Chapter 5
Meeting Humans
It was almost dawn when Eevee woke up again. The Weedle was poking her with its horn as it stirred in its sleep. It was a good time to go look for food anyway.
She carefully placed Weedle against Seel and trotted off to find food, dragging the backpack with her.
[A Butterfree eats nectar or something,] Eevee mumbled to herself. She picked some flowers and tossed them into the pack.
[I don't think Metapods eat. Caterpies eat leaves,] Eevee added leaves to the pack. Then she smelled something… Pokémon food. She dragged the backpack and ran toward the smell. She found another backpack—a red one—that smelled like Poké-food.
She tugged at the zipper and revealed several jars. They were custom-made for each Pokémon. There was Pidgeotto, Pikachu, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charizard, and others.
Eevee wasn't electric, water, grass, fire, or flying. But Pikachus were soft and fury like her, so Pikachu food was probably the best. She took the jar out, followed by the Squirtle jar for Goldeen and Seel.
As soon as she began to wonder about Kangaskhan and Nidorina, Eevee remembered that it was wrong to take other people's things, even if you were very hungry.
[The Pokémon that the food was for must belong to one of those humans over there,] Eevee thought, [Maybe if I ask politely they'll let me have some.]
The three humans were sleeping deeply in sleeping bags. They looked like nice people.
"Eevee, Eevee?" Eevee asked, tapping one human on the forehead.
The human rolled over and mumbled, "Go back to sleep, Pikachu."
Confused, Eevee tried again.
"Pikachu…" the human moaned, "Leave me alone. It's too early to get up."
A muffled sound went, "Pika?"
"Eevee?"
"Ka-chu?" A Pikachu squirmed out from his own tiny sleeping bag, rubbing his eyes and straightening his tiny pajamas.
"Eevee!" Eevee cried. She explained her intentions to Pikachu and tapped the human more.
"Pikachu! Go away!" the human moaned.
[Ash has bad hearing when he's tired,] Pikachu explained, "CHU!"
ZAP!
"AHH!" Ash screamed as he was electrocuted by Pikachu, "I'm up! I'm up!"
The other two humans shot up like pop-tarts.
"Pikachu?!" Ash screamed, getting a hold on himself, "What's the big idea?!"
"Pika-Pika-chu!" Pikachu protested, waving his arms.
"What Eevee?!" Ash demanded, "There's no Eevee around here! You were dreaming!"
"Chu!" Pikachu fell flat on his face in disbelief that his trainer could be so stupid. He got up and pointed behind Ash.
"Huh?" Ash turned around to see Eevee sitting there, trying to look her cutest.
"Eevee, Eevee, Eevee?" Eevee asked, prettily batting her eyes.
"Wow! An Eevee!" Ash cried.
"Pi-pi-pi…" said Pikachu, tapping Togepi.
Togepi woke up, rubbed its eyes, and squeaked happily.
In Eevee's opinion, that Pokémon was the only morning person in this whole bunch.
Ash held up his PokéDex.
"Eevee—A one-of-a-kind Pokémon," It said, "Unlike other Pokémon, Eevee does not evolve on its own. It takes a special stone. A water stone turns it into Vaporeon, a Thunder stone turns it into Jolteon, and a Fire stone evolves Eevee into a Flareon."
"Woah…" Ash commented, "A Flareon…"
"Eevee, Eevee, Eevee?" Eevee pleaded.
Ash looked confused.
"Pika-Pika!" Pikachu said, "Pika-Pika-chu."
"Eevee's hungry?" Ash asked.
Pikachu nodded.
"We'll get you food," Ash said.
"Should I try to catch it?" Ash wondered.
"Judging by its attitude, you won't have to," Misty said.
"She's right," Tracy said, "But I wouldn't try to catch it. Only tame Pokémon will come to people for food, no matter how hungry they are. It probably belongs to someone."
"Eevee! Eevee!" Eevee cried, "Eevee!"
"Huh?" Ash asked. He instinctively turned to Pikachu.
"Pi-Pikachu-pika-pika-pi," Pikachu said, "Ka-chu."
"The Eevee said it was abandoned?!" Ash cried.
"Pika," Pikachu said sadly, nodding.
"Oh," said Misty, "The poor thing!"
She picked Eevee up and gave her a big hug.
"Eevee!" Eevee murmured.
"Who would abandon such a neat Pokémon?" Ash asked.
"You know how some people are," Tracy said, "Maybe it's not a good fighter yet, and the trainer didn't like it."
"Eevee!" Eevee protested, then sniffled and sadly said, "Eevee, Eevee, EE…"
"Pi…" Pikachu said, "Pika-pika. Pi-pika-chu. Chu. Pika. Ka-chu."
"Pikachu says that Eevee says they are good fighters," Ash translated, "But they lost one battle and got thrown off a cliff."
"Huh?" Misty and Tracy said in unison.
Ash shrugged.
"Define 'they.'" Misty said.
Ash had put the dish of Poké-food in front of Eevee when Misty said that. Eevee remembered her friends.
[I'll be right back!] she cried, [Stay here!]
She dashed off as Pikachu translated.