Tyler trained for the rest of the day, alternating between honing his swimming abilities and exploring his newfound power to dissolve in water. Despite Peter's reassurances, it was still a little unnerving, especially since he didn't know how to change back without actually leaving the water. At first, dissolving was a slow process; he found that it seemed to happen when he exercised his powers in the water, and with equal measures of patience and anxiety, his legs and tail faded, then his body, and Tyler finally became completely liquid for the first time.

His first thought was relief – I'm still here – and then Tyler started taking stock of himself. His vision blurred and wavered with the currents, but it seemed like his invisible body was more or less the same shape as normal. When he stretched out with his water senses, Tyler could see himself as a Vaporeon-shaped whorl of water, out of place in the smoothly flowing current. He tried flexing his legs and tail, and his watery form responded, small currents flowing where muscles should be. He couldn't move as quickly or forcefully as before, but Tyler found that he could still control the currents to get around with a reasonable degree of agility, and a lack of concentration didn't make him turn solid again.

As he grew accustomed to his liquid state, Tyler's thoughts turned again to awe at his evolution. I thought water was part of me before… He had to laugh at himself – silently, since he was underwater and his entire body had dissolved. That's what I said yesterday, isn't it? Interrupting his thoughts, a fish Pokémon appeared – Tyler thought it was a Remoraid, though he still couldn't see very well. He froze. The fish Pokémon generally avoided the amphibious species like Squirtle and Marill; this one must not be able to tell he was here, he realized with a thrill. It approached closer and closer, then something startled it, and Tyler gasped in surprise as it darted right through his liquid body. Tyler's movement in the water agitated it further, and it disappeared back into the plants in a flash of movement.

What just happened? Tyler thought. He took stock of himself and was relieved to discover that it didn't hurt – in fact, he'd barely felt it at all. It had left a hole through him, but his watery form coalesced again as he watched. What if there was still a hole when he came out of the water? He stayed where he was, trying not to worry too much. Peter had said it kept that other Vaporeon – Andrea was her name, right? – from getting hurt. I'll be okay, he reassured himself. I'm fine. It doesn't hurt at all.

Still, there was only one way to be sure. Stretching out again with his power, Tyler willed a current to carry him back to the bank. As his head and forepaws left the water, they coalesced back into solid flesh, and the change started to spread back across his body. Tyler stopped moving as his vision cleared, twisting his head to look at his side where the Remoraid had passed through. In case it had caused some injury, he wanted to stay in the water and hopefully take advantage of his healing powers. As his body came back together, he was relieved to find that it looked normal, and the pain he'd half anticipated didn't studied it for a few moments more, then turned his attention to the rest of himself. His whole body was now solid again, with the exception of his tail, which was the furthest back and under the water. Far less worried now, he experimentally pulled himself the rest of the way out of the water, watching as his tail finally became solid again.

It was strange, knowing so little about his body, but Tyler felt some interest and excitement at the prospect of abilities he had yet to discover. One day, he knew, he would be able to do things he couldn't even imagine now. That's what Father had said once, and it was true. The memory turned bittersweet as he recalled that Mother had gone on to talk about how they would be able to use their powers to keep each other safe. I'm coming, he told them silently. I really am.

Holding himself to his promise, Tyler trained as hard as he could for the next week. He split his time between improving his swimming and control over water, and getting better at turning into water. The second one started taking more and more of his time, because he was determined to learn how to do it on land. As he practiced with it underwater, he learned that in his liquid form he could flow around things without being hurt, as long as they weren't too big. Progress was still frustratingly slow, though, both with liquefying on land and solidifying in the water. Remembering how only part of him had changed back when he had poked his head and paws out of the river the first time, Tyler practiced this by trying to maintain his water form while coming out of the water. He had some success with this, but it was still nearly impossible for him to maintain a liquid form on land. Changing back underwater didn't go any better; Tyler wasn't even sure where to start. It occurred to him that if he could just master that ability, he might actually be able to catch a fish. Right now, though, I can get close, but I can't really do anything. He occasionally stalked fish anyway, getting as close as he could without letting them realize he was there.

He visited occasionally with Ryan, but the week saw Tyler withdraw somewhat both from his friend and from the community of water Pokémon he lived near as his mind went back to his missing family. Meeting with Ryan was a little awkward too, now that the Quilava had made it clear he didn't want to get into anything else. Tyler privately wondered if that was how he himself had been after Zahna's attack. Ryan didn't seem despondent like he had been, but the Quilava had become a lot more withdrawn and frequently vanished. Tyler asked once or twice where he had been, but only got a vague "around" in response. Not sure what to do to bridge the gap, Tyler just went back to practicing using his abilities.

At the end of a week, Tyler's discomfort with his surroundings had built to a peak again, and he decided that he had done all he could. It was time to start the journey back to the other town. He took the time to thank Veronica and a few of the other Pokémon there for their help before heading out to the forest's edge, looking for Ryan. Again, the Quilava was nowhere to be found. Tyler debated for a few minutes about whether to wait for his friend, but he decided not to. Ryan's decision had left a wall between them, and the fact that Tyler was going out to confront the Catchers – even indirectly – would make a goodbye even harder for both of them. With a sigh, the Vaporeon turned away from the trees and angled toward the path he knew lay to the left of town.

On the path, Tyler pushed his misgivings aside and focused on the trip. The first thing he would probably do was meet the Pokémon who lived on the ridge. He wasn't sure how that would go, but after a day of travel he would need to rest. It disappointed him a little that he wouldn't be able to enter the town that night, but he was experienced enough by now to know that it was a bad idea to try without getting as ready as he could first.

In his new, larger form, the trip turned out to be a lot easier. His stride had lengthened, letting him cover more ground, and his endurance had gone up considerably as well. He neared the pond by midday, barely tired at all from the journey. He was starting to feel thirsty, and he reached out instinctively with his water sense, trying to find it. Tyler could tell there was a little bit all around him, in the plants and the ground, but he was also aware of a larger concentration of water ahead and to the left. That has to be the pond. This is really useful, he thought. Breaking away from the path, Tyler pushed through the grass, passing by several more Mareep on the way. They regarded him placidly; Tyler treated them the same, although he did feel a little resentful when he remembered how the Catcher's Mareep had shocked him. It had nothing to do with these Mareep, Tyler told himself; still, he couldn't help how he felt. He also remembered that Veronica had said electricity would affect him worse now, which didn't help things.

Tyler's water sense guided him directly to the pond. Instead of trying to find a safe spot on the bank like the previous time, Tyler simply advanced until water lapped around his front paws and bowed his head down to the water, lapping it up with his tongue. The action felt unfamiliar somehow, and Tyler realized it was the first time he had actually taken a "normal" drink of water since he'd become a Vaporeon. It was the first time he'd actually felt thirsty, too; it just didn't happen when he was around water. Being a Vaporeon is weird sometimes.

Tyler returned to the path, invigorated. The last time he'd come this way, it had taken him the whole day, but now he was more than halfway there, and it was still barely after noon. It wasn't as hot as the last time he'd taken the path, either. Summer was coming to an end, and Tyler spared a moment to wonder what he was going to do without fur when snow started to fall. Tyler had only seen two winters in his young life, and he'd spent most of them in his family's den, warmed by Father's heat. That's still a long way away, though. He shook the thought away and broke into an easy lope, determined to make it to the ridge before the sun got too low in the sky. Tyler was starting to slow down when the tips of the rocks became visible in the distance; at the sight, he accelerated his pace for a few more minutes.

As he drew nearer to the rocky slopes, his worries started to intrude again. What would things be like with all the mountain Pokémon? Would they recognize him? And what if they do? I never said goodbye to Aaron and Erin. I hope they're not mad at me. He also had mixed feelings about seeing Zahna again. He knew she cared for him, but when he thought about it, the Umbreon was one of the main reasons he felt nervous to go back, even though he didn't think she'd ever let herself hurt him again, even by accident.

Well, whatever happens… I'm headed up there. There's no point in worrying about it, Tyler told himself. Despite this, he still felt nervous as he reached the base of the slope. Traveling upwards, Tyler started passing into occasional shadows as he wound around the rocks that started to jut from the ground. His path wound briefly through a ravine, then started to level out as it followed the slope sideways. From here, Tyler could see the Catchers' road again. It made him feel exposed; he was larger than before – and he was blue. Hiding will be a lot harder from now on, he realized. As he went on, Tyler spent almost as much time watching the road as he did the path in front of him. He only saw one Catcher before the path led away from their road.

As soon as the Catcher came into view, Tyler took shelter behind the largest rock he could find, watching it surreptitiously. It was a male, with another of the metal things they whizzed around on. This one wasn't on it, though. He walked, pushing it along. Tyler wondered why, but he didn't have any answer, so he shrugged the question off and kept watching. The Catcher didn't look up, his gaze focused on the road ahead, and Tyler relaxed as it passed beneath where he crouched and started moving away. He rose to his full height and broke into a lope again, not slowing until he was safely out of sight of the road.

This was where Pokémon territory started. Tyler started sniffing the breeze. His sense of smell wasn't what it had been, but he should still be able to tell if there was anything nearby right now. An image of Sten, the Onix, swam into his mind. Sten had been around here before – and now that he thought about it, Onix just smelled like rocks. Tyler started turning to look to the sides of the path, looking for a suspicious pile of stones, but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. It wasn't exactly late in the day yet… maybe Pokémon were still training in the arena. Would they be today? Tyler thought about it, but he couldn't remember if today would be a training day or not. I guess I'll find out.

Tyler made his way to the arena, skirting around Zahna's den just in case. He didn't mind putting off the moment he encountered her again. He reached the familiar spring and stand of bushes; there were plenty of Pokémon around. Tyler didn't recognize any of those he saw, but it was definitely a training day. Judging from the sun's position, they probably weren't done quite yet. Tyler climbed the slight slope to the bushes, nodding to the other Pokémon when they looked at him, and pulled two of the spicy berries off to eat. After that, it was off to the arena.

It was like he'd never left. The sounds and smells of training matches washed over him in a familiar stream. Pokémon faced off all around, while others, taking a break, chatted around the edges. Zahna was there, cleaning herself after a match with a large, solid-looking Pokémon he didn't know the name for. Feeling a little guilty, he headed in the other direction, hoping not to be seen. There was Andreas with his group of younger Pokémon. Tyler almost headed over there by instinct before he remembered that he had evolved and was over twice the size now. I guess I'm not really a "young" Pokémon anymore. Even though I was still an Eevee two weeks ago.

That was a strange thought, but Tyler couldn't deny that he felt more mature now. Evolution had changed things in more ways than one. Deciding again to remain anonymous for now, Tyler approached a group of Pokémon conversing by the wall. They looked up, and Tyler had to grope for what to say. "Hi," he began. "Ummm… Does anyone want to do a practice match?"

They looked at him silently for a moment, then a taller, green Pokémon stepped forward. "I'm ready," she said. Tyler couldn't help feeling a little nervous. She looked like a bigger version of a Chikorita, with a longer neck that had a ring of leaves. It's okay, he thought. She probably doesn't want to kill me.

"All right," he answered aloud, casting around for a spot. There was a clear area a short distance away, and he angled hesitantly toward it, watching her. His opponent was a little taller than he was, but not much, and he realized he was probably larger. I don't usually have a weight advantage, he thought. Or at least I never used to.

"I don't recognize you," she told him. "Are you new here?"

"…Not exactly," he answered. "I was here a while ago, but I was an Eevee then."

She cocked her head in thought, and he noticed her smell changed, getting softer. "Okay. I might remember you, then." She came to a stop in the area they'd chosen and turned to him. "So, how do you want to do this?"

"What do you mean?"

"How hard do you want to fight? No powers, some, all? I don't have to use slicing attacks if you don't want."

"I think that would be good," Tyler said. "Nothing that could get us really hurt." He wasn't sure if he could cause any serious injuries anyway, but he didn't say so. Nervousness fluttered in his stomach as Tyler realized this was the first time he'd gotten in any kind of fight since he'd evolved. I hope this goes better than the last one.

His opponent nodded. "All right." She stepped into position. "What's your name, by the way?"

"Oh – I'm Tyler."

She nodded again. "Leah." She waited for him to move opposite her, then added, "Are you ready?"

Tyler took a deep breath. "Let's do this."

Leah started moving immediately, closing the distance between them. Tyler froze for a moment, then dropped into a crouch, tensing his legs and trying to settle his mind on the match. He took a deep breath, settling on a course of action. She hadn't used any of her powers yet; this was going to start off physical. Tyler feinted right, then dodged forward and left. He only went two steps that way before changing direction again, launching himself at her in a tackle. The feint was a move he'd done any number of times as an Eevee, but the weight of his tail made it harder to make the sharp turn. He still made contact, sending Leah stumbling sideways, but then a pair of vines lashed out, wrapping around him and jerking tight. Tyler braced himself, but then he realized she was using him to pull herself back onto solid footing. Realizing his mistake, Tyler lunged again, but this time she tugged him forward, pivoting and dodging back. Tyler passed in front of her and the vines released, sending him out of control.

He hit, rolled, and sprang back to his paws. That, at least, he could still do. Tyler thought back to the fight he'd had with the Chikorita. Maybe something from then could help. Tyler smiled a little as he realized what to do and threw himself into a headlong charge. The vines came lashing out again, like they had before – not just with Leah, but the Chikorita too. As he'd done before, Tyler focused on her and triggered his speed ability. Everything around him slowed, but to his surprise, it wasn't the same. This wasn't the speed he was used to. Tyler was forced to break off his charge, and it was all he could do to jump the first vine sweeping in his paws from the left. Tyler forced his dismay back as the second vine wrapped around his midsection. Not this time. Tyler pivoted right, pulling it tight in front of him, and got it in his jaws. Leah cried out, and Tyler worried that he'd gone too far, until the vine tightened painfully around him. He leaned back, and the vine uncoiled as she tried to pull free. Tyler kept a firm grip on it, dragging her off balance. He was heavier.

She took a hissing breath through her teeth and flicked her other vine around his forepaws, pulling it tight and making it hard to stay on his paws. Tyler leaned back again with a vine still in his mouth, getting a little slack and working one paw loose, then he charged again, dropping the first vine. It retracted, pulling away from him, and she backed off, her scent changing again into a thick, acrid smell that made it hard to breathe. Tyler coughed and pulled away, backpedaling to where the air was clearer. The scent quickly dissipated, and for a moment neither of them did anything but pant for breath. It seemed like the harsh scent affected her too. As he started moving again, she opened her mouth, forming a ball of green light. In Tyler's experience, balls of light were never good, so he threw himself to the side as she launched it at him. It hit anyway, sending a stinging pain through his ear, shoulder, and side where it splashed across him. She followed up by snapping her unhurt vine into his side, eliciting a howl of pain from him. He collapsed onto his side and rolled away, flinching as the rough ground caught his injury with unusual intensity, then picked himself slowly off the ground again.

Leah was already forming another one. In desperation, Tyler opened his mouth and blasted her in the face with a stream of water. It didn't do much, but it did throw her aim off, and the ball of light went flying past him. A moment later, there was a yell of pain from behind him. Tyler and Leah winced in unison as an angry voice shouted, "Hey! Watch where you shoot those!"

The two Pokémon shared a guilty look, relaxing from their fighting positions. "Ummm… I think we should stop," Leah ventured.

Tyler nodded. "I think I've had enough, too." He turned his head to lick at his shoulder, but that sent another flash of pain through him. "Owww… What was that, anyway?"

"Oh – sorry. It's something I learned how to do a while ago. Are you all right?"

"Mostly," Tyler admitted. "But it hurts a lot whenever I touch it."

"I'm sorry," she said again. "I promise, usually it's not that bad."

Tyler nodded, half to himself. "I think… I'm going to go back to the spring."

"Why?"

"I heal in water," Tyler told her.

"Oh. Okay. …Can I come see?"

Tyler shrugged, regretting it as his shoulder twinged again. "Sure."

Limping a little, he left the arena with Leah trailing behind. He reached the spring and stopped, considering it. It was wide enough, but very shallow – it wasn't like he could swim in it or anything. "Wait, are you going to lay in it or something?" Leah asked him. "We all drink from that, you know."

Tyler thought for a minute. "I don't know." He hadn't realized that there was so little water around here, either. "Let's see… maybe I can try something." Tyler focused on the water in the small pool, bringing his energy to life. He pulled on the water, making it overflow toward him and run down the rocks. Tyler was nervous; he'd never thought about controlling water except when it was in a river or something. This was different. With an effort, he stopped it from soaking into the ground and willed it to flow up his leg. It was slow, but the water started to move against gravity, rippling as he tugged. Eventually, it reached his injury. He gasped at the pain, but it faded quickly as the water soaked into his skin. Tyler sidled closer to the spring and did it again, pulling more water over himself until the whole raw spot on his side was gone. Finally done, he relaxed and let out a sigh. "That's better."

Leah had watched, wide-eyed, the whole time. "That was amazing! I've never seen water do that before."

Tyler shook his head. "I'm not very good at it. I only evolved a few weeks ago. Actually, that was my first fight since then." He wrinkled his nose. "I really need to practice."

Leah nodded quietly. Tyler sighed. "I'm going back to the arena now… it's time for me to find some of the Pokémon I know."

"Will you be all right?" Leah asked.

"I'm fine now," Tyler reassured her. They went back through the crevice into the arena; Leah went back to the Pokémon she'd been talking to before, while Tyler steeled himself and went to find Zahna. The Umbreon had finished her match and was sitting in the shade alone, licking a paw and looking out over the arena.

She saw him coming and straightened, watching his approach. "And who are you?"

Tyler couldn't help smiling a little. "It's me – Tyler."

Her red eyes widened. "You came back?" For a moment, the Umbreon's gaze slid away from him. "I'd hoped… but… I didn't think you ever would."

Tyler nodded to the ground. "I had to. When I left… a Pokémon I used to know attacked me… I almost drowned, but I evolved instead. And then… I just couldn't stay. I realize that now," he added, meeting her eyes. "Even if I can't win… I've still got to try. I didn't want to evolve, but I did, and I'm stronger now. I can't just give up."

Zahna nodded, then actually smiled at him. "I'm glad you came back. In fact… I think I have something that will help you."

Tyler was confused. "You do?"

The black Pokémon closed her eyes and nodded again. "After you left… I felt horrible. It was partly my fault that you stopped looking for your family, and so… I went into the town a few times at night to see if I could find them."

Tyler blinked in surprise, pricking up his headfins. "You did? Was everything all right? Did you find anything?"

"I don't know yet. No one ever saw me, so I just went looking around everywhere I could. I'm not easy to see in the dark. Anyway, one of the times, I found some kind of hole by a huge den. I couldn't get in – there were metal bars across it – but I could smell a lot of Pokémon inside. All different kinds." She paused, staring into the distance. "I can show you where it is. Tonight, if you want."

It was tempting. Tyler really wanted to find some sign of his family… but it had been a long day, and the town would be dangerous. "Not tonight," he responded, shaking his head, and Zahna relaxed a little. "I want to be ready for it."

"Good choice," Zahna agreed. "What do you want to do? I mean… if you still want my help," she added, looking down.

Tyler only had to think about it for a moment. "I'm not mad at you," he began. "I know you didn't mean to hurt me. If you can help, I need to figure out two things. I need to learn how to fight better like this" – he turned, flourishing his tail – "and… I found out I can turn into water while I'm swimming. I need to learn how to do it on land. If I can, I think I can get into that hole you were talking about."

Tyler was surprised to see the Umbreon blink away a tear. "I'm glad you're all right, Tyler," she said. "And I'm glad you came back. All right," she added with a shake of her head, "let's get started."

Zahna began by looking him over, circling around and occasionally asking him to move a certain way. Then she asked him to describe what he'd learned to do with his powers. Tyler explained how he'd learned to shoot water, create currents, and turn himself to liquid. Remembering the fight he'd just been in, he added hesitantly that he wasn't sure if his old abilities would work very well now. "They probably won't," Zahna told him. "At least not all of them. You're different now, so you'll have to find different ways to do things. On the other hand, from what I remember, Vaporeon are supposed to have amazing endurance, so if you're careful you can probably outlast a lot of opponents. Speaking of fighting… You should probably work on using your new abilities. I'm sure you can do more than just shoot water, even out here, and they'll help you deal with things you can't beat head-on. Other than that, you might practice using your tail. I imagine it's pretty strong, and it's going to change how you move anyway." Tyler twitched his tail experimentally. That was a good idea.

"What about turning into water?" Tyler asked.

"Hmmm… I'll have to think about that."

Tyler nodded. He couldn't blame her. "All right. I'll start practicing then."

"I can help."

"Not right now," he told the Umbreon. "I still haven't talked to Aaron and Erin. I need to tell them why… why I disappeared like that. I never said goodbye." He sighed. He wasn't looking forward to this, though he did want to see the Vulpix twins again. "I'll find you later," he mumbled, turning away.

Tyler quickly found Erin and Aaron training with the other young Pokémon. They weren't in training matches at the moment, so he called out to them "Aaron, Erin, do you have a minute?" Looking a little confused, the two Vulpix padded over. Their father Andreas looked over at Tyler from where he was supervising the training and gave him a nod. Tyler turned his attention to his friends. "It's me, Tyler."

They both looked at him wide-eyed. "You came back! That's great!" Aaron exclaimed. Erin nodded agreement.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I left," Tyler apologized.

Erin waved it off. "When you didn't come back, Father asked Zahna. She told us… you know, why you left. Are you all right?"

"I am now. That's why I came back."

"And you evolved." Both Vulpix sighed.

"Yeah," Tyler tried to reassure them, "but I'm sure you will too, soon."

"I dunno," Aaron responded. "I barely got my sixth tail, so Mother says it'll be a while." Tyler looked. He'd never counted before, but both Vulpix did have six tails.

"He's just upset because I got mine first," Erin added, earning a quick glare from her brother.

"So what's it like?" Aaron asked him, changing the subject.

"It's really different," Tyler said, thinking back over the last two weeks. "Being bigger and stronger is nice, but it can be a problem sometimes. It's hard to fit in some places, and I can't really hide anymore. My energy works different, too. I can't go as fast as I used to, but I can do things with water instead."

"What kind of things?"

Tyler shrugged. "Like shooting water. I can swim really well now, too."

"So are you gonna come train with us?" Aaron asked.

"He can't now, he's too big," Erin told him. Tyler hadn't planned on it anyway, but he still felt bad at being told he couldn't join.

"It's all right," he assured them. "Zahna said she'd help me work on some things. I'll see you later, I guess." The two fox Pokémon said goodbye, and Tyler turned away again, wishing his evolution hadn't changed him quite so much. Ryan, Zahna, Aaron and Erin… they all looked at him differently now. He sighed and made his way back to where the Umbreon sat. "I'm ready to start."

Zahna nodded. "Shall we have a training match, then?"

Tyler spluttered. "Wait – against you?"

"Don't worry. This is to train you, not me. I want to see what you can do, and give you some advice. No abilities for now, I just want to see how you fight."

"All right," Tyler agreed reluctantly, and they faced off. Tyler started in hesitantly, and Zahna rewarded him by sending him sprawling in the dirt. "Come on," she growled. "Like you mean it." Tyler started attacking more aggressively, and she gave him a nod of approval. As he trained, Tyler was reminded of training with Father. Zahna was about as hard for him to do anything to, and she used the same tactic of striking whenever he left himself open and then telling him what to change. To his surprise, Tyler found himself smiling.

During one of the pauses, Tyler remembered Zahna's advice to use his tail, and so the next time Zahna blocked him to the side, Tyler went with it, spinning on his paws to bring his tail around as hard as he could. He managed to hit her in the side, knocking her several steps to the left. "Not bad," she panted. "But don't just lash out. Go for the head or the legs, and you could probably knock me down. If you can hit me like that again." It was something Father might have told him.

The sun was low in the sky when they stopped, and most of the other Pokémon had left the arena. Tyler felt more confident about fighting at his new size now. He was also grateful for Zahna's knowledge of how Pokémon could use energy. Hopefully she would be able to help him master his new abilities. Tyler was breathing hard, but to his surprise, so was the Umbreon. That more than anything else made Tyler feel as if he'd gotten stronger.

As they left, Tyler started asking her about what he could do to develop his abilities, especially turning into water. She put his questions off, but assured him that they could work on it the next day. After eating and drinking, Zahna turned to him again. "I don't know if you want to, but like I told you before, there's always a place for you in my den."

Tyler thought about it. "I'm not sure." It was a strange decision. He'd always stayed in Zahna's den before, but he'd been an Eevee then, and now he was evolved. Zahna had been almost like a mother back then, but now… she seemed more like a teacher. In some ways, they weren't so different anymore, and Tyler wasn't sure what to think. On top of that, the last time he'd been there wasn't something he liked to remember. It hadn't been long ago either. He sighed. "Maybe just tonight. I don't have anywhere to stay."

He followed Zahna to her den and curled up a little uncomfortably in the corner, laying his head on his paws. It seemed like everything was simpler before he evolved into a Vaporeon; coming back here wasn't the same anymore. All he really wanted now was to learn what he needed to so he could take care of himself and find his family. He wasn't sure he wanted to stay any more.

Zahna didn't come in; she would be out doing whatever it was Umbreon did until late at night. Tyler turned and rearranged himself, trying to relax. Eventually, he managed to fall asleep.