Where Life Takes You
By What_Lies_Within
"Expect the unexpected, but most of all, expect the natural."
-Maxime Lagacé
Authors Note:
This is going to be my first work, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated and valued, whether it's good or bad. I'll be doing my best to make reading this worthwhile for everyone. I was inspired to try my hand at writing by Manifest_Destiny. Also, it's thanks to the immense support of Nocturnal_Novelist and his incredibly supportive discord server for giving me the confidence to put the inspiration to good use. I highly recommend reading their stories as they are HELLA better than I am.
Chapter 1:
Rebased by Nature
Hunger was neither a friend nor a stranger at this point, and Eevee had become quite used to its claws digging deep into her abdomen. Eevees' stomach began to grumble, serving as her daily reminder to begin her ritual. Every day was the same: wake up, search for food, go home to sleep, repeat. The forest, however, was as indomitable as it was inhospitable towards her. This was simply another fact Eevee had merely grown accustomed to, doing her damnedest to survive in the only environment she had ever known, but each day was beginning to get harder as meals became more and more scarce.
Eevee took a moment to sniff the air and immediately noticed the thick humidity permeating the air, a telltale sign of an oncoming storm. The looming trees all but blotted out the sky but she knew it was going to rain tonight, the usually dark forest a noticeable shade deeper. Most of what little sunlight could reach the forest floor was impeded by the approaching storm. It was as if nature itself was offended by anything below the canopy.
If she were to eat tonight, she would have to search before dark fell and consumed what little light that there was left. This year had been rough and her options were extremely limited, but this didn't stop Eevee from leaving her den to search for something she considered edible.
I can't keep going to bed hungry. Eevee thought to herself. For the love of Arceus let there be some berries left…
Tip-toeing through the forest floor, she took great care to keep from drawing attention to herself; Eevee did her best to hurry towards the edge of the forest, this area had much fewer trees and offered much more visibility to the sky above. Assorted bushes, shrubs, and smaller trees were growing due to the excess sunlight and water access but today the sky was filled with sullen black clouds. The air, which already smelled of rain, had begun to even taste of the impending downpour.
This isn't good… She pressed her ears back against the back of her head. I don't have much time.
Eevee tentatively walked into the more open areas and approached a small cluster of berry trees. After giving them a thorough look over, she noticed that many twigs had been broken and there were only unripe berries left on their thin branches. It was clear that whoever or whatever had been here had gorged themselves already. In the distance, she could hear chattering, but she ignored them. After all, this was a well-known spot for other small Pokémon like herself and the occasional Rattata.
The next feeding ground is a bit far from here…
While stuck deep in thought, the hungry fox jumped and scrambled beneath the thicket as the landscape flashed and roared. The storm had been growing ever closer while she was searching, reminding her of its presence when she gave pause to inspect the bushes. Eevee took a few deep breaths as she tried to slow down her frantically beating heart.
After a minute of thinking, she came to a decision to wait until after the storm passed before looking for food. Almost as though she needed reminding of its severity, the storm let another streak cross the sky along with another deafening clap. This time the wind seemed to come to life, spurred into action by the muddled atmosphere above her.
I can't afford to get sick in this state, Eevee concluded. I can move if I'm hungry, but not if I get sick.
The approaching rainstorm -while threatening much- provided one boon: with other Pokémon seeking shelter, it was extremely unlikely she were to be attacked by a predator, so Eevee threw caution to the wind and began to sprint back into the depths of the forest. Jumping over gnarled roots above ground and skirting the edges of other territorial Pokémon, she quickly arrived at the humble hovel she called home. Many small rodent Pokémon peeked at her from their shelters as she ran by.
No place like home, I guess. Eevee chuckled to herself.
As long as she could remember, Eevee had never had a place she could call home. Always on the move and avoiding treading on the territories of others, she was never able to settle anywhere... That is until she came across an odd structure last year during the summer months. Eevee hung around it for a long time, trying to decide if it was the home of a hostile Pokémon, or if it belonged to one of the very few human squatters that dotted the forest. Eevee eventually took claim of it as it seemed that many larger Pokémon avoided this part of the woods, but she could never figure out why.
The small building only had a single room, the walls made of a single panel of wood, the windows long since broken, and its front door broken in half. The top half remained in place but the lower panel had caved in on itself, producing a convenient entrance. The interior was left barren, save for a single bed constructed of many twigs, leaves, and long grass she had made herself.
By now the storm was directly overhead and what little light left was quickly dissipating. Eevee, exhausted from her sprint home and her lack of food, slowly padded up to her bed, moving it away from the open window. It didn't take long before she could hear rain beginning to fall onto the thick canopy of foliage above and onto the ground below.
It's going to be a long night… Eevee silently lamented and let out a yawn.
"Eeeevaaa~"
The storm raged above the treeline, claiming the skies above for its symphony. The old shack offered just enough protection from the elements for the little fox to curl up in her bed comfortably. Curling her tail towards herself, Eevee was able to rest her head on it as an improvised pillow. It was no easy task, but Eevee began to drift to sleep; the rumbling thunder quickly becoming a lullaby. With any luck, tomorrow would be different.
Darkness.
Ever-present, it took all sight from her.
A voice was echoing around her. One she did not recognize.
A second joined the first. This one was familiar.
It was her mother.
She was begging for her to stay.
Eevee bolted into the void.
If she could be found she would finally know.
Why was she abandoned?
Why was she alone?
What felt like hours passed.
A bright flash surrounded her.
Footsteps.
Then…..nothing.
The calls from her mother were silenced.
The first voice finally spoke again.
It was far clearer than before.
Only four words.
Each syllable boomed in her head with the ferocity of a thunderclap.
"Ugh….not another one..."
Eevee lurched from her bed as her nightmare hurled her into reality abruptly. Her fur stood on end as she tried to see her surroundings. The interior of her shelter was still pitch black.
"What the hell…?" Eevee asked no one in particular.
Unsurprisingly the nothingness of the night kept silent, but every instinct in her body was wracking her mind to flee. The sounds of rain had all but ceased, only the occasional drops of rain pitter-pattered the ground and roof of her den. Eevee poked her head out the window and looked towards the sky. Between the towering trees Eevee could see the moon and the twinkling lights of stars. The storm had clearly passed, the barest minimum of light had trickled down to allow some vision but Eevee could see no threats in the immediate vicinity. Anxiety began to grow; her instincts had never been wrong before. Eevee began to wonder why wouldn't her feelings go away? Leaving the window, she began padding back to her bed but had the overwhelming urge to look outside one more time. Eevee hopped onto the windowsill and peered outside again, immediately regretting her decision.
Multiple pairs of eyes from the distance stared back, as though the void manifested them just for her. Each pair, albeit different sizes, bore the same pattern; angry red globes with a single yellow band stared at her unblinkingly. Eevee froze in place in her window perch. It wasn't until the chittering began that she was able to snap out of it and retreat inside. Time was of the essence and with so many of… them outside, her instincts screaming at her to flee, and the chittering intensifying, anxiety quickly transformed into fear. This primal urge took root in her mind and drove her to do the only thing she could: flee for her life.
Eevee climbed back onto the windowsill and leapt, glancing down mid-flight to see the surprised faces of her would be invaders. They appeared to be dark brown rodents with red eyes and wicked teeth. She immediately identified them as Patrat. As Eevee landed one of them charged at her, aiming to bite her with his buck teeth. Before it could get close, a quickly discharged Swift knocked it back and into the wall of the shed with an audible thud. The rest of the Patrat chittered faster, keeping their baleful stare on her as they began to approach her. Turning tail and sprinting off into the woods must have struck the wrong chord, however, because as she fled, multiple sets of footsteps could be heard behind the fleeing eevee.
Fear had driven her to flee but Eevee had no way of knowing what direction she was heading. Her heart was pounding away in her breast. Each stride sapped more and more strength from her already malnourished and tired limbs. The occasional bush and infantile tree whipped at her head and tore at her fur. The chase went from mere minutes to nearly an hour before she finally made it to the forest's edge, the dividing line between the wilderness and the nearest human home. The Patrat kept up the chase, pausing only when Eevee had made it to a fence line marking a human residence..
This is a bad idea…but hopefully they won't follow me... Eevee grimly thought.
Her hesitation quickly vanished as she looked from where she came and saw no less than three Patrat still giving chase but a larger Pokémon had also joined the chase. Their chittering echoing from the noticeably thinner forest towards her.
Her small exhausted frame received a dose of adrenaline as she took a few steps back and began to headbutt the fence. For this single moment, fortune was on her side as the panel she hit was brittle and gave way after a few strikes. Eevee jumped at what would be her salvation and tried to squeeze through the narrow entry. Her fur catching on her hind leg, Eevee yanked herself free. Her "fight or flight" response suppressing her sense of pain as fur was ripped away.
Eevee ran into the center of the human's back yard and looked back for her assailants. Keeping her eyes firmly locked on the hole she had crawled through, Eevee charged up another Swift, ready to drive away any of the Patrat foolish to attempt to crawl through. Seconds turned to minutes as Eevee stood motionless, but nothing ever came. Eevee's instincts were still out of control, adamant that she continue to flee,though her adrenaline rush was beginning to wear off.
Eevee felt her fatigue wash over her all at once. The lack of sleep, the lack of food, and the run itself had drained all but the last vestiges of her strength. Slowly pain began to blossom on her right hind leg and over her right eye. Eevee noticed the blurriness from her right eye too late as she tried to look at herself. All she could tell was that something was wet.
I think I might have overdone it…Eevee thought to herself, wincing at the pain. It spiked in the rhythm of her heartbeat.
Eevee turned and started walking towards the house for a place to hide when a heavy blow slammed into her blind side and sent her spiraling into the side of the house. She felt multiple snaps and the impact drove the breath from her. Eevee fell and collapsed, struggling to get air into her damaged body. Who or whatever attacked her didn't follow up. It was when the chittering began that her heart sank. Eevee looked from her undamaged eye and saw him, a tall Watchog standing over her and the Patrat dropping from the top of the fence line. Each one locked eyes on her and began moving towards the wounded fox.
I didn't think those rats could climb that. Eevee whimpered and looked back to Watchog. They must have climbed on top of this guy.
Her instincts went silent, her pain all but ceased, and breathing became forced and quick. Hyperventilating, Eevee looked dead in the unforgiving eyes of the towering Watchog and asked one question knowing full well the answer he was going to give.
"Why?"
The Watchog put on a slightly sympathetic look and gave her the answer she had already anticipated.
"I have kids to feed. It's just the way it is."
Closing her eye, Eevee took a deep breath as the Watchog began to lean down with bared fangs. To her, time seemed to slow down as her life flashed before her eyes. Her time spent in the forest played like a cinematic, a monument to her entire life. She remembered her days as a pup, struggling to even reach the lowest hanging berries. The adolescence of her life showed her fleeing from would be predators, and finally, the past year of her living in her den. Her nights of solitude and hunger as food became increasingly scarce as time went on. Her only good memory was of when she had finally claimed her home.
What a wretched existence I had… Eevee thought to herself.
Regret filled her as she waited for the Watchog's teeth to sink into her flesh, ready to accept the release of death. Her regret slipped away, and her entire body relaxed in response to the inevitable.
However, death never came. A loud voice filled the area as lights came to life behind her, followed with a crashing noise.
"HEY! GET OUTTA HERE!"
Eevee opened her good eye and saw the Watchog frozen in place, staring at the distraction behind her. Looking behind the large rodent, she watched the three Patrat turn to look at the new arrivals but were immediately sent flying backwards onto their asses by an unseen force as a deafening Boom resounded through the backyard. The Patrat, now coughing and wheezing, fled towards the hole in the fence. Some odd dust had coated their bodies and now trailed behind them as they fled.
She quickly realized what was happening. The rats had made too much noise during their hunt and had woken the humans inside the house behind her. The human investigating was a god-given boon for her to escape, but it was difficult to do so. One eye was swollen shut, one haunch refused to respond to her commands, breathing became painful once more. Eevee could smell something foul in the air but ignored it. She had to escape now while she could move and pray the humans wouldn't find her,
Summoning up what she could, Eevee began to crawl away into some foliage while keeping her good eye on the human who had chased away the Patrat and Watchog. It wasn't until she heard a bark from a new Pokémon did she pause. Looking back she realized the human wasn't alone, next to him stood was a canine pokemon she didn't recognize as it was sporting a strange mask. Eevee turned back and tried to redouble her efforts in escape, but quickly found it futile.
A chill went down her spine, bringing her attention back towards her own body. For the first time, she realized she was shivering. Her body was getting cold and her wounds were more severe than she had thought. Putting her paws in front of her one more time, she tried to pull herself forward one more time, but she was at her absolute limit. Her head feeling woozy and her sight beginning to fail, Eevee lied down on her uninjured side and wondered if she would wake up again. The last thing she would remember this night would be the sweet smell of flowers.
Could be worse ways to go I guess...
Loud banging made Robert sit upright in bed. Groggily Robert looked over to his clock, it was far too early for anyone to be awake. Rubbing his tired eyes, he swung his legs over to the side of the bed and struggled to gain full control of his limbs.
"Good lord I'm getting too old for this nonsense."
Getting up like this at 60 years of age had been getting increasingly more and more difficult. The main reason his daughter and granddaughter moved into his home with him was specifically to help him with chores he couldn't manage anymore. Nonetheless, Robert was stubborn; always had to do things himself.
It didn't take long for Robert to find his clothes from the previous day and slip them on. The outfit he now sported was a pair of overalls over a pair of baggy jean shorts and a simple plain t-shirt that was stained in many places. Grabbing a pair of thick leather gloves and sliding them into his back pocket, he marched into the hall and made his way to his daughters' room.
"Delilah! Wake up! I think more wild Pokémon are after my garden again!" Robert called, mildly annoyed at the situation.
Robert left the door after receiving a garbled "okay dad" and returned to his room. This hasn't been the first-time wild Pokémon decided to infiltrate his garden, and it probably wouldn't be the last time either. Retrieving his shotgun, he loaded it with repellent rounds. These were designed to explode into Repel infused powder on contact, these were the only allowed method of deterring unwanted Pokémon until he received a license for hunting. Not that he wanted one.
Robert headed to the back door of the house while Delilah got ready. Soon a heavy thud shook the wall and Delilah came running to the room with a red furred canine at her heels. Her normally straight black hair running wild from being woken so abruptly. Her Pokemon stood at attention, eager to help. Delilah narrowed her green eyes at her father,
"Dad, wait! Let me and Bones handle this!" Delilah said, looking down at her Growlithe. He barked in agreement.
"Nu-uh, I'm not gonna sit here on my laurels and watch. What if there's more than one this time?" Robert argued.
"Then at least let me go out first! What if you miss and they attack? Like you said! There could be more than one?" Delilah countered.
Robert stood up and took a step towards his daughter. "That's where you come in hun. I'm counting on you to have my back if the worst comes to pass."
Unable to offer any further argument, his daughter merely nodded and gestured to him to take the lead. The two headed to the back door, taking places at the light switch and at the door handle.
After nodding to one more time, Delilah flipped the switch and Robert kicked the back door hard, causing it to fly open violently. The door slammed into the side of the house with a heavy bang. Taking a few steps forward and counting five Pokémon in his garden, He sucked in a deep breath and bellowed.
"HEY! GET OUTTA HERE!"
Taking aim at the three rat Pokémon who were now facing his direction, Robert fired a single round from his shotgun. The impact sent them reeling and sputtering as the Repel powder worked its magic. Before the initial discharge, the largest Pokémon had frozen in place but was now running for its life. Robert kept an eye on all the retreating rats and noticed the smaller ones diving into a small hole in his fence.
"Goddamn rats knocked a hole in my fence!" Robert stomped to the hole, moving a wheelbarrow in front of it. Bones trotted behind him, keeping an eye out to protect his master's father while sporting an improvised mask made by Delilah. This prevented him from inhaling the Repel Rounds.
Robert stomped back to the house and stopped when he realized something. Of the five on his property, he only counted four of them having fled. He promptly discharged the empty shell and popped another into its place.
Not looking towards the red dog, Robert gave Bones instructions.
"Bones…wait a few minutes then I want you to sniff out the hiding spot of the last one. It's still here." Robert paused for a moment. "Delilah, I want you to go get my good light. The big spotlight one."
The canine barked in acknowledgment and Delilah quickly slipped inside after a quick "okay." Shortly after Delilah returned with the flashlight and handed it over to him. It was a comically large flashlight on a small handle with a trigger to turn it on and off.
A look of concern flashed across her face for a moment and wondered out loud.
"What are they this time dad?"
"Patrat and a Watchog. They're omnivores and I reckon this summer has them hungrier than they're used to," Robert replied gruffly and continued. "One of em is still here hiding to wait for us to go away. Probably to tell its friends when it's safe."
"Bones, you stay with dad, okay? Keep him safe. I'll bet that gun woke up Sasha again." Delilah looked down to her friend. Bones let out a small bark and, using his hind legs, peeled his mask off.
As Delilah walked back inside, Robert knelt down to Bones and rubbed his head. He knew he had to find the rodent fast. The damage one patrat could do to his small garden was enough to make him shudder. After all, this garden was everything to him.
Pulling the trigger on the grip of his flashlight, a brilliant beam of light sprang to life and he began to sweep its light back and forth. After a couple passes, Robert notices something odd. Kneeling down, Robert put his hand on a patch of grass that had caught his attention and brought it back to inspect it. It was blood, and there was a fair amount.
"Well damn…. I didn't think a Repel Round could puncture skin," Robert thought out loud.
Tilting his light up, Robert noticed it was a small trail of the blood on two sides, one leading to the hole in the fence and one leading towards his flower beds. Wiping his hand on his overalls, he stood back up and began to follow the trail towards his flowerbeds.
They wouldn't bring their wounded with them on a food run, they must've been huntin' and I spooked them away. Robert thought to himself. He looked down to Bones.
"Alright boy, I need you to sniff it out for me. Just do me a favor and don't jump at em just yet. I think it's hurt. And careful of my flowers."
Bones let out a disappointed snort, but acknowledged anyway. Putting his nose close to the ground and sniffing the blood, Bones trotted into the flowerbeds. Shortly Bones returned, looking a bit shaken.
"What's wrong boy? Did it bite the dust already?"
Bones shook his head quickly and let out a startlingly loud bark. Before he could ask his next question, the dog bit into his leggings and tugged lightly. Bones exuded a sense of urgency rarely seen in the docile canine. The surprisingly impatient gesture caused the flashlight to tumble onto the ground.
"Alright boy calm down, give me a second..." Robert said as he bent over to pick up his fallen gear. Giving it a quick glance to make sure it was still serviceable, he gestured to Bones to lead the way. The trail led into the heart of his modest garden when he was a small bundle of fur lying motionless in the patch of lilies. A quick sweep of his flashlight revealed red beads glistening on the petals of some of his blooms. The ground, saturated by the storm, refused to absorb the spilled blood. The life essence curving and spiraling around on the ground beneath it in seemingly random directions. Kneeling down again, he tried to get a good look at the wounded creature. It seemed to be a quadrupedal fox with white tufts of fur around its neck.
The poor thing had its right eye swollen, the surrounding tissue bulging slightly but no open wounds for it to have painted the area so well. Moving the light's beam slightly down its length revealed the grisly culprit. A large gash ran the length of the Pokémon's leg, a small crimson stream slowly oozing onto the ground drop by drop. Roberts' heart went out to this poor fox, it was clearly in a lot of pain.
Robert glanced over at the Loyal Pokémon. "Listen to me Bones, go get Delilah and get her NOW!"
Bones took it before Robert had finished speaking, braying as loud as he could along the way.
Robert put on his second glove and gingerly picked up the injured Pokémon. It mewled softly in his arms as the change in posture likely aggravated its wounds to some degree. This was no time to worry about his garden, his plants would grow again after some tending. Robert turned and walked as fast as he could back to the house without aggravating his precious cargo. Still cradling the Pokémon, he met Delilah at the back door. Delilah's eyes widened with shock.
"Dad! What's going on?"
"Hun, I need you to get the truck and go get a doctor from the PokéCenter in Goldenrod. The Patrat were after this little thing. I'll call them before you get there."
Delilah turned around and all but sprinted away. Before she got too far Robert called out.
"Is Sasha still awake?"
"She went back to bed!" she yelled over her shoulder as she disappeared through the front door.
Glancing down at the pokémon in his arms, he could tell it felt a lot lighter than it should. He walked up his steps and into the house.
Robert went to the hallway and hollered. "Sasha! Wake up! Come to the bathroom and help me!"
Robert then walked to the bathroom and cradled the Pokémon in one arm as carefully as he could to grab some towels. After placing the towels on the countertop and the Pokémon on top of them, Robert took off his gloves and got ready to apply basic first aid. If he didn't hurry, the poor thing would bleed out before Delilah could return.
Sasha walked into the room shortly after, covering her mouth as she gasped.
"Grandpa! Are you okay? Are you hurt? You have blood on you! MOO-"
The teen unleashed a barrage of questions, but Robert cut her off.
"It's not mine, I'm fine but there's no time. Go to my bathroom and grab my medical kit!"
Sasha glanced at the brown mass of fur on the counter.
"Grandpa, did you…. hurt that eev- "
Robert cut her off again.
"NOW Sasha!"
The blonde 15-year-old clamped her mouth shut and hurried away.
Robert turned his attention to the creature before him and began to rinse out the area around the gash with water. Taking great pains to only use a little at a time and a comb to pull away any dirt and grime that had accumulated around it. He then used a washrag to gently wipe away the surface of the jagged gash, causing it to bleed more.
"Hang in there little guy," Robert murmured.
Each movement across the tender area elicited small whines from the small fox. As unconscious as it was, it was reacting to pain. This was promising, pain meant life. It would have been far more worrying if his actions went with no response.
A moment later Sasha returned with the kit and eyed her grandfather's handiwork. Robert began dressing the wound as she began her relentless torrent of questions once more.
"Grandpa, did you hurt her?" Concern was evident on her face and her tone of voice.
"No, sweetie, I didn't," he replied. Robert didn't apply any medicine in case of it getting in the way of the doctor later. Taking a roll of gauze from the kit, he began to wrap her haunch tightly in order to stem the bleeding.
"What happened to her?"
"I think those wild pokémon were hunting her."
Robert paused for a moment and turned to look at her.
"Sasha, do you know what pokémon this is?"
"Yeah! That's an Eevee! They're an endangered species! Do you think she's wild?"
"I don't know yet sweetie. We'll know more when the doctor gets here." Robert sighed.
It was obvious what question would be coming next. Sasha watched as her grandfather kept binding the wound tight in an attempt to stifle the bleeding. It didn't take long before her desire overcame her reason.
"C-" Sasha hesitated. "Can we keep her?"
Robert took a deep breath and finished binding Eevee's leg, using some tape to hold the gauze in place. He knew this question had to be answered carefully. He couldn't allow a pokemon to be forced into servitude in his own home.
"I'm afraid that's not up to us. This Eevee is wild and probably has a family to go home to." Robert carefully laid the Eevee onto the cushioning before looking Sasha in the eye.
"Think about it for a minute. What right do you have to claim another living creature, as intelligent as you or I, as your own?"
"That's not fair grandpa, there's plenty of pokemon who aren't as smart as us."
Robert frowned. "Perhaps, but the principle applies. I know you kids these days want to challenge gyms and compete but capturing wild pokémon without their consent is wrong…" Robert paused and leaned down and began to softly run his fingers through eevee's fur on her flank. "Look, we can talk about this later."
Sasha stood in silence for a few moments. Robert was right, but Sasha was eager for a pokémon to call her own.
"Is something wrong grandpa?"
"Keep an eye on her for me. She needs to be carried in something and I need to call the PokéCenter before your mother gets there."
Robert strode out of the room, leaving Sasha alone with the eevee. Taking a few steps closer, Sasha wanted to get a better look at her. Eevee's fur was the standard brown, but dirty in most areas. The white tufts of fur around her throat were splattered with mud and her own blood. Sasha's throat felt tight.
Poor thing. I bet a heal ball would bring her back from the brink, Sasha thought to herself.
A small groan escaped from its small frame. Regret hit her like a punch to the gut. How could she covet a pokémon suffering like this? Her grandfather was right, forcing a pokémon into a ball in this condition would likely guarantee a successful capture, but it wouldn't be right. Besides, a Heal ball would likely only mend the injuries to a certain extent. They weren't built like a healing machine and even those couldn't restore lost nutrients from blood loss.
Robert returned, a cardboard box in one arm and a small blanket in the other. He shooed his granddaughter aside and lined the box with both the towels and blanket. Robert carefully picked up the Eevee and placed her inside the improvised bedding. After making sure Eevee wasn't lying in the box awkwardly he turned to Sasha.
"If she wakes up, don't go near her okay? She's gonna be scared to wake up in an unfamiliar area with us around."
"It's just an eevee and its leg is all wrapped up like a mummy. What could it possibly do?" Sasha laughed.
Robert glowered at her. "Don't they teach you anything in that school? Any pokémon in existence can hurt someone. They are called wild for a reason."
Seeing her grandfather was serious, Sasha relented.
"Okay I'll be careful, now where are we taking her?"
"We'll keep her in this box for now and I'll take her to the living room. I need you to go get that big folding table I keep in the closet and bring it in there. The doctor will need a workspace," Robert explained.
"Does the Goldenrod PokéCenter even do house calls?"
"Talk later, table now please, Sasha."
Sasha let out a sigh and left. Robert gingerly picked up the box and carried it to the living room as Sasha finished setting up the table. It was large enough for two or three people, plenty of space for the doctor to perform an examination. After setting the box down, Robert looked down at his amateur bandaging. It was extremely slow, but he could see extremely small red splotches beginning to form down the length of where the cut was. His eyes wandered up and down the Pokémon's coat, looking for any other injuries he might have missed. He didn't even have to ask as Sasha had already snuck off to the kitchen and had come back with a small ice pack.
"That's my girl," Robert praised her with a smile.
"Oh, hush grandpa, it's common sense to put ice on swelling."
Robert turned to face the window. The trip to and from Goldenrod takes at least an hour and it had already been over half an hour since Delilah had left. Taking that into account, he wagered it would be another half hour or so before his daughter would return. As Robert turned back to face Sasha and the eevee, he froze. One eye was covered with the pack but the other was wide open and flashing with fear and confusion.
Eevee had woken up.