I know this chapter took a while, but I've been busy. And since finals start in a week, the next chapter's going to take a while too. Sorry about that.

Eevee was feeling more than a little embarrassed. How was he supposed to explain why he stormed off like that? Unless Espeon explained it to them already. He cringed. He really hoped she hadn't said anything. There were reasons he had moved to Treasure Town from Pokémon square, and getting away from the stares was one of them. Eevee didn't want to see those same expressions mirrored on his teammates' faces. He had more than enough of those pitying looks interspaced with suspicious glares.

But even if Espeon stayed quiet, Sol wouldn't let the matter rest. Not after Eevee made that scene. Sure, she'd pretend to, for a while, then the matter would be brought back up again eventually. And again. And again. She could be pretty persistent.

Eevee resolved to find a better hiding place for his journal when he got back home. He could easily envision her wandering around, 'exploring the bluff', of course ending up in Eevee's room and rooting through his stuff. Sol was almost as bad as Jak when it came to personal belongings.

But to do that, Eevee would actually have to go back to the bluff. He had been avoiding that for a while now. He didn't want to answer any questions, but he couldn't avoid his team forever. Maybe he'd be lucky and they'd forget all about it.

It was nearing dusk when Eevee finally walked down the path to Sharpedo Bluff. As he walked down the stone steps to the hollow chamber, he wished they still lived back at the guild. They may have had less room and had to pay dues, but there was an atmosphere of shared excitement and camaraderie there that the bluff simply didn't have. He missed the other apprentices. He missed talking with Bidoof and he missed watching Sol's and Loudred's little competitions. It just wasn't the same here.

If only Sol would let the past go. They said they were sorry. That was enough for Eevee but Sol felt the need to draw it out for as long as possible. Jak wasn't helping things either, calling the guild 'a nest of Sevipers waiting for the pack to show weakness', then going on about how they should 'eliminate the threat'. Ren was on Eevee's side, at least.

Jak and Ren were sitting around a small fire when Eevee entered the cavern. Jak glanced at him then moved to get up, but Ren put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down.

"Even the sun feels fatigue, and we would be foolish to expect it could remain forever in the sky without needing to rest beyond the horizon."

Jak glared at Ren but stayed where she was.

"What's going on?" Eevee asked.

"Sol asked this one to wake her when you arrived."

"She went to bed? Already?"

"Darkness dwells beneath her eyes, ready to engulf them. Allow her sleep to be rid of the shadows."

"I guess she has been looking pretty tired lately," Eevee said. The more he thought about the more he agreed. Was something the matter with her? Should he be worried? "What did she want to see me about? Is it about what happened after the evolution ceremony?"

Ren shook his head. "The elegant Espeon asked us to accompany her on a journey or beautiful views and pleasant activities."

It took Eevee a second to understand what he was talking about.

"A vacation?"

"To touch the clouds at Sky Peak Mountain."

"I've heard of that place. It's near Shaymin village, right?"

Thoughts flew through Eevee's mind. This could be just what they needed to get back to becoming a real exploration team again! Sure, Shaymin village was hardly a distant land full of mysteries, it was a tourist spot after all, but it was still an adventure. Going could spark that exploring spirit in the team again and make Sol see why they should rejoin the guild!

"That sounds great!" Eevee said, smiling widening as he became more and more excited. "When are we going?"

"The details have yet to be planned."

"Ok," Eevee said and sat down next to the fire with his teammates.

This is going to be great! Eevee thought. An adventure into the unknown! Or at least unknown to us. There'll probably be guides who know the area pretty well. Other than that, it's unknown!

"What is it?" Eevee asked when he noticed the look Jak was giving him.

"What is it that happened at the Waters of the Weak?"

"Waters of the Weak?"

Jak pulled back her lip in distaste. "The Waters of the Weak. The free Pokémon of the wilds have no need for such a thing. We fight, we get strong, then we evolve the way Pokémon are meant to evolve. Through effort and experience, not through some magic water. It is another way the 'civilized' Pokémon are weaker than those of the wilds. We work to get what we want and never expect it to be handed to us."

"So you just... evolve?"

"Slowly, over time. It is the badge of the weak to need a tool to do what happens naturally. But here, in the town, you do not fight for survival. You sit and do nothing, so you need help to evolve." Jak glowered darkly. "This one will never resort to such a thing. But you did not answer this one's question."

"Nothing happened, really. I just over reacted to something Espeon said. It was silly of me." Eevee looked away for a moment. Couldn't she just leave it be? "It's not anything to get worked up over."

Jak's eyes glittered in the fire light while she stared intently at Eevee. Then she snorted out a puff of smoke and stood up.

"This one does not care as long as it does not endanger the pack," she said and left down the hallway, leaving Eevee and Ren alone.

"Do not expect Sol to allow the past to rest as easily," the Cubone said.

"Hopefully this trip will take her mind off of it."

"Do not count on that which has never happened in the past."

"She's let things drop before, I think."

"Only to pick it back up later, like rain weathering a boulder."

"Yeah," Eevee sighed. "Anyways, I just remembered that there was something I was going to move to a safer place."

Ren raised an eyebrow but said nothing as Eevee left for his room.

...

Morning was one of Eevee's favourite times of the day. Everything was fresh and he had the whole day to look forward to. He was always the first one up and would get some berries and fruits together for the others for breakfast when they finally awoke. Ren was first, then Jak not that long after. Sol was always last and would quite happily waste half the day away in bed.

The Riolu was still asleep in her room when Eevee, Jak and Ren were in the bluff's mouth talking about the impending trip to Shaymin village.

"We still need to find out when we're going," Eevee said.

"Espeon was left in a state of uncertainty. We will need to inform her that out decision has been made."

"We'll tell her later today. There's no point in going right now. From what I remember she sleeps almost as long as Sol."

"Jak has never been to such a place before. What should this one know?"

"It'll be a lot colder there, especially up on the mountain. Treasure Town has pretty winters in comparison."

"Jak does not enjoy the cold."

"We'll need to go into town and buy something warm to wear."

"Jak is a Pokémon! Not some dressed up pet!" she growled angrily. "This one has no need for such things!"

Eevee flinched back slightly, not expecting the outburst. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you. I suppose Pokémon go out in the cold all the time..."

Jak glowered darkly. "Jak does not need clothing," she spat out the word as if it left a bad taste in her mouth. "But those of the town now require such pampering, and this one will not be listening to Sol complain the whole trip. This winter has seen enough of her whining."

"She does like to let you know when she doesn't like something," Eevee said. Sol had been muttering, quite loudly, about the cold and the snow for a while now. Maybe heading up a mountain in the middle of winter wasn't the best idea after all...

"Sol complains because she is bored," Ren said. "Give her a task to focus on and she will cease to grab at attention in such a fashion."

Eevee frowned. That couldn't be right, could it? No, Sol complains because she liked it. "We're still going to need to buy something to keep us warm. But we're going to have to wait for Sol to get up for that."

Jak stared at him for a second, then picked up her cup of water and marched down the hallway.

"Where are you going?"

"To get Sol."

"What?! You can't wake her up, not after how tired she was last night!"

"Laziness gets one killed in the wild. It is time she awoke."

Jak stormed into Sol's room where the Riolu was curled up tightly in her bed, sleeping peacefully. Jak walked over to her, held up the cup and dumped its contents on her head, Eevee yelling at her to stop the whole time.

Sol woke up instantly, coughing and sputtering. She wiped at the wet on her face, squinted over at Eevee and Jak then quickly threw up an arm to cover her eyes.

"Damn it! Someone put out that light!"

"That's Jak's tail."

"I don't care! It feels like someone just stabbed me in the eyes!"

Sol rubbed at her face before looking up once more. She winced at the light before shutting her eyes and massaging her temples.

"Are you ok?" Eevee asked.

"Just peachy. What's so important that you decided to dump a bathtub on me?"

"It was half a cup," Jak said.

Sol gave her a sour look.

"We were going to go into town and get what we need for Sky Peak..."

Sol stared at Eevee. Then her eyes shifted over to Jak, then back again. Then she turned around and curled back up in her bed. Jak growled, grabbed Sol's leg and yanked her onto the floor.

"What the Hell is your problem?!"

Jak snorted but didn't say anything as she dragged her by her foot out into the hallway. Sol snarled and kicked at her to no avail. Eevee didn't know what to do. He was left in Sol's room, staring as they left.

He was about to leave when he saw something odd on Sol's table. A small, muddy red stone shaped like a loop with a hole in its center. Eevee's inborn curiosity kicked in and stepped in for a closer look. He didn't know why, but looking at the stone left him with a very weird feeling, and it wasn't something he liked. He went to pick it up, but stopped just short of touching it. Something was wrong. He took a step back. He didn't know where Sol got that, but he didn't like it. Just looking at the stone gave him a feeling of dread.

Eevee quickly left the room and the stone behind.

...

"How about this?" Eevee asked, tugging at the hem of a cloak hanging on the rack.

"No," Sol said after a quick glance.

"Why not? What's wrong with it?"

"It's white."

"So?"

"I hate white. It's the most judgemental colour. Look at it. It doesn't let anything go. It leaves everything out for everyone to see, silently judging you with its merciless glare, and no matter what you do it will never be happy."

"... Ok. No white then."

Sol flipped through the racks, then pushed her way further in. Eevee sighed. They had been shopping for hours now, and Eevee had had no idea how picky Sol could be. Eevee moved on to the headwear section. Eevee wasn't sure if he needed anything for himself. His fur was thick and his home town in the east had been a lot colder than it was it then west. The cold never bothered him before.

Ren was up at the front of the store, packaging up his purchases. He had been quick in picking out what he needed, immediately going for the warmest clothing regardless of what they looked like. He had said that a citizen of the desert couldn't afford to be choosy. Jak was skulking around outside, waiting for them to finish.

"Ha! Now this is what I'm talking about."

Sol stepped out from behind the racks. Eevee's ears twitched and he wasn't sure how to respond.

"Now I'm ready to conquer this mountain," she said, voice muffled.

"Are you sure? Because it looks more like you're preparing for an expedition to the arctic circle."

"What are you talking about?"

"That's more than Ren bought, and he's from a desert."

Sol gave him a sour look. Or at least Eevee thought she did. It was hard to tell when all he could see was her eyes. Her entire face and head was wrapped in a grey scarf down to her neck, at which point a large cloak took over. It was heavy and thick, held close by a belt that looped around her waist. It ended just below her knees and her legs and feet were wrapped up tightly with bands of fabric, a waterproof layer around her feet and reaching up to calves.

"It's going to be colder up there, but not that cold."

"I haven't been warm once this winter. I need this."

"It's very... grey."

"Hey, don't diss the outfit. I like grey. It's not nearly as stuck up as white."

"Ok..."

"Think whatever you want, but I'm getting this and I'm not taking it off until Spring, and maybe for a little while after that, too."

Sol pushed past Eevee on her way to the counter. Eevee rolled his eyes. This was Treasure Town, right on the western coast, and it never got all that cold. There was a reason none of the other Pokémon in town bothered with winter clothing most of the time.

"Ha! Take that, snow!" Sol yelled triumphantly after they finally left the store. "I'm all geared up and there's nothing you can do about it! Your reign of tyranny is over!"

"Really, Sol?" Eevee said.

"Yes, really." Sol kicked at the thin layer of snow on the ground.

"Are you ok?"

"Yep. Never been better. Had a really bad headache when I got up, but now I feel fantastic. Probably because I actually got some good sleep last night for once, even if it was far too short. I love sleep seeds."

"What?"

"Never mind. Anyway, we still need to pick up some stuff, right? Then let's go!"

Sol ran off and Eevee rolled his eyes with a smile on his face. At least the trip was distracting her from asking about Adren.