Lending a Helping Hand

"You don't have to be crazy to be my friend. I'll train you." - Unknown

Pikachu

It took a while (and about a hundred thousand volts), but I did manage to convince everyone (read: a certain Wobbuffet) that I have no idea why my eyes glow pink sometimes. I'm still not completely convinced that they do that, but Team Rocket wouldn't have any reason to lie about something that bizarre. But, finding out isn't all that important to me at the moment. It's not like I've felt any different when it supposedly happened. When I find Ash, maybe I'll ask him if he's ever noticed it.

Two days after the incident, I wake up to find that Sprout and Eevee are gone. Wobbles and Absol are still asleep, so I decide to go look for the others. I follow their scents and find them battling in a clearing that's just far enough away that they wouldn't wake our friends if they were careful. Sprout and Eevee don't notice me right away, so I sit down and watch. A few other pokemon have gathered to watch as well.

Sprout uses Razor Leaf, and Eevee counters with Swift. The attacks collide and disintegrate each other, but a bit of Razor Leaf leaks through. Eevee dodges and comes at Sprout with Bite, but she is ready for this and uses Vine Whip to grab a tree branch and launch herself upward. Eevee screeches to a halt beneath her. She releases the branch and her body almost seems to blur as she uses Slam to propel herself downward, crushing Eevee to the ground. That attack looked powerful, but Eevee uses Bite while she's still on him. She cries out when Eevee's teeth latch on to her leg and he swings her off. She crashes into the same tree she'd used before but brushes off the attack.

As the battle progresses, the crowd becomes more excited, cheering on the two competitors and placing bets on who will win. There doesn't seem to be a clear favorite, which is fine because I want both of them to win.

Also, I just realized that Sprout is battling with her backpack on. I've been wondering what was in it, but now I'm wondering if it might be something that enhances her strength. Maybe a miracle seed or a poison barb, which strengthen grass-type moves and poison-type moves respectively. If Sprout wants to evolve, as I recall, it would make sense for her to carry around something that helps her strengthen her attacks.

By now, Absol and Wobbles have woken up and joined the rest of us, but there isn't much left to see. Eevee comes at Sprout with Quick Attack, but she meets him head-on with Poison Jab, sending him flying across the clearing. He doesn't get back up.

"I knew the Bellsprout would win," a Farfetch'd comments.

"No, you didn't," a Spearow says.

"I certainly did."

Two Oddish help Eevee to his feet, and Sprout races to him her signature, "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness!" Eevee shakes out his pelt as Sprout hurriedly asks, "Are you okay? You're not poisoned this time, are you?"

But, Eevee laughs and shouts, "I wanna do that again!"

The crowd disperses once it's clear that Eevee is fine.

"You two sure are strong," I comment as I and the rest of the team walk up to them. "That was a great battle."

Eevee's tail wags and he grins with all his teeth, exhaustion forgotten. "If you think so, then it must be true 'cause you're super strong!"

I giggle and swipe my hand over my ear, my face heating up at the praise. "I guess I've never actually seen you guys in action before."

"Oh, we train all the time," Sprout says. "I need to train super hard so that I- Oh!" She shakes her body and stares down at herself in excitement. Then, her face falls just as quickly. "I thought I was evolving, but I wasn't."

"It'll happen, Sprout," Absol assures.

Wobbles, on the other hand, is staring at Sprout with that blank look that she gets when she's thinking hard about something.

"Maybe it's 'cause I haven't been training as much," Sprout muses quietly.

"You haven't?" I ask. "Why not?"

She doesn't look at me when she answers. "Well, we gotta get you home as soon as possible, right? Eevee and I were the first ones up, so we figured now was a good time."

"And, now that we're all awake," Eevee says, "it's time to get moving again. Let's go! Let's go!"

"W-wait!" I call when he starts to take off in a random direction. "I-I'm not disrupting your lives, am I?"

Wobbles waves dismissively. "Please. We got all the time in the world. Besides, we haven't exactly been short on cool stuff with you."

Absol nods at that. "You're our priority right now, Pikachu. Don't worry about it."

But, I am worried! I am disrupting their lives! If they weren't busy helping me, would Sprout have evolved by now? What about Eevee? Would he have figured what to evolve into? I don't want to be a "priority" if it means my friends are neglecting themselves!

"You guys don't have to keep helping me," I say desperately. Everyone stares at me in shock. Am I really that needy? "I'm grateful for how far you've taken me, but-but I'll be okay on my own."

Absol fixes me with a stern glare. "I said not to worry about it. Besides, Team Rocket knows you're still around. They captured you once, and they could do it again."

"Well, uh…" My fur bristles. "They just got lucky!"

"And, how do you know they won't get lucky again?" Wobbles asks pointedly. I don't have an answer.

"I just...don't want to hold you back," I confess, feeling oddly embarrassed.

Sprout pats my back with a soft smile. "Don't be silly, Pikachu. You're not holding anyone back."

Eevee springs in front me and headbutts my throat. His tail wags merrily."Yeah, you're super nice and strong! And, your friends with Zapdos! With you around, maybe we'll meet, uh, uh… Wobbles, name a Legendary Pokemon."

"Uh, Suicune," Wobbles offers.

"We might meet Suicune!"

I actually have met Suicune, but I'm in no mood to tell that story right now. "Maybe I could help you guys train," I suggest.

A huge grin takes over Eevee's face. "That would be so cool!"

"But, what about Ash?" Sprout asks me.

I've been gone for so long, I think miserably. There's nothing I want more than to leap into my buddy's arms. But, at the same time, I've been burdening these guys with my problems for the past two weeks or so-

Two weeks. Oh, Arceus, has it been that long? It's so hard to keep track. Ash's birthday, as well as the day we met, is the first day of April. He'll be an adult then. If Zapdos is right, Ash might even start to understand pokemon. How close is that day? What if I'm not home yet when it happens?

What if it's already passed by?

"Uh, Pikachu?" Wobbles puts her hand on my head and wiggles me a little. I duck away. "You kind of zoned out there."

"Sorry," I say, putting my own needs aside for now. "Look, you guys have been so kind to me. I just want to help you out, you know?" Plus, I'm worried I'm becoming a burden on them, especially since Team Rocket is sure to come looking for me again, but there's no way I'm telling them that.

Absol smiles in a way that tells me he hears what I'm not saying. "If that's all it is."

Eevee bounces and starts circling me. "Let's train right now! I wanna train with Pikachu! And, we'll battle and he'll be so impressed like, 'Whoa! Eevee's so strong!' And-and- whoa…" Out of nowhere, he slows down and sways on his feet. It seems that his battle with Sprout is catching up to him.

Sprout grabs him, steadying him. "Maybe you should rest first, Eevee."

"In the meantime," I suggest, "maybe you and I could battle, Sprout."

I expect her to agree, but to my surprise, she scitters away, saying, "Oh, no no no no no," and so on until she's hiding behind Absol, who gives her a stern look.

"Sprout, you have to battle tough opponents if you want to be strong enough to evolve," he reminds her.

"Yeah," she drawls, still in hiding, "but I've seen how tough Pikachu is so, no no no no no…"

I've met plenty of pokemon over the years who were afraid to take on tougher opponents. With a little practice, a little encouragement, they all managed to go at it. Even if they lost, every single one of them was proud to say that they gave it their all. I'm certain that Sprout is no different. Granted, it was mostly Ash who gave them confidence, but I was always cheering them on too, right? I can do this without him.

"Just try," I say kindly. "You might surprise yourself."

"Yeah, go for it!" Wobbles encourages a little too eagerly. "I wanna watch!"

I think that's code for "I want to study Pikachu some more," but I let it slide.

"And, then," Eevee chirps, "I can battle when you're done!"

Absol steps away from Sprout. "Come on, Sprout," he encourages. "You want to evolve, don't you?"

Sprout looks at all of us then rubs at her leaf, still anxious. "Well, okay."

We stand apart from one another, staring each other down, waiting to see what the other does. Even from this distance, I can practically feel Sprout's nerves, but I am glad she's willing to give it a go. It's not a serious battle, I'd reminded her. It's just training.

Absol and Wobbles are watching quietly, but Eevee is jumping all around, crying, "Go, go, Sprout! Go, go, Pikachu! Go, go, go!"

I turn and grin at him only to find him enveloped in a faint white glow. Sprout and I also start glowing, and I can feel my muscles strengthening, my cheeks warming with power.

"Eevee," Absol says, "isn't Helping Hand kind of pointless if you use it on both sides?"

Eevee stops bouncing and plops down, wagging his tail. "I want both of them to win."

"Oh, Eevee," Wobbles says fondly.

I cover my giggle with my hands. Sprout is doing the same across from me. "Now that we both have a power boost," I say, causing Sprout to stand at attention like a soldier, "let's get down to business." I drop to all-fours. "I'm gonna use Iron Tail. Let's see you deflect it."

"Okay," she calls back. "I'm ready."

True to my word, I sprint her way, Iron Tail at the ready. Sprout's leaves glow purple, a bad call on her part. I swing around, and my attack collides with her Poison Jab and, quite predictably, plows right through it and sends her flying. She lays prone for a moment before getting back on her feet and looking a little confused.

"Poison-type attacks have no effect on steel-type pokemon," I explain. "The same goes for steel-type moves. That's why Poison Jab didn't work there."

Sprout blinks in surprise. "Huh. I didn't know that. About the attacks, I mean."

"Try again. Here I come!" I come at her with another Iron Tail. This time, vines shoot out from beneath her leaves and wrap me up. Before I know it, I'm lying scuffed and dazed on the grass. I spring back up. "Not bad," I praise. Time to switch it up. "Your next goal is to hit me."

"Hit you with what?" Sprout asks eagerly. It seems the thrill of battle - or, at least, her success with Vine Whip - have boosted her confidence.

But, I'm confident too. "Just hit me," I say with a smirk.

I run all around and leap up and through trees, making sure to stay in plain sight but still running at full speed. Maybe even faster with the boost from Helping Hand. Meanwhile, Sprout is gawking at me and trying her best to actually see me in the process. The onlookers, most of which also witnessed the training session with Eevee, are attempting to follow the yellow blur I've surely become.

"Man, this guy's fast!" someone cries out.

"Electric-types are always fast," someone else comments, "but this is impressive!"

That prompts a bout of cockiness, and I can't resist stopping for a moment to wiggle my rear tauntingly. "I told you to hit me, Sprout," I tease before taking off again. "In a real battle, you would have been knocked out by now!"

So, Sprout screams, "Oh my goodness!" over and over while firing off Razor Leaf in all directions. I don't have a scratch, but some of the other pokemon end up getting hit, a few of them taking off.

I slam to a halt and shout, "Sprout, stop!"

She stops but not before I'm knocked over by a stray leaf, which I absolutely deserved. All but the PokeSquad are gone by now, and Sprout is staring at me with wild eyes, like she's expecting me to take off again. I sigh, feeling horrible now. I'm so used to training with Ash and all his other pokemon. Sprout's strong, but she isn't used to competitive battling. I have to remember that.

Absol's withering look and reminder that "No one likes a show-off, Pikachu," only makes me feel worse.

Maybe I can't do this without Ash.

I walk up to Sprout with my tail between my legs, guilt making my feet heavy. I wanted to help and only became more of a burden in the process. "I'm sorry, Sprout. I guess I got carried away."

Sprout finally relaxes. "It's okay. You guys are right. I really should broaden my horizons." She nods to Eevee, who is grinning manically and crouched down with his tail flying back and forth. "Battling Eevee helps, but if I wanna evolve, I really should-"

"I wanna battle Pikachu!" Eevee shouts so fast that it sounds like one word. He hops then resumes his crouch. "Please? Please, Pikachu? Please, please, please let me battle you!"

Wobbles snorts behind her hand and says, "Eevee, didn't you just lose a battle with Sprout?"

"Not to mention," Absol says with barely restrained amusement, "that Pikachu is still feeling the effects of Helping Hand. I'd hardly call that a fair fight."

Eevee straightens and doesn't lose eye contact with me. "I don't care! Let's have at it, Pikachu!"

Eevee's passion for battle mirrors my own. Actually, it reminds me of when I was his age and would constantly challenge the biggest pokemon I could find to battles. I smile at the memory. Man, I drove Daddy nuts. He didn't mind as much when it was my massive alpha mother I would battle, but he would always try to intervene when little Pichu would challenge an Ursaring or a Heracross or whatever. Mama's parenting style, on the other hand, was "let the kid be stupid and realize he's stupid," with some exceptions, of course. Oh, I lost so many battles as a Pichu. But, my parents always reminded me that a loss helps you get stronger, too. I never forgot that lesson.

Still, I'm not going to battle someone who isn't at full health if I don't have to. Especially when I'm still charged up from the power boost that certain someone already gave me.

"Absol and Wobbles are right," I say. "It's not a good idea for us to battle right now." Eevee's whole body deflates. But, I'm sticking to my guns on this one. "Let's do it later, when the battle is more fair."

Eevee sighs. "Okay."

Sprout gently wraps her leaf around him and ushers him away. "Come on, Eevee. Let's go find some berries."

Absol and I start to follow, but Wobbles holds us back. She is frowning deeply at their retreating forms. Absol and I look at each other, wondering what's on her mind.

When our friends are out of earshot, she says, "I'm worried about Sprout."

"Worried?" Absol asks, echoing my surprise. "How come?"

"She seems fine to me," I add.

Wobbles crosses her arms. "I just feel like she should have evolved by now. She's already strong, so what's the problem?"

I don't know enough about Bellsprout to have a real say, but I can see where Wobbles is coming from. Sprout is obviously a strong pokemon. Come to think of it, she mentioned feeling like she was going to evolve more than once. Maybe there is something to Wobbles's worries.

Absol tilts his head. "Maybe she isn't strong enough?"

Wobbles hums unsurely. Then, she turns to me. "Pikachu, you're an evolved form. How did it feel when you evolved from Pichu?"

"Let's see." It was so long ago, but evolution is a sensation that's hard to forget. "There was a tingling sensation, like something was crawling all over me. Then my body got really hot, so hot I was cold, like I had a bad fever. Then, my body started morphing and growing, and I felt nothing but blinding pain." I shudder at that. "Then, suddenly, I was a Pikachu, and all the pain was gone."

Wobbles nods thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's how it was for me, too. Except the Pikachu part, of course."

Absol looks like he's glad he can't evolve. "Sounds horrible. Wait, you said it felt tingly?" His eyes narrow at the edge of the clearing, where Sprout and Eevee are munching on berries. "Sprout gets that way sometimes."

"Exactly," Wobbles confirms.

Now, I get it. "So, what do you think is holding her back?"

No one has an answer.

"It's later!" We've just come out of the forest, and Eevee is practically on top of me. "I feel better now! Can we please battle?"

It really isn't that much later, but Eevee did have a sitrus berry after my training session with Sprout. Sitrus berries have even stronger healing properties than oran berries, and Eevee is clearly feeling its effects. As for me, Helping Hand wore off a while ago, so I'm back at my normal strength.

"I'm pretty strong," I boast playfully, nudging Eevee off of me. "Think you can handle it?"

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" Eevee runs a safe distance away and crouches, his tail lashing behind him. "And, don't go easy on me," he calls. "Let me have it!"

Wobbles rubs her hands together, way too excited. "Oh, this is gonna be good."

"Maybe go a little easy on him, Pikachu," Sprout suggests worriedly, making me feel guilty all over again.

Absol smiles and shakes his head. "Kid knows what he's getting into. Have at it, Pikachu." It seems he takes a page from my mother when it comes to parenting.

Our friends move a safe distance away, taking their seats in front of a massive boulder, and I drop to four feet. "Ready when you are, Eevee," I call. "You can have the first move."

With that, Eevee takes off running, quite literally, with Quick Attack. I try to meet him head on with Thunderbolt, but he dodges and nails me in the stomach. The impact sends me rolling back until I collide with a tree.

Eevee's fast, but so am I.

I leap to my feet and shake off the pain. Across from me, my opponent is…jumping up and down and celebrating?

"I hit Pikachu!" Eevee shouts to the others who look on in both wariness and amusement. "Did you see me? Did you see me hit him?"

"Pay attention, Eevee," Absol responds.

But, it's too late. By the time Eevee remembers what we're doing, I've already charged at him and sent him flying with Iron Tail. He lands hard on the ground.

"An opponent's not gonna wait for you, Eevee," I inform as he staggers to his feet. "When you're in a battle, the battle is the only thing you focus on."

"Sorry," he says.

"Don't be sorry," I say. "Be alert!"

I charge at him with my own Quick Attack, and he swings his tail, sending stars in my direction. Swift is a move that never misses. I slam to a stop and switch to Electroweb, sending a massive, charged-up web straight at Eevee's attack. The plan is for the stars to dissolve on contact. Instead, to my surprise, the web breaks into smaller pieces, encircling the stars and sending them back toward Eevee in small, staticky balls of light.

That works, too.

Eevee bolts (no pun intended). Swift's accuracy has been diminished, so he manages to avoid most of the counter-attack. Still, a few lights explode against him and knock him back.

"That was so cool!" he yells, pain making his voice hoarse. But, I can see the fire in his eyes as he staggers to his feet. "You are so awesome, Pikachu!"

The more time I spend with Eevee, the more he reminds me of Ash. That drive, that eagerness.

Oh, Ash, you would love this kid.

Focus, Pikachu.

"There it is!" Wobbles shouts suddenly. "I told you! I told you!"

Nope. Not gonna ask. Not even gonna acknowledge her. There's a battle going on.

I rush at Eevee with another Iron Tail. He opens his mouth, catching my tail with Bite, probably trying the same tactic he used on Sprout. It doesn't work, as Iron Tail overpowers him. Now, he's the one rolling backwards, heading straight for our friends, who rush out of the way as Eevee collides with the boulder.

And, the boulder crumbles on contact.

Miraculously, none of the pieces fall on Eevee, who is now lying unconscious in front of the pile. Our friends crowd around Eevee, making sure he is alright.

But, me? I'm frozen, dumbstruck. I know I'm strong. I've caused structural damage during battle before. Hell, that's the risk everyone takes in battle. But, this feels…different, somehow.

Wobbles helps Eevee to his feet. His groggy, barely there look brings me back to reality. Especially, when he almost falls over again and ends up leaning heavily on her. A fresh wave of shame hits me. I went too far again.

"Eevee, I'm so sorry!" I say, running up to him. "Y-you're not hurt real bad are you?"

Eevee blinks at me slowly. "That was," a tiny smile grazes his mouth, "so cool."

We all breathe out in relief. "He'll be fine," Absol says.

"You all saw Pikachu, right?" Wobbles asks. "The eyes? It wasn't just me?"

Unbelievable. She truly has a one-track mind.

"I'm going to regret saying this," Absol says, "but there was something odd."

Wait, what?

Sprout turns to me and nods. "Yeah. Your eyes flashed pink!"

"It was neat!" Eevee chirps, more aware now. "And, then you hit me. And, then I died. And, then I didn't die."

"You weren't dead, Eevee," Absol corrects. "You were just knocked out."

"Wait," I say, trying to process this. "Are you saying my eyes actually glowed?"

Wobbles passes Eevee to Sprout and steps a little too close to me for comfort. "It was more like a flash, like Sprout said, but yes. And, unless I missed my guess, I think you get some kind of power boost." She leans until our faces are almost touching. "What is your ability, Pikachu?"

All pokemon have an ability: something in their biology that assists in battle or just survival in the wild, though isn't inherently necessary for it. There are many different kinds, and each one is helpful in some way, be it protection or scavenging. For instance, my ability is Static, which allows me to paralyze anyone who touches me in a threatening way (or just my opponent in battle). Unlike attacks, abilities cannot be controlled and simply activate on their own.

After taking a step back, I inform Wobbles of my ability. She considers this then asks, "Are you sure?"

Starting to get annoyed, I let a few warning sparks light my cheeks. "Would you like to find out?"

She smartly hangs back. "No, I believe you. And, you really don't know what it means?"

"No, I don't!" I snap. Everyone looks at me, surprised at my outburst. I sigh. As if I don't have enough to feel bad about. "Sorry."

"That's okay," Eevee says. To my relief, he's standing on his own now, albeit shakily. "I'm just glad I got to battle you! I'm gonna train really hard so that I can beat you!"

"And, I'm gonna train so that I can evolve," Sprout says. "Then, maybe I'll stand a chance!" she adds with a chuckle. I'm about to inform her that strength has nothing to do with evolution, but she goes on. "Imagine when you evolve into Raichu. You'll be unstoppable!"

My guilt is fading with each word, a grin spreading wide on my face. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I don't want to evolve."

Sprout's eyes widen in the awestruck way I've come to expect from Eevee. "Really? But, if you evolve, you'll be bigger and stronger. I figured you, of all pokemon, would want to be fully evolved."

"Yeah," Eevee agrees. "And, I bet Raichu is a really cool pokemon."

That's Wobbles's cue. "Raichu: the mouse pokemon. An electric-type. If it builds up too much electricity, it jams its tail into the ground and releases the excess safely into the dirt. Otherwise, it becomes cranky at best, aggressive at worst. Don't ask me how I know that." She turns to me. "Apart from that though, I can't think of a single reason why you wouldn't want to evolve."

Absol clears his throat. "Uh, hello? Pokemon who isn't even capable of evolving here," he says good-naturedly. Still, the others look away sheepishly.

I chuckle. "Look, when I was a Pichu, all I could think about was evolving into a Raichu like my parents. But, when I became a Pikachu, well, it just felt right, you know? To be honest, I'm not sure I could be happy as a Raichu."

"And, Ash doesn't want you to evolve?" Absol asks. For once, he sounds genuinely curious instead of suspicious regarding a human.

I shrug. "I mean, Ash is always happy when his pokemon evolve, but he also wants us to be happy. He won't force us to evolve if we don't want to. He's always saying that he wants us to be happy and safe above all else. The rest is up to the pokemon."

Sadness creeps over me. Ash has no idea that I'm safe and sound with these guys. Am I happy? For the most part, but it's hard to be entirely happy when my dearest friend is potentially making himself sick worrying about me. I wish there was a way to tell him that I'm alright.

Wobbles nods and claps her hands. "I think I'm gonna like this guy. He sounds like he knows what he's doing."

"When it comes to pokemon, at least." Pride washes over me, but I have to fight off the wave of longing that threatens to overwhelm it.

Sprout puts her leaves on her hips and puffs out her chest. "Well, I want to be a Victreebel. And, the second I become a Weepinbell, I'm gonna start searching for a Leaf Stone."

I try not to worry too much about what Wobbles said before. For all I know, Absol is right, and Sprout's body simply isn't ready for evolution yet.

"So, I could just stay an Eevee?" Eevee ponders. Then, he groans, his legs giving out from the force of it. "As if I don't have enough options."

I always thought that it was hard enough for pokemon with just two evolution paths. Poor Eevee has eight, nine if you count not evolving at all. "What about your family?" I suggest. "Maybe think about what types they are and go from there."

Absol, Wobbles, and Sprout freeze in place. A sinking feeling hits my stomach.

Eevee is oblivious as he considers my question. "Well, Absol's a dark-type, so that's Umbreon. Wobbles is a psychic-type, so that's Espeon. Sprout is a grass- and poison-type, but I don't have a poison-type evolution, so that's just Leafeon. And, you're an electric-type, so that's Jolteon. You're saying I should pick one of those?"

I barely register that he included myself as part of his family. At this point, I have no intention of telling him that I'd been asking about his parents. "You don't have to, but that at least narrows it down, right?"

"Yeah, but if I were a Flareon, I could breathe fire. And, if I were a Vaporeon, I could swim really fast- Oof." During his musings, he'd tried to stand up but collapsed again. "A-and, if I were a Glaceon," he continues, steadily nodding off as he speaks, "I could make things cold. And, if I were a…a Sylveon…my attacks would be pretty…"

I guess our battle tuckered him out more than I thought. Absol leans forward and licks the sleeping hatchling's head. "He'll be fine once he rests," he says quietly.

"Where are his parents?" I whisper, figuring it's safe to ask now that the child in question can't hear.

"Heck if we know," Wobbles says with a pitying glance at Eevee.

Sprout shrugs. "We just kind of found his egg. No one claimed it, so we did it ourselves."

So, that's why Eevee's with the PokeSquad. I guess I'd just assumed his parents knew where he was. "And, you have no idea where they are? Or, even who they are?"

They all exchange sad looks. "We have one theory," Absol says. "One day, I sensed a forest fire. It was far away, but not so much that I couldn't detect it coming. By the time we got there, a group of humans- What did you call them, Sprout?"

"Firefighters," she answers. "They and some water-type pokemon were already at work, trying to put out the fire. A bunch of other pokemon were already fleeing the area, and we helped more of them get out."

"And, Eevee?" I ask.

"We found his egg in some bushes by a river," Wobbles responds. "We think it might have rolled down a hill in all the chaos." She sighs heavily. "We can only assume the worst about his parents."

My heart breaks for Eevee. "My parents are gone, too. But…at least I remember them." I gently brush my tail over him. "Does he know about this?"

Wobbles folds her arms and turns away, almost seeming ashamed. "He was…asking about eggs one day. When I told him the species comes from the mother… Ugh, I just can't help spewing factoids!"

She'd raised her voice a bit, and Eevee makes a small noise and twitches his ears. When he resumes his quiet snores, Absol whispers, "It doesn't matter. Eevee's with us. We are his family."

Sprout and Wobbles nod at that, and I swallow the lump in my throat.