Chapter Five

When they got back to the office, Jeanette had located Evie's pedigree among the files. She smiled as she held it out. "Here it is! Feel free to take it with you. I've just photocopied it, but you have the right to the original, being Evie's owner."

"Thanks," Radley said.

He held Evie in his arms as he opened the folder. It was interesting to read, especially the notations of her parents and siblings and the pictures that had been attached with a paper clip. The shots showing baby Evie adorably playing with her family deeply moved Radley's heart, and Evie pawed at them in nostalgic delight.

"So she hadn't chosen a name for you yet?" he mused.

"Eevee," said Evie.

"She always took her time choosing names," Jeanette said. "She wanted them to be perfect."

"I wonder what name she would've picked," Radley said.

"That's irrelevant now," Kalin said.

"I know," Radley said.

Evie nuzzled him. Radley still felt chagrined at choosing what he felt wasn't a very creative name, but she loved it because he had chosen it.

"You know, the name 'Evie' means 'life,'" Antinomy spoke up.

Radley blinked in surprise. "It does, huh?"

Antinomy nodded. "It seems fitting for one who loves life as much as she does."

"Eevee!" Evie exclaimed.

Radley finally smiled. "Yeah, it does. And it fits the whole species too." He scratched her ruff. "I think they were thinking of an evolution meaning, but I'll think of 'Eevee' as meaning 'life' too."

Evie looked very happy with that.

Afterwards, the house made for a fascinating tour. Radley loved seeing where Evie had spent her early life, and Evie was proud to show it to him. But she seemed a bit melancholy as well as she walked about, sniffing the walls and staring into lonely rooms. No doubt she was remembering when those rooms had been filled with life and love and Eevees and Emilia Hawkins. When the tour was over, she jumped back into Radley's arms and he held her close, stroking her fur and speaking to her softly.

It didn't seem a good time to do any visiting after everything they had learned about Isla, so they headed for home with the pictures and the pedigree. They would definitely come back to see Evie's family later, as many still lived in town.

"Hey, I think I'll ride with you guys in the van," Scotch announced as they got back to it.

Radley smiled. "I think that's a good idea."

Scotch stored his motorcycle in the back with Radley's and Kalin's and held Isla on the trip back. Still subdued, Isla was happy just to cuddle. Evie and Evan snuggled with Radley as usual while Kalin drove.

"Thanks for inviting us along, Kalin," Yusei said when they parted ways in the City. "I'm glad we could come."

Antinomy nodded. "Even though Isla must have taken quite a blow to have her past remembered again."

Kalin nodded too. "She should be alright, with all of us here." He smiled. "I'm glad you were both here too."

"Just let us know if there's anything else we can do," Yusei said.

"I will," Kalin promised.

Back home an hour later, Radley gathered everyone in the lounge of the diner for their talk. The Eevees sat attentively on the red rug, looking up at him.

He took a deep breath and began. "Isla, we're all so sorry about what happened in your past. We know what it's like to lose a loved one. I'm glad we finally know what happened; I know it's worried Scotch and I've been worried too."

"Eevee," Isla said softly.

"The professor told me something that might change everything." He looked to all the humans in the room and then back to Isla. "They never found his body. It's possible that the cave-in caused some kind of dimensional rift, because the ruins have something to do with the Unown, Pokemon from another dimension. Your owner could have fallen through a rift and might still be alive over there."

"Eee?!" Isla's eyes went wide and she stared. Evie and Evan stared too.

". . . Then we've gotta find out!" Scotch exclaimed. "If he's over there, we have to go get him and bring him back!"

Radley smiled, touched by Scotch's pure heart. "It might not be true," he cautioned. "But the professor wants to try again to find out and he asked if we would help."

Scotch leaped off the couch. "Of course we'll help!" he cried. "Why wouldn't we?!"

Kalin grunted. He had picked up immediately on what Scotch might not have thought about yet. "You know if he's alive, you might have to give up Isla."

Scotch blinked back forming tears. ". . . Yeah, but . . . now we know why she's hurting so much. We have to try to help her feel better!" He clenched his fists at his sides. "We have to. . . ."

"Eevee. . . ." Isla looked up at Scotch and padded over to him, going on two legs to touch his knee.

"Oh Isla. . . ." Scotch reached down, lifting her into his arms and holding her close. He turned away. "Tell the professor w-we're all coming! We'll be ready whenever h-he is!" And he fled the room with his beloved Pokemon, her ID tag jangling around her neck.

Biff looked after him. "Scotch . . ."

"Give him a few minutes," Radley said quietly. "Well? Does everyone feel the same about this?"

"Eevee!" Evie exclaimed, and Evan chorused agreement. The humans did as well.

"Okay." Radley took out his phone. "I'll call Professor Hawkins and let him know that he can count on us."

Professor Hawkins wasn't really surprised by the call, but he was happy. "Everything should be ready to go as soon as tomorrow, if you can meet me at the airport around noon," he said.

"We'll be there," Radley promised.

"Isn't that awfully soon?" Billy frowned as Radley hung up.

"Scotch would insist we get going on it," Radley said. "You know that, right?"

Biff looked away. "Yeah. . . ." He gripped the couch. "But we all love Isla. None of us want her to go! And maybe she doesn't want to go either. Maybe she needs time to process all of this!"

Radley paused. ". . . I wasn't thinking about that," he admitted. "I was thinking how I'd feel if I got news that Kalin or you or any of the others might be alive when I thought I'd lost you. I wouldn't want to waste a minute."

Kalin laid his hand on Radley's. "I would feel the same. I think Isla would too. We should ask her to make sure, but I don't think she'd want to wait."

Radley squeezed Kalin's hand. "Yeah. I'll go find them and ask."

He wasn't really surprised when he heard Scotch talking softly to Isla from behind the Pac-Man machine in the arcade room. He paused, gesturing to Evie and Evan to be quiet as they came up alongside him.

"It's going to be great, Isla," Scotch whispered. "You haven't really been here that long. Maybe you'll get to be with your old owner again! You've known him much longer. He's probably missing you so much, just like you've missed him! It'll be so epic to see him again. You can run to him, and he'll hold you, and . . ." He sobbed.

"Eevee!" Isla exclaimed.

Radley slowly peeked around the machine. Isla looked conflicted. She was trying to lick Scotch's tears away, without much success. Finally she just nuzzled him under his chin.

"I know how he's feeling," Scotch said sorrowfully as he held her close. "You don't have to know someone for years to bond with them, and . . ." He shook his head. "I already miss you even though you're right here!"

Radley sat down next to Scotch and gently hugged him with one arm. "You're a great guy, Scotch," he soothed. "Isla loves you too. We don't know how anything's going to turn out yet, so it's a little early to just decide Isla's going away."

"I know, but . . ." Scotch leaned into his arm. "If he's alive, there's no way he won't want Isla back! Anyone would love her! And all Eevees are awesome and everything, but . . . there's only one Isla. . . ."

"Yeah." Radley held Scotch close and gently stroked Isla's fur. "Well . . . I know it's not exactly the same thing, but . . . I thought I was going to lose Kalin after he gave me the strength to fight to live. I knew Yusei cared about him a lot too, and I figured Kalin would pack up and go back to the City with him. After all, I mean, Yusei was Kalin's friend for much longer than me. Kalin hadn't even realized he liked me under all that depression until he thought I was gone."

". . . But Kalin chose to stay with you," Scotch said.

Radley nodded. "He and Yusei still care about each other so much. But . . . they had a lot of time apart and their lives just went in different directions. Yusei's heart was back in the City. Kalin wanted to make a new life for himself here, with me and you guys and the kids. So . . . nothing's set in stone. People change. Love doesn't go away, if it's real love, but it can be shown in so many different ways. Maybe the original owner will see how much you love Isla too, and something can be worked out so everybody's happy."

Scotch looked down at Isla and into her big soft eyes. ". . . You're not going to say any of that stuff about how Isla will still love me even if she goes away or how we'll still be together in spirit and heart?"

"Nah. I don't need to, do I?" Radley smiled kindly at the boy. "That's not really the issue here."

"No, it's not." Scotch petted Isla and she warbled softly, nuzzling his hand. "It's just how much I'll miss her if she's gone. Having her in my heart isn't the same!"

Radley hugged him with both arms now. "I know. Boy, do I ever know."

Scotch just leaned into him and sobbed. Isla placed her paws on his shoulder. "Eevee-vee. . . ." She looked a bit teary herself.

Radley held them close until their tears subsided. "The professor wants to leave tomorrow at noon," he said quietly. "Is that okay with both of you, or do you need more time?"

"Vee," Isla said.

"She wants to go," Scotch said. "I . . . I do too. We need to know what happened!"

"Okay." Radley hugged him again.

Evie looked up at Isla. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Isla said. "Right now it feels so unreal. I don't think I can believe he's really alive until I see that he is. And . . . I feel like my heart is in two places now. I want him back so badly, but I love all of you too. How can there ever be a solution that won't leave someone sad or lacking?!"

"We'll just have to see," Evan said. "I'm not sure either what can be done." He laid a paw on Isla's. "And it's also possible he really is dead, even in another dimension. . . ."

Isla looked down. "I know."

Evie nuzzled her friend. "We'll always be here for you!" she promised. "We'll figure it out. There's so much love, so there has to be a way to make everything happy!"

Isla just smiled sadly. "Oh Evie. . . ."

Evan smiled a bit too. Evie's innocence was a light to both of them. It was hard to believe things would always turn out right when both he and Isla had seen that sometimes they didn't, but on the other paw, they had all experienced sorrows and right now were happy. So maybe . . . maybe there was a chance. . . .

Kalin was waiting for Radley when he came out of the arcade. "How did it go?" he asked.

"They both want to do it," Radley said. "Scotch is heartbroken, of course, but he wants what's best for Isla. And Isla, well, she isn't sure what to do if her original owner is found alive. She's pretty torn. She loves both her owners."

Kalin sighed. "Is there any way to resolve this happily?"

"I don't know," Radley admitted. "The best case scenario I can come up with involves whoever gets Isla bringing her to visit the other, but that isn't a perfect solution either. Maybe there isn't one in a case like this."

"I guess there's nothing to do but see how it plays out," Kalin said.

Radley gave a tired nod. ". . . Scotch is playing Pac-Man with Isla now." He had to smile. "She's actually using the joystick."

Kalin smirked a bit. "They're definitely two of a kind."

"I wonder what the other guy is like," Radley mused. "Of course, people don't have to be alike to have a wonderful relationship. Look at you and I."

Kalin nodded. "We complement each other. And I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Me too." Radley smiled, but soon sobered again. "I am worried how Scotch will handle it if he has to give Isla up. He'll be brave and strong and do what he has to do, but . . . he's wanted a pet all his life and she's the first he's ever had. He couldn't have one in foster care, and then things were crazy here with Malcolm and he was afraid to have a pet thinking the Crew might hurt it."

That brought a frown. "He's so good with animals. He could easily get another one, but even though he'd love it too, it wouldn't be Isla."

Radley nodded. "No loved one can really replace another one."

"And I was thinking," Kalin said. "When we got Evie's pedigree, I wondered if you have any of the Bunch's records from foster care. If they're just floating around out there, who knows who might get hold of them!"

"I've worried about that myself," Radley sighed. "Someone wanting to get back at me might try to come up with something like that I kidnapped Scotch from foster care when he was a minor. I didn't, of course, but . . . I figured out he was a minor back then and I didn't report it. Biff was clearly terrified of them being separated, and he admitted later that was why they ran in the first place. I knew it would be cruel to separate them, so I watched over them myself."

"They were never discovered, even after they were both of age?" Kalin asked.

"Never," Radley agreed. "They thought everything was over once Scotch turned 18, and I hope it is. But I knew I might still be in danger if somebody wanted to make something of it. I never told them those concerns."

"Of course you didn't," Kalin said. "You being in danger would be the worst possible blow for them aside from them getting separated."

"I wonder a lot about Scotch in general," Radley said. "Biff says the first four years of Scotch's life are a blank slate to him. He doesn't remember his family or how he ended up in foster care in the first place."

Kalin stared at him. "Did he block things out?"

"Whether accidentally or deliberately, he might have," Radley said. "Or he could have suffered a physical injury that took those memories away. His records might say something about that too." He sighed. "I don't want to call attention to myself or I might try to get them."

"Hmm." Kalin looked thoughtful. "I could probably get them as sheriff, but if we don't want any attention here, Yusei could certainly hack in and get them."

Radley laughed in surprise. "And possibly get arrested for that?!"

Kalin smirked. "Yusei is an expert. He wouldn't get caught."

"Maybe," Radley mused. "Or another option that wouldn't be likely to get connected with us is if Kaiba got hold of them."

"Would he do it?" Kalin wondered.

"I think he might," Radley said. "He's a good guy. He wouldn't want any info out there about Scotch to hurt him or me. And he's powerful enough that he could swear whoever gives him the records to secrecy."

". . . That probably is our best option," Kalin conceded.

"And we need to talk to him anyway about his experiences with the Unown," Radley said. He headed for his office. "I'm going to call him."

"Where are Evie and Evan?" Kalin asked as he followed.

Radley paused. "They're in the arcade, waiting their turn to play. They wanted to spend some time with Isla. I think we should all have a special party with Isla since we don't know what tomorrow will bring. I'll call Kaiba and then I'll start throwing something together."

Kalin nodded. "That's a good idea." His voice sounded a bit thick.

"Yeah," Radley said softly.

He continued up the stairs.

It was a relief that Seto was available to talk to when he called. And when Seto saw who was calling, he seemed fairly amiable. At least, as amiable as one could expect from Seto Kaiba.

"I doubt this is a social call," he grunted as he activated the hologram feature on the phone in his office.

"It's not," Radley said. "It's a long story, but the gist of it is that we're trying to find a guy who might be alive in the dimension of the Unown. Professor Hawkins said you were sent there once. I'm sorry to make you relive something like that, but could you tell us about it?"

Seto scowled. "There's not much to tell." He rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. ". . . All I did, pretty much, was float around," he said flatly. "And get treated to those things' illusions. If that guy has been there for years, I doubt he's still sane."

Radley gave a heavy sigh. "I hope you're wrong."

"I hope I am too. Death would probably be kinder." Seto sat up straight again. "Is that all?"

"There is something else. I'm sorry to ask such a favor of you, Mr. Kaiba, but it could be important." Radley went on to briefly describe the situation with the Bunch and his desire to have their records, particularly Scotch's.

Seto listened, frowning, looking thoughtful. "I can do it," he said at the conclusion. "And I can make sure no one knows about it. Comesee me tomorrow before you go traipsing off after the Unown."

"Thank you," Radley said in relief. "We'll do that."

Seto nodded. "Is Yugi going to be involved in this too?"

". . . I don't know," Radley realized in surprise. "Professor Hawkins asked us, so I'm not sure if he was going to ask others too."

Seto grunted. "Well, it doesn't matter. I'm sure Téa will let me know if they're all going with you."

"Probably," Radley chuckled. "Thank you again, Mr. Kaiba. I'll let you go."

Seto nodded. ". . . Be careful in those things' dimension," he said gruffly. "They like to show illusions of your greatest desires. If you're not properly alert, you might fall for their tricks."

"Ooh, I hope not," Radley winced. "Thanks for the warning."

Kalin, leaning against the wall with folded arms, looked wary. "We already have our hearts' desires, so you wouldn't think the illusions could get at us," he remarked as Radley hung up.

"They could probably find something," Radley said. "Scotch might see himself keeping Isla, for one thing. I might see the future of Satisfaction Town with everyone still living there instead of some having moved away."

". . . I might see a world where I didn't fall to the darkness," Kalin realized.

"Yeah," Radley said softly.

Kalin shook his head. "But then I might not have met you again. As much as I still abhor what I did, I can now see how those experiences led to where I am today. I don't want to be grateful for the past, and I could never be grateful for all the pain I caused to so many, but . . . I can't bear the thought of not having met you."

"I think we would have met again anyway," Radley said. "But it might have been very different, it's true."

"If it would have been different in that I didn't hurt you, I'd welcome it," Kalin said. "Otherwise, though . . . I don't know. We've bonded so closely through our experiences together."

"Well . . . it's a moot point now, anyway," Radley said kindly. "Things are what they are. If the Unown try to show us anything else, we have to keep hold of our memories of the truth."

Kalin nodded. ". . . I think I'll ask Yusei and Bruno about coming with us tomorrow."

"That would be nice," Radley said. "I'm sure they will if they're available." He headed for the door. "I'll start getting things ready for our party."

"Yeah. You do that. I'll be down soon." Kalin took out his phone.

Radley could still hear the game going when he reached the bottom of the stairs. The Eevees were exclaiming in glee. He had to chuckle. Isla must have successfully taught the others how to use a joystick.

He looked in on them from the arcade doorway. Scotch was holding Evan and Isla while Evie took her turn. She had a very concentrated look as she guided Pac-Man through the maze.

Radley smiled. They were all having a fun time, but no doubt thoughts of the next day were looming in their minds. So much could change so quickly. He turned away, praying that somehow there would be a complete happy ending to tomorrow's search. It seemed impossible, but he wasn't willing to give up that hope just yet.

After quietly taking some video and pictures of the cuteness, he headed for the kitchen to start dinner.