Andre waded through the crowded streets of Windy Hill City. He still had a slight limp from the Houndoom's bite the night before and his already matted fur was singed on his leg. As he wandered, he heard the occasional "What a cute little Vee!" or "Aw it looks hurt! Poor thing." and even worse "He looks like he could use a bath and some love!", yet no one stopped to actually help him. He was used to these reactions but they still bothered him. He had only been here for a month, yet it still felt familiar. Was this what it was like back home? He tried to think back and remember anything before waking up that day.

All he could remember though was waking up in an overgrown forest. A slight breeze had washed over him as he took a while to open his eyes. It was a sunny day, though the dense tree cover blocked most of the light. Voices moved in the distance, were they looking for him? Had he gotten lost? Andre moved to stand but his legs didn't feel right and he fell back to the ground with a thud. This seemed to get the attention of the voices as he heard the figures move closer, pushing vines aside and crunching leaves underfoot.

"Now what's this? A lost little Vee?" The deep baritone voice cut through the silence.

"Looks like it. Kinda a weird place for a nap if you ask me." Another voice, this one belonging to a female. She talked fast and sounded very energetic.

"What do we do with it? Doesn't look like it got any money for a reward." A third voice spoke up, another female, but this one was lower pitched and spoke smoother.

Andre looked up to see who had come to his rescue and came face to face with a Mawille staring into his eyes. He shuffled backward quickly until he bumped his head on a tree.

The second voice spoke up again, and Andre traced it back to a Buizle. "Well little guy, what're you doing out here all alone?"

Andre was stunned. These animals were talking. And he could understand them. What in the world was going on?! He couldn't figure out what to say, no words came to him and he started to panic.

"Hey kid, we're busy so if ya got something to say spit it out already." Andre slowly lifted his head as a Lucario stood over him, arms crossed and glaring back at him.

The Eevee shrunk further towards the trunk of the tree. Everything began to feel larger and his breath quickened. He shrunk down and covered his face with his hands. Hands? Why were his hands covered in hair? No this was too soft to be hair. Fur? He was hyperventilating now. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at his hands, only to find brown-furred paws in their place. Plush pink paw pads extended slightly where his palms once were.

Trembling and confused, Andre looked up to the Lucario with tears in his eyes. "What am I?!"

The Pokemon looked at Andre for a moment, saying nothing until the corner of his mouth lifted. He chuckled, then it turned into a laugh, finally reaching its crescendo of a cackle. "You hearin' this boss? Little Vee doesn't even know his own species!"

Mawile joined in the uproar, tears of laughter in her eyes. "Wow, if you don't even know what you are then you definitely can't afford our rescue!" She sneered at the frightened Eevee. "But seeing as you've already wasted our time with all your sniveling, I think you owe us a debt already."

Mawile spun around, baring its teeth causing Andre to jump up and begin to flee. Some instinct within carried him on his new and unfamiliar limbs. He could hear the ruffling of brush behind him. The chase had officially begun. He felt like a scared animal being tracked by hunters through unknown woods. Andre ran as if his life depended on it, for all he knew it might. He didn't know where or what he was, only that he had to escape.

Spotting a break in the treeline, Andre dashed toward what he thought was an open field where he could gain his bearings. Instead, all he found was a sheer drop and a muddy slope. He looked behind him, hoping that he had lost his pursuers. Andre's heart sank when he saw the red eyes of Lucario pierce through the bushes and overgrowth. The Mawile and Buizle were not far behind. They had him cornered.

He looked between them, frantically trying to think of a way out, but nothing came to him. Andre's vision began to blur and his ears started ringing. The Mawile and Lucario inched towards him, preparing to capture him. Buizle, however, looked troubled. It seemed to mouth something to Andre, he couldn't tell what, before puffing up its cheeks and blasting him backward with a jet of water. He felt like he was flying until gravity pulled him back to reality. Andre tumbled down the muddy slope, hitting more than a few roots, branches, and stones on the way down. It took a while for him to reach the bottom of the cliff where he lay, bruised and probably with some broken bones. Mud and blood covered his fur, which had become matted and thick. Through hazy eyes, he looked back up to see the hunters looking over the edge before turning to leave. Andre closed his tired eyes and blacked out.

He didn't know how long he slept. Finally stirring from his rest, he struggled to stand but was able to limp through the forest. Dark clouds formed overhead and he needed shelter, fast. Behind a patch of brambles Andre spied a small cave entrance, and after many scratches and pokes from the thorns, arrived at the entrance. Squeezing inside, he was relieved that only the entrance was so small, as the inside of the den was much larger. Letting his eyes adjust to the dark, he looked around to find a spot to lie down and tend to his wounds.

"Well well, aren't you a cute little thing?" Andre's ears perked up as the voice filled the den. Quickly he looked around himself but wasn't able to find who spoke to him. "I hate to tell you the bad news, but this cave is already taken. So scram before I decide you can't leave at all!" A prickle ran up Andre's spine and he spun around, finally laying eyes on the serpent.

Everything inside told him to run, get out, flee! But one singular word formed in Andre's head. He had had enough. He was tired, bloody, and confused. All he wanted was a rest and some answers, neither of which anyone seemed keen to provide. His blood ran hot as if it were boiling within him about to explode out of every pore. His stance widened, claws crept from his paws, his tail puffed up and his ears flattened.

"NO!" He yelled at the snake as he readied for a fight.

"No?" The serpent looked taken aback, its head cocked to the side. "What do you mean no?"

"I MEAN NO! I'm not leaving! You want me out?! You're gonna have to kick me out yourself!" Andre's voice boomed through the small cave. Tears were flowing down his cheeks but he didn't care.

"I- wait what happens now? Pokemon usually leave when I scare them like that." She pondered her options pacing back and forth, all the while the Eevee stood his ground though his legs shook violently. "I've had Eevees come through here before, but they all ran the second they saw me. But you're not like the other Eevees, are you?"

"I… I don't know… What you- you're talking…" His knees buckled, his eyelids fell, and Andre felt himself hit the ground before passing out again.

The next time he pulled his eyes open, all he could see was darkness. "I'm dead, aren't I? I finally stood up for myself and I collapsed right in front of a giant snake. Figures." The thought ran through his mind before he felt a bed of leaves under him and smaller leaves covered in a strange paste stuck across his body. His bones still ached and he could still feel the myriad of bruises, but the pain told him that he was probably still alive. His eyes finally began to adjust to his surroundings again and he could make out a sheet of vines covering the entrance and the snake coiled up against the wall.

"Oh good, you're ok. I think we got off on the wrong foot. Well, I don't have feet but you know what I mean." She stayed far away from Andre and made no indication of attacking. "My name is Sasha and this is my home. I'm sorry I tried to scare you out. It's the only way I can protect myself from other Pokemon out here and I didn't know you were injured."

Andre cautiously moved to the middle of the small room and sat awkwardly on all fours. "I'm sorry for coming in unannounced. I had to hide from some other, what did you call them? Pokemon? I was running away from some after I fell off a cliff and this was the only place I could find."

"Sounds like you had a rough day. You can stay here while you recover and then we can figure out what to do from there. Will you let me help you?" Sasha held out her tail as if trying to shake a hand she didn't have. Andre placed a muddy, matted paw on top and nodded.