We were heading north-east, with Saur leading us. The Bulbasaur explained that all plants are connected. He can sense every plant life by just standing on the ground. He could feel their roots, and he could feel the seed that Celebi has planted, which, sad to say, was very far away.

It made me remember about that night when we reached Pallet Town. Saur did the same thing as well. He planted a seed where I was before he ran off to call our other friends.

Anyway, it was close to nighttime now, and there really was nothing exciting that happened during our travels. I tried staying behind, but Vixie was walking way too slow that even my slow pace outsped her.

She was really troubled, I could tell, and so was Shock.

We camped by a small stream, the territory belonging to friendly Woopers. As long as we don't harm them, they won't give us any trouble, they said. There were a few berries around, since there were quite a lot of Pokémon living in the area. So, we just grabbed what we could and ate around a small bonfire, courtesy of me coughing a small ball of fire since Fay dared me that I couldn't do it as an Eevee.

If it weren't for Fay's and Saur's conversation, our entire dinner would have been dead quiet. While Saur and I enjoyed listening to Fay's crazy blabber, I can't help but feel a bit guilty for making both Vixie and Shock feel uncomfortable around each other.

I stayed awake, even after we called it a night two hours ago. Everyone were sound asleep, but I know one or two of them would still be wide awake. Well, I know one of them was still awake, at least, since the other one was peacefully sleeping beside me.

I sighed and slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position, careful not to disturb Vixie's slumber. On my other side was Saur, and beside him was Fay, and beside her was...

"Can't sleep?" said the voice I knew who wasn't asleep yet.

I slowly shook my head. "Eh... You could say that..." I turned and stared at Shock.

He was lying on his back, both arms behind his head. He was quietly staring at the sea of leaves above us, where the gentle rays of silver moonlight passed through the small gaps.

"What about you?" I asked as I scratched my ear with a front paw. My friends find it weird though, with me using a front paw to scratch an itch. Huh, I wonder if there are lice Pokémon that lives in furs.

"Couldn't sleep... I have a lot on my mind lately..."

"A lot?" I asked with a grin. "Or just one?"

I chuckled quietly as he glared at me. "This is your fault, you know."

"Yeah..." I said, suddenly feeling not-so-happy anymore. I shifted from where I sat and slowly lied on my back, and stared at the leaves. "You're right on that one. And I'm sorry...but..." I took a breath, "...it's also your fault that you kept quiet about how you really feel towards her, you know..."

We were quiet for a while. I know he was still wide awake. I could tell. We've been together for a long time now, and Shock snores when he sleeps, even though he doesn't believe it.

"Shock..." I said quietly, "will you do me a favor?"

"Depends on what that is..."

"It's nothing really big. Well, it may be, depending on how you look at it, but I—"

"Spit it out already. Sheesh..."

I sighed. "When I do get back home, to my real world...will you take care of Vixie for me?"

"...what?"

I sighed again and stared at the peaceful dance of the leaves with the gentle wind. "...as...as much as I hate to admit it, Shock, but I've really grown to like Vixie. I know she'll get hurt when I leave, so...can I trust her to you when I'm gone?"

No answer... We were quiet... I sighed through my nostrils as I listened to the quiet and unrecognizable conversation of the nocturnal Pokémon in the area.

Vixie's ear twitched, and she mumbled something in her sleep as she slightly shifted, her paw now pinning my ear. "...I think she still has feelings for you, Shock. Little as it may be, but it's still there. If there was none, then she would have dismissed what you have said and will tell you directly that she's really all over me, but...she didn't...so uh...yeah..."

I heard a quiet sigh. I turned my head and saw him rubbing his head with a hand. After a few moments, he put his hand back behind his head and stared up. He was still quiet.

I sighed. I was about to say something when he suddenly spoke up.

"I'll do it."

"Buh?"

"That favor you asked. I'll do it," he said in a quiet voice, but it brought a great amount of determination, and a pinch of doubt. "But...only as friends." He sighed. "Jay... If you do leave us, she'll be a total wreck. I can only promise you that I'll be there for her, and to help her move on, but I can't promise you to keep an eye out for her forever..."

"...if you two won't be mates, you mean." He didn't respond. Ouch... I guess my teasing was of bad timing? Heh, that rhymed, but anyway... "...sorry..."

"...you know... Sometimes you confuse me if you are being serious or not..."

"You should know by now that I don't like being serious all the time," I smiled. "It makes me look older than I should be..."

"Heh... So you mean to say that I'm older than my age, huh?"

"Eh... But anyway... Thanks, Shock."

"Huh? For what?"

I shrugged, even though he wouldn't see me doing it. "For taking my favor."

"I don't need to do you a favor when it comes to my friends," he quickly replied. "...and I still don't believe that you're a human that just borrowed an Eevee body or whatcrap. But..."

Silence... We were quiet for a short while. "...but?"

He sighed. "If you do leave us one day, then...I..." He sighed again. "...just know that I'll miss you... Not that much..."

I closed my eyes and stopped myself from chuckling. "Heh. Thanks. It's nice to know that you care."

"You're my friend, despite how much of an idiot you are."

"Yeah, I hate you, too."

He chuckled quietly.

"So...before I showed up... It was you and Vixie, huh?"

"A Raichu and a Ninetales. Yeah..."

I blinked at that. "Oh? You were a Raichu back then?"

"Yeah... When I first got to Ilex Forest, I was still a Pikachu, and she was already a Ninetales. I didn't like her personality, and neither did she liked mine. We kept on arguing and fighting back then, that even Bi couldn't stop us. But, of course, when we're fighting, she always beats me... Advantages of being an evolved Pokémon and all."

I chuckled. "The more you hate, the more you love, it seems."

Shock sighed, but it felt like he was smiling. "Yeah... We were like that for a month or two, I think. I couldn't remember. Last time we argued, Bi wasn't there, and Vixie made me so mad that I evolved, and I won that fight that we had. But... But I hurt her, badly. I didn't mean it. I was in a panic that I started yelling for help. That's when an Ivysaur stepped out to help me; Saur. But he made me promise not to cause any more trouble. I didn't care, so I accepted, and he helped. Damn, he was a great healer back then."

"And I guess that's how the gang started?"

"Yeah... Good old times."

"What about Fay?"

"Eh... She and Saur already knew each other back then."

Huh... Go figure...

"Anyway, after Vixie was healed, I apologized to her, which, now that I think about it, was really funny, with the odd and confused look that she was giving me back then," he chuckled.

And I listened and listened as Shock retold their little misadventures. Yeah, from what Shock was telling me, he really cherished his friends. He's very loyal, and he really cares for everyone that he loves. ...especially Vixie.

"Oh, but Arceus, she's so annoying when she's in love!" Shock groaned, and I chuckled wholeheartedly.