The first couple of days were uneventful, nothing had happened and now they were sitting around a bonfire cooking some rations. Something stirred in a nearby bush, Samuel and Anya both ignored it.

"I think this trip was a bust, We are almost at home and we couldn't find a friend for you..." Samuel said sadly, Anya on the other hand shook her head 'It wasn't a failure, we met Persimmon she wanted to say, but had no way of delivering it until they get back. They both ate their food in silence, it was some kind of watery mushroom stew. Samuel said he had accidentally put too much water into it.

It was more like soup Anya mused to herself while eating. It didn't really matter as she would either way have to eat it without a fork or a spoon. She held the warm cup and carefully sipped at the hot soup, her cutters making the whole thing quite annoying.

They both finished their meals in silence, ready for bed when all of a sudden Anya heard "Target acquired" coming from somewhere, she looked around and couldn't pinpoint the location she had heard. Samuel was also alarmed by Anya's sudden reaction to something.

Something was lurking nearby, Anya caught a sight of a purple blur before she was attacked all of a sudden, falling down suddenly. Samuel quickly pulled a pokeball into his hand ready to release the moment he knew what had attacked them. A moment passed and Samuel was still very tense and alert, he couldn't see anyone moving around. He relaxed a bit and asked Anya if she was okay, only to hear a uncontrollable giggling coming near him.

He went closer and noticed that their attacker was pinning Anya to the ground and furiously poking her face, Anya's cutters being rendered unusable.

Samuel stared dumbfounded at the odd situation, his eyes squinted and he could recognize the assaulting Pokémon in the dim light. The attacker was a purple feline Pokémon whose tail's tip split in two, an Espeon he remembered, who was currently furiously licking Anya's face, her breathing roughed as she couldn't get enough oxygen between the laughs.

Samuel grabbed a hold of the Espeon and lift it by the scruff of its neck, it dangled on his grip and flailed around a bit before surrendering in silence.

Anya had managed to sit upright, she was still breathing roughly and Samuel could hear it clearly. The Espeon's gaze was locked to Anya, even if Samuel was the real threat. Samuel finally noticed that the Espeon had a dirty white/gray cloth wrapped around one of its front paws. 'A Trained Pokémon? Maybe its trainer would be nearby?' Samuel thought.

Anya was totally out of breath by the sudden surprise attack, she wasn't hurt anywhere, everything just happened so fast and now that she was calm, she looked at the attacker who had been pacified by Samuel. She noticed that her attacker was an Espeon, who was currenly lifted into the air by Samuel, the Espeon stared at her for some reason.

"H-Hi" Anya began, the Espeon didn't respond. It moved one of its front paws, the one with the cloth. Samuel was intently looking around, trying to find the Espeon's trainer, Anya could feel some familiarity from the dirty white cloth, but couldn't place her mind to it.

"Where is your trainer?" Samuel asked and the Espeon started struggling on his grip. He knew that if the Pokémon wanted to it could easily escape from his grasp, so he released his hold.

The Espeon now on the ground looked at Samuel and sighed, "It seems like you do not recognize me anymore..." the Espeon said sadly in obviously feminine voice.

It was directed at Anya, Anya had never met any Espeons before but she had met an Eevee before, her mind wandered to all pokemon she knew of and she asked "You don't happen to be Eevee?".

Espeons eyes perked and a smile formed on its face. "You do remember!" she shouted happily and tackled Anya yet again and this time only snuggled at her side.

Anya's eyes widened and she embraced the Espeon. Samuel still looking at them puzzled.

"Wh-what happened?" Anya asked "Are Vulpix and Ninetales nearby?".

"No" was the answer she got "I had to leave the pack, I was only allowed to stay there until I evolved" she said her mood going down as she buried her head into Anya's lap.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Sorry to burst your bubble here, but what is going on?" Samuel asked

"I'll take this for a moment" Anya said while carefully took out the white cloth off the Espeons paw. She was reluctant. "Don't worry, you'll get it soon back, I just need to show it to him" Espeon hesitated but allowed Anya to remove the cloth.

She then looked at it. The embroidery a bit broken but it still had the basic shape in it. She showed the cloth to Samuel and pointed at the Leavanny embroidered on the cloth and then pointed at the Eevee too.

Samuel being as smart as he was, noticed what Anya had meant instantly. He had personally seen the Eevee in question too, only that the reunion was with its evolved form of Espeon. He released his hold of the cloth and Anya tied it around the Espeon's paw again, the piece being too small to fit around her neck anymore.

There was a loud yawn and the gazes of both pokemon looked to find its source, Samuel who was taking out a sleeping bag out of his backpack. "What? I am tired, I'll go to sleep. You guys do what you want. Good night" He hastily left leaving the two pokemon with themselves.

"Huh, strange" Said Anya

"What is?" questioned Espeon

"Samuel usually isn't that tired, especially after a surprise encounter like this"

"Forget about him" Espeon dismissed him

"..Sure, It has been a while since we last saw each other"

"Yes, many moons!"

"How have you been, I... I haven't really done anything myself..."

"What do you mean, You always do something interesting. Like look at these!" she said while poking at Anya's dress' hem.

"or these!" she happily poked around her, starting with the dress, then continuing to the shirt and finally around her backpack. "You say you haven't done anything but, these things make my evolution look boring!"

"Right... How was it? Your evolution?"

"It wasn't easy, so many options you know!" she impatiently tapped her paws

"Sorry"

"No, No, No, don't apologize, I didn't mean it like that. I should thank you instead"

"Why?"

"Well, for the options I had. It is always better to choose than to be chosen for."

Not exactly understanding her point Anya just nodded.

"So.. Why Espeon?"

"I felt it was the right one, the moon one trying so hard..."

"Umbreon? What do you mean?"

"Well, I could know when I was offered the evolution. I never accepted it, it kept pestering me every night." she said

"Knowing that I could have Espeon during the Day changed my mind, If I was just suddenly offered to evolve, I would just take it. But knowing what I would become and that there wouldn't be other possibilies if I took the first one offered."

"I see, that doesn't explain why you chose Espeon"

"I... I wanted hands..." she said while staring at her own "I still remember the day where you made the Vulpix plushie with your cutters. I was smitten, absolutely, I wanted to create something, but having paws... didn't make it easy."

"Remember when you told me about Espeon?" she asked Anya, and she nodded "Espeon, the sun Pokémon. A strong psychic-type that is capable of moving and manipulating things with its mind." she said while mimicking Anya's pokedex voice.

"It was mostly then that I knew I wanted to be an Espeon"

"That is nice... I never would have thought that my actions... would inspire a permanent decision" Anya said with a hint of guilt in her voice.

"Don't say it like it is a bad thing, If all else I think that this is the best choice I had ever made" She said happily "But... Never mind" she stopped

"I'm glad" Anya smiled

They chatted for a while talking about the days after they all left the burrow. How Espeon had followed after a pack of Ninetales to their new nest and how she was the only non-Vulpix allowed. How she was lonely as Vulpix had joined other Vulpix in playing and left her alone, how the other Vulpix were actively ignoring her.

She told Anya how her life had turned upside down the days before her evolution. About moonlight how it reacted to her, wanting her to evolve into an Umbreon and how she denied it herself. Even of the pack of Ninetales offering to evolve her into a Flareon, which she declined.

Sitting next to each other Espeon leaning at Anya she confessed about the unnaturalness of her own evolution.

She had made up her mind about being an Espeon, but the hardest obstacle she had was the 'friendship' requirement that Anya had told her before. She had to make a friend inside unfriendly pack, she tried many moons to befriend the young Vulpix but it didn't work out.

"I, really shouldn't tell you this but, I think my 'friendship' with you allowed me to evolve, I...I lied to myself... I imagined stories and events of us being together, dreamt of spending time happily with you." The end of the sentence blurred as the Espeon forcibly held back her tears, Anya just leaned back towards the Espeon and pulled her closer without saying anything.

She continued after calming down. "The evolution happened, I got congratulated by the pack and was cast out instantly after. They said a moment later that 'the promise is now fulfilled, you must leave the pack at once' without any signs of compassion, as if it was natural... I didn't know! I didn't know at all that I had to leave after evolving!" she shouted against her injustice and tears wet her eyes. "I just ran, ran as far and fast I could, I.. I found the abandoned burrow and... and..." she sobbed yet again. Anya didn't really mind, she knew how it felt. To leave everything behind.

Anya just silently pet the feline, wondering 'Why do so many Pokémon cry in my arms...' It was already getting dark and Espeon had fallen asleep leaning on top of her lap, Anya didn't dare to move and tried to get some rest herself too.