FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

My name, before I had one, was Eevee. The other Pokemon and the humans I met either called me 'Little Eevee' or 'Cute', but I learned quickly that my name was just Eevee. I lived in a Pokemon store for people who couldn't catch a Pokemon on their own. There were all types of Pokemon there- flying Pokemon like Starly and Murkrow, small Pokemon like Rattata or Caterpie, and even a giant pool filled with water Pokemon, like Goldeen and Shellder. There were all sorts of Pokemon and lots of each type... but I was the only Eevee in the entire store.

My home in the store was a large cage set into one of the store walls. One side of the cage was clear and faced out to the store, while the other side opened into a hallway for the store workers. It was comfortable- I had a soft blanket and the workers made sure I always had plenty of food and water. Since I was the only Eevee I had plenty of room in the cage, and I spent most of the day outside of my cage anyways. People would come to the store just to see me, and the workers were more than happy to let me run around the store and play with the visitors during the day. The store was pretty straight forward- four aisles filled with random items ran down the center of the store, and the far wall had a counter where visitors would go to buy things, but I didn't go near those very often. The aisles were boring and the worker at the counter got worried if I spent too much time near the counter (and the door near it), so instead I would wander by the different Pokemon cages and talk with the Pokemon there. The Starly in particular loved talking about anything and everything over and over again. I quickly learned why I was alone in the store- among all the other Pokemon there I was the most valuable, and the store could only afford one Eevee. The Starly told me that Eevees were very useful and very rare, so we were very, very expensive as a result. The people who worked at the store didn't actually expect anybody to ever buy me- for them I was an attraction to interest shoppers in the store, so they would be more likely to buy a Pokemon or one of the other products that they could afford.

All in all it was a nice place to live. Nothing too spectacular happened, but there was always a new person to meet. The store even had a side room filled with toys so that people could come and play with Pokemon, and I passed the days playing fetch or other games with visitors. I never left the store- but I was never bored either.

In fact, out of everything in the store there was only one thing wrong- the Murkrows. Next to my kennel was a large standing cage where four of the dark birds lived. For the most part people ignored or avoid them, being much more interested in me, and the Murkrow quickly became jealous of the shoppers' obvious interest. During the day when the lights were on the Murkrow were completely quiet. The few times I tried talking with them they just clustered together in a corner of their cage and glared out at me. They slept (or pretended to sleep) most of the day and were completely silent when they did move. But as the day ended they grew bolder, banging against the sides of their cage while cawing and screeching. They began mocking and making fun of me, saying the fur around my neck was scraggly and ugly and that my tail was scrawny.

At first I just ignored them, but after several days their annoyances became so bad that I couldn't get any sleep at all. Instead of sleeping I would just curl up behind my food dish and try to hide from the birds. When the sun rose the Murkrows quieted down and I could get a little sleep... but the pet store wanted their Eevee to be awake and playful, and somebody would wake me up before I could get any real rest. I tried to be playful with all the nice people that had come to see me... but each day it grew harder and harder just to wake up. I stopped running around the store during the day and was much less enthusiastic about playing with the visitors who came to see me. The lack of sleep also began affecting my appetite. I wasn't hungry when I usually would be and the food didn't taste as nice, so I ate less and less each day. Before long I was trying to sleep any time it even got a little quiet, but it was never enough.

After this had gone on for several days a nurse from the Pokemon Center came to see me. I could tell the lady tried to be nice, but she kept poking and pinching me and shoving cold things in my ears. She spent about ten unpleasant minutes examining me before telling a store employee that she didn't see anything physically wrong and that I might just be lonely. She left for a time, but later in the afternoon she came back with another man. Just looking at the man I could tell there was something special about him- he had a feel of confidence and power about him. It wasn't anything definite you could pinpoint or label. He just seemed so strong and certain. I was a little nervous around him at first, but he soon turned out to be very nice. He played with me for a little in the playroom, tossing around a ball that squeaked whenever it hit something. I ran after and pounced on it before bringing it back to him, and the cycle repeated itself. It was a game I had grown used to playing with visitors but it was somehow more fun with him- he threw the ball just far enough, or waited just long enough after I brought it back to him before throwing it again. I was tired but wanted to keep playing with him anyways- I got the feeling that somehow he was enjoying playing with me more than anyone I had met before. Just as it was starting to be too much he set the ball calmly on the floor. He knelt down and said he had to leave for a while and take care of some things... but that he had a friend he wanted me to meet while he was gone. He brought a small ball out of a backpack and held it out. I had seen the balls on the shelves of the store but I never knew what they were for before then. My first thought was that we were going to keep playing our game since it looked similar to the ball we were just using. Instead, the man pressed down on a spot on the ball, and it made a clicking noise as it doubled in size and shown a pink light on the floor in front of me.

I had never seen a creature like her before that moment. I had never seen another Eevee, actually, besides my own faint reflection in the glass of my cage. I had no memory of my parents and no memories at all before the pet store. So seeing the Pokemon just appear before me, right out of thin air, was more than a little startling. I knew she was in some way an Eevee like me, even though she didn't look at all like I did. She was almost three times my size, but she was beautiful. She had soft purple fur that shown almost as bright as the pink jewel on her forehead. Her ears were about the size as mine and her forked tail was much thinner than my own, but she held them with a confident quality, like she knew they were beautiful. The jewel on her forehead would sparkle from the light with even the slightest of her movements, and a bell on her purple collar would make a chiming jingle with even a tilt of her head. Her sudden appearance and beauty startled me, and I was fully awake and hiding behind one of the chairs before I even knew I had moved. The Pokemon didn't seem to mind or notice- she stretched and arched her back, nuzzling the man's hand as he gave her a pat on the head and stepped out of the room. As the door shut behind him the Pokemon stretched out on the floor and looked at me, her tail waving rhythmically behind her... and then she spoke to me. I had never heard anything like her before. Unlike the other Pokemon or the human visitors there was no actual sound. My ears heard her- could hear the faint sound of her breathing, the sound her tail made as it brushed the carpet- but when she spoke to me, my ears heard no sound at all.

It was still the most beautiful sound in the world when she said, "Hello, little Eevee. My name is Clara."

Clara moved her ears into a v shape and tilted her head at just such an angle, forming an expression I recognized as a smile. "Sorry- it's easy to loose track of time and get a little cramped in a Pokeball. Sometimes it's nice to just stretch for a bit afterwards." She rolled on the floor and then sat back up, her split tail wrapping around her. "Come out from behind that chair, silly; I'm not going to hurt you."

I was nervous but something told me to trust her, and I walked slowly out from behind the chair. "What... what are you? Why are you here?"

Clara laughed, a musical and light sound similar to that of the bell at her neck, and she walked over to the ball the man had left. "I'm an Espeon- a type of Eevee, just like you. Some Pokemon will... change, a little, if the conditions are right. An Espeon is just one of the things that an Eevee like you could change into." The ball glowed purple and rose into the air, stopping at my eye level. "Espeons are Eevees that have changed to become psychic- we can reach out with our mind and change the world around us, like I'm doing with this ball. Or we can speak to somebody far away just by thinking about it, the way I'm talking to you now. I'm here because the people who work here are getting worried about you. They asked Nurse Joy- that's the lady you met before- to check on you, but she didn't find anything wrong. That's when she came to me and Flen and asked us to visit you. There aren't any other Eevees in this city- just you and me- and the lady from the Pokemon Center thought you might be a little lonely."

Clara leaned forward and nosed the ball towards me and I bit it, plucking it from the air. I started to drop it to ask another question, but Clara answered the question I was about to ask. "Flen..." I heard a soft chime as if the bell on Clara's neck had moved when she said his name again. "He's a gym leader, which is a type of Pokemon trainer. He's the strongest trainer in this city and he has a lot to take care of. But he doesn't need me anymore today, and he won't be back for a while yet. We can play all day, if you want to."

I dropped the ball and looked at her, still a little shocked at the Espeon before me. I wasn't sure what to say. "Play? What do you mean?" Clara kept smiling, but her ears drooped some as she looked down at the ball I had dropped. It glowed purple and rolled over to her.

"I'm sorry... It's just that Flen and the nurse said you wanted somebody to play with; that you'd been cramped up with nobody else to run around with. The lady from the Pokemon Center said you were lonely?" Clara's eyes were a mixture of confusion and hope as she looked at me, and I felt guilty for asking.

I shook my head to clear the last of the sleepiness and walked over to the Espeon, nudging the ball towards her. "Thank you... I guess I can play for a little bit."

The ball glowed again. "Just for a little bit? Are you feeling okay?" Clara leaned forward and squinted at me, then poked me with her nose.

I laughed and ducked under her. "No, I'm fine, I'm just tired. I haven't been able to get much sleep lately." The ball rolled across the floor and I followed after it, biting it and shaking it back and forth. The glow faded from it, and I looked back to the Espeon. She was crouching low to the ground, her split tail waving behind her, and I smiled and pushed the ball back towards her. She pounced on the ball and rolled over with it, and I laughed at the sight.

We rolled the ball back and forth for a little before Clara started talking again. "So how come you haven't been able to sleep lately?"

I rolled the ball back towards Clara and waited for a moment, catching my breath. "It's too noisy at night. The Murkrows in the other cage... um..."

Clara had caught the ball with her tail and balanced it against the split. "Yes?"

"They don't like me. Usually they just make fun of me, but sometimes they bang around their cage."

"Ah. And so it's too noisy to get any sleep." Clara dropped the ball and walked over to me, the bell around her neck jingling as she moved. "I'll fix that for you."

"What?" I blinked at her, wondering what she was going to do. Something that had bothered me for nights on end didn't even rate a second thought from her? She was going to fix it just like that? "What are you going to do?"

"I'm psychic, remember? Don't worry about it- you'll see soon enough. Let's play for a little bit longer, while we have the time."

I nodded and turned back to the ball, but Clara pushed me instead with a soft nudge. She laughed and bounded towards the other side of the room. I grinned and chased after her, and we ran back and forth around the room.

We spent a bit longer playing before the lack of sleep finally caught up with me. One minute I was chasing after Clara, and the next I was laying on the floor just trying to keep my eyes open. Clara sat down next to me and her tail twitched back and forth before me in a slow, sleepy wave. The last thing I knew before I fell asleep was the sound of Clara's bell chiming a gentle melody...

When I woke up it was late at night. I was wrapped underneath a soft blanket back in my cage. Clara was lying outside between my cage and the Murkrows'. There was a faint glittering around the other cage and the Murkrows were quiet... or at least I thought they were. When I looked at them again I saw they were banging up against their cage and moving their beaks in chatter... but I heard nothing at all coming from any of them. I slipped out of the blanket and walked to the side of my cage to get a closer look, but there was still no sound. Everything was perfectly quiet. I called out a short "Hello?" to make sure I could still hear, and I heard my own voice just fine. Only the Murkrows were silent.

"Good evening Eevee!" Clara rose, her tail wagging behind her. "See? I told you I would fix it."

"What did you do?" I looked out through the window, trying to see what Clara had done, but there was only the slight distortion caused by the glass. I thought for the briefest second that the glass was the wrong color, but when I blinked it was fine again.

"It's something Flen taught me a while back; it's a wall. With this I can stop certain things from getting past. It took me a few tries, since I've never used it in quite this way before, but I was able to make it block sound. You won't hear anything from out here in there."

I wagged my tail happily- she was right. The Murkrows were still banging around in their cage, but mine was totally quiet. Clara grimaced and turned back towards them, and they all shuddered and retreated to the bottom of their cage. Clara looked back to me and the jewel on her forehead sparkled. "They sure are loud though. I can see why you couldn't get any sleep."

I nodded and wagged my tail. "Thank you so much!"

Clara's jewel brightened more as she smiled. "It was nothing! I'm glad I could help." The Espeon sat back down and leaned up against the glass wall. I matched her, leaning up against the same spot.

"Didn't your trainer come back for you?"

Clara nodded against the glass. "Uh-huh! I wanted to stay a little longer though, so he'll come back again for me tomorrow."

"Oh." I smiled- now that I wasn't so tired I realized how glad I was to meet Clara. "So... you're an Espeon?"

"Yep! It's a type of Eevee, remember?"

I nodded. "I remember. You said there were certain things that could cause an Eevee to change?"

"That's right. Trainers call it 'evolving'. It's more something for them to worry about than for you to."

"And Flen is your trainer? The man I saw earlier?"

I thought I heard Clara's bell chime even though she hadn't moved- and after a second I realized I must have just been hearing things since she was outside her sound wall. "Yep! He's the gym leader here; the strongest trainer in this town. I've known him for most of my life, from when he first became a trainer."

I listened to Clara as she talked about Flen. She had a lot to say about him and I could tell from the way she spoke that she cared a lot about him. Before long I realized that I was still tired and I pulled the blanket towards me, stretching out on top of it. I listened for a bit longer while Clara told me of some of her battles with Flen, until she finally yawned. I yawned right after she did and she laughed at me. "I guess we're both a little tired, aren't we?" I nodded and tried not to yawn again. "It is really late... goodnight, little Eevee."

"Goodnight Clara."

I drifted off into the first restful night I had in a while. I dreamed that night, too- a simple half formed dream of a trainer like Clara had described.

Clara was gone when I woke the next day. The workers in the store were the only people there so far, and they seemed glad to see me awake and active. For the first time in days I ate all the food they left for my breakfast. When the people came into the store and walked by my cage I wagged my tail and watched them, wondering with each one if they would end up becoming my trainer. I played with every one of them I could, even following some of them around the store, but one by one they each went home. The day finally ended, and when the sun set I slipped into a sleep undisturbed by the Murkrows.

The next few days passed the same way, but on the morning of the fourth day I woke to find Clara waiting outside my kennel. We spent all day in the playroom together- people would come by to play with us and occasionally brought treats with them- but for the most part we were left alone. The two of us talked a lot. Clara told me more about Flen and what they did together. She said trainers would come from all over the world just to fight him and the team of Pokemon he had trained. He was very important to the town and had a reputation for being skilled at teaching both Pokemon and trainers alike. Clara also described some of the other battles she had fought in. She admitted that battling could be scary- there were Pokemon that were larger than the tallest humans and had strength enough to move mountains- but she said that it was fun most of the time and necessary other times, when she had to defend somebody from an attacker. Clara said that even though she was sometimes scared, she always trusted Flen and knew he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. I could tell that she really loved battling with and winning for her trainer.

Clara also asked me what I thought of the people I had met. It was hard to say very much. I liked when they brought treats and that they would spend time playing with us, but beyond that there wasn't much more I could say. Clara would ask if I liked how they looked or smelled, but to a small Eevee a fully grown human always looked at least a little intimidating. Still, once I was sure they only wanted to play it wasn't too hard to get over that, and I shared what other impressions I had of them. I answered as best as I could, but she asked me a lot of questions that didn't make much sense. "Would you like him more if he had green eyes? What if she had red hair, like that lady's we saw earlier?"

Eventually Clara said that the sun was setting and that she had to go back to Flen. At first I didn't believe her because the playroom was enclosed and there was no way to see outside. How could she know where the sun was? When I asked, Clara just laughed her musical laugh and said that Espeons could always tell where the sun was. She said that the sun was a part of them and that she could always feel it, just like I could feel air blowing through my fur.

The day had seemed to pass much too quickly, but when I thought about it I found I was tired, and soon I was falling asleep on my blanket in the cage. The next few days passed by like before- I would wake and eat the food left for me, then spend the day playing with anyone who came by before finally falling asleep when night came. I met a lot of people, but at the end of the day they would always go home and I would go to sleep alone. I kept dreaming of a trainer of my own, that one person who would take me home with them and play with me every day. A trainer who would help me be strong and who I could fight besides. I thought about Clara at night too- she seemed so powerful and mystic, and I found myself dreaming of one day becoming an Espeon like her, and protecting a trainer of my own from evil Murkrows.

Clara came by again after a few more days, but this time Flen was with her. The three of us played together for a while in the playroom. Other people would come in from time to time but never joined in, instead always staying off to the side and talking with Flen. Sometimes I would bring a ball or squeaky toy to them but they just would just glance at Flen and throw the toy back towards him or Clara. Eventually I gave up- it was obvious they were just there because of him and Clara instead of me. It was a little disappointing... but playing with Clara and Flen was still a lot of fun.

About halfway through the day one of the store workers brought food for me and Clara, and Flen told us he had to leave for a bit. He hugged Clara and scratched her ear, then gave me a treat and a pat on the head before leaving. Clara and I played together for a while longer, and occasionally another person would come by. Sometimes they would leave as soon as they came in, but other times they would stay for a bit and play. Finally Flen came back with a store worker and a pair of humans I hadn't met yet. Clara ran to Flen as soon as he entered the room, her necklace chiming a soothing jingle, and he sat down and hugged her, saying he had missed her. Seeing the two of them reunited, each so happy with the other even after only a few hours of seperation, made me want a trainer of my own even more.

The other three humans sat down as well, and I brought a squeaky toy to the new man. Unlike the people from earlier this man was quite happy to play with me, wiggling the ball back and forth before tossing it. Clara joined in, and I was soon so engrossed in the game that I stopped listening to the people altogether. It wasn't until Clara told me I should be listening that I paid any attention at all, and then I realized that while I was playing with the man, they had all been talking... about me.

"I doubt there would be any problems- he's obviously very friendly and still very young himself, so we think he would be great with children. Eevees usually make great companions for kids anyways, just like a Growlithe would."

The man I was playing with nodded and tossed the ball back across the room. I ran after it but kept listening. "He does remind me a little of the Arcanine we have at the police station." I grabbed the ball, giving it a shake just to hear it ring, and then brought it back to the man, dropping it on the ground with a wag of my tail. "The Arcanine can be really stubborn though. And he probably tires out faster than this Eevee."

The store worker laughed at that. "Yeah, he is pretty playful so you'll probably have no trouble getting him exercise. He had a little trouble adjusting when we first brought him here but we haven't noticed any real signs of stubbornness. He's been a lot livelier since he met Clara, so you may want to have her come over every now and then if it's not a problem for Flen. Something familiar to him would probably be a good idea, at least until he's had a chance to adjust."

The woman answered the store worker but looked between him and Flen. "Oh, we couldn't impose on him; he's doing so much already..."

"I don't mind at all, really. Clara likes him, and I'm not so selfish I can't spare her for a day every once in a while- I've got a whole gym full of Pokemon that need my attention anyways. She loves visiting him and I wouldn't dream of keeping her away from one of her friends. And I'm not doing anything more than making sure a Pokemon finds a nice home. The little guy deserves one." Flen reached for the squeaky toy and pulled on it, trying to take it from me, but I clamped onto it and shook, trying to loosen his grip.

"Should we bring the things he already has, then, like his blanket? I don't want him to have problems adjusting, but... the blanket looks kind of old..."

The store worker laughed a little, and Flen answered for him. "No, actually, it'd probably be better to get him a new one. It'll have more meaning to him than his old one did, if it comes from you, and he never seems that attached to it when I see him; it's just something comfortable he can lie down on."

The other man reached for the squeaky toy since Flen had let go when he answered, and I growled playfully, tail wagging a bit. The man laughed a little and shook the toy, rolling me over on my back with it.

"I guess that's everything then... Can we come by for him in two days? That's her birthday, and we'd like for it to be a surprise for her," the lady asked the store worker as she got to her feet.

"Oh, of course, it's no problem if he stays here until then. He's great publicity! A lot of people have started coming by just for the chance to see him." The store worker stood up as well and followed the lady to the door.

The man let go of the toy and gave me a pat on my head before getting to his feet. Flen rose with him and the two shook hands. "Thank you again for everything Flen. We really appreciate what you're doing for us, and for our daughter."

Flen smiled down at me and Clara. "It's really nothing; I just want to make sure Clara's friend ends up in a nice home. It was starting to look like he would spend the rest of his life in that cage."

"I know... but don't worry, we'll make sure to take good care of him, and I promise he'll be happy with her."

"That's all I ask, and it'll be reward enough knowing this little guy is happy." Flen and the man walked out of the playroom still talking, but leaving me alone with Clara.

I let go of the toy and looked at the now closed door, a little confused. "What happened? And why were they thanking Flen?"

Clara giggled, a melodious sound that made me smile. "They just bought you, silly. They have a daughter turning twelve in a few days, and she wants to become a trainer, so they wanted to give her a Pokemon for her birthday. Flen knows them and their daughter- the man works for the city's police, and they work together every now and then on special cases. Flen thinks she has a lot of potential as a trainer, and we both think she would be a good trainer for you."

"Flen told her parents we- him and me- would help pick out a Pokemon for them, and brought them here; they thought they would end up getting her a Rattata or a Sentret, but he just brought them here and showed them you. When he saw for sure how well you were getting along he offered to help them buy you. A good trainer makes a good bit of money from battling, and I'm strong enough to help Flen make a lot of money, so he can afford it easily. Which is good, because you're not cheap; you cost more than that whole cage full of Murkrow." There was a lot of pride in Clara's voice, both in her comment about Flen and in the price that I was worth.

"So... those two... they're my trainers?" My tail wagged at the thought- they both seemed nice, and the man was fun to play with.

"Well, their daughter is. You're going to meet her in two days! You'll be out of this stuffy place and with a whole new house to explore. I'm so excited for you!" Clara's voice reached a happy peak and she smiled her Espeon's smile- head tilted and ears in a v. It was cute, and I couldn't help but feel excited too.

We played for a little after that, but it wasn't much longer before it was time for Clara to go. That night I didn't sleep much. I kept thinking about my new trainer and wondering what she'd be like. When I finally did sleep my dreams were simple, and just of a bell like the one on Clara's collar, swinging back and forth on a collar of my own while I slept.

---

Flen picked up his Espeon, resting her on one arm, and rubbed her ear. Clara purred, and Flen smiled- since evolving and discovering she could talk without making noise she so rarely made any actual sound, and he savored any noise she did make. Eventually she hopped down to the ground and shook herself off.

"So, what do you think?"

Clara looked out of the office and back towards the main field of the gym. "About what?"

"About the Eevee. Do you think he'll be okay with her?"

Clara nodded but kept her gaze away from Flen. "I think they'll do okay."

Flen blinked at her, suspicious. "Just 'okay'?"

Clara kept looking down. "It's hard to tell for sure, since she's never had a Pokemon... but she's responsible enough. She takes care of the houseplants and she's always on top of her schoolwork so I'm sure she'll make sure to take good care of him. I just... I don't know that she should start out learning everything there is to be a trainer with a Pokemon as complicated as an Eevee. Especially one as young as he is."

"Oh? I know another trainer about her age that started out with an Eevee, and I think they both turned out okay." Flen thought for a minute, suspecting something else was wrong. "But maybe you're right. Do you think we should wait, try and find a more experienced trainer who'd want him? Maybe one of the gym challengers?"

"I... I don't think we should just give him away to any random trainer. We'll only see them for a few minutes, maybe an hour; that's not really enough time to know for sure how well they'd treat him."

Flen nodded. "Uh-huh... what is it really, Clara? I don't have to be psychic to know you're hiding something."

Clara finally looked up at Flen and met his eyes. "Can't you take him? Let her learn with some other Pokemon, and you train him yourself? Nobody's a better trainer here than you, and we earned the money after all. He'll do a lot better with us than he could ever do with anybody else; it doesn't seem fair to give him to some new trainer who doesn't know any better, when he could be a part of our group, instead."

Flen blinked in surprise and thought carefully. "You like him, don't you?"

Clara quickly looked away, but Flen noticed the jewel on her forehead brighten first in what passed for a blush. "He's just a puppy; anybody would like him."

"But?"

Clara was silent for a moment before she answered, and her voice was sadder when she did. "He's never seen another Eevee, Flen, not even his parents. I think he hatched in that store alone. I don't have to read his mind to know I'm the first Espeon he's ever seen, but... he has no memory even of any other Eevee, beyond his own reflection. Ever. I looked, while he was playing... and there just isn't one. He's either blotted it out from his own memory for some reason... or else he's never known any other Eevee but me."

Flen frowned and watched Clara, understanding dawning on him. "Again, that sounds like somebody else I know. Is that what this is about?"

Clara sighed, still looking away. "I don't know, maybe. I just... I like him, he's fun to be around, and he's so... friendly. Even half asleep he still wanted to play with me. I just met him... I don't want to have to think that one day he's going to leave again, when his trainer does."

Flen picked Clara back up in a hug and started petting her. "I know how you feel... but I already have an Espeon of my own, and I'm older now, with five other Pokemon and a gym to run. I don't have the time or energy a young Eevee would need, let alone want."

Clara nodded a slow, sad nod, knowing what Flen said was right but still not liking it. "Tell you what- we know a lot of kids that want to be Pokemon trainers, and one of the jobs of the gym is to help train trainers. We can start an 'introductory' class at the gym, to get them started; that way, you'll still get to see plenty of him. I bet Shells and Feren would both love to meet him, too."

"That would be nice, really it would... but... he'll still leave, one day. No matter how long she stays here, or how often we see them... one day they'll be ready, and she'll leave, to become a trainer... and then I'll never see him again, will I?"

Flen thought for a moment, unsure what to say, and finally he sighed. Clara was right. New trainers didn't stay in one place for very long, and when they left their Pokemon went with them. "I don't know. You're probably right that one day he'll leave- it's not fair to ask either of them to give up the chance to explore the world together. But just because he leaves, that doesn't mean he won't come back one day, or that he's leaving you forever. We came back to this city, after all; trainers come back to live in their home town all the time. And even if they don't come back... that's just more of a reason to enjoy the time we do have with him. And besides, I'm the trainer here. Trust me to worry about the future; you should just worry about helping find the best trainer, for his sake."

Clara sighed but nodded. A moment passed before her whiskers began twitching randomly, a sign she was using her Future Sight ability. Flen kept quiet while Clara focused, unwilling to interrupt, and beginning to realize how much the Eevee already meant to her. Future Sight was something Clara rarely did- she had told Flen once long ago that it spoiled things and made life boring if she looked too much. She also said that some parts of her future she just didn't want to know, and that she had learned to forget the things that hurt or spoiled too much. Eventually her eyes snapped back into focus, and Flen waited for her to finish thinking. She was quiet for a long moment with a sad look in her eye, but it finally faded, and she spoke again. "He... Yes. She's the best trainer for him. They'll both take very good care of each other, I know it."

Flen nodded and smiled- if Clara had looked at the Future and thought what she said, then it was a fact, no matter how unpleasant it might have been to the Espeon.. "Okay. I'll bring her parents by tomorrow, to meet him, and get everything worked out."

Clara smiled back, likely having already suppressed the memory of what she had seen with her Future Sight. "She's going to be so surprised... what do you think she'll name him?"

Flen laughed, wondering, and the conversation drifted from there. They stayed like that for a while, but Clara soon fell asleep- the sun had gone down well before then, and it was rare for her to be active much into the night. Flen gently sat her down in a chair and gave her one last pat before going back to all the paperwork that came with being a gym leader. Even as he worked his mind wandered, wondering if there was anything he could do to keep his Espeon's new friend with her...