Chapter 48, everybody! And I really need to strive for more than a monthly update schedule what happened….Anywho, hope you all are staying safe during these admittedly weird times.

And now for something completely different in the review responses:

I'd like to thank JuptileNamudori253, shukkets, Clow Angel, Xero619, vampireharry the 2, Vulaan Kulaas, JackO'Lantern-Summers, BoinkChonklll, dkaple, Gouravsilentreader, DOOT76, and blacklightningwolf, thanks for the reviews!

Goldenfox444, thanks for the review! No, actually, I kind of thought they were older—Brock, honey, you should have been more cross at being left as the man of the house, I think. Oh man, hope this update helps pass the time!

AverageHiveMind, thanks for the review! YES on both counts—I actually kind of have the point where they go from tearing the mickey out of each other to ride or die mostly written up, so we'll be seeing improvement eventually. Ash always thinks of food. XD Yes….Well, Frenzy does whatever Ash tells him to, so…and yeah, evolved Frenzy is just…terrifying. YES I LOVE CHICKEN RUN I QUOTE IT ALL THE TIME. :D Oh please don't do that that sounds like it hurts. D: And oh my goodness YES—the weirdest thing for me is that since I do everything from home it hasn't really affected me or my family, but since it's affecting new content the TV is doing nonstop marathons and when it's not doing that it's talking about the coronavirus and it is all of it SO WEIRD. You too! :D

Talesfanjmf, thanks for the review! *nervous chuckling* Uh….I hope that egg hatches too—I have an idea of when it hatches in-story, I just gotta get it there. Thanks again!

Borusa Ryalam, thanks for the review! She is…and I don't know—maybe we'll make it a running gag. ;D

Th3Hybr1d, thanks for the review! Well I'm glad you've found it now and have been enjoying it so far! :D Oh yes, we'll see….

201000266, thanks for the reviews! Yes! And hopefully—right now I'm focused on this series, but I have written stuff with these guys in Unova and Sinnoh so…we'll see. :)

Forward-smash, thanks for the review! I actually have the Sabrina battle written out, and Frenzy is involved….

Crazydude13, thanks for the reviews! Glad you're liking it so far! Eh, partially—I remember reading part of it when I was little and I've read most of it now that I can get it online, but yes, it's mostly a mix of everything (Adventures, The Electric Tale of Pikachu, the anime, the games, etc.).

Thanks for the review, DepressoExpresso! Yes, Mewtwo Strikes Back is going to be in this, I've got most of it written up and it'll be occurring around Cinnabar. We'll see how Darkrai reacts….

Pokémon © Game Freak; Nintendo

And now, for something completely different:

In other news, the glitch with the Pokémon Storage System turning all Pokémon in storage into Magikarp is due to a Rotom that had gotten into the system. The Rotom has been humanely removed and we are told the PSS is now operating as per usual. Please stop sending in angry letters.

They left the apothecary with care packages and parted ways with Team Rocket at the first turning.

Mostly because Darkrai came out of the woods again.

"Oh, you lot," he snorted.

"Yeah, no, we don't have anything set up for round two," James said, trotting off.

"We didn't miss anything while we were airborne, did we?" Jessie asked.

"There was a fair pretty close to where we were," Ash supplied.

"With an evil creepy magician and a ton of Exeggutor," Misty added.

"And this was close to where we were, back that way?" Jessie asked.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

They blinked at the speed with which the second member of Team Rocket vanished. "That was…odd," Brock decided.

"Nah," Meowth said, waving them off. "We's been trailin' behind you lot since Route One moppin' up his mess." This with a paw pointed at Darkrai. "We's been getting a lot of Pokémon dat way. Speaking of which—toodles!"

They watched Meowth run off before turning as one to Darkrai.

"I said before you were trouble," Misty said.

"No," Darkrai said, scratching his chest. "You want me to be trouble. And are you really going to take the word of three delinquents that we beat like drums on a regular basis?"

"Nope!" Ash said. "I'm heading to Stone Town—there's supposed to be a lot of weird stones there, right?"

"So the name would suggest."

"Evolution Stones," Brock clarified, following after. "You know, the ones that make certain Pokémon evolve? Like Pikachu evolves with a Thunder Stone and Patches evolves with a Moon Stone?"

"Patches doesn't evolve further by leveling?" Ash asked blankly.

"Nope."

"Huh," Ash noised. "Oh wait, I have one more that evolves via stones, right? Vee!" Released the Eevee to bound around them.

"Yup," Brock said, following the trail as it rose slightly, not quite a gentle incline. "Eevee evolve into Flareon via a Fire Stone, Jolteon via a Thunder Stone, and Vaporeon via a Water Stone."

"And Glaceon via an Ice Stone, Leafeon via a Leaf Stone, Umbreon at night, Espeon during the day, and Sylveon if they know a Fairy-type move," Darkrai added, before glaring at Vee. "For the record, your species is a genetic mess."

"Vwee?" Vee noised, head tipped in confusion.

"Okay, that's a lot of options," Ash said, flicking through his Pokédex. "And this only has the first three listed."

"Glaceon and Leafeon are native to Sinnoh, Umbreon and Espeon to Johto, and Sylveon to Kalos," Brock supplied. "Eevee, Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon were first documented in Kanto, so they'd be included in the Kanto 'dex."

"This is really frustrating," Ash muttered. "And then which one do you even go with?"

"Sylveon's a Fairy type, right? Because of needing to know a Fairy-type move?" Misty asked, looking pensive. "Then I pick that one—Fairy's strong against Dark, right?"

"Tell her I'm ignoring her," Darkrai said to no one in particular.

"Tell him I'm ignoring him too."

"Is this an improvement over fighting?" Ash asked Brock.

"I'll take it," Brock sighed.

Pikachu and Vee suddenly dodged into the bushes.

"That was unexpected," Ash noised.

"We'd better go see what they're up to," Brock said, following. "Those two are too well-behaved to just wander off."

"And whatever gave you that impression?" Darkrai asked.

"I hate to agree with him, but Vee does have a track record of dashing off," Misty said.

"Yeah, well," Brock sighed, squeezing through the brush. Ash followed Brock, Misty followed Ash, and Darkrai brought up the rear.

"Hey, look at this," Brock said from up ahead. They filed around him to find—

"An Eevee?" Ash asked.

"I thought there weren't any wild ones left in Kanto," Misty noised.

"There isn't," Brock said, crouching down and pointing. "This one has a collar, look. And leashed up with food and water—"

"In the middle of the forest?" Ash asked.

"Poor thing," Misty opined. "It's been abandoned."

The Eevee suddenly started vehemently barking.

They all looked to Darkrai.

"So what's it saying?" Ash asked.

"And why are you asking me?" Darkrai countered.

"Because you're a Pokémon that speaks more than Pokénese?"

"Oh, is that all I am to you? Forget it—I'm not talking."

Brock fished out an Oran cake. "And if we resorted to bribery?" he asked.

Darkrai took it immediately. "That makes you the only smart one of the bunch."

"Jerk," Misty muttered.

"So what did the Eevee say?" Ash prompted.

"That his trainer—Mikey—wouldn't abandon him," Darkrai said, breaking off pieces of the Oran cake and eating it. "This Mikey kid is supposed to be right back to get him."

"That's what they all say," Brock declared soberly; Ash wondered if he too was thinking about Charmander.

"When is he supposed to come back?" Ash asked.

"Day after tomorrow," Darkrai said.

"That's way too long to leave a domestic Pokémon unattended," Misty said, untying the Eevee as Vee chattered animatedly. "You come with us, we'll go find your trainer—and if he doesn't think he can take care of you anymore, then you can come with us."

"Pokémon aren't that vulnerable, are they?" Ash asked.

"It depends on how they were trained," Brock explained. "Contest 'mons, for example, are trained to not have as vicious of attacks as battle 'mons."

"And there's the fact that tame Pokémon forget that there is such a thing as a food chain," Darkrai added, finishing up the Oran cake. "The Eevee might have done all right if it wasn't tied up, but it was a literal sitting Psyduck—anything from Fearow to Ekans to remarkably hungry Rattata could have done him in."

"Well then," Misty said, standing with the Eevee in her arms and examining the tag. "When we find this Mikey, we'll give him a what-for. Where is Stone Town from here?"

"Right down the road," Brock said, pointing. "That was the next stop—they mine evolution stones there."

"Good for them," Darkrai said, dusting his claws off. "And now that I've got my Oran cake fix, I must leave you now."

"Don't like towns?" Misty asked in a teasing tone.

"Not at all," Darkai said, striking a dramatic pose. "The paparazzi have just become too much. Toodles."

And with that, he was gone.

"There's more ham to that guy than a whole herd of Grumpig put together," Misty declared.

"This may be true," Brock said. "Come on then—let's go find Eevee's trainer."

They entered Stone Town without incident, Pikachu riding on one of Ash's shoulders and Vee on the other, closer to the Eevee and chatting up a storm.

"I wonder if Eevee can learn Chatter," Ash mused.

"I doubt it," Misty said, looking around. "Do you see the address yet?"

"Right there," Brock said, pointing. "That big place that looks like a party's going on."

"All right," Ash cheered. "Maybe they knew we were coming, so they baked a cake!"

"I doubt it," Misty said again. "Come on then—let's see about Mikey."

They went up and into the garden in front of the building, looked around—

People were evolving their Pokémon.

"This is an evolving party?" Brock asked.

"Evolving party?" Ash echoed.

"If Pokémon evolve using a special item, their trainers generally throw a party for them, especially if it's a Pokémon very dear to them," Brock explained. "This one looks more like a group party."

"Huh," Ash noised, before tapping a guy on the shoulder. The guy turned to look at them, a box in his hand and an excited Poliwhirl next to him.

"Oh, hey, some late arrivals!" the guy declared. "Boxes are over on that big table, and there's a buffet over there, and a fountain and a battlefield over that way once your Pokémon's evolved—"

"Uh, we're not actually here for that," Ash tried to protest.

"We're looking for a kid named Mikey," Misty said, adjusting her hold on the Eevee, which was starting to get antsy. "We think he lost his Eevee, and we're sure he's worried."

"What? Hey!" the guy said, spotting Eevee. "Hey, that's great! Mikey and his brothers have been so worried about that little guy! Straight that way," the guy added, pointing. "In front of the evo boxes—they're the ones hosting the event."

"Great, thanks," Ash said, prompting the guy to nod and turn back to his Poliwhirl, which clapped happily.

"We should have a party for our Pokémon when they evolve," Ash said as they walked through the crowd.

"You'll jump at any chance to eat cake, won't you?" Misty asked.

"And your point?"

"None, I suppose," Misty sighed, before they were accosted by three boys about Brock's age and were forced to marvel at the hair they had.

"Eevee!" all three chimed.

"You found him!" the one with spiky yellow hair declared.

"We've been looking all over for him!" the one with poofy red hair said.

"Yeah, we can't have a party without the guest of honor present!" the one with wavy blue hair added.

"Guest of honor?" Ash echoed.

"Yeah—Mikey! Hey, Mikey! Look who's here!"

A little kid, maybe a few years younger than Ash, came forward—

And looked…decidedly not happy at the sight of the Eevee in Misty's arms.

"These nice trainers found Eevee and brought him back! Hey, thanks," the redhead said.

"Now we can get on with the main event!" the blond declared.

"Uh," Ash noised.

"What's going on?" Misty asked.

"We threw this party so our little brother could evolve his Eevee!" the redhead declared.

"Yeah, but he ran away the night before the party started," the blue-haired one said.

"And it was too late to cancel the party," the blond added.

"But now you've brought Eevee back, so everything's back on track!"

"So what'll it be, Mikey?" the redhead said, turning on the kid. "Which Eeveeloution will you pick? Go with Flareon—it's the best."

"Jolteon's the best!" the blond protested.

"No, Vaporeon is," the blue-haired one said, before apparently remembering there was an existing conversation going on and turning back to them. "As thanks for bringing Eevee back, stick around for the party! If you've got any Pokémon that evolve via stones, now's a good time to do it!"

"Uh," Ash noised, feeling he was going to have to expand his vocabulary soon.

"You've got a Pikachu, I see—that'll be a Thunder Stone. And you have an Eevee too! Vaporeon is the best choice, just so you know."

"No, Flareon is!" the redhead argued.

"Jolteon's the best!" the blond protested.

"Mikey, right?" Ash asked. When the boy nodded: "I say we run now while they're distracted."

They did so, and Ash didn't stop until he hit the buffet table.

"So are they always like this?" Ash asked him, taking a plate and filling it up.

"Unfortunately," Mikey sighed, petting his Eevee. "The plan was to keep Eevee away until after the party, so I wouldn't have to evolve him."

"Are you guys ready to evolve him, though?" Ash asked, pausing with tongs filled with hot dogs. "I mean, it's not like with a Charmander or a Doduo or a Magikarp—you have to actually choose to evolve it. And then Eevee has, like, eight? Eight known evolutions we were just talking about this—Jolteon and Vaporeon and Flareon, then they discovered Glaceon and Leafeon in Sinnoh and Espeon and Umbreon in Johto and now Sylveon in Kalos—how do you even pick one? And what if that's not all of them? There could be ten more for all we know."

"So you see my problem," Mikey said.

"I do—I mean, I hadn't given any thought to evolving Vee yet—do you want to evolve?" he asked Vee.

The Eevee froze in the middle of eating a pastry with Pikachu, caught in a fierce internal debate that eventually broke the poor 'mon down in tears.

"Hey! Hey! It's all right! I didn't ask for you to decide now!" Ash yelped, dropping everything to hug Vee.

"That's pretty much what happened with me and Eevee," Mikey said. "We talked about it a lot, but I can't see evolving him."

"So what's wrong with being an Eevee trainer?" Ash asked, petting Vee. Vee started to calm down, and Pikachu took the opportunity to snack on some of the food Ash had dropped.

"I haven't the foggiest—it's not like Eevee's not pretty strong in his own right," Mikey said, putting Eevee down so he could help Pikachu clean up the mess. "I mean, evolving's supposed to make a Pokémon stronger, right? But I like Eevee the way he is, and Eevee likes himself the way he is, so it'd be kind of pointless."

"So why don't you tell them that?"

"Ha—you try telling them anything. You saw how they are."

"Yeah," Ash said, leaning back and accidentally putting his hand in a pastry.

"Pika chu," Pikachu noised, pointing.

"Sorry," Ash said, moving his hand and shaking it a little to get the filling off. "Oh hey, wait a minute—Pikachu evolves into Raichu using a Thunder Stone. You didn't want to evolve, did you?"

Pikachu didn't even hesitate—automatic shake of his head.

"It's not that easy with those three," Mikey said. "I've tried telling them for over a month now, and they were too busy organizing the party to listen to me."

"Well, parties are fun, so…."

"And then before that—from the day I got Eevee, it was a huge argument over which 'eon was the best! You'd think there wasn't anything else to talk about!"

"Hmm," Ash noised, going back to petting Vee. "Hey, what if we showed them?"

"Huh?"

"You said Eevee is strong in his own right—I've got four badges right now. What if we challenged your brothers using Eevee and Vee? And Pikachu, to round it out, since it's three on three," Ash said, looking at Pikachu.

Mikey considered this. "That…might work…but what if we lose? They might make me evolve Eevee then!"

Ash shrugged. "Then we do our best to make sure we don't lose, how's that?"

Mikey nodded, looking like he was trying to keep from throwing up. Ash nodded back, scooped Vee and Pikachu up, stood and helped Mikey up. Look around—there were his brothers.

"Come on," Ash said, tipping his head and making his way through the crowd, grabbing Mikey's wrist to make sure he followed.

"There you are!" the redhead greeted when they spotted the two. "So what'd you decide? Flareon?"

"Get real—I told you Vaporeon's the best!" the blue-headed brother said.

"Jolteon's the best!" the blond insisted.

"Actually, guys, we were wondering if you'd agree to a battle," Ash said.

The three of them stopped dead, staring at them.

"Do what?" the redhead asked finally.

"You, us, battle," Ash said, indicating himself and Mikey. "Mikey has Eevee, I have an Eevee too, and a Pikachu that evolves using a Thunder Stone to round out the trio. We have the evolved 'eons battle the unevolved ones, and whoever wins is in the right."

"Meaning?" the blue-haired one asked.

"Meaning if you win, Mikey makes his decision on which 'eon to go with," Ash said. "Although I think you're really being limited, focusing on just the three."

"Uh," Mikey noised, looking like the bottom had dropped out of his stomach.

"But if we win, then you have to accept that Mikey and Eevee don't want to evolve, and stop pestering them about it."

"I don't know," the blue-haired one said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"But if this settles it—all right, you're on," the blond said, leaning forward. "And Mikey—when my Jolteon wins, you'll know for certain that Jolteon is the way to go!"

"Get real—Vaporeon's the best."

"Flareon's the best!" the redhead exclaimed.

"What about Glaceon or Sylveon?" Ash asked, earning him disparaging looks from the three brothers. "What?"

"All right, we accept," the blue-haired one said, glancing at the other two before nodding. "Hey everyone!" he called, addressing the party at large. "We're having a Pokémon battle!"

"I can't do this," Mikey muttered, hugging his Eevee and looking ill.

"You can't back out now," Ash insisted. "Besides, you said Eevee is strong—Pikachu and Vee are strong too. We'll win this easy."

Mikey didn't look convinced, but followed Ash over to the battlefield just the same.

"We'll do this as a triple-battle, just like in Unova!" the blond called, clenching his fist in dramatic fashion.

"A triple battle? What's that?" Ash asked—he had heard of a three-on-three battle, which is what he thought this was going to be, but—

"A triple battle is when you battle three Pokémon against three Pokémon at once," the blue-haired one said. "It's pretty challenging, so if you can't hack it…."

"No, we'll be fine," Ash said, twisting his hat back. "Go on! Vee! Pikachu!"

The Eevee and Pikachu ran out onto the battlefield, the latter with cheeks sparking. After a long moment of hesitation, Mikey set his Eevee down and nudged it, prompting it to run out and stand on Pikachu's other side.

"All right! Go, Jolteon!" the blond yelled, gesturing dramatically.

"Flareon!" the redhead yelled.

"Vaporeon!" the blue-haired one rounded out, imitating his brothers' dramatic posing.

"Onto the battlefield!" they all yelled at once—and all at once, the three 'eons named leaped out and landed on the battlefield, poised to charge just as soon as the order was given.

"I'm guessing they've been working on that," Ash said to Mikey, not taking his eyes off of the field.

"You have no idea," Mikey muttered, rubbing his face.

"Right," Ash said, spinning his hat around. "Pikachu, Double Team! Vee, Helping Hand!"

Pikachu's cheeks started sparking as he multiplied on the battlefield; Vee yipped an affirmative, starting to glow with the energy of Helping Hand.

"Helping Hand!" all three brothers yelled.

"Thunder Shock!" the blond added.

"Ember!" the redhead rejoined.

"Water Gun!" the blue-haired brother called.

"Dodge!" Ash yelled. "Pikachu, take the Thunder Shock!"

Pikachu nodded, jumped into the air to meet the electrical attack.

"Use Volt Tackle on Vaporeon when you hit the ground!" Ash ordered.

"Acid Armor, Vaporeon!" the blue-haired brother yelled.

"Jolteon, Pin Missile!" the blond called.

"Dodge, Pikachu! Vee, use Swift to counter! Mikey, start helping!" Ash barked, fists clenched, attention riveted on the battle.

"Ack, right! Eevee, Helping Hand and then Growl!"

It was a start, and it would wear them down, at least—Pikachu was hitting the ground running, aiming right for Vaporeon—

Which melted down into a puddle on the ground, causing Pikachu to miss completely.

"What was that!?" Ash asked, floored.

"Vaporeon can change its molecular structure to match that of water," the blue-haired brother said. "He can dodge any attack you throw at him!"

Really. "Pikachu, use Thunder Shock on that puddle."

"Dodge it, Vaporeon!"

The Vaporeon re-solidified and leaped out of the way in one smooth motion—

"Quick Attack, Vee!"

Vee slammed into Vaporeon's side, knocking the wind out of it—

"Flame Charge on Pikachu!" the redhead yelled.

"Dodge it Pikachu! Mikey, come on!"

"Quick Attack!" Mikey yelled.

"Pin Missile!" the blond yelled.

"Quick Attack, Pikachu!" Ash hollered.

"Flame Charge again!" the redhead ordered.

The three-way battle was quickly turning into a disorganized mess—none of them had any chemistry with fighting in tandem except Pikachu and Vee, and they were having to hold up Eevee. The Pokémon were all in a tangle, and they were getting harder to see in the dust being churned up by the battle. They needed a way to slow the opposing team down—think, Ash, think—

Aha.

"Pikachu, Eevee! Cover your eyes!" Ash called. "Vee! Sand Attack, Frenzy-style!"

Trainer and Pokémon alike paused to give him a nonplussed stare—Mikey actually looked kind of offended that Ash had given an order to his Pokémon—

And then Vee yipped his understanding before ramping to his hind legs and screaming at the top of his lungs.

Pikachu figured it out first, buried his face underneath his paws—Eevee followed suit a moment later once Vee's actions became clear.

Vee, for his part, was taking the imitate Frenzy order to heart—he had a pit dug out in the center of the battlefield by the time Ash called him off, and pretty much everyone within ten feet of the battlefield was covered in a fine layer of dust by the time it settled.

It also left three very confused, very blinded 'eons in its wake.

"Okay!" Ash said, grinning. "Mikey, you're in this too—Pikachu, Thunder Shock on Vaporeon! Vee! Tackle on Flareon!"

"Tackle Jolteon, Eevee!" Mikey yelled.

The brothers scrambled to fight back—their 'eons shot attacks blindly—

An Ember grazed Eevee.

Ash gasped at the sight of the fire staying—Eevee was burned—Pikachu took down Vaporeon but got a Muddy Water to the face—Jolteon was using Discharge—

"Wait until the Discharge hits, then use Refresh!" Mikey called.

"Vee, the hole! Pikachu, up!"

Vee dove for the hole he had dug as Pikachu jumped over the major part of the electrical attack—the airborne bolts hit but didn't do nearly as much damage as it would have on the ground. Vee's fur stood up, but otherwise he was safe there flat on the bottom of the hole he had dug.

Eevee braced himself, took the attack—

And then glowed, the burns and the electricity dancing along his fur disappearing.

"Refresh gets rid of any status conditions," Mikey told Ash, grinning now. "Eevee! Use Return!"

Ash had a puzzled moment of wondering just why Mikey was forfeiting the match—was even more so when Eevee started glowing, charging across the field and aiming for Jolteon—

"Dodge it!" the blond gasped—

Too late—Eevee connected with Jolteon, hitting it so hard that the brothers across the way had to dodge out of its way as it went flying. Jolteon skidded along the ground, didn't get back up.

And now it was just Flareon.

"Flame Charge again," the redhead ordered. "Build up your speed so they can't touch you!"

Ash grinned. "Pikachu, can you see well enough?"

"Pika pi KA!" Pikachu barked, nodding, fur on his back standing on end.

"Great—because guess what, friend? We train for speed. Quick Attack, and don't stop until you hit it!"

Pikachu barked, charged—

"He's on fire, idiot!" the redhead yelled. "Burn it, Flareon!"

"Thunder on impact!"

Pikachu's cheeks started sparking—

He collided headfirst with the Flareon, blasting its flames away with his Thunder. The Flareon went rolling from the impact—

Came to a halt, didn't get back up.

Pikachu landed, bounced a little—lifted his head up when he realized he'd won.

"And the three 'eons are unable to battle, so Ash and Mikey win!" Brock called.

"All right!" Ash cheered, jumping up and down before running over to Mikey, who looked stunned. "Did you hear that? We won!"

"We did," Mikey said blankly. "That's…wow…."

"VEE!" Mikey's Eevee cheered, running circles around Pikachu and Vee before launching itself at Mikey, practically glowing—

No, it was glowing—it hit Mikey's chest—

And then he was holding an entirely different Pokémon.

"Espyyy!"

"Woah!" Mikey—and pretty much everyone in the vicinity—gasped. "What—"

"Eevee…evolved, wow," Ash noised, checking his Pokédex—frowning when it came up empty. "Brock!"

"That's an Espeon," Brock said. "It's a Psychic type. They evolve—" Snap his fingers. "They evolve when they reach max happiness during the day! I bet you that's why it evolved!"

"But," Mikey noised, confused. "I thought you didn't want to evolve."

"Es," the Espeon chirped, before snuggling up against Mikey's neck and purring.

Misty was looking back and forth between Mikey's brothers. "Hey—I think I know. You three were only shilling Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon, right?"

The three brothers looked at each other, their Pokémon…started rubbing their heads sheepishly.

"You can't fault us for being passionate about our Pokémon," the redhead said.

"No," Brock said. "But I bet that's why Mikey's Eevee didn't want to evolve—it didn't want to evolve that way."

"Max happiness, huh?" Mikey murmured, rubbing Espeon's back—and then hugging it. "Me too."

Ash smiled, looked at Pikachu and Vee. "What do you guys think? Maybe someday?"

Pikachu looked thoughtful, but Vee barked with excitement.

"Yeah," Ash said. "Maybe someday."