Since he prioritized making sure Eevee was sparkling clean again, Goh was in the shower when Chloe returned from her date with Felix. And having missed her, he didn't try to send her a text or call her phone, since he was still worried she'd seen him, or at least suspected that he had followed her.

He wasn't ready for those conversations that evening. And try as he might, it felt like sleep only found him the moment before the sun began shining in his eyes the next morning. So with a sigh, he went through his morning routine and was soon sitting at the table in the kitchen, chewing on a piece of bread while Ash, Pikachu, and even Grookey gorged themselves on food.

He had received no messages during the night. Part of him felt relieved, but the other part felt anxious, the same sickening feeling he had endured the day before.

Ash asked Goh several times if he was feeling alright, but Goh brushed him off. The feeling plaguing him wasn't something Goh thought Ash would understand, if only because it's something Goh himself didn't feel like he understood.

As he chewed the bread, the doorbell rang, and Ash and Goh looked at each other blinking. "Who rings the doorbell this early?" Goh asked.

"Not the Professor, that's for sure," Ash replied.

"Pikachu…"

"Grooki…"

They walked to the foyer, where Mr. Mime was sweeping, and Goh opened the door.

His face immediately twisted like he had been eating sour Nomel Berries with his breakfast.

Standing at the front door was Felix, who laid his bright, hopeful brown eyes on Ash and Goh and seemed to deflate almost instantly. "Oh… I suppose Chloe isn't here yet?"

Goh glowered at him but Ash gave him a friendly nod. "Yeah. Though she and the Professor are usually here by now," he said, crossing his arms. "Maybe they got caught in traffic?"

"I see…"

Goh held open the door for Felix as Grookey hopped to his shoulder. The boy walked in and headed to the couch that sat behind the stairs in the foyer. All Goh could see is Felix's hand, and his thoughts immediately were drawn to Chloe.

'There's no way she actually enjoyed spending time with this guy, right?' he thought.

"So what are you doing here so early," Goh managed to ask, keeping his negative thoughts contained. He tried to sweeten the words with a plainly false smile, but he did have some hope that Felix would buy it.

He didn't even acknowledge it.

"Oh, Chloe said she'd go on another date with me, and I just couldn't keep myself away!" he said, smiling. "I just had to see her again today."

The news hit Goh in the stomach like he had just been hit by Cinderace's Pyro Ball. His practiced composure was splintering.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "A date? What're you talking about?"

And with Ash in the conversation, it would only continue to crumble.

Felix chuckled. "Oh, I forgot that we didn't mention it to you, Ash," he said. "Goh was kind enough to introduce us! When I saw her the other day, I was just so taken with her! It was love at first sight!"

And at that, Goh's already exasperated expression quickly turned into one of irritated cringe. "You've spent like two hours with her and now you're saying you love her?" he said spitefully. "You haven't even seen her worst sides yet."

"She's so kind and friendly," Felix said, smiling blissfully. "I doubt she's got any bad sides at all."

"You haven't seen her at her worst, then," Goh boasted, puffing out his chest. "She can be totally rude and mean, too. She's always coming down on me whenever I have a reason to be proud of myself."

Felix sneered at Goh. "Well, I think that her pure heart just makes her want to keep her friends honest and modest. That's a virtue from where I come from."

Goh's hands clenched themselves into fists. "Her 'pure heart'? Are you serious?!"

By now, Ash had taken a few steps back. "Goh, are you alright? You're lookin' pretty mad."

"Pika…!"

Grookey looked to Goh with worry in his eyes. "Grooki?"

"I'm perfectly fine!" he shouted, his lie brazen in the morning light.

Felix's eyes went wide. "Oh, I get it," he said with a confident nod.

Goh felt his pulse run cold. "You get what?"

"I get why you're upset," Felix said. There was a mischievous glint in his brown eyes. "You're just-"

Goh braced himself for the accusation, and was already preparing his defense.

"-wondering when I'll give you the map."

But it wasn't the accusation he was expecting.

Felix waved off his worries. "I left it at home, but you can just swing by this afternoon for it!"

"Map?" Ash asked. The look on the Palletonian's face said that he was completely out of the loop at this point.

"Yeah," Felix said, his grin like a knife twisting in Goh's stomach, "Goh set me up on the date with Chloe for this map that leads to Mew!"

The shame was getting to be too much to bear at this point, with Goh trading Chloe's love life for a map that led to his own goals.

Even Ash seemed taken aback. But in his typical Ash fashion, he spoke plainly about the situation in a way that turned it on its head. "Wait, so Chloe's just doin' this as a favor to Goh?"

Goh's eyes went wide as the realization sank in. The only reason she was doing any of that was because it was what he himself needed to happen to get his hands on that map.

"Well, I…" Felix stammered, looking much like a Pokémon caught by surprise. "I don't think she'd do that. I mean, Goh'd have to have told her why he wanted her to do it, and she didn't say anything about doing it for him, right?"

Goh exhaled, finally feeling a bit better and more secure in his position as the door to the lab opened up again.

"Hey, Goh and Ash," Chloe said, her voice sprites as she walked in. "And, uh… Felix?"

Chloe stood there for a moment, furrowing her brow, much like Goh had done when he discovered Felix this early. Yamper and Eevee walked in and stood in front of her. Eevee smiled blankly, but Yamper's green eyes were locked onto Felix, and his fangs were bared as he growled at the boy.

Professor Cerise entered the lab as well, frowning at Yamper. "What's gotten into you?" he asked, picking the pup up.

"Yamp! Yamp!" He barked at Felix, snarling.

Pikachu's ears twitched at the barking, and he shot a glance to Grookey, which the chimp returned.

Goh's eyes quickly darted between the two, wondering what the connection between Yamper and Felix was that would make the pup act like this.

Professor Cerise walked into the lab, still holding Yamper even as the puppy's short legs scrambled for freedom. "Sorry about this, Felix. Yamper still doesn't seem used to you…"

Felix shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me, sir."

Chloe sighed, putting her hands on the hips of her school uniform. "Honestly… I only came inside to grab a few things from the kitchen. Mom's been busy working on a project, and so breakfast was late and I barely have a lunch ready to take to school."

Mr. Mime, who had until this time been sweeping, set the broom against the wall and darted into the kitchen. "Mime-mime-mime!"

He returned quickly with a package of chocolate cookies, handing it to Chloe, who nodded and took it with a smile. "Thank you, Mr. Mime," she said, beaming.

"Mime mime!"

Felix stood up and pushed past Ash, Goh, and Mr. Mime. "So, Chloe? Is it okay if I meet you outside your school today instead of meeting you here?"

She raised an eyebrow before the realization dawned on her. She shot a glance at Goh before nodding. "Yeah, sounds good," she said. "But I really have to go now. I don't wanna be late!"

Felix nodded and smiled. "Of course. I'll see you this afternoon," he said, smiling warmly at her.

As Chloe began to turn and walk out the door, Goh found his hand reaching for her before she could reach the door. "Chloe, wait!"

She turned back and looked at him. "What is it, Goh?"

"...can we talk for even just a little bit?"

She frowned. "I've gotta get to school."

"Well-!" Goh said, stepping closer, "we're supposed to be looking for Argent in the area anyway, right? I'll check the area by your school and Ash and Felix can check the other area we were going to hit today."

Now it was Felix's turn for his lips to twist like he had bitten into a Nomel Berry. "Goh, what are you-"

"I know you're worried about Argent," Goh said, talking over him. "So it's best to split up and cover more ground. I just have something I want to talk to Chloe about, so this works out, doesn't it?"

Felix's warm brown eyes suddenly turned cold and hard. "I see," he said. "I suppose that does make sense."

"Well, whatever," Chloe said, shrugging. "Let's just hurry, okay?" She turned and opened the door, slipping out quickly.

Goh nodded. "Right. Let's go!"

"Eievui!" she yipped, turning to follow Chloe as well.

Felix cleared his throat. "Oh, Goh?"

Goh looked back at him, his hand on the door.

Felix's wide sneer reappeared. "Just so you know, I'll give you the map after my second date with Chloe, okay?"

Goh grunted and nodded before stepping out the door, understanding the unspoken part of the message.

'If you tell Chloe not to go on this date, then you'll never get your hands on that map.'


Goh, Grokey, and Eevee caught up with Chloe fairly quickly, walking towards school. When they did, Eevee hopped up onto Chloe's shoulder and nuzzled her face before sitting on the opposite shoulder as the one Goh walked next to. Grookey did the same to allow the two trainers to talk.

"So, you and Felix seem like you're both getting along really well."

The sarcasm in her tone was thick enough that Goh could imagine Ash putting it on a sandwich and eating it.

"Yeah, well, sometimes people just rub me the wrong way," he said, downplaying the odd feeling in his stomach. "I know I'm not the easiest guy to get along with."

Chloe giggled before giving Goh her own smirk. "Well, maybe it'd be easier to get along with people if you weren't spending your afternoons hanging out in garbage dumpsters."

The guilt on Goh's face was obvious. "W-wait… you saw me?"

It wasn't until she saw Chloe grinning at him that he realized that he had fallen into her trap. "Not until you just admitted it, but I did have a hunch," she said, the glee in catching him in the act obvious on her face.

He could only groan. "Aw man, I thought we'd gotten away…"

"You almost did, but I did see Eevee's ears peeking over the shrub," she said, giggling. "I also caught sight of someone darting into an alleyway with a dumpster, and when I saw no one in there, I just imagined that you were hiding in there…"

Goh ran his palm down the front of his face. She had easily figured out where he was hiding. He felt like an utter fool.

"Oh don't be like that," Chloe said, smiling at him. She tapped him roughly on the forehead, all but forcing him to look back at her. "Honestly, the fact that you came to see how I was doing was really nice of you."

Goh swallowed. "Wait, it was…?" His mind was already racing back to the day before and the reason why he stepped out after Chloe.

"Wait… you think I was coming to spy on your date with Felix?"

She blinked at him, the joy on her face fading. "I mean… yeah? Why else would you have come all the way out there if not to spy on us?"

Goh shook his head emphatically. Her happiness must have come from snaring him in yet another trap but this time he wouldn't appear to be caught! "That's not it. I wasn't coming to spy! I was only out looking for Argent again, honest!"

If Chloe caught him purposefully spying on the date, it would only prove he didn't really believe she was doing it for his sake, he thought. It would undermine the confidence he was rebuilding in himself. His friendship with Chloe surviving this depended on him not showing mistrust in her by spying on this date. The very date he had asked her to go on to get him the map.

The map was the only thing they should be concerned about at this point. It was why Chloe was doing him such a big favor. He couldn't get distracted, lest Felix wring a third date out of them, or worse, he lose sight of Chloe amidst all this.

Looking back into her eyes, expecting to see relief, Goh only found a frown.

"So… you weren't concerned at all? You just happened to come by?"

He nodded, grinning. "Yeah! Pretty silly, huh?"

Chloe sighed, rolling her eyes.

The two of them kept walking, but Goh wasn't sure why she seemed upset now instead of when she had thought he had really come to intrude on her date.

Maybe she found Felix far too annoying to want to continue spending time with? If she would give anything for the dates to be over, then that would explain everything, right?

He recalled the threat Felix spat out on his way out the door, and the fact that Chloe had already agreed to a second date.

"...Hey," he said, finally breaking the tense air between them. "Can I ask you something? And don't tease me for asking, I'm just curious."

Chloe kept her eyes focused forward, but she sighed, which told Goh that she was still talking to him. "What is it?" Her annoyed monotone was a warning to Goh that he was on thin ice.

"Well… I just was just wondering why you even agreed to a second date if the deal was only for the one…"

"Now you're curious?"

She looked over at him again, and Goh could tell that she was searching his face for something.

He once more felt his palms become sweaty as he nervously ran his hand through his hair. Chloe could say three words and puncture his confidence, so there was no way he was going to get out of this without telling the truth.

"Yeah… I came to you and got you to do this for me, and now you're going again… Is it-"

He didn't have a chance to finish before Chloe interrupted.

"No," she said, looking away from Goh again. "The reason I agreed to a second one is because he was pretty desperate in asking and I thought it would help you out."

Goh felt like the admission was a wave of cool water washing over him, refreshing and pure.

She was doing it for him. Not out of some affection for Felix.

"Really?" he said. "He did say on the way out that I wouldn't get the map unless you went on this date."

"While I couldn't hear," she said, snorting in irritation. "But don't worry, I'll handle Felix. You just focus on Argent."

Goh nodded, his confidence slowly blooming once more thanks to his trust in her. "Thanks, Chloe. I'll keep focused on what's important." He chuckled to himself, finally feeling like things were going his way again. "I'm grateful, you know? I know I wouldn't want to spend an afternoon with him if I could help it," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "He's kind of an arrogant guy. He thought there was no way you'd go on a date with him just as a favor to me, you know? But here we are, about to get our hands on a rare map!"

"Oh, I know an arrogant guy," she said, glancing at him from the side. "He's standing here, completely sure of his position in the world like he's got absolutely nothing to worry about."

Goh frowned. "Hey, what's that mean?" he asked, brows furrowed.

"You," she said, flicking him in the forehead this time. "You're completely arrogant."

"Ow!" Goh flinched, covering his forehead with his hand this time. "Hey, what're you saying that for? What am I acting so arrogant about?"

"Of all the…" Chloe muttered under her breath. "You think you've got everyone playing in the palm of your hand. Like everything is going according to your plan and all you have to do is let it play out now that things seem to be going your way."

Goh frowned. "Hey, where did I say that?" he protested. "I know you're doing me a huge favor here. I didn't want to take away from that. I owe you big."

"You owe me big, huh?" she frowned at him. "Then why are you jumping straight from talking about me not wanting to spend more time with Felix right to practically bragging about how I'm doing this for you? You were in a nervous sweat a few moments ago."

As always, she saw right through him.

"I mean, aren't you?" he asked, once more on the backfoot.

She turned to him, her green eyes practically sharpened into points. Despite her constant turning to and away from Goh, Eevee remained perfectly balanced on her shoulder.

"Don't change the subject!" she snapped. "You acting like this is completely, totally arrogant! Having a little confidence in yourself is one thing, but acting arrogant will just open yourself up to trouble later!"

Goh looked at her, searching her face for meaning. "Wait…" he said, finding the only line that he could before his stomach started to feel heavy again. "You're not saying… you actually want to go spend time with Felix of your own volition, do you?"

"And if I do?" she asked, turning away from him again. "He's definitely trying to treat me pretty nice."

"You can't be serious. He's practically a stranger," Goh said, reasons to dislike Felix pouring forth like water down a stream. "Felix's over here declaring his love for you at first sight and he's spent maybe a few hours with you! He hardly knows you!"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "And you know better, do you?" she asked.

"Yes!" he said, exasperated. "Way better! I know you a thousand times better than he does!"

She stopped walking and looked him in the eye. "Then Goh… What am I to you?"

"What… what?"

It was like the gears in his mind had suddenly jammed, and nothing was moving anymore. The river ran dry.

"It's a simple question," she said, shrugging. "Felix is over here, inviting me to dinners and declaring his love for me at first sight. And you're saying he doesn't know me as well as you do. What does that make us, then? What am I to you?"

"You're…"

His mind, normally sharp and easily drawing facts and figures from all over, was drawing a blank. The question didn't make sense. What was she to him?

"I mean… you're…"

He ran his hand through his hair, trying to retain an appearance of confidence even if it was draining like a soda pop bottle turned over without a lid. His eyes searched everywhere, looking for a clever answer to the question, but all he saw were more people dressed in school uniforms and cars driving down the street.

"I…"

"...should really be looking for Argent instead of walking me to school."

He finally looked back at Chloe, and she had cracked a wry grin at him.

"Thank you for that, by the way."

He once more found himself speechless, but looking around, he saw that they had clearly arrived at Sunset Junior High, which meant that he had walked Chloe all the way to school. It was actually the first time he had done so when he wasn't going to actually go into the doors, himself.

"Oh…"

He was somewhat surprised with himself.

"I hope you're able to find him," she said, her eyes turning down. "He's been missing for a few days at this point, and it's not easy living on the streets by yourself, you know? Especially when you've got a shiny coat that'll make you stand out no matter who sees you."

Goh nodded, his thinking getting back on track. "Yeah… I think I have a pretty good idea where I should search today, actually."

She blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah," he chuckled, putting a hand behind his head. "It sorta came to me when I was outside the dumpster you found me in yesterday."

The two of them laughed together, the tense atmosphere from before fading like bubbles on top of a pond.

"But yeah, I'll definitely find Argent today! Don't you worry!"

She smirked. "The only thing I think I should be worrying about is if you'll actually come to school tomorrow," she said. "We have a big test tomorrow, remember?"

He nodded. "I remember."

The school bell rang, indicating that it was time for students to report to class.

"I guess our time's up, huh?" he said.

She sighed. "Yeah…"

"Are you going to leave Eevee in the garden?" he asked. "I could drop her off for you if you'd like."

"Actually…" Chloe said, reaching to her shoulder to pick up the furry creature. "Actually, could you watch over her today?" she asked.

He took Eevee from Chloe's hands and held her. "I mean sure, but why? Wouldn't you want to see her after school?"

"I would, only…" She sighed. "Felix is meeting me for that 'date' he made me agree to. And if I've got him pegged, he probably won't give you the map if I turn him down before he gives it to you. And he seems not to be really interested in Pokémon, you know?"

Goh put a hand to his chin. "Now that you mention it, yesterday he said he wanted to go places where Pokémon weren't allowed, didn't he?"

"That's pretty weird for a family that's entire business is breeding Pokémon, don't you think?"

Goh shook his head. "I mean, kind of but not really. After all, you yourself didn't want people pushing Pokémon things on you just because of who your dad was, right?"

She shrugged. "I guess you're right," she said. "Well, see you later, Goh."

"Later, Chloe. By the end of the day, I'll be showing you that map!"

"And I'll definitely have to collect on that favor you owe me," she giggled. She gave him a quick wave, leaving him there holding Eevee as she walked towards the school before the final bell could ring.

He put Eevee on the shoulder that wasn't occupied by Grookey. "Well, I guess you're part of our team today, Eevee!" he said.

Grookey crawled on top of Goh's head and offered her a high five with his paw, which Eevee dutifully copied, also crawling part way onto Goh's head.

As they did, Goh thought about Chloe's words. She did spend several hours in Felix's close company alone, something that not even he nor Ash in their searching seemed to be capable of doing. Was it possible she had seen something in him that Goh hadn't?

His mind went back to Yamper's attitude towards Felix, barking and baring his fangs. Was there a connection?

If they were connected, the conclusion didn't bode well for Argent, and Goh refocused his mental efforts, pulling both Eevee and Grookey gently onto his shoulders.

"Alright, you two, settle down," he said. "We need to head a bit further downtown but I'm pretty sure we'll actually see him this time."

"Grooki!"

"Eievui!"


The trip downtown with Eevee and Grookey took a bit longer than Goh thought it would, but he supposed that Sunset Junior High was just that far out of the way compared to where his actual goal was. But he found his way back to the area of restaurants where he and Felix had searched a few days ago, and where they had posted the missing Pokémon posters just yesterday. Goh walked along the busy sidewalk, congested with people coming and going at this time of day. As Goh's shoulders brushed against people, Grookey crawled on top of his head, and Eevee on top of Grookey, forming a strange stack as they walked. Seeing two Pokémon balanced on a teen's head caused more people to give them a wider berth until he reached the sidestreet that the woman he had spoken to two days ago had indicated.

Taking a moment to breathe, Goh leaned against the wall as Grookey and Eevee slipped down and onto the ground. "Alright," he said. "In the dead end alley that cuts off from here, there should be a little Pokémon nest…"

The three of them stepped into the alleyway, and once again Goh was confronted by the mysterious box that had a metal trash can lid on top of it.

"This has to be where Argent is staying…" he said quietly. "It's so unnatural that it's just got to be the nest of a Pokémon that hasn't had to make nests before… a Pokémon bred by humans who's never had to fight or survive in the wild."

"Eievui…"

Eevee took a few steps in and sniffed the air. She stepped more boldly in, approaching the box that was set up like a home.

Goh and Grookey watched carefully as Eevee stepped closer. The entire alleyway seemed to have gone quiet.

As Eevee moved to stick her head in the box, a rattling came from the nearby stacked garbage cans. Grookey leapt up from the ground and took the stick from his head, tossing it at the cans, knocking them over and revealing a dirty, grey colored Pokémon that only seconds ago had been aiming to leap at and attack Chloe's Eevee.

But once the mystery Pokémon had landed, Goh's eyes widened as he recognized it.

Just to make sure, he held up his phone, which quickly identified the Pokémon, even despite his ragged appearance and alternate coloration.

"Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. A Normal-Type. It has the ability to alter the composition of its body to suit its surrounding environment. Thanks to its unstable genetic makeup, this special Pokémon conceals many different possible evolutions."

The image in the Pokédex looked like Chloe's Eevee but with a metallic sheen. But when Goh lowered his phone to fully take in the sight before him, he could feel his entire face grimace.

The shiny Eevee's cheeks were gaunt, and his hollowed eyes held an incredible amount of desperation. The fur on his body was dirty and patchy in some places, matted and tangled in others. The fur coming off of his head was threatening to cover his eyes completely, and his tail was bristled like a dirty broom.

Goh felt his heart sink, but he knew he had to move quickly to stop things from getting any worse. He may have found Felix's missing Eevee, but Argent wasn't about to treat them kindly.

"Eevee, look out!"

Eevee saw Argent charging but was too slow to turn around before he was upon her. Argent bit into Eevee's side with his teeth, making her leap back, losing a little fur in the exchange as she retreated.

Goh watched the Pokémon carefully. It wasn't a proper Bite attack - there was none of that typical move energy in the attack.

Argent snarled at Chloe's Eevee after she leapt back. He stepped around her and moved back towards the box home he must have set up. As he moved, Goh got a better look at his legs, and they looked emaciated and weak. Even that leap must have been an excruciating use of energy.

Had Argent been starving out here in the city this entire time? Had he gone mad with hunger?

"Argent…?"

When Goh uttered the Pokémon's name, the Eevee turned and snarled at him, eyes going wide. "Brrr… Bui! Bui! BUIII!"

If nothing else, at least Argent still recognized his own name, Goh thought.

"We're here to take you home, Argent," Goh said, stepping closer. He gave the Pokémon a friendly smile and held out a hand to him, trying to coax him into coming closer. After all, they had come to rescue him and take him back to food, warmth, and comfort, right?

Argent was just about to tell Goh how he felt about that.

The Eevee took a deep breath before shouting loudly. An explosive soundwave erupted from his mouth, blowing Goh, Eevee, and Grookey back, as well as rendering the rest of the alley, except for the small box he stood in front of, a garbage covered mess.

Goh sat up, the ringing in his ears still resounding as he sat up. Eevee and Grookey shook themselves to their feet and stared back at Argent.

"Was that Hyper Voice…?" Goh asked out loud. He stood, realizing that there wouldn't be anyone around to give him that answer.

Standing in the alley still, even after all of that, was the defiant Argent. It was a dead end where he had placed his home, and now there was nowhere else for the Pokémon to run.

"He must be desperate to protect his home," Goh reasoned. "And a cornered Pokémon might try anything to win…"

But looking at him, Goh could tell that Argent wasn't ready to even survive on the streets, much less battle him.

"We need to take him to the Pokémon Center… but the only way we'll be able to do that is if we can restrain him…"

Eevee and Grookey stood at the ready incase Argent was going to try and make a break for it and abandon his home, not that Goh thought he'd try and do such a thing. "Alright, then. Let's try to put Argent to sleep." He took a Poké Ball from his pocket and tossed it forward. "Oddish, go!"

The ball snapped open, and in a flash of light, the small walking weed stood in the alley, staring down the distraught Pokémon. "Use Sleep Powder!"

Oddish shook her leaves at Argent, expelling a blue-tinted powder that Goh was sure would put the Eevee to sleep.

Argent responded by leaping into the ground, quickly digging a hole in the garbage he'd tossed all around, giving him a much easier ground to dig through than the concrete he'd normally have to try.

"He's avoiding us with Dig…" Goh said, his mind going back to finding the hole punched through the ventilation as well where he had dug under the wall to escape Felix's family's compound. "Watch yourself, Oddish! Argent could come up anywhere!"

"Oddish!" she responded, looking to and fro, trying to see a clue for where he'd pop up next. Goh, too, watched the trash-covered battlefield, trying to see where he would appear.

"Oddish, jump!"

Goh's Oddish obeyed her trainer's order and leapt up, at the last possible moment as Argent erupted from the garbage, swiping his paws at her fruitlessly in the air.

While he was leaping and falling, Goh could take advantage. "Alright, Caterpie! Go and use String Shot!"

Appearing, too, from her Poké Ball, Goh's Caterpie sprayed a wide net of sticky silk threads from her mouth, catching Argent and sticking him in a cocoon as he fell to the ground. He struggled against the silk, going as far as biting it as it held him, but the Eevee was apprehended at this point.

"Oddish, now it's your turn. Sleep Powder!"

Oddish shook her leaves once more, and the blue powder again wafted over to Argent. Having no hope for escape this time, Argent breathed in the powder and quickly succumbed to its effects, falling fast asleep.

"Thanks guys," Goh said, recalling Oddish and Caterpie into their balls. He stepped across the garbage to where Argent was now sleeping and picked up the small cocoon that held him.

His eyes went wide at realizing just how light the Pokémon felt. Chloe's Eevee had a healthy weight to her. Six and a half kilograms might not have been the most weight in the world, but Argent felt incredibly light by comparison.

"...I guess he must have been starving, huh…?"

Goh pulled at the sticky strings Caterpie made, pulling them off of Argent's emaciated body, and he began thinking very deeply about the Pokémon's condition. Even with being out in the streets for what must have been going on for three days, he was looking remarkably unhealthy and not cared for. A Pokémon's fur didn't become matted like this by being outside for a few days. The fur on the tips of his ears was also overgrown and in poor condition, and though he slept thanks to the sleep powder, Argent was clearly in pain still from the look on his face.

Argent wasn't just suffering from a few days' exposure to the outside world. He was suffering from long-term neglect and abuse.

The pieces began fitting together in Goh's mind, once he realized that.

"Argent… he was trying to get out of a bad situation and he ran away…"

Chloe's Eevee and Goh's Grookey both looked at each other, sad frowns growing on their faces.

"And last time we were here, he must have been avoiding the area because…"

The gasp was caught in his throat.

Suddenly, Yamper's barking and snarling made much more sense to him.

Goh stood. "C'mon. We need to take Argent to the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy should be able to give him the strength he needs."

He held the small, sickly Eevee in his hands. "Stay strong, Argent. Help is on the way, soon."

He began running, with Grookey and Eevee rushing behind him to keep up.