The air had turned noticeably and comfortably cooler as night approached. The campfire glowed and flickered in the night. After pouring Pokémon food equally into dishes, Gary called out his Pokémon one by one.

Arcanine, Nidoqueen, Nidoking, Dodrio, Blastoise, and Eevee.

"Okay, dinner time, everyone. I bet everyone here is hungry. Especially you, Eevee, with that battle today." Gary said.

Eevee proceeded to the Pokémon food just like the others. Eevee thought about what its trainer had said. Gary didn't seem too disappointed in Eevee for losing the battle. Eevee did its best in battle but that Houndour's attacks were too unpredictable for it. Still, Gary had praised it on a job well done. That meant that Gary was still proud of his Eevee. Content with this thought, Eevee started munching on its dinner with the others.

Gary ate a bowl of soup as his Pokémon ate their dinner. The stars and the moon started to appear in the sky. After dinner, Gary thought it was wise for him and his Pokémon to get a good night's rest. A fully rested mind was crucial for both trainer and Pokémon.

"Well, everyone, we have another long day ahead of us. So let's all try and get some sleep so we can be ready for even more training tomorrow."

With a few yawns, Gary's Pokémon returned for the night. Gary himself got ready for sleep. As he lay in his sleeping bag, his mind shifted to the events of that day. That Houndour that Eevee had battled against was strong and slick. Deep down though, he believed his Eevee could have been more agile and just as slick. He knew how quick his Eevee was. That trainer earlier today had even commented Eevee on its speed. Gary had seen Eevee do better in battle in the past like when he had battled Ash before heading out to Johto. Eevee was phenomenal. Then again, it really wasn't all that hard to beat Ash Ketchum.

Perhaps Eevee just wasn't feeling itself. Eevee probably just needed a good night's rest like the others. He would just continue to train with Eevee and the others tomorrow morning.

Gary shifted his mind to the new Johto region. What events would he run into in this new region? He thought about his experiences in Kanto and the kind of trainer he was before. That led to other thoughts. He turned over and sat up. He sighed. It was no use going to sleep right now with so much on his mind.

He walked over to a rock that looked out over a wide spacious field. He decided to sit down for a bit and just look. Look and reflect. Gary preferred the night. Out here by the forest, especially, it was quiet. Only the cries of the nocturnal Pokémon could be heard. A Hoothoot called out in a tree somewhere. A Zubat fluttered across the night sky. He loved the solitude of the night. Actually, he discovered since deciding to travel alone, he enjoyed his own company. Just him and his Pokémon. He would just sit here for a bit and enjoy the night.

Gary reflected on his time back in Kanto. He thought about how he desperately needed to change if he was going to do any better in the Johto League. Before, when he lost in the Indigo League, he had brushed his devastation off by saying that he had been distracted by all the cheering from his fans. The truth was that he had strolled into the Indigo League with a big ego not being fully prepared for the competition. He could finally admit, just like any sensible trainer, that he had a lot to learn. Gary promised to improve any way he could as a trainer.

As Gary stared out into the night, he caught sight of a bright flash of white light glowing from his knapsack. He quickly looked over in surprise. There stood his Eevee.

"Oh, Eevee? What are you doing up?" Gary asked a bit surprised to see that the little Pokémon decided to release itself from its Poke ball.

"Eevee!" It greeted its trainer.

Gary grinned. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

Eevee just wagged its tail and looked up at Gary.

"Well, since you're up, might as well enjoy the view." Gary leaned back to look up at the sky. "Just look at the stars, Eevee. And look! There's a full moon too!"

Gary thought for a moment before he spoke again. "Hey, Eevee? About that battle earlier today – you were great, but I have a feeling something was up. I've seen you do a lot better in battle than that."

Eevee just looked down at the rock they were sitting on. It was true. Eevee wasn't itself today. Just like, Gary had quite a bit on his mind, so did Eevee. The truth was that Eevee wished it had more of a bond with its trainer. Eevee cared about what Gary felt and wanted Gary to do the same.

Gary sat up and looked at Eevee. "You know, Eevee, I really don't take the time to actually talk to my Pokémon. It's actually nice to just sit and talk."

"Eevee!" Eevee completely agreed.

Eevee finally looked up and put a paw on its trainer's lap.

A bit surprised, Gary took a moment to give his full attention to Eevee. "Wait, does that mean you actually want to just talk? Trainer to Pokémon?"

"Eevee! Eevee!" Eevee put a paw on Gary's arm and looked up at him. Now, its trainer was getting somewhere.

This whole time, Gary had the assumption that Pokémon just didn't care if they were treated as friends. As long as they were well cared for, friendship didn't matter a thing to them. This one particular Pokémon felt otherwise.

Looking out into the night, Gary started to consider Eevee's feelings. Soon, he started to feel tired and he could see Eevee was starting to feel tired too.

Gary stood up. "Thanks for keeping me company, Eevee, but we really got to get some sleep." Gary picked up his knapsack, threw it over his shoulder and proceeded back over to camp. Eevee immediately followed.

After returning Eevee to its Poke ball, Gary went back to sleep. Right before he fell asleep, he thought about how his Eevee was interested in what he had to say. He also thought about how assertive Eevee's agreement was when he made a comment about how nice it was to just sit and talk.

Another day of training came and went. The night wasn't as clear as it was last night. A few wispy clouds moved across the sky. The stars and the moon could still be seen in the sky, but the view wasn't as great as it was before.

This didn't persuade Gary from deciding that tonight would be a good night for a walk. He and his Pokémon had another long day of training. Tomorrow, Gary and his Pokémon were going to take it easy. He decided that he had time this night to stay up a little bit longer to take a little walk.

With the darkness of the night, Gary knew how dangerous it could be traveling alone at this hour. Wild nocturnal Pokémon lurked amongst the tall grass and in the forest. Gary made sure he had his full Pokémon team with him before he ventured out into the night. All of the Pokémon were in their Poke balls – Eevee included. Gary had gotten no more than a few yards before he pulled out Eevee's Poke ball. He contemplated the thought of having one of his Pokémon walk with him. Gary never had any of his Pokémon alongside him just for company – even his favorite ones.

"Why not?" Gary shrugged as he pulled out Eevee's Poke ball and released the Pokémon.

The little Pokémon seemed a bit surprised that it was released from its Poke ball. The only time Gary ever really let any of his Pokémon out was for training, a Pokémon battle, or to eat. It was too late for training or a Pokémon trainer versus trainer battle and everyone had already eaten.

"Well, I couldn't stop thinking about our talk last night." Gary smiled at Eevee. "I got to thinking maybe you'd like to join me for a little walk."

Eevee gave an eager reply. The Pokémon happily circled around its trainer who gave it an amused look. Gary never realized a Pokémon would actually want to just walk around with its trainer and enjoy the company like best friends.

Gary walked down the path with Eevee by his side for a whole two minutes or so without saying anything. It was just him and his Eevee enjoying their nighttime walk.

Finally, Gary spoke. "I'm really enjoying this Johto region. We've seen all kinds of new and interesting Pokémon. How about you, Eevee?"

"Eee! Eevee!" Eevee excitingly observed its surroundings. The sights of the night were breathtaking.

"Just wait until we run into even more trainers to battle and gym leaders to defeat!" Gary stared out into the darkness imagining the possibilities of this new region. The Silver Conference was still a way off, but every bit of training now would be worth it.

Gary looked at his Eevee. Just then, he remembered something his grandfather, Professor Oak, had told him. All Pokémon have unique personalities. Therefore, it is important to treat each Pokémon as an individual.

Eevee definitely had a unique personality. Eevee was friendly, determined, and confident. More importantly, Eevee didn't see its trainer as just a trainer, but also as a friend. Eevee really looked up to Gary.

Maybe Eevee was just feeling hopeful, but Eevee felt that Gary was starting to change his perspective on training Pokémon. Eevee could tell that its trainer was considering what he had said before about his opinion on treating Pokémon as friends.

Gary wasn't used to sharing his feelings especially with his Pokémon. The quietness of the night felt inviting to talk though.

"You know, I think I really learned a lot since Kanto. I'm going to work really hard as a Pokémon trainer. Things are going to be different from what they were before. We're going to beat every trainer, gym leader, and later, every participant of the Silver Conference. This time, we're going to do it the right way. We're going to make winning worth it!"

Eevee nodded in complete agreement. Eevee was going to work hard to be the best Eevee that it could be. As far as evolution was concerned, Eevee had so many options. Would it be a fiery Flareon or maybe a mystifying Espeon? Right now, though, Eevee knew it was important to focus on the present.

It was time to turn around and head back. As Gary and Eevee headed back from their walk, a rustle was heard from the woods off the path. Eevee perked its ears up listening intently. Gary prepared to release one of his Pokémon. Both Pokémon and trainer could hear a low growl. There, just ten feet ahead, stood a wild Houndoom.

Gary swiftly reached for one of his Pokémon. It had to be one that would stand a good chance against a Houndoom.

"Blastoise!" With a flash of bright light, Gary's Blastoise appeared. The water type Pokémon stood ready to battle.

Just before Gary was about to call out an attack for Blastoise, he noticed that little Eevee now stood next to Blastoise geared up to battle this wild Houndoom as well.