Sol stomped her feet and rubbed her hands together, doing what little she could to keep warm. It was the middle of winter, but for some reason everyone thought it would be the perfect time to stand around in the middle of a forest. Ren nudged her and gave a pointed look. Sol rolled her eyes but went back to trying to keep still. The ceremony hadn't even started yet. What did it matter if she tried to keep her fingers from falling off in the meantime?

Sol inwardly sighed and wished she had just declined the invitation. Jak had been smart and she was probably back at the bluff, laughing as she filled the cavern with swirls of warm flame while thinking of them, shivering in the cold of Luminous Forest. But Sol had been curious. She had never seen a

Pokémon evolve before, and from the amount of people standing around the clearing in complete, respectful silence, it was a big deal.

All heads turned to watch as Teddiursa entered the clearing, escorted, as was customary, by his closest relative, Ursaring. He walked between the crowd on either side, sucking nervously at his paw while he glanced around at the assembled Pokémon. Ursaring, on the other hand, kept his eyes straight ahead, his face set like a mask.

Sol was hit by just who quiet it was. With the large number of Pokémon there she should have expected some noise, be it the odd whispering or shuffling of feet. The mood was sombre and subdued, almost like a funeral. Sol had been led to believe this would be a celebration and nothing so... formal.

The two passed the end of the crowd and reached the edge of Luminous Spring. The water was a deep blue and completely calm. It seemed untouched by the weather without a hint of ice forming on its surface. Teddiursa hesitated, took a deep breath, then waded into the water.

The crowd collectively held its breath, all attention on Teddiursa. Sol stifled a yawn. She was cold and tired and hoped this wouldn't take long. What exactly was supposed to happen? She knew what evolution was and how Pokémon would change from one form to another, but she was unsure of how exactly it would happen. Would it be an instantaneous change? Because that sounded extremely painful. Or would the spring's water simply spark a much more gradual metamorphosis, happening slowly over a long period of time?

And then, Teddiursa began to glow. At first Sol thought she was only imagining the soft light that outlined his small form, but it grew to a fierce intensity. A sphere of white light consumed the Pokémon, glowing so bright Sol was forced to look away. So this was how Pokémon evolved?

The light grew brighter and brighter, and a rush of heat streamed through the clearing to melt a layer of snow. The light suddenly erupted and a shockwave of energy whipped through the crowd. When Sol's eyes adjusted to the dimmer light, she saw a muscular, intimidating Ursaring in the spot where the small, cute Teddiursa once stood. He turned to face the crowd.

"I have evolved! No longer am I Teddiursa, and I have become... Ursaring!"

The crowd, once so subdued, burst into applause and wild cheering. The newly evolved Ursaring roared joyfully and stepped out of the spring. Pokémon pressed in around him, offering elated congratulations.

"They acted like he was about to die one moment, then they're laughing and patting him on the back the next," Sol said.

"Huh?" Eevee said, snapping back from where ever his mind had wandered during the ceremony.

"Someone could have mistaken this for a funeral at first, now it's a party."

Eevee shrugged. "Pokémon change after they evolve. Their natures change, sometimes by a lot. So I suppose it is a little bit like a funeral. We're saying goodbye to one version of a Pokémon and welcoming another."

"What do you mean by their natures change?"

"A Pokémon's core is made of hardened diamond, constant and unchanging. But its surroundings are softer, made of malleable clay that shift through circumstance and action. Evolution molds the clay like no other, changing how the diamond core sees and reacts."

"What?" Sol asked, not understanding Ren's attempt at explaining.

"It's not just the way a Pokémon looks that changes. Their personalities change, sometimes by a lot, though they're still the same person. Like Magikarp. When they evolve, they usually get a much shorter temper even if they were calm before. Or Lombre, who tend to get somewhat passive and carefree when they evolve."

"That's kind of... unsettling. I wouldn't want to evolve and suddenly become a completely different person."

"Oh, it doesn't work like that!" Espeon said, leaving the crowd around Ursaring and joining them. Everyone in the town must have been invited, Sol thought. "You're still you! You're priorities just change a little bit."

"I still don't like the sound of my mind getting messed with. What happens to Riolu when they evolve?"

"They might not be the best example to prove my point," Espeon said. "Riolu change more than most Pokémon when they evolve."

"Figures. Not that it matters, anyway. I don't want to evolve. I've been through one too many transformations as it is." Sol said, then yawned. " Now, would I be offending anyone if I left now? I've had enough of the cold and there's a warm bed with my name on it back at the bluff."

A hint of concern entered Espeon's expression. "You do look quite tired, Sol. Is everything all right?"

"I'm fine," Sol said quickly. "Let's just get out of here."

But Espeon wouldn't let the topic drop, even as they left the clearing.

"Maybe you should think of moving out of that dreadful cave," she said. "I can't see anyone being able to have a good night's rest sleeping on cold rock."

"Nothing's wrong with the bluff. We do have fire and beds there, you know."

"Are you worried about money problems now that you're no longer working at the guild? If you need it I can loan you some money."

"We're fine. We don't need your money."

"Are you sure? Because there's no shame in asking for help, and I'm more than willing. After everything you did-"

"Eevee, please explain to your cousin we don't need a loan."

"We're doing fine, Espeon. We've been doing some jobs since Sol got back and have plenty of money."

"Well that's good. I'm happy you all are getting out there again. I was really worried about you, you know."

A thought suddenly crossed Sol's mind.

"Hey, Eevee have you ever thought about evolving? I'm sure your strong enough to."

Espeon giggled and ruffled the fur on top of Eevee's head. "What about it, little cousin? Are you ready to take the leap? It's only your entire future you'll be deciding on."

Eevee shot her a dirty look. "I just don't know."

"Decisions, decisions," Espeon sang. "So many choices for ones like us. You could be an Espeon like me. Or a Flareon like your br-"

She froze midsentence, a look of horror spreading across her face. Eevee stiffened and his expression turned hard.

"I don't want to be anything like him," Eevee growled.

"I didn't mean to-"

"It doesn't matter," Eevee said coldly, then looked at Sol and Ren. "I'll meet you back at the bluff." He quickened his stride to leave the group behind.

"What was that about?" Sol asked and moved to chase him but was stopped by Espeon.

"Don't," she said. "It's my fault, I shouldn't have mentioned Adren like that. But he'll be ok... I think."

"Adren? I've heard you mention that name before, but Eevee didn't react like that then."

Espeon sighed. "Mentioning Eevee's family and evolution in the same sentence is a bad idea, and I should have known better."

"What do you mean?"

"Our kind can be very... traditional. It's pretty often that you'll find whole families that take the same evolutions over generations." The corners of Espeon's lips twitched up in a faint smile. "My side of the family was mostly Vaporean. I thought I was being so rebellious when I became an Espeon... I even took that as a name as a way to rub it in, typical over dramatic kid that I was! And it turned out it didn't matter to anyone what I chose!"

She laughed softly, then turned serious. "But Eevee's family was a lot more strict, or at least his father's side was. Each generation was Flareons and Umbreons."

"So it's all because of that?"

"No. Yes. It's complicated." Espeon took a moment to think. "Eevee always wanted to be an Umbreon, like his father. He was proud to carry on the tradition. Then that whole mess started..."

"What happened?"

"You remember that time we went shopping after you hurt your shoulder and before you left on that expedition? What happened with Eevee's family, that's his private business and it's not for me to tell. I know I can be a gossip, but there are things you just can't tell people without permission."

"But isn't this kind of important?," Sol said. The curiosity was nearly killing her. "It's obviously effecting his behaviour."

"Don't. Don't put me in that position."

"The right of privacy is a beautiful thing that bestows a feeing of comfort and security to those in dire need of it," Ren stated.

Sol shook her head in annoyance. Sure, she could understand, but didn't she deserve to know? Eevee went and blabbed to Dusknoir about her once being human after she expressly told him not to tell anyone, so why couldn't someone tell her something about Eevee? At least she wasn't an agent from the future plotting his downfall.

Sol yawned. She was too tired for this. She had been back for a little over two weeks, and it felt like she hadn't had a good night's sleep during that time.

"Listen," Espeon said. "I won't be staying in Treasure Town much longer. I know you all are taking a break from the guild, so I'm wondering if your team would like to come with me on a short trip before I head back east. I heard about a village not far from here, Shaymin Village, at the base of Sky Peak mountain. I just have to check it out before I leave."

Sol thought over the offer. Getting away from Treasure Town for a while could be just what she needed. "What's there to do?"

"Hiking, mountain climbing, that sort of thing. The view is supposed to be amazing! There's different paths, each with different difficulties. I thought it's be fun to try at least the easier ones."

"A change of scenery would be nice. I'll have to talk to Jak and Eevee first, of course. What do you think, Ren?"

"Serenity is a difficult slope to climb, but when one reaches the summit and looks down on the worries so far below, it is worth every exhausting step."

"I think that's a yes. I'll see how the others feel about it."

"Great! Now let's hurry back to town. It is rather cold out here."

The three left Luminous Forest and followed the path of packed snow to Treasure Town. Espeon prattled on about nothing and everything the whole way back, a constant background noise that Sol tuned out. She hoped Eevee was ok. What could have happened to make him react like that? Since when did he get so angry so fast?

Since forever, Sol realized. Eevee had really beat down on Drowzee, their first outlaw, and Sol remembered how extreme his rage had been. He had gotten much better since then, true. He no longer became frozen with fear or shaking with rage when faced with outlaws. That didn't mean the problem was completely gone, however.

They parted ways in town, Espeon heading back to the inn where she was staying while Sol and Ren walked over to Sharpedo Bluff. Jak was still there tending a large fire in the main cavern, smoke trailing out through the bluff's open mouth.

"Finally! Some heat!" Sol said happily and warmed her hands near the flames. "Eevee hasn't been back here, has he?"

Jak shook her head. "No. But the Pelipper left this for you."

She held up a letter which Sol took. Sol cracked open the wax seal but couldn't understand the lines of footprint runes within.

"The courier said it was from the Wigglytuff's guild."

"Oh. Well in that case..." Sol threw the paper into the fire. "No point in wasting fuel."

Jak grinned. The Charmander had no qualms about ignoring the guild. She was quite happy about it, in fact, and liked the idea of a completely independent pack. Ren, though, gave Sol a disapproving look.

"What?" Sol said. "If they really want to apologize they can do it in person instead of sending a slip of paper to do the talking for them."

"And the time the esteemed Chatot knocked upon our door and you bid us to keep quiet and pretend we were not present?"

Sol shrugged. "If he wants us back so badly he shouldn't have kicked Eevee out in the first place."

"An action done out of spite is an action later regretted."

"Whatever," Sol said. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. "I'm going for a nap. Wake me up when Eevee gets back."

Jak nodded then turned back to the fire. Ren stared at Sol for a moment, seeming as if he wanted to say something, but then he simply sat down next to Jak and let Sol walk down the hall to her room.