back in the general direction of the forest town.

As he went along, the stream met another one, becoming larger. This happened several times along a route that was longer than Tyler expected, and by the time he found another sign of Ryan's presence he was walking along a small river. He hadn't found anything for a while, but then his nose picked up a burnt smell. Figuring that had to mean a fire Pokémon, Tyler quickened his pace until he encountered an open area by the stream and saw flashes of flame. Before he left the undergrowth, Tyler peered through and saw a Quilava there, breathing out a stream of fire. He relaxed; it was Ryan.

"Hey! Ryan!" he called, trotting out through the trees.

The Quilava started, its fire cutting off, then turned around. Once Ryan saw him, he brightened. "Tyler! You're back! …How did you find me out here?"

Tyler shrugged. "I followed your scent. It was pretty far, though." He looked curiously at Ryan. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

Ryan was quiet for a moment, then he said, "Well, I'm practicing."

"All the way in here?"

"Yeah. It's a dry year, so it's not really safe to use fire out on the grassland. This is pretty deep in the forest, and it's right by a river." He shrugged. "So I won't start a fire here." Ryan cleared his throat. "Anyway, how did things go? You were gone for more than a week, so I'm guessing you found the town, right?"

Tyler nodded. "I did. There wasn't any sign of my family, though," he sighed.

"Well, did you learn anything else?" Ryan asked him.

Tyler thought back for a moment and nodded again, telling Ryan what he had seen inside the den and about sneaking around by himself. When he got to the part about the Catchers finding him, he suddenly remembered. "Oh! I learned something else, too. I can…" Tyler cut off. He was going to show Ryan. Turning to find a suitable target, he settled on a tree by the river. "Watch this!"

Breaking into a run, Tyler triggered his power and, running flat out, crossed the clearing in a blur. When the effect ended, he turned back to Ryan, who was staring at him in surprise. "I learned how to do that," he announced proudly.

Recovering quickly, Ryan gave him a tight grin. "So you figured out how to use energy? That didn't take long."

"Well, it kind of happened in a battle," replied Tyler, embarrassed at the praise. "There was this Catcher who saw me. I fought him – but most of his Pokémon were tired from fighting already, so it wasn't too hard. That's when I learned to use my power. But then when I was watching the town, he saw me and he chased me again, and I barely got away. You were right," he added, looking Ryan in the eye, "I guess Catchers do want to catch me." He paused. "Except… there were some other Catchers. The ones I was telling you about, who found me in the plants? When I ran away from them, they didn't try to catch me or follow me. They just kept going. I don't know why."

"Hmmm…" Ryan narrowed his eyes. "That is different. Maybe they weren't ready to hunt at night?"

"I don't know," Tyler answered honestly. "I thought maybe that was why."

Ryan nodded. "Well, I guess we'll have to keep wondering. Did anything else important happen?"

Tyler thought back. "No, not really." He didn't mention getting poisoned; he wasn't sure he wanted to talk about it. "After I went through the town, I just came back here." He paused for a moment; he wasn't sure Ryan would like the next part. "I'm going to the other town you mentioned now. I know you said it's dangerous, but I can't stop here, and I don't know where else to look for my family."

Ryan shook his head. "I thought you were going to say that. And no, for the record, I don't like the idea of you going out there. But I've been thinking about it since you left last time, and if these Catchers were really the way you describe them, you're more likely to find them there. If you don't get caught first."

"I won't," Tyler promised. "I can stay out of the Catchers' way."

"Well, like I said last time, I can't really stop you. I know this is what you have to do."

"Thanks, Ryan," Tyler said softly. "For understanding."

Ryan nodded, but didn't say anything. He looked around at the trees and river, then shook his head again. "I guess I've trained enough for today." He turned to Tyler. "Do you want to stay here for tonight? You've done a lot of traveling, and you should take a day to rest."

Tyler agreed, though he didn't feel that tired from the trip; it was good to have someone around again after being mostly alone for so long, and he felt safer with the Quilava around, almost like he did with Father. Ryan carried himself with the same quiet confidence. As the pair made their way back toward the forest verge, Tyler voiced a question that had come to him a few minutes before. "You know, ever since I fought that Catcher… I've been thinking. I know I need to get stronger. My power won't be enough by itself if stronger Catchers find me. Do you… do you think we could train together?"

Ryan looked uncomfortable. "I don't know," he sighed. "I mean, I would, but… I have a hard time fighting friends, even for training. And I mean, I am a lot stronger than you are. If I go easy on you, then you might not learn much. And if I don't I might hurt you, and I don't want that to happen. I've never trained anyone before." He paused, thoughtful. "And if I do, I'd like it to be someone who wouldn't be hurt badly by fire. No offense," he added, looking at Tyler. "But that's really why I come all the way out here to train. With fire, it's too easy to hurt someone when you don't mean to. When it's just physical stuff, it's easy enough to pull a blow. But once I breathe fire, I can't stop it or make it go away. That's not the way things work."

Tyler nodded slowly, trying not to let his disappointment show. He'd wanted to train with the Quilava and learn how to deal with elemental attacks, but what Ryan said made sense. "What can I do then?"

Ryan gave him a thoughtful look. "Well… I hate to encourage you to go out there, but I have heard that in some of the more dangerous areas, where Catchers come a lot, the Pokémon sometimes meet to train and get stronger. There would be plenty of Pokémon of all kinds there. So, if you're looking to train… I hate to say it, but the next town probably is the best place to go."

Tyler nodded seriously. It wasn't like he didn't worry about being attacked and captured, but he was pretty sure now that the only way he would find his family was if he got stronger. He could hide for the rest of his life, probably, but he'd never get any closer to Mother, Father, or any of his brothers and sisters. As badly as he wanted them to, things could never go back to how they were, living safely with his family in the forest with Father and Mother watching over them. Turning to Ryan, he said aloud, "I have to go there. I need to get stronger. After that Catcher attacked me, I realized that if I keep looking for my family, I'm going to end up in battles. I can't just hide all the time, or I'll never find them."

"I agree with you," Ryan said. "I remember, after Leo was caught, I went looking for him. I only went into town once, though, and I didn't get very far. That was before I evolved. I was always so worried about everything, especially because I was so small and I couldn't use fire very much." He looked down, shaking his head. "A little while after I evolved, I decided I didn't want to be like that any more. I started practicing and training. Mostly on my own; I didn't see my parents much. I still don't. Once I got strong enough to take care of myself, they didn't worry about me much anymore. Anyway, I did get stronger. But I never went back to town. I decided it was better not to mess with Catchers, so I never looked for Leo again. Until you came.

"That was something that really impressed me, you know," Ryan continued. "You were like I used to be. You're small, you didn't have any idea how to use your energy, and you'd never gotten close to Catchers before. But… you didn't let that stop you. I just wish I had been more like that."

Tyler wasn't sure what to say to that, so he stayed quiet, and they walked on in silence. After a few minutes, Ryan said, "I've been meaning to ask. How old are you?"

"I'm getting close to two years," Tyler replied.

"What about evolution? You keep saying you need to get stronger. I know there's a lot more to it than power, but it would really help you if you're trying to protect yourself."

Tyler sighed, but didn't answer right away, and Ryan didn't press the matter. He knew Ryan was right again, but he was still afraid of evolution, and he didn't feel like he was ready to face the question yet. They reached the forest verge, and Ryan sat, looking out across the hills. Finally breaking the silence, Tyler looked up at his friend. "Ryan… can I tell you something?"

Ryan turned away from the view, a little confused. "Sure."

"I'm…" Tyler sighed, then started again. "I'm scared to evolve."

There was another silence, then Ryan asked, "Why? Especially being an Eevee, I'd think you'd be excited."

"I don't know. All my brothers and sisters were." He sighed again, gathering his courage. "But I just worry about being different. I mean… I don't have an element right now. But I'm me. I've always been me. Evolution seems different for you. You don't change much, you just get bigger and stronger. More you. I feel like when I evolve, it'll change everything. Maybe I won't really know who I am anymore. I'm worried that part of me will get lost."

Ryan looked at him strangely, as if unsure what to say. Tyler wasn't done yet.

"And there are so many choices. Everyone tells me I can be whatever I want, but what if I get it wrong? Jolteon are fast, Leafeon are strong, Espeon can sense thoughts… What if I evolve and find out it's not what I want? What if it makes me have a different life?" He looked at Ryan a little desperately.

As Tyler spoke, Ryan just sat there, watching him. Finally, he said, "You've been worrying about this for a while, haven't you?"

"Ever since I was little," Tyler admitted.

"Do you know what I think? And I don't mean to hurt your feelings. I think you worry too much about it. I'm not finished," Ryan added, holding up a paw as Tyler started to protest. "There's one mistake you're making, one big mistake. You talk about being different like it's bad. Well, it's not. It's part of life. You're going to be different whether you evolve or not. You're already different now than you used to be. Every time you learn something new, every time you train, every time you get stronger, it makes you a little different. You're worried that you'll have to live a different life. I know you grew up in a den with your family, but it's not the only way to live. Think about it. You already don't live that way any more. When you evolve, maybe it'll bring you closer to day, or night, or water, or sun, or cold. Well, guess what? That's fine. That's part of life too. Maybe you should stop worrying about what you're going to be, and worry about what you're going to do with it." He stopped. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be that harsh."

Tyler sighed again. "I know." Even though Tyler knew Ryan was trying to help, it didn't make him feel any better. Ryan's words, When you evolve, echoed through his mind. It was too much. I'm not sure I want to evolve at all, he thought miserably, hunching his shoulders to ward off the thought of it.

Ryan looked at him in concern "Tyler…"

"I don't want to talk right now," Tyler said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Well then, listen."

"No," Tyler said, his ears flattening resentfully. He didn't want to be told again that he needed to stop being worried about the biggest change of his life; he just wanted to shut everything out for a while. Ryan finally gave up, and they sat in silence for a while. As the sun started to trace its way back down the sky, Ryan got up and headed back into the forest, leaving the downcast Eevee alone, though Tyler could hear that he didn't go very far before stopping and turning again. Despite how he felt, it was still comforting that Ryan was there watching out for him. After another minute, there was a slow exhalation behind him, and Ryan's footsteps receded into the trees until Tyler couldn't hear the Quilava any longer. He sighed and lay down, head on his paws. The worst part of it all was that Ryan was right again. Tyler could feel the power inside him growing every day. It was already starting to make him think of how Mother and Father had described it at home. He didn't feel like he was going to burst …at least not yet… but his energy almost seemed to pulsate, like a second heartbeat. He didn't mind that part so much, since it meant his power was getting stronger, letting him run at high speeds for longer bursts, but he knew it also meant his body was getting ready to evolve. But I'm not ready to.

Tyler lay there dejected for a while, absently watching the dry grass rustle as the wind swept across it in waves. He missed Mother. She always knew how to make him feel better. He missed everyone. His thoughts chased one another for a long time, circling around and around in his mind, until they finally spun out, leaving him feeling empty.

Tyler sighed again and flopped onto his side. A few moments later, Ryan came through the trees. Tyler wondered how long the fire Pokémon had been waiting there. He padded over to Tyler and dropped a berry on the ground.

"Listen… I'm sorry about earlier. I brought you something to eat," Ryan said, nosing the berry closer to Tyler.

"I'm sorry too," Tyler replied. "It's just hard. I know I'm going to evolve soon, but I still don't feel ready."

"Listen," said Ryan. "You know something? I think you'll be fine. You listen, you think things through, and you've got a fighting spirit. I can tell you won't give up easily. Whatever your evolution ends up being… I think it will help you become what you want to be." Ryan paused for a moment, a distant look in his eyes. "My mother once said that we all have a path to follow. She told me never to be afraid to walk it, that there was nothing to fear unless I tried to run away and abandon the path. I've always wondered what she meant by that, but I've been thinking about our conversation earlier, and it reminded me. I've been thinking about what she told me ever since. I think maybe abandoning the path is like trying to run away from your life or make yourself into someone different. That's how you lose yourself. If my mother was right, then as long as you stay true to who – and what – you are, you won't get lost."

Tyler found himself lost in thought for a while and didn't reply immediately. I'm going to evolve. I can't change that. And like Ryan said… maybe I shouldn't be trying. I feel trapped by it sometimes, but if that's what my path is, maybe I just need to follow it. Maybe it'll help me feel better. As that last thought crossed his mind, Tyler sighed and pushed himself up to a sitting position. "Thanks, Ryan…" He trailed off, wanting to say more, but he didn't know what to say, so finally he looked down and simply repeated, "Thanks."

Ryan answered quietly. "That's what friends do."

Tyler noticed the berry, still laying on the ground where Ryan had left it for him, and pulled it to himself with a paw. Crouching again, he bit into it. The juicy sweetness reminded him that he hadn't eaten since he had gotten up that morning.

"Thanks," Tyler mumbled again with his mouth full. He quickly finished the berry Ryan had brought him and then set about licking the juice from his fur. Ryan lay down too, stretching out to his full length. The sun was going down now, and laying there with Ryan looking over the grasslands and the town reminded Tyler of the first time they had gone there, more than a week ago now. It was strange how long ago that felt. Losing his family and leaving his home had turned Tyler's world upside down, forcing the young Eevee to grow up quickly. I've had a lot of help, though. Cora and Ryan had each helped him find a way to keep going and had shown him how to take care of himself. I'm glad Ryan's here.

He turned to the Quilava. "Where do you sleep around here?"

"Um, a little way back into the trees," Ryan responded. "Why?"

Tyler hesitated. "Is it okay if I sleep with you for the night? I miss my family."

Ryan's eyes glistened a little. Tyler wasn't sure why. "I think… that's all right." Ryan shook his head, then sighed. "I miss my family too."

The two made their way back into the trees as the sun slipped below the horizon, Tyler following the Quilava to a little hollow scraped into the ground. "It should be big enough for both of us," Ryan said, looking at it critically.

Tyler yawned involuntarily. "All right."

As they lay down, Tyler looked up at the Quilava. "A while ago, you said I reminded you of your brother. I was wondering… can we be family for now?"

Ryan was silent for a long time. Finally, he said, "Well, probably not like siblings, no. But if you need someone, I can be here for you."

Tyler exhaled softly, a warm feeling welling up inside. Ryan really did feel like family. He still had to find his parents and siblings, but tonight he was happy to be with the Quilava. Crawling a little closer to Ryan, Tyler curled up again and went to sleep, feeling more peaceful than he had in a long time.