FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The next day took forever. I ate when I woke up and then stretched out on top of my blanket, just watching the store. People came by just like they did every other day, and I wagged my tail as they passed, wondering with each one if my trainer would be anything like them. People came and went through the store and spent their time looking at me and at the other Pokemon. I had never really paid attention to it before, but as I watched them now I noticed that they would tend to find a favorite Pokemon and spend most of their time there. One woman glanced at the Ekans tank no matter where she was in the store, watching them bathing under their warm lamp, while another man's attention was captured by the Ratatta digging and scurrying about their enclosure. The shoppers would move on to other Pokemon, but before long they would come back to their favorite.

At first I didn't think anything of it but as the day grew on it made me wonder. My new trainer would have never seen me before and wouldn't even know about me until her birthday. What if her favorite Pokemon wasn't an Eevee, and she really wanted something else instead of me? What if she wasn't the way Clara described Flen? I could tell just by watching them that each person acted differently. I had no way to know for sure this new person would be a trainer like Flen.

The day passed, and when night came I was already half asleep, staring blankly out through the store windows. The second day was only a few hours away, and then I'd meet my new trainer...

After a night of fitful sleep I woke to see Clara waiting for me. "Good morning sleepy head! I'm surprised you got any sleep at all; aren't you excited?"

Her question was so honest and cheerful that I felt a little guilty for being worried. I didn't know how to answer at first, and she noticed. "What's wrong? Are you feeling okay? Are those Murkrow bothering you again?" She looked in the birds' direction, her whiskers twitching in the air, and she sat down next to me.

I leaned up against her and her tail wrapped around mine, and for a moment I just stared at the sight, surprised at the pattern her tail made against mine. "No, I'm fine... but... I'm worried. I don't know who this person is, or what she's like. What if she doesn't like me, or isn't nice, like Flen is to you?"

Clara stared down at her paws for a moment and thought over my question. "You trust me, don't you? I haven't let anything bad happen to you so far?"

"Of course not. You've done nothing but help me since I met you."

"Then trust me on this one! Flen and I both know her and her parents too. They're good people, and we know her parents will make sure she'll take care of you... but we're all sure she will regardless." Clara's eyes flickered for the briefest of seconds with something unrecognizable and her voice grew softer- sadder? "You're going to be so happy with her... trust me." Clara was silent for a moment before she smiled back at me, the odd look gone from her eyes. On some level I think I already knew that... but hearing Clara say it made me feel better.

"I do... and yes, I am excited. When do I get to meet her?" I stood up and stretched, and peeked out through the open door as if she would be standing there waiting for me.

"Not yet! It won't be until later in the afternoon; she had to go to school and won't be back until later. But Flen will be coming over with her dad soon to get you, and then you'll be off to the house. After that it'll probably be a bit boring until she gets there."

"Boring? But won't I have a whole new house to see?"

Clara looked down and away from me. "Well... not exactly. Flen is going to come by soon and take you to her house, so you'll technically be at the house waiting for her, but... you probably won't see any of the house until she gets home, and they have the party for her."

I wasn't sure what Clara meant. If I was going to be at the house, why wouldn't I be able to see any of it? "I don't understand."

Clara let one ear droop and I realized she wasn't sure what to say. "Um... well, do you remember the day we met?"

"Uh-huh! You and Flen came and we played for the whole day, and you made the Murkrows leave me alone."

Clara smiled again and the jewel on her forehead grew a little brighter. "That's right... but do you remember how Flen brought me there?"

I thought for a moment. "I... I'm not really sure. First it was just him, and then he pressed a button on one of those balls, like that one." I used my nose to point out past the glass wall of my cage to where the store had similar items on display. "And then there was a flash of pink, and... you were just kind of there?"

Clara nodded. "It's okay to be confused- it took me a while to figure it out, too, and it's even more confusing when it's actually happening to you."

"What do you mean? What is it?"

"Well... those balls that the store sells? The humans use them to take care of their Pokemon. It's something they made, just like the lights in the store, but more complicated. Those balls can keep a Pokemon safe inside them, so if you're hurt, or allergic to something in the air, or even just tired of walking, you can rest inside and your trainer can keep going, or get you to help. It's not that big of a deal with Pokemon like us- I mean, if you or I got hurt it wouldn't be too hard for somebody to just pick us up and take us somewhere- but usually a trainer will have more than one Pokemon, and some Pokemon can be very heavy, or even dangerous to carry. Those balls make it easier for everybody, but when you're in one it's hard to tell what's going on outside of it."

"So... that's what I saw, then?"

"Yep! That pink light is what you see when a pokemon comes out, or goes into a PokeBall- that's what they're called."

"I still don't understand... what does that have to do with me not being able to see the house?"

"Well... it's like I said the other day; the girl wants to be a trainer someday. So they're giving her a Pokemon so she can learn what it means and how to be a good trainer. And a part of being a trainer means being able to use the PokeBalls, which means you're going to have one. When Flen comes to pick you up, he's going to use one on you, and then they'll give her the PokeBall as the present with you inside. It's also to help be more of a surprise- she'll know she's getting something, but she won't know just what she's getting until she opens the PokeBall and lets you out."Clara laughed. "I can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees you; she's going to be so happy."

"Oh..." I stared at the PokeBall on the shelf in the store. Somehow I could fit in that thing? And it was a good thing?

Clara giggled and answered my unspoken question. "Yes, it is a good thing. It's not as bad as it sounds; it's just really hard to describe. Something about the PokeBall makes it seem different for everybody, but it's always something the pokemon finds pleasant. When I'm in mine it's like I'm on a rock overlooking the ocean; it's very soothing. I'm sure you'll like it; most pokemon do."

"Most?" I kept looking at the pokeball on the shelf, still not quite believing it.

"Well... sometimes a Pokemon doesn't like the simulation the ball comes up with, but that's very, very unusual. The humans are very good at making these things, and what you see and feel is based off what the PokeBall thinks you'd like, but... well, sometimes it just gets it wrong. But that's very rare- I've only heard stories about it, I've never actually met a Pokemon that didn't like it even a little. I mean, sure, it's much better to be outside and actually be moving- even though it seems like you're moving a lot in the PokeBall, when you come out there's always a bit of a 'cramped' feeling. But I've never known anyone who wasn't at least comfortable with being inside one. I'm sure you'll be happy with it, and it won't be for long anyways; once your new trainer gets home I'm sure she'll want to spend the whole weekend with you."

The thought of the PokeBall still made me a little uneasy. Clara's reminder that in just a little while I would be out of it and meeting my trainer- and that Clara was sure she would be a good trainer- made me feel better. Clara didn't mind them and if that's what it took to have a trainer of my own, then I was sure I could live with it. Even if it somehow wasn't like what the Espeon had described.

"Thanks, Clara." I wagged my tail a little and peeked past her. "So when will Flen be here?"

"It'll be a little longer still. You should eat; it'll probably be a while before you get a chance to again. Just think- this will be your last meal here! After this no more of this cheap mush; you'll get to eat real food!"

I went back to the cage and sniffed at the food dish. I thought the food was okay myself. The treats I sometimes got were better, sure, but I didn't see anything wrong with what the store gave us. I quickly ate breakfast- Clara declined when I offered some of the food, saying she had already eaten anyways- and afterwards the two of us went to the play room, a purplish glow illuminating the door as it opened. I had figured out by now that the glow was something Clara did to move things, and I decided to ask her about it. "Can you teach me how to do that? That glow thing that you did, before the door opened?"

Clara shook her head. "It's not something you can do yet. If you evolve into an Espeon, like me, then you'd be able to, and then... you'll just know how to do it; you won't need anybody to teach you- but an Eevee can't do it."

"Oh." I started thinking about what she said, and my thoughts turned to the idea of evolving, and what that would be like, or when it would happen...

"Stop worrying!" Clara nudged me into the play room. "It's not something you should worry about anyways; if you're meant to be an Espeon it'll happen soon enough, and if you're not, then you'll be able to do things I could never do, instead! For now just be happy being what you are. I think you worry too much about the future, and all the bad things that could happen; let the humans do that. You should just worry about being happy, and helping them be happy- they usually need the help." And with that Clara pushed me into the room, and with a quick flick of her tail she leapt playfully at me.

The next hour or so we just spent playing, and it was hard to think about anything beyond the next moment, and playing with Clara I found I really didn't want to. But Flen finally arrived, bringing with him both the man from the day before and a store employee. Clara ran to Flen, and he knelt down and gave her a hug before turning to me. He was holding a white PokeBall with a reddish stripe on it in his left hand- the small orb looked a little scary, now that I knew what it was. He let go of Clara and looked at me. "Ready, little Eevee?"

I looked at Clara one more time and she smiled at me. "Relax, everything will be fine. Trust me!"

I looked back at Flen and nodded. I said "I'm ready!", though I know he only heard an energetic "Vee!" He smiled and tossed the ball at me.

I started to duck, but it was too quick, and the ball tapped me right on my nose. The room turned pink, and then faded away completely, until there was only a general pink fuzziness all around. I tried looking around, and then started panicking. This wasn't right. There wasn't anything here at all, just the pink fog. I started to struggle, just looking for a way out, when I heard Clara's voice again. "Don't worry, it just takes a moment. Trust me."

I forced myself to calm down. I tried to lie down and wait but I couldn't really feel myself anymore, so I wasn't sure if I actually managed to or not. My tail, my ears, the bottom of my paws... I knew I had them, but I couldn't really feel them anymore. There was just the pink glow everywhere... and then the glow was gone, and I could see again. The sudden loss of light made it hard to see and I blinked while my eyes adjusted. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it? I'll see you again later!"

Somehow I knew that Clara had gone into her PokeBall too, so I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. While I was waiting I realized I could hear things chirping softly somewhere in the distance, and the sound of wind blowing through trees. I had no idea then what either of those sounds meant, but that's what I heard. Finally my eyes adjusted and I looked around. Wherever I was it was night, and there were stars sparkling randomly overhead. I could make out trees around me- young, low trees that seemed more protective than menacing, despite the darkness. The area immediately around me was just a clear grassy patch, and I realized the grass under me was incredibly soft. I stood up and turned in place before stretching back out on the flat ground. The soft grass was surprisingly comfortable, and I yawned, looking up... and there in the night sky, I saw the moon for the first time in my life. It hung in the sky, a large orb of cool white among the twinkling stars. I stared at it for the longest time, lost in the sight and the sounds. I don't know how long I stared at it, but it was so beautiful, and before I realized it I fell asleep in its soft glow.

I gradually became aware of voices around me, and I slowly woke up. The ground had changed, replaced with a soft material, and I snuggled into it, not wanting to get up just yet.

"Oh, huh. Flen, did you know there was a Pokemon in that?"

"No... I wonder how it managed to get in there?"

"Well, I'm not sure what to do now. It's her PokeBall... so that would mean it's her Pokemon too, right?"

"That is how these things tend to work."

"Dad-ddyyyy..." An exasperated whine. "All my friends are here, you're embarrassing me!"

There was laughter. "Welllll... then... I guess if you don't want to be embarrassed, and Flen says you can keep it... then you should go say hi to your new Pokemon."

I opened my eyes and looked up, just as whatever I was sitting on began moving. I was in a soft chair with a high back, facing into a corner. Somebody was turning it around, back towards the center of the room, and I stood up as I got my first glimpse of my new trainer.

She wasn't as tall as most of the people I had seen- Clara could probably stretch and be taller than her- but she was taller than the rest of the children that were in the room. She had a black bow tied in her red hair, and her green eyes stood out against the yellow dress she wore. Her expression was in the middle of changing between pleased annoyance to overwhelming surprise, and she gasped. She faced behind her, towards where Flen and the man from before were standing. "An Eevee? You got me an Eevee?"

Surprise- and joy- were both evident in her voice. "See? I told you she'd love you." The girl was ecstatic, and she picked me up in a hug and twirled me around, stopping and holding me out at arm's length to get another look at me. "He's so cute!!"

I was barely aware of the other people smiling at us. I couldn't see Clara anywhere, but I knew she must be somewhere nearby given her comment earlier. I leaned forward and sniffed, inhaling the scent of my new trainer and committing it to memory. It was important, and I never wanted to forget it. I looked up at her eyes and her smile, and though I know she heard only a series of "Vees" I gave a wag of my tail and said to her, "Hi- what's your name?"

She seemed confused for a moment, until I heard Clara's voice again. "He just said hello! He wants to know your name."

My trainer sat down in the chair she had picked me up out of and started rubbing my ears. "My name's Sara! And what's your name, Eevee?"

I looked at her and blinked. "My name? I don't know... Everybody just calls me Eevee."

Flen cleared his throat, and Sara looked towards him. "The pet store didn't give him a name; that's for his trainer to do. What do you want to call him?"

Sara looked back at me and was silent for a moment before she finally answered. "I think... well... his eyes look like little black jewels, and he seems so bright... so... I think his name should be Opal."

I repeated the word and thought about it. "Opal... I think I like it." I looked back at Sara and wagged my tail. I barked a short "Vee" sound that had no real meaning other than to express happiness and smiled.

Sara laughed and gave me a pat on the head. "I think he likes it."

Sara half turned to look at him, and I leaned up to peek over her shoulder. "I don't know... is it... lemon?"

Sara's father laughed. "Of course it is, sweetie. It's your birthday cake!"

There was a bit of chaos at that statement- the others in the room seemed very happy at the idea of cake, and as a group they began moving out of the room. I hopped down to the floor as Sara stood up and turned away, about to head out of room, but still looking over her shoulder at me. "Coming, Opal?"

I nodded and followed after her, wanting to see everything of my new home that I could and wondering what the cake would be like. We hadn't even gone a few steps before Flen stopped us. "Sara, you're forgetting something."

Sara turned around and looked back at Flen, then grimaced. The PokeBall- my PokeBall- was still in his hand, and he bounced it up and down a few times. "This is yours too, and it's just as important as the Eev... as Opal is. Lose it, and somebody could keep him from you, so learn to keep track of it." Flen pushed down on a part of the PokeBall and it collapsed, shrinking until it was only a fourth of its original size. "This has a clip on it so you can put it on a belt or in a jacket, but you might want to keep in your backpack, or get a trainer's bag for it." Flen handed the PokeBall back to Sara, then looked down at me. "So... shall we get some cake?"

I followed Sara out of the room, looking at everything we passed. The first room-what I later learned was called the living room- seemed to be a good example of the rest of the house. The blue wallpaper continued through the hallway, as did the carpet. The carpet was really nice- every time I took a step I would sink a little, so that I could feel the carpet all around my paw, instead of just the bottom. The rooms we passed all seemed well lit, and every now and then I could see a window to the outside with sunlight filtering through. I started to look into one of the rooms to get a better look at it, but Sara stopped me. "Nuh-uh, Opal! Let's get some food first; everybody's waiting on us."

We came to a new room soon after that. Sara walked into the room but I hung back at the entrance. Everyone from the living room was sitting in chairs around a table, and I finally saw Clara in one of the chairs next to Flen. The Espeon was covered in some sort of light powdery substance, and Flen was trying to brush it off with a towel- I couldn't imagine what kind of situation had caused that mess. Everybody had started singing once Sara had arrived, and she smiled and blushed at the attention, but took her place at the table. At the end of the song, Sara leaned forward and blew at something out of sight on the top of the table, and everybody cheered. From the floor I couldn't see what was on the table, but I soon figured it out- Sara's father began cutting something and passing it around, and after a moment or two I caught glimpses of it. From the conversation I realized it was the cake, and from the comments it seemed to be quite good. Sara had almost finished her piece when she realized I was still sitting in the doorway, and she turned in her chair and looked at me. "Come here Opal; you have to try some too!" She patted her leg, so I walked into the room and hopped up into her lap. The other people all stopped and looked at me, and I let my ears droop, wishing they would look anywhere else. Flen was on the other side of the table, talking with Sara's father, and Clara was perched in his lap, eating a piece of the cake from his plate.

Clara seemed absorbed in the food, and I didn't think I would get any help from her, so I tried to ignore the people watching me and instead focused on Sara. She was holding a fork with a piece of cake on it, and watching me. "Try some!"

I sniffed at the cake, getting a sense for its smell. It seemed okay- nothing dangerous smelling or anything, and after all Clara was eating it, so I leaned forward and bit into it. Sara pulled out the fork, putting it back on the table next to another plate of the cake, and I saw that she had two plates and forks- one for me, and one for her? I chewed, tasting the cake, trying to tell if I liked it or not. It was definitely different from what the store gave me- sweeter, with a fluffier feel to it- but it didn't crunch or tear easy, and it lost some of its texture after a moment of chewing. I swallowed the piece, and looked back at the plate. Sara had already had another bite of her piece, and she was holding the fork from before for me. I took another bite, still not sure if I liked the taste or not. "So what do you think, Opal? Like it?"

I swallowed, and looked up at Sara. "I'm not sure... it tastes weird." I looked back at the cake and swallowed again.

One of the other people- another girl, maybe a little older than Sara- laughed at me. "Lemon cake isn't for everybody, even if Clara's gobbling it down like she hasn't eaten in a week."

A third person nodded. "I bet he just has different tastes. Maybe he'd like a strawberry or vanilla cake instead."

Sara laughed at the comment and took another bite of her cake. She offered me another bite, but I shook my head. The cake didn't taste that good, and I wasn't quite hungry enough yet to want any more- I wasn't sure how long I was in the PokeBall, but it didn't seem to have made me hungry. Sara finished off her piece of cake and looked back down at me. "Are you sure you don't want any more?"

I shook my head. "No thank you; I'm not hungry."

Sara looked a little worried for a second, but then she smiled and took a bite from my piece. "Well, I guess that just means more for me, then."

After that I watched and listened as Sara ate and talked with the other guests. The party seemed to be nearly over- from what I could piece together it had actually been going on for a few hours before the group came back to Sara's house so she could open presents. It was actually a party for two of them- one of the other girls shared a birthday with Sara, and the party had started at the other girl's house before moving here. For a while the group ate the cake and talked with each other, laughing at jokes or playing with some of the new toys. I listened and watched for the longest time, just absorbing all the changes- the new room, all the excitement and happy voices.

When I finally looked back at Clara, I found that she had stretched out on the floor and fallen asleep, one paw draped over her right ear. I laughed a little, thinking how funny she looked, and my laughter attracted Sara's attention. She looked down at me, then followed my gaze and smiled. "That must have been some good cake, huh? She's probably tired; Flen said she was helping Mommy set everything up for us."

Flen noticed we were looking at Clara, and looked down at her. He laughed, then pulled a Pokeball out from the inside of his jacket. A pink flash of light surrounded Clara and she vanished, called back into the Pokeball. Flen stood up from his chair and looked towards Sara's father. "Well, I guess that means it's time for us to leave- the gym will fall apart if I'm away too long."

There was some laughter, then a lot of noise as the guests all thanked Flen and said their goodbyes to him. I said my own goodbye, a quiet "Eve" that was lost among all the noise, but that he seemed to hear anyways. He smiled at me before waving goodbye and walking out with Sara's dad. The party started breaking up after that- Sara's father came back with another man, who left with one of the girls, and a few minutes after that another lady came and left with another guest. Eventually the last guest had left, and it was just Sara and her parents.

"We'll start cleaning this up. Why don't you go show Opal around the house?" Sara's mother picked up what was left of the cake and started walking off, heading for another part of the house.

The idea of exploring sounded good to me, and Sara apparently agreed. "Come on Opal, let me show you my room first." I jumped down to the ground and sunk a little into the soft carpet as she stood up. I wagged my tail and followed a few steps behind her as she led the way through the house. We left the dining room and went back down the hallway, stopping at one of the doorways we had passed before. "My room's up on the second floor; the stairs come out here." Sara started walking through the doorway and up the stairs- something I had yet to see. I watched for a moment as she walked up them before following, jumping from one step to the next- the spacing for the steps was probably perfect for a human, but for an Eevee it was a bit too large to take one step at a time. When I reached the top I sat up and looked around, taking in the new scene. The carpet was the same, but it seemed a little dimmer in the new lighting. The stairs came out on a hallway, and to the left Sara was already standing in another doorway and looking back at me. To the right was just another wall with a picture on it, so I followed after Sara. I noticed there were four other doorways beyond this one, and I stopped just behind Sara, looking at the other doors.

Sara looked down at me and laughed. "You like going everywhere but the way I'm going, don't you?"

I shook my head, turning back to Sara. "No, that's not it... I'm just not sure what's in there."

"Don't worry... we'll go check them out later." For a minute I thought Sara had understood what I said... then I realized she had just made a lucky guess. She walked into the room and I followed after her.

"This is my room!" Sara walked a few steps into the room and jumped up on her bed, sitting on the edge of it. I stopped in the middle of the room and looked around. The bed was on the side of the room, but there were a few other pieces of furniture in the room- a dresser by a closet, and a stand for a television across from the door. The walls were a light reddish color, and light sunlight filtered in through blinds covering the windows on one wall. One wall had a picture of a many-tailed golden Pokemon I didn't recognize, but other than that the walls were bare. The room had a pleasant smell to it and the television was suddenly playing a fast paced catchy song. I looked towards the television and saw it had just been turned on- there was still a bit of vanishing flickers along the edges. I had seen televisions before- the pet store had one at the counter that the workers would watch when it was slow- so I ignored it and kept looking around. The room was fairly clean- a few things were lying on the ground, and there was a book propped up against one of the walls, but other than that it was a clean room. I ducked under the bed, taking a quick peek around, before coming out the other side and hopping up onto it. There was a nice blanket on the bed- it felt like the carpet, only much softer, and I sank a little into it. Sara had turned to me and was smiling, the remote for the television in one of her hands. "So what do you think?"

"It's nice." I looked out the window from my spot on the bed, seeing a yard with a large tree. Sara flipped channels on the television, her feet dangling over the edge of the bed, and pet me with her other hand. We sat there for a while, talking on and off (though Sara really didn't seem to understand a word I said), and watching the television. That part of the day was nice, which surprised me. When I had been thinking about all the good things that would come from having a trainer I had thought about playing or fighting other trainers and seeing new places, so it surprised me at how much I was enjoying just sitting around doing nothing.

The rest of the day passed faster than I realized. Sara eventually showed me other parts of the house, starting with the other upstairs rooms. There was another bedroom for Thomas, Sara's brother, but he was much older than her and had left long ago to be a Pokemon trainer. Another door opened to a simple closet, and the last was a bathroom. The mirror in the bathroom was a little interesting- for a split second I thought there was another Eevee in the room, since the reflection was so clear and complete, but I caught on when I realized the second Sara was following her movements exactly. Despite my surprise I liked looking in the mirror- up until then I had only seen faint reflections of myself in glass windows, so I enjoyed the clear picture of what I looked like. There was another mirror and bathroom downstairs by the bedroom for Sara's parents. We looked in there briefly, but Sara told me I probably should stay away from those rooms or her parents might get upset. She showed me the living room again, where she had first opened my PokeBall, and lastly we saw the kitchen.

On it's own the kitchen wasn't that impressive- it was just a collection of more closed doors, be it cabinets or bigger things that Sara had special names for, like 'stove', or 'refrigerator', or 'dishwasher'. It was pretty boring, especially considering that Sara's mother was in the kitchen and wouldn't let me explore all the cabinets, but it found redemption in two small dishes sitting on the floor in a corner. While I was looking around the kitchen (and being shooed away from a cabinet) Sara opened a cabinet and pulled out a small bag, filling one of the dishes up with food from the bag. She filled the other dish up with water and set both dishes back down on the floor. Sara told me that whenever I was hungry or thirsty I could come here, and somebody would give me food or water. I tried the food, remembering Clara's comment about having better food, and found it was much better than what the pet store had given me. Clara was right- there wasn't anything wrong with the pet store food- but Sara's food tasted so much better. I ate just a few nibbles despite the new taste as I still wasn't very hungry.

After that we went outside to the yard. The sun was starting to set, but it was still light enough to make out the yard. The door opened to a shaded porch with a few potted plants on it, but beyond that was open grass, with the tree I had seen from Sara's room. A fence ran around the yard, and a stone path ran from the porch to a gate in the fence. Otherwise, the yard was empty, and I immediately ran into the yard, rolling over to enjoy the feel of the grass underneath me. It wasn't as nice as the grass in the PokeBall, but it still felt nice. We spent the rest of the night playing- Sara had a ball that she threw, like the game I played with others at the pet store, but with much more distance to cover. This was much more fun- being outside with Sara, experiencing so many new smells, and feeling the wind blow over me, made the game even better.

Eventually Sara's father came to the door and told us it was time to go back inside. Sara seemed sad at first, and I wondered for a minute if I should stay outside and play with her anyways, but Sara just said "Okay" and picked me up on her way inside. We went up to her room, and she turned the TV on and set me down on the bed. She told me she had to do some things before bed, but that she'd be back soon. She left and for a while I just sat on the bed and watched the program she had left on. It was a show about the different types of Pokemon and was clearly designed more for trainers than Pokemon. I tried to pay a little attention to it but mostly I thought back over the day. It seemed hard to believe that so much had changed for me in such a short time. In less than a day I had found a new home, a new person to play with... and despite my earlier fears, she liked me.

I curled up on the end of Sara's bed and looked out through the window. I could make out the moon through the tree's branches and leaves, and I watched it for a while before finally drifting off to sleep.

---

"Clara, can you get the frosting for me?" Sara's mom was in the middle of juggling a cake, two bowls of icecream, and a party hat, and the frosting was balanced precariously on the edge of the counter. Clara grabbed it, a purple glow appearing as the frosting levitated and moved to a safer position on the counter. "Thank you! We're almost done; I'll start putting this out in the other room. Can you help put some of this stuff away?"

Clara nodded, hopping up onto the counter as Sara's mom carried everything into the dining room. She came back a moment later to grab the frosting, stopping to give the Espeon a quick head rub. "Such a good Pokemon; thank you!"

Pots and pans began flying as soon as the adult had left again, levitated by the psychic Pokemon's powers. Everything had been scattered all over the place during the 'cooking', and the rampant disorder had gradually grown more and more annoying for the Espeon, and Clara eagerly leapt at the chance to straighten everything out. She carefully hurled all the dirty dishes into the sink and started the water running, then levitated the random bags and containers of ingredients back where they belonged. Everything was fitting back where it was supposed to, but for whatever reason one bag of flour just wouldn't go back in. Clara 'pushed' a little harder, unable to figure out what was wrong. She remembered very clearly that before the 'cooking' that cabinet had held two bags of flour, the box of cake mix, the frosting can, the canister of non-stick spray on stuff, the green box that looked empty but was still somehow important, and the container of cookies. Now it had all of that again, minus the box of cake mix, but the flour wouldn't fit!

Clara leaned closer to the cabinet, trying to see what was wrong- but oh no the sink was about to overflow! The Espeon turned back, distracted, and focused instead on turning off the water...

And was promptly covered in flour as the half-empty bag fell down onto her.

The Espeon sat there in surprise, her ears twitching, caught between outrage and embarrassment.

"Clara, it's almost time, are you ready to sing Happy Birth...day..." Flen was walking into the kitchen and had stopped, staring at his flour coated Espeon.

The two stared at each other, and then as one broke out into laughter.

"Okay Clara, let's get you cleaned up." Finally calming down, Flen grabbed a towel, and the two walked into the dining room to sing happy birthday to the new trainer and her Eevee.