Notes: These darlings were created originally in a role-play. I wanted to include Isla's eventual husband, but he has the possibly confusing name of Kiryu. I didn't want to change it, so I tried to craft a reason for it. It needed to be a different reason than in the RP, where he was named because of Radley missing Kalin. I leave another reminder that I use the dub localization.

Chapter Eight

The big old house where Evie had been born and raised was fascinating to little Lily. It looked huge from the outside, and the inside confirmed it definitely was, with many rooms to explore and old furniture to climb on and sit on. They took the tour so Lily could experience it and then Evie happily led them downstairs and into the secret room, soon taking them into the fireplace and the cave beyond.

The sky-lit room was just as amazing as she had described. Lily just stood and stared for a long moment, in awe of the lush green and so many happy Shiny Eevees roaming about. It looked like a paradise.

Emilio stood in awe. "They're all cream!"

"Yeah, that's what Shiny Eevees look like," Radley chuckled.

"I love all Eevees!" Emilio declared.

Two Shinies soon rushed over to the group.

"Hello!" the male exclaimed.

"Hi, Comfry! Hi, Lily!" Evie beamed. "This is Lily too! Radley named her after you!"

"I can see why! You're so beautiful!" Shiny Lily said with a wink to Lily.

"I'm beautiful?" Lily repeated in awe. She wouldn't have thought Shinies would find regular Eevees so striking, and especially not her after her rough beginning. Radley had done his best to pretty her up, but she was still scarred. Radley had not tried to hide that.

"Of course you are," Shiny Lily smiled. "You're happy and loved."

Lily smiled too. "Yeah . . . I am."

The Shinies also greeted the humans and got petted and praised, much to their delight. The rest of the colony was soon coming over to say Hello too. Emilio was starry-eyed, and he wasn't the only one.

"So many Eevees!" Scotch grinned. "This is Heaven!"

"It's sure one of the closest things to it on Earth," Radley said.

"Are you hoping to have more Eevees again?" Kalin asked.

"Yeah!" Scotch said. "Isla is adorable, and when I see how much fun she has with all of yours, and with these guys, I want her to have a friend right in the house too!"

Isla warbled happily.

Radley smiled kindly. "I can make some more calls to other breeders if there are any more eggs available here yet."

Scotch's eyes shone. "Thank you, Radley!"

Biff looked a little worried. "Maybe try to find one who's not so rambunctious as Isla?" He could just imagine what would happen with one every bit as mischievous as her.

"I'll sure try," Radley said with a sympathetic smile. "You probably can't really tell that in an egg, though. I could also ask if there's any wild Eevees around town."

Overhearing, Jeanette smiled. "There are some now and then, attracted by the Eevees here. Actually, there's a sweet male Eevee who's been going up and down the main street and getting all the businesses to feed him."

"You guys probably all love him," Radley said. It was hard for him to think of taking an Eevee away from where he was already happy.

"Yeah, I think they'd all be heartbroken without him," Jeanette chuckled. "The point is, you could definitely look for a wild Eevee around here."

"Yes!" Scotch exclaimed.

"Eeveee!" Evie beamed.

For a time, all the Eevees happily played. There was so much to see and do! Lily and Emilio both wanted to explore everything and meet all of the colony. They were all eager to meet new friends and let them tour their home and introduce them to their games. By the time everyone needed to leave, they were reluctant to go.

"We have video chats," Shiny Lily smiled. "We can all have another soon!"

"That would be wonderful," Lily said in amazement.

"Yes, we like to stay in touch," Comfry said. "Evie is a childhood friend. We want to keep in contact forever."

"Yeah!" Evie said.

Hugs were exchanged and everyone headed out. It was time to look for a possible wild Eevee friend before going home.

Jeanette was certainly correct that they were around. They spotted the happy Eevee on Main Street and went over to chat with him and the cafe owner who was currently petting him.

"He sure is cute," Radley remarked.

"Yes, we all just adore him," the girl smiled. "We kind of feel like he belongs to all of us. He comes home with one of us each night."

"That's really cool," Radley said.

"You must have so much fun!" Evie told him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he beamed.

"Do you know if there are any Eevees around without a home?" Isla asked.

"There's a few who come out of the forest from time to time," he said. "Do you see that tree branch moving over there? That's probably one of them now."

"I love to climb!" Isla exclaimed, and ran over to look.

The others soon followed. Isla was swiftly scampering into the tree, calling a greeting to a waving Eevee tail. The greeting was returned and they both sat there on the branch, chatting with each other.

"Well, it looks like Isla's found a friend," Radley chuckled.

"Another climber," Biff groaned.

"All Eevees seem to love climbing," Kalin grunted. "I haven't seen one that doesn't."

"They're like kitties in that regard," Radley said in amusement.

"Isla loves it even more than most, though," Robert remarked. "She always did."

Scotch was watching attentively. "Oh my gosh, how cute!" he gushed when Isla sat up like a person and the other Eevee did as well. He quickly snapped a picture before they could change positions.

"They look like kindred spirits," Radley agreed.

Evie stood on two legs at the bottom of the tree, tail wagging. "Eevee-vee?"

The new Eevee looked down at her. "Eevee-vee-vee!"

Isla stood and jumped down the tree. "Veeeee!"

Her friend followed, hopping down to the ground to greet the other Eevees. "You're really inviting me to come with you?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Evie beamed. "We love friends!"

"And these are the best possible people to be with," Lily spoke up. "They love us so much! They'll love you too."

"You've been with them a while?" He tilted his head, looking at all the people.

"I have!" Evie said.

"I'm just new," Lily said shyly. "But they love me like I've always been here. I never thought anyone would be like that."

The new Eevee looked thoughtful. "That sounds nice."

"Will you come?!" Isla asked hopefully.

"You'll be mine and you'll live with me and Isla and Biff and Uncle Robert!" Scotch said.

The new Eevee finally gave an affirmative warble. "I'll come!"

Evie danced in circles. "Yay!"

Scotch looked ready to levitate. "Alright! Can we make it official right now?!" He grabbed a Pokeball out of his pocket.

"Sure, why not?" the new Eevee said. He agreeably let himself be absorbed into it, but popped out as soon as it registered him. "I have a home!"

"And a family!" Isla beamed.

"This is so great!" Scotch scooped them both up and hugged them. "Now we just need a name for you!"

Radley smiled. "You'll have plenty of time to think about that on the ride home," he said.

"If I think soon enough, we can stop at the pet store and get his collar and tag now!" Scotch said.

"This is so neat!" Emilio exclaimed. "We both got Eevees!"

"Yes!" Scotch said, pumping the air with a fist while holding both Eevees with one arm.

"Now, the ultimate test: will he run around the van like Isla does?" Robert said in amusement as they headed back to it.

As it turned out, he didn't. He was content to sit by Scotch and watch Isla running around from one window to the other.

"You've got your wish for a quieter Eevee," Radley chuckled to Biff.

"That's great with me," Biff said. "Maybe he'll help Isla calm down more."

By the time they reached the pet store, Scotch had indeed come up with a thought. "You know, Kalin, this little guy reminds me of you!" he declared.

Kalin quirked an eyebrow. "You can't name him 'Kalin,'" he objected. "That would be too confusing."

"Well . . . maybe something that makes me think of you?" Scotch suggested. "Like . . . Marc?"

Kalin gave him a blank look. "Marc?"

"I'm not even gonna ask," Radley chuckled. "Did you have any kind of nickname in the Enforcers?"

Kalin shrugged. "The other Duel Gangs started calling me Kiryu Kyousuke. It's Japanese."

"I'm not altogether up on my Japanese, but I think 'Kiryu' is 'Dragon'?" Radley mused.

"Yeah, I think so," Kalin said. "They called me that because they were afraid of me and the Enforcers."

The little Eevee yawned and snuggled close to Scotch.

"Oh, he's very fearsome," Radley said in amusement.

"Kiryu sounds cute, though!" Scotch said. "It totally fits as an Eevee name!"

". . . It's better than Marc," Kalin said. "Where did you come up with that?!"

"The first time One Piece had an English dub!" Scotch said. "The guy playing Zoro sounded like you!"

Kalin grunted. "I might actually watch that show to hear that."

Radley chuckled. "I have the tapes. I can show you later." He looked to Scotch as they all got out of the car. "So, which name is he getting?"

"I think Kiryu!" Scotch said.

"Eevee!" Kiryu chirped in approval.

Lily watched all of this in awe. It was so interesting seeing it from the perspective of one who had gotten her home and name not that long ago. Kiryu was so lucky, and he knew it. He cuddled Scotch and chatted with Isla, clearly thrilled by everything even though he didn't show it by running all over the place. He reminded Lily of herself when it came to wanting to snuggle close to his new human.

"What are you thinking about?" Evan curiously asked her.

"How lucky Kiryu is," Lily said. "If he has any trouble adjusting, I want to help him."

"He seems to be doing just fine, but that's really nice," Evan said. "You're still getting used to things too."

"Yeah." Lily looked up at Radley. "But I know everything is perfect."

"Hey, when we get home, maybe we could start practicing for the Eevee concert number!" Scotch said. "I still want to do that! Maybe even Lily will now!"

"Eevee . . ." Lily said uncertainly.

"Well, maybe," Radley said. "She might need more time for something like that."

"Eevee!" Kiryu declared.

"This little guy is raring to go, at least," Radley laughed.

"Yes!" Scotch exclaimed. "We could still do the idea where everyone is singing to Lily. Would that be okay, Lily? Then you wouldn't have to sing if you don't want to, but you could still be in the performance."

"Eee," said Lily. She wasn't sure, but at least that didn't sound as nerve-wracking as singing.

"We could just try rehearsing once, and if you don't like it, we'll stop," Scotch said.

Well, that was fair enough, so Lily gave a slow nod. "Vee."

"Thank you!" Scotch beamed.

In the store, Kiryu was allowed to choose the color of his collar. He picked a light blue, pawing at it in delight.

"Even the color reminds me of Kalin!" Scotch grinned triumphantly.

That was definitely unexpected, and Kalin stared blankly at the little Eevee. "Are you just trying to encourage him?" he asked Kiryu.

"Eevee-vee!" said Kiryu.

Radley laughed. "Even if he is, a little Eevee namesake is a big honor."

"I just can't picture any Eevee really acting like me, though," Kalin said. "They're the opposite of me."

"They're loving and loyal like you," Radley smiled.

"Alright, that's true," Kalin conceded. "Although it's still strange to think of myself as loving. I know I am, though."

"I would hope so," Radley said. "Especially since you're one of the most loving people I know."

Kalin had to smile at that.

"I'd like to get a collar and nametag for my Eevee so it'll be all ready," Emilio spoke up. "But should I wait so they can choose the color?"

"You do whatever you think would be best," Radley smiled. "It's a nice bonding experience, but maybe you wouldn't be able to get to a store right away. Having it right there is nice too. You could tell your Eevee about going for a different color later, if he wants?"

"Yeah, I'll do that," Emilio smiled back. He studied the options. "I think . . . I want lavender!"

"What about the name, though?" Kalin grunted. "How can you pick that ahead of time? You might pick a boy name and it'll be a girl."

Emilio pondered. "I'll leave the name blank and just put our address and phone number," he said. "Then we can get the name put on later!"

"That is a nice idea," Marisol smiled.

"I wonder what he'll name his Eevee," Evie said dreamily.

"I wonder if it'll be a boy or a girl," Evan said.

"It'll be so exciting to meet them!" Evie said.

Lily was silent, still wondering and hoping she would be liked. There was no reason why she wouldn't be, but it was still hard to shake that mindset.

"Are you alright?" Isla asked her.

"Oh . . . yeah, I'm fine," Lily said. "Just wondering about Emilio's Eevee too."

"It's exciting we're getting more friends!" Isla exclaimed.

"That's so nice that you'll have one right in your house now," Lily said.

"Yes, it is!" Isla beamed. "Oh, I've been so happy with my humans, but an Eevee to talk to and play with all the time is exciting too!"

"Kiryu seems so nice," Lily said.

"Can an Eevee truly be mean?" Isla mused. "Well, I'm sure there are some somewhere, and yet it's hard to comprehend. Radley and Scotch practically hail us as little angels, and even though we're not quite that good, I've honestly never met an Eevee who wasn't an endearing soul in some way."

"I haven't either," Lily admitted.

"Perhaps Eevees by our very nature are simply innocent and good at heart," Isla said, "without a malicious bone in our bodies."

It was a nice thought, anyway. Lily pondered on it deeply as they walked around the store.

As before with Lily, Kiryu was allowed to pick something else he liked as a gift and the others were as well. Kiryu studied everything in the cart in amazement. "Is this real?" he asked.

"I wondered the same thing," Lily said. "But it really is real! These people are so good and they love us so much. I thought I would never get to have that."

"And now we both get to," Kiryu said.

"Yeah," Lily said softly in moved awe. "We really do."

By now the clerks were starting to recognize the group. "You really love Eevees," one chuckled, seeing the procession.

"Of course," Radley smirked.

"Vee!" said Evie proudly.

"They're all so sweet," the clerk said. "How do I get one?"

"Finding a breeder is the best way," Radley said. "I can give you some names."

"And there's some wild ones up in Hydrangea Town," Scotch said. "Just don't catch the one on Main Street. He belongs to the whole town!"

"I think I'd rather go the breeder route," the clerk mused. "It's what I'm more used to."

Radley gave her his list of breeders, advising her that the one they had visited didn't have any others available right then. "I'm sure some of them will, though," he said.

"Thank you!" she beamed. "I'll call them tomorrow. What are Eevees like to raise?"

"They're like kitties," Radley said. "But they have the intellect of humans. They understand everything you tell them."

"Do they obey, though?" she asked.

"Most of the time," Radley chuckled, looking at Isla.

"They must be easy to handle then," the clerk mused.

"They're pretty easy," Radley agreed. "And very loving."

Lily nuzzled him happily. "Eee!"

With such wonderful humans, it was easy to be loving.