Mario Party 3

Sylvia the Sylveon Chapter 11: A Bolt of Thunder

I don't remember how long I was out, but I did remember hearing voices after a while, both from the green haired man and someone else. The second voice was one I didn't recognize at all. I was, however, able to make out what they were saying, even though I was too weary to make a big deal out of it. The man who carried me sounded shocked.

"Whoa! Who are you?"

"Sir! That's my sister!"

"Your...sister?"

"Yes! I recognize the collar she has on! She was there when my trainer caught me."

"Wow...I never knew."

"Please...will you let me take care of her?"

"You seem to care about her very much. Okay. I'll leave her with you. She's hungry, so be sure to give her some food."

"Thank you very much. You are a kind human."

"You're welcome, my friend."

The voice that I didn't recognize sounded like it belonged to a Pokemon, even though the person carrying me was a human. I stopped hearing things after that, as I felt myself be placed onto something soft but wrinkly, like a big pile of leaves. My stomach growled, but I was too unconscious to complain about how hungry and weak I was. But the voice that didn't belong to the green haired man sounded just as nice and gentle, but with a slightly rougher edge to it. It sounded a little like Vapor's voice, but only a little lower, much less hoarse, and much less venomous. But after a while, I didn't hear the green haired man's voice again. I dreamed about whether he was the same one who saved Hikaru after she got cruelly abandoned and left to die. The lady on the TV at the Pokemon Center also said something about a green haired man being the one who called the police and told them about the illegal fighting happening in the house that Theseus and the others trapped me and Alseides and all those other Pokemon in. Could he have been the same one? I couldn't help but wonder.

Hikaru...I worried about her deeply, the whole time I was traveling. 'Where are you now? I hope you're okay. I hope we can be together again. Please don't forget about me or think I abandoned you...' I thought once while I was traveling, before I collapsed due to my persisting hunger. I knew she was a strong Pikachu who would never let anyone walk all over her, but that did prove to be a problem, as she was also reckless, quick to judge, and didn't show much restraint when push came to shove. I couldn't blame her, as she was very shielded due to all of those bad things that happened to her. No Pokemon deserves to go through what she did, and I probably wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. If humans really were kind, they'd kill us so that we'd never have to suffer through a cruel fate like being forced into eternal fighting or abused by cruel trainers or anything of the sort. I barely managed to save Alseides from dying from his wounds, but only because Moondancer happened to be there to help. Vapor isn't so lucky. He has to deal with Jason and the fact that he's a Jolteon, not a Vaporeon like he wanted to be, forever and is completely bitter as a result. Hikaru deserved someone who was kind to her, who would love her for who she is and not care about what she went through or her feral temper at times.

I wanted to sleep more, but I saw some green spots in the darkness, which prompted me to peel my pale blue eyes open. When I did, I saw some pretty shining sunbeams peeking through the leaves of some rather thick, evergreen trees that made them shine like emerald jewels. In a way, it was beautiful, but I knew that if I stared too long, I'd go blind, and nobody's supposed to stare at the sun. It's bad for their eyes. My nose managed to catch a very familiar aroma. When I looked around, I saw nothing but trees around me. When I looked down, I saw that I was laying on a pile of leaves, just like I suspected. My nose made me turn left and I saw some berries. Two Oran berries, two Pecha berries, a Rawst berry, and a Cheri berry. My stomach growled and cried for food. I didn't hesitate, so I chomped down on all of them and made sure to savor the tastes of all of them. Once I finished, I felt completely full and closed my eyes again. I burped a little. That was rude of me, but I couldn't help it.

"Wow...I feel so revitalized..." I mused to myself as I relished in the fact that I finally ate some food. I didn't care if I left myself open for some Pokemon to come and attack me, and I didn't question whether the food was mine or not. I was just happy to finally feel full. I did, however, feel something poking my cheek. It was soft and small, but I recognized it.

It was an Eevee paw.

"Eden! Don't touch her! You'll wake her up and she'll be grumpy!"

"You don't know that."

"Stop that! She'll get mad!"

"No she won't."

I was a little surprised by the high pitched voices, as I did wake up with a start. But what surprised me even more was that the Pokemon that woke me up were actually two little Eevee. One looked younger and smaller than the other. It had been a very long time since I ever saw other Eevee, but I recognized their features well. Deep, black eyes, pale chocolate brown fur, tan, fluffy neck fur, the tan tips of those big, fluffy brown tails, the tiny little paws, everything. For a moment, I almost thought they were some of my siblings until I heard the older Eevee refer to the younger one, her little sister, as Eden. I was the youngest in my family, so in a way, I did feel a little disappointed. When they saw me wake up looking all startled, the older Eevee gave Eden an austere look, like she was very disappointed.

"See what you did, Eden? You woke her up! Now she's gonna be all grumpy!" The older Eevee snapped. I could tell from their voices that they were both girls.

"Daddy! Merle's being mean to me!" The younger Eevee, Eden, cried as she ran into a bush.

"You're the one who's being mean, Eden!" The older Eevee, Merle, shouted as she ran into the bush, chasing Eden. I didn't feel tired or grumpy or mean. I actually felt a lot better after eating those berries, so I felt bad that I didn't get to tell them that I wasn't angry. I did start hearing voices again.

"Papa! Eden woke up the strange Pokemon!" Merle shouted in the bushes.

"Oh? She's awake?" The voice I heard talking to the green haired man asked curiously.

"She's so pretty, Daddy! Come see!" Eden begged sweetly.

"No way! You woke her up when you shouldn't have!"

"Now now, girls. Don't fight. If you do, it'll disturb her even more. I'll go check on her. Tell your mother that she's awake."

"Yes Papa," They both replied.

I was wondering who their father was until I received an even bigger shock. A Pokemon came out of the bushes to greet me.

A Jolteon.

I found myself frozen with shock, unable to say anything. The only Jolteon I knew was Vapor. Was Vapor saved? Did he leave Jason and decide to live the rest of his life the way he wanted even though he'll never be a Vaporeon? I couldn't believe it. But his gaze looked a lot kinder and softer than when I last saw him. His legs looked a little plumper than before, but they were still very slender. When he came to see me, he himself was frozen too, until he saw my collar. He smiled and ambled over to me.

"You're awake. Thank goodness you're alright. If that man hadn't saved you, you'd probably have died of starvation," He told me in a kind voice. The more I listened to his voice, the more I began to realize he wasn't Vapor. His voice was lower than Vapor's. That, and he made it very clear that he wanted nothing to do with me. This Jolteon, however, acted like he recognized me. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? You've really grown up, Sylvia."

I was scared, but I asked anyway. I needed to. I needed to find out who he was. He knew my name. If he wasn't Vapor, then... "Who are you? And how do you know me?"

"You don't recognize me, little sister? I recognized you because of that collar you have. It's me, Bolt," The Jolteon said.

Bolt?!

I was right. It wasn't Vapor after all. But...I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. I thought they were both playing tricks on me at first. Bolt?! The same Eevee who was arrogant, rambunctious, self-absorbed, boastful, and who always thought he was better than everyone else despite his small size?! The same Bolt who I witnessed get captured by Leonard?! The same Bolt who I failed to save?! The same Bolt who wanted to be a Jolteon some day?! The same Bolt who derided anything even remotely girly or anything that didn't turn out to be his liking?! The same Bolt who always hung out with Alseides?! The same Bolt who always called me and the other younger siblings annoying whenever he had the chance?! The same Bolt who always wanted to be first in everything?! The same Bolt who told me I'd never evolve because I was too weak and stupid?! The same gluttonous Bolt who'd occasionally steal everyone's leftovers?! The same Bolt who was the first to show disappointment over the fact that Moondancer intentionally left Floccesy Ranch to go on a personal journey to become stronger and called him a liar when he said he'd come and visit?!

The same Bolt...who was my big brother?

In order to cope with what possibly happened to Nicodemus and maybe even Dilandau, I kept my heart frozen with ice. But now that my big brother, the same one who I saw get caught by a trainer right before my eyes, is standing right before me, who actually recognized me right off and doesn't seem to notice that I evolved into a strange creature he never saw before, my heart became warm, melted, and soft. All the guilt I had from so long ago bubbled out, and with a loud cry, I leaped onto Bolt and hugged him.

"BOOOOOLT!" I screeched and cried as I squeezed him and wrapped my front paws around him. I was sure he was surprised my by hugging him, but I felt his paw gently stroking my fur, just like Moondancer did. It was real. First I reunite with Lucretia, then Moondancer, and now Bolt! Vapor and Alseides weren't happy to see me, so I didn't mention them. I couldn't believe the fact that I ran into nearly all of my siblings, one by one. It was too good to be true! But I saw them again, and saw how their lives changed.

"Don't cry, Sylvia," Bolt said in a kind voice.

The time had come for me to finally say what I wanted to say to him. I couldn't let this opportunity slip out from under my nose. I needed to get the guilt off of my soul, and I finally did, for the first time in over two years since that awful day.

"I...I saw you get caught by Leonard. I tried to save you, but he and his Pokemon were...too strong! I'm so sorry I was too weak to save you! It's my fault you got caught! Please, please don't hate me, big brother!" I blubbered as loud as I could.

Bolt looked quite surprised when I confessed my guilt to him. "Now why would I hate you because of that? I knew you tried your hardest to at least save me. Besides, it was mostly my fault. I was reckless and let down my guard. I thought I could beat him, but I was wrong. I was quite the stupid little Eevee back then. But now we've grown up."

I calmed down once he listened to me. It made me so happy to hear that Bolt doesn't blame me for his getting captured by Leonard. The guilt I held onto for two whole years and a few months had finally dissipated. I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my soul. But I couldn't help but notice that Bolt wasn't the same rambunctious, vain, arrogant, and boastful little Eevee I knew anymore. He was much more polite, much more courteous, and much more reserved than before. He talked in a soft, kind voice, and he wasn't loud and screechy as he was when he was an Eevee. I almost didn't think it was Bolt at all. I decided to bring it up.

"So...what happened to you? You're much more polite and courteous than you were when you were an Eevee," I asked curiously.

Bolt let out a hearty little laugh. "You've noticed. Yes, I definitely was a spiteful little brat back then. But Leonard taught me well. I learned the hard way that arrogance and recklessness will get me nowhere, and that I have to know my limitations or else I'll be defeated by anything and anyone. That's why I got captured, because I thought I was ready to take on the world. But I wasn't," Bolt explained kindly.

"Was Leonard nice to you?" This was a question I really wanted to have answered, and I wanted to know right then and there.

"Yes. He was a very kind trainer, albeit a little tactless and indecisive. He treated me and all of his other Pokemon like his best friends. He wasn't angry when I grabbed a Thunderstone and evolved into what I am now. In fact, he seemed quite happy even though he already had his Zebstrika, another electric Pokemon. He scolded me when I did wrong, he helped me when I needed it, I was there when he needed me, along with the other Pokemon, and I've gotten much stronger because of them. Their love made me strong, and it helped me realize how spiteful I was when I was an Eevee," Bolt replied with a very content and wistful smile on his face.

I exhaled a huge sigh of relief. Leonard treated him nice. I was afraid Bolt was being abused or mistreated like Alseides, Vapor, Hikaru, Nicodemus, and Dilandau. It made me even happier to know that Bolt was treated well. I could tell because Bolt looked very healthy and well taken care of. But I couldn't help but notice that Leonard wasn't with him.

"Where's Leonard now? I don't see him."

"That's the thing, Sylvie. He released me."

"Why?"

"Not out of spite or malice, just to clarify. I met a beautiful Glaceon here in this forest about a year and a half ago, and I was smitten. Leonard could see that I couldn't take my eyes off of her, and that we got along very well. He loved me very much, just like the rest of his Pokemon, but he knew that by separating me from her, I would never get the chance to settle down and have a family, and he seemed to know that, even though I loved him, I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. He figured it would be best that I stay here and start a family, as a chance like that would likely never come around again. I am very grateful to him, for both raising me and giving me the chance to make my own decision."

Bolt was lucky. Very lucky. Leonard treated him well, just like how Lucretia was being treated well by her trainer, too. They were friends. But once Bolt decided to make his own decision, Leonard seemed okay with it, even though it probably tore him up inside, so he let Bolt stay here out of kindness, not out of malice or spite. Bolt wasn't abandoned like Father was. I was so happy for Bolt. I was even happier that the world was kind to him. All of my worries and guilt finally disappeared in thin air, like they were never there in the first place. Bolt had been happy and well taken care of, and that made me happier than anything. I only wished that Vapor had been given that chance.

"I'm glad...I'm so happy you got to be treated well..." I muttered as I shed some tears. "I...I saw Vapor once."

"Vapor? How is he doing?"

"Not good. He doesn't have it as easy as you do. A trainer evolved him into a Jolteon against his will. I thought you were Vapor for a moment when you came to check on me. His trainer yells at him about everything and is using him for his own gain. I tried to save him, but he says there's no hope for him and that he doesn't want anything to do with me. He's accepted his...fate..."

Bolt's eyes slanted downward dejectedly and he looked down at the pile of leaves I was sitting on. "I see. Poor Vapor. He...doesn't deserve that. He was always the nicest Eevee out of all of us."

"I know! He deserves to be happy! But he took it as me wanting to change him back to an Eevee! Even I know that's impossible!"

"Some Pokemon receive emotional damage that is so deep, so profound, and so complete, that the wounds on their hearts may never heal."

Nicodemus said something similar, and Dilandau was definitely one of those Pokemon, only he had it much worse than Vapor. I don't know how deep the damage is for Alseides, and I don't know if he'll ever truly heal or not, even with the help he could be getting from that Pokemon Center.

"So...what Pokemon are you now?"

"A Sylveon. It's the new Eevee evolution."

"Sylveon...that sounds almost exactly like your name."

"Yeah."

"Do you know what type you are?"

"Yes. Fairy."

"Fairy? Is that a new one?"

"Yep."

"How'd you evolve?"

Because I didn't know exactly how I evolved, I decided to just go all out and tell him everything. From the scientists capturing me right up to the point where Nicodemus told me to run away. Like the others, Bolt just listened. He didn't interrupt me or say I was making it all up. I could see his dark eyes taking everything in like a sponge absorbing leftover water.

"I see. You have had a very rough journey," Bolt said.

"Bolt...tell me. Do you know how to get back to Floccesy Ranch?" I asked.

"Hmm..." Bolt closed his eyes, ruminated for a bit, and became very pensive as a result. Then he opened his eyes a few seconds later. "I know Leonard took a boat. But I don't remember which city we had to go to in order to get on that boat."

I looked down at the leaf pile, despondent and disappointed. "I see. It has been a long time after all, so of course you'd forget."

"I'm sorry I can't be of much help, Sylvia. But...I'm happy to know that Lucretia, Moondancer, and Alseides are alright, especially Alfie since you and Moonie saved him from death," Bolt said. I nodded with a slight smile in response to that. He was right. If Moondancer hadn't been there, I would have died from too much guilt, and it was bad enough not being able to save Katie from throwing herself off the Skyarrow Bridge and Vapor from Jason's cruel hands.

Then I remembered. "Oh! Bolt! Let me ask you...did you see a green haired man around?"

"Yes. I saw you in his arms and begged him to let me take care of you."

"Did you catch his name?"

"I'm afraid not. Sorry."

"Oh. I wanted to thank him for saving me and ask him if he helped Hikaru or if he called the police on the people who imprisoned me and Alseides. But it's okay."

Bolt smiled again. "I'm sure you'll see him again. By the way, would you like to meet my family?"

"Family?" I asked, confused.

He turned around to face the bush behind him. "Come on out, everyone!"

As soon as they heard his voice, the two Eevee sisters hopped right out and ran right up to me, their tails wagging and their dark eyes wide and bright like stars. Then, a beautiful, elegant looking Glaceon appeared. She looked just like the pictures of Glaceon I saw in that book. Her fur was a very pale shade of blue that almost looked white. Her long ears were shaped like diamonds, and the insides of them were a darker shade of blue, more like ocean blue. On her forehead were three big diamonds that looked smushed together, while two longer ones, with darker blue diamond shapes on the ends, descended from both sides of her head, hanging around and dangling like wind chimes. Her eyes, while a bit slanted, were a sweet greenish blue. Her paws and the tip of her tail were the same greenish blue color. As soon as she approached me, she examined me curiously with her eyes, then smiled.

"My! What a beautiful creature you are!" The Glaceon told me in a kind, motherly voice that sounded very much like a cross between Lucretia's and Mother's.

I blushed a little at her blunt but well intentioned compliment. "Oh! Th-Th-Thank you! But...I'm not beautiful at all. Really..."

She laughed a little. "Don't be so modest, dearie. Bolt's told us about you a great deal."

"Yeah! She's right! You're really pretty!" The oldest Eevee, Merle, exclaimed.

"You're so pretty!" The youngest Eevee, Eden, chirped happily.

"Thank...you...?" I replied shyly.

"Sylvia, I'd like you to meet my lovely and beautiful wife, Fuyuko, and my two adorable daughters, Eden and Merle," He introduced me to his Glaceon wife, Fuyuko, and his children, Merle and Eden, first, before introducing them to me. "Everyone, I'd like you all to meet my younger sister, Sylvia. She has evolved into a new Pokemon called Sylveon."

"So...that makes you our aunt!" Merle exclaimed.

Even I couldn't prevent the ungraceful dropping of my jaw. 'I'm an AUNT?! I have two nieces?! I have a sister-in-law?!' All kinds of incomprehensible thoughts scrambled around in my head. I assumed being an aunt meant that I really was no longer a child. Maybe I truly had grown up, like Moondancer said.

"Aunt Sylvia! Aunt Sylvia! How'd you evolve?" Eden pleaded happily.

"I...I...I..."

"Are you really Papa's sister?" Merle asked.

"Yes..." Their questions came by so fast, I couldn't find the time to let them sink in, let alone answer them.

"Girls, girls. Calm down. It's nice that you two are so excited, but she's getting a little frightened. Let's have breakfast together and let her take in her surroundings," Fuyuko told them.

"Awww! I wanna play with Aunt Sylvia!" Eden whined petulantly.

"She's right, though. I think we scared her. But we can play with her soon. Papa and Aunt Sylvia probably have a lot of catching up to do. Come on! Let's help Mama gather some berries," Merle said.

"We'll be right back, Aunt Sylvia! Mommy? Can I get her some Cheri berries?" Eden said as she trotted away, following Merle and Fuyuko as they left to find some more berries, leaving me and Bolt alone.

"Your kids are cute," I told him out of the blue.

"Thank you. I love them dearly. They really seem to like you," He told me with a content smile.

"Why? They only just met me."

"You're my sister, that's why, and they think you're beautiful."

"Should that really be all? I'm not worth liking at all."

"Don't say that, Sylvie. You have lots of good qualities."

"And you used to be the Eevee who said girls were yucky and gross."

Bolt let out a giggle. "Yes. I was definitely a spiteful thing back then. Oh, what a spoiled brat I was!"

"I...I'm happy you're alright."

"Me too. You certainly look a lot stronger. Care to battle me sometime? I'd love to see how strong you've gotten."

"Sure, but not right now."

Later, Fuyuko and the Eevee children came back with berries in abundance. Once we had breakfast, I wound up spending a majority of the day playing with Eden and Merle, as they seemed very excited to get to know me, even though I wasn't sure if I really lived up to their expectation of being their aunt. I wasn't sure if I even grew up at all. I didn't know how old I was. I wasn't sure if I was still a child or not. Maybe, in a way, I was still a child. But discovering that I was an aunt...it was a real shock, to be honest. All of a sudden, I have a sister-in-law and two nieces who already declare me part of their family. I wasn't sure I'd be able to meet their expectations of me or deal with the fact that they were looking up to me, just a weak Sylveon whom they just met. A complete stranger in their eyes. Once I got over the shock, however, I relished in the comfort of reuniting with yet another one of my brothers and how lucky he was to have a wife and kids. He really deserves it.

About a little later in the day, Bolt and I battled, just like how Moondancer and I did. Unlike with Moondancer, I wound up losing, probably because Bolt was raised by a trainer and he probably got trained differently from Moondancer and I. I didn't mind losing, though. I wasn't too fond of battling anyway, even if it's supposedly the simplest way for us to communicate. I kind of expected Fuyuko and the girls to not like me once I lost the battle, as I was too used to being bad-mouthed and rejected by others, but they didn't mind at all. They comforted me and said I'd do better next time. One time, when Bolt took the girls out for training in the woods, I found myself alone with Fuyuko. We wound up chatting quite a bit.

"So Sylvia, you say you were evolved against your will?"

"Yes, I was."

"Do you know how you evolved?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I don't know how," I wondered if the secret to evolving an Eevee into a Sylveon was still a mystery, even though it had been two years since a Sylveon's existence was confirmed. Surely they'd have a bit more publicity after that.

"I see."

"Do I...look funny?"

"Not at all, sweetie. I think you're a darling little creature. The girls seem to like you very much. Where did you say you were from again?"

"Floccesy Ranch. You don't know where it is. I heard it's across the sea."

"Yes, it's true I haven't heard of it other than from Bolt. We'd love to help you get back there, but we have no means of doing so."

"It's okay. I'm used to it."

"But to think you've spent two years on a long journey just to get back there...it's a miracle you even made it this far all on your own."

"I did have some help. Mostly from some friends and some people and Pokemon I don't know," I thought about asking her if she knew the green haired man, but I decided against it. I wasn't sure if she knew or not, and the possibility that she didn't seemed high. It seemed pointless to ask.

"What do you plan on doing when you finally get home?"

"I want to make sure Mother, Father, and whoever else is back there knows that I'm alright so they don't have to worry anymore. Then I'll decide what to do from there."

"Home is always a safe place to be, as it's where you're always loved and accepted no matter what. However, if you stay in one place for the rest of your life, your world will only expand as far as you want it to, and if you keep yourself there forever and ever and ever, you'll be miserable."

"I wonder if that's what Moondancer thought before he evolved."

"Probably. He's the solemn and aloof brother, isn't he?"

"Yeah, though not so much anymore. My brother Yuki wants to be a Glaceon when he's older. How did you evolve?"

"I got separated from my family once, and we got caught in a terrible snow storm. I almost died until I found myself evolving into what I am now. I managed to fare better and I found them, though they didn't recognize me at first. We survived, but later in life, we all went our separate ways."

"I see. Glad you survived. My brothers Vapor and Alseides weren't so lucky."

"Bolt told me. I'm sorry to hear about what they've went through."

She did have a really good point about not staying in one place forever. Ever since I was taken away from Floccesy Ranch, I met just as many good people and Pokemon as there were bad people and Pokemon. I met friends like Claudia, Viole, Hikaru, Twilight, Poppy, Silas, Heidi, Kayoko, Nicodemus, Danali and her family, the green haired man, Magic, Minko, Hazel, Papillon, Claudine, Kayoko's other Pokemon, Cecilia, the Audino who comforted me in the Pokemon Center, and even the Serperior who comforted me when Katie died. I even got reunited with Lucretia, Moondancer, Alseides, and Bolt. I even met his family! They've all helped me so much during my journey, and they taught me many things, like how I should always be there for someone when they need me, and how, even though I want someone to be happy, you can't force yourself into someone's life and try to make their decisions for them. They may not like it. It was so wonderful to meet all the people and Pokemon who were kind to me and helped me when I needed it. But I've also met my fair share of bad Pokemon, like Dilandau, Theseus, Hubbard, Gator, those Venipede that attacked me in Pinwheel Forest, the poachers, Jason, and the people who kidnapped me. I wasn't sure whether to classify doctors Urbschat and Mingues as bad, because even though they did do some bad things, I had a feeling they did it only because they were forced to and didn't agree with the other people in regards to what they were doing to me and the other Pokemon.

After a while, Bolt came back with the girls. After a lot of thinking, I decided to stay with them and recover my strength. I spent pretty much all my time with Bolt, Fuyuko, Merle, and Eden. It felt so great to finally be with a family again, even if the family I spent time with was slightly different than the one I was used to, when I was just the scrawny little runt. Best of all, I got to be with Bolt again and tell him everything I went through, and he accepted the fact that I evolved. I was glad he got the chance to live his life and do whatever he wanted. Fate had been very kind to him in that regard. Eden and Merle seemed to really enjoy my company and wasted no time in making me play with them at every possible opportunity. At first, I thought it was a little improper of me to be playing with some kids, as I assumed I had grown up considerably, but Bolt and Fuyuko didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, Bolt seemed happy that I was still the sweet, fun-loving Eevee he knew and loved, so I put aside my worries and played with his children to my heart's content. It felt so great to play with them. Playing with them reminding me of when I was little, when I used to play with Bambi, Serena, and the rest of my siblings in the lavender fields. I really missed Floccesy Ranch and those purple flowers.

One day, about a week after the green haired man left me with my brother, Eden and Merle both made a proclamation that surprised me.

"Aunt Sylvia! I've decided that I wanna be a Sylveon when I grow up!" Merle proclaimed, her voice loud and clear.

I couldn't believe what I heard. Merle wants to be a Sylveon? But how would she be able to evolve into one when I didn't even know how I evolved myself? I wasn't sure how I'd be able to answer them, but I couldn't just destroy their newly cultivated dream. That'd be horrible of me.

"Oh! Oh! I wanna be a Sylveon, too!" Eden piped in, hopping up and down cheerfully.

"What?! No fair! If you be a Sylveon too, other Pokemon won't be able to tell us apart!" Merle retorted, surprised by her younger sister's bold decision.

"Yes they will! You're the mean one and I'm the nice one!" Eden chirped proudly.

"I'm not mean! You're the mean one!" Merle argued.

I couldn't help but laugh a bit at their squabbling. "You're both nice Eevees in your own way. It's great that you want to be Sylveon."

"When I grow up, I wanna be just like you, Aunt Sylvia!" Merle exclaimed proudly.

"Huh? But...why? You only met me a week ago, and I haven't done anything for you," I asked, surprised yet again by Merle's declaration.

"So? I think it's great you traveled around so much and got to meet lots of Pokemon! Besides, you're Papa's sister and you're nice to us. Some of the Pokemon around here don't like us much, and I wanna be strong so I can show that I'm not some foo-foo little piece of fluff," Merle said.

I smiled. "I'm glad."

Then, something struck me right there. I was suddenly reminded of my mother's words. An opportunity was presented in front of me, and I knew that if I let it slip, I'd never be able to get it back. I decided to teach my nieces the words that my mother taught me, the words I've always clung to ever since I was kidnapped by the Kalos researchers.

"I want you both to listen to me very carefully. I'm not gonna stay here much longer, because I have things to do," I told them.

"Awww! You're leaving soon? Why can't you stay here forever?" Eden cried sadly at the news.

"I'd like to, but there's something important I need to do. But I would like to tell you two something very important. When you both get older, you'll meet lots of humans and Pokemon. Some will be your friends and some won't like you. Some humans may want to catch you. Most people treat the Pokemon they catch very nicely, like Bolt was. But there are some bad humans out there who hurt Pokemon and use them for whatever they want. I really want to tell you that...no matter what happens, always remember who you are. Don't ever forget who you are and what you want to be. Grow up to be gentle, good, and kind Eevee. If someone's sad, help them in any way you can, as it can go a very long way," I thought about Kayoko and how my being there for her helped her grow into the Pokemon trainer she always wanted to be. I hoped that, whatever happened to her back then, she didn't lose her Pokemon. "Sometimes there will be humans and Pokemon who say they don't need help, but when in reality, they need it more than anything in the world, though there are times when you'll need to give them space. If someone tells you it's okay to do bad things, like hurt humans or steal food or leave someone to be hurt and die, don't listen to them. Some people like to trick Pokemon as a way to hurt them or kidnap them or make them go on the wrong path. Remember to be yourselves, and not what others want you to be. If someone tells you it's not okay to be who you are and it's cooler to be something else, something bad or something you don't want to be, don't listen to them. You're your own Pokemon, with your own dreams and personalities. Don't let anyone break your hearts or make you think your being alive is wrong."

Merle and Eden listened, just like how I did when Mother said her words to me. My two nieces nodded silently, though I could tell they still looked a bit stupefied by what I said. I was stupefied when Mother said her words to me, but I learned later on in life, and I was sure Eden and Merle would too. Later, Bolt and Fuyuko came back. I needed to tell them, so I did.

"You're leaving?" Fuyuko asked.

I nodded solemnly.

"Don't leave, Aunt Sylvia! You're awesome and I like you!" Eden cried as she clung to my leg. She reminded me of myself when Moondancer first evolved and left for his journey. My heart sagged for my youngest niece. I didn't bother to force her off.

"Please don't think you're imposing or being a burden on us. We'd be more than happy for you to live with us forever, as it's been such a long time since we've seen each other," Bolt told me a little sadly. I could tell that my big brother had really grown up since we were tiny little Eevee. When he was young, he didn't care whether I left or got hurt or not, and seemed content with not caring. But at that moment, I could almost see tears coming out of his eyes, even though he was holding them back. It really surprised me to see how much Bolt had changed since then, but at the same time, it made me happy.

In my heart, I wanted to stay with them. I wanted to be part of their family and be with them forever. Even though we'd be in a forest forever, it'd be wonderful to finally be with a family, surrounded by people who loved me and didn't mind my occasional weirdness and forgetfulness. I missed out on the opportunity to be with Lucretia so many years ago, but that was because I wasn't sure if her trainer would like me or not, as Sylveon were still new to the world back then. Even though it'd increase my chances of getting captured or attacked by trainers or other Pokemon, I wouldn't mind because Bolt would be with me. However, even though Bolt said I wouldn't be a burden if I did stay, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to take proper care of his daughters. Plus, Fuyuko had a good point about not staying in one place for too long. Not only that, being in a forest would increase my chances of getting captured by some traveling trainers or attacked by other Pokemon. If I was caught in front of them...I didn't want to make them carry that kind of guilt.

"Thank you all for taking care of me. I'm so glad I got to meet you all, and Bolt, you really can't understand how happy it makes me to see how well you're doing and how much you've changed. Honestly, I'd love to stay. But there are things I have to do, and things I have to finally get off my chest once and for all. I hope you understand and don't think I'm trying to be mean," I told him.

"I know, Sylvia. I can't force you to change your mind once you have it set on something, since that'd be rude of us. We wish you a safe journey back to Floccesy Ranch," Bolt told me as he licked my face kindly. Oh, how nice it felt to finally be licked by him after so long! The only time Bolt licked me was when he and I were really tiny babies, before he turned into a mischievous little prankster.

"If you ever see the green haired man again, tell him I said thanks for saving me," I said.

Fuyuko nodded. "We will, Sylvia."

"You'll come and visit, right? It'll be no fun here without you!" Merle asked with a wistful gaze in her dejected eyes.

"If I get the chance, of course I will, once I get everything I need done," I stroke her fluffy head of chocolate brown hair gently, smooshing it down into her head. "Merle. You be a good girl and be nice to your parents and Eden. Okay?"

"I will. Don't forget about us, Aunt Sylvia!" Merle replied.

"I'll never forget any of you. So...goodbye," I whispered to them before running off. I didn't want to stay there any longer, because if I did, it'd make the goodbye much harder, so I wasn't able to hear their last words...except for Bolt's.

"We'll miss you, Sylvia! Take care of yourself and tell Mother and Father that I'm okay! Farewell, my little sister!"

I branded his words into my brain and kept on running. I wasn't sure how long I ran, but I sure did run fast. Soon enough, I couldn't hear Bolt, Fuyuko, Merle, or Eden anymore. I didn't see the forest we lived in anymore. I found myself in another empty meadow, with some crunchy, dark colored leaves scattered around. I saw some Swanna flying across the sky contentedly and happily, in the shape of a V. I wished I could fly, so it'd be so much easier to be in contact with everyone, and if I could fly, I could go to Floccesy Ranch within mere seconds. I wondered if there were any flying type Pokemon big enough to carry me. Soon, I found myself too tired to run anymore. But I wasn't so tired that I didn't find the energy to break down crying and bury my face in the grass. It felt so great to be reunited with Bolt, and it felt so great to finally let go of the guilt that cultivated because of watching him get captured by Leonard so long ago, but leaving him behind like that made a different kind of void appear in my heart. I wasn't sure if I'd ever see him or his wife and kids again.

My thoughts got interrupted by a very strong blow that sent me flying through the air and sprawling on the grass. It really hurt! I felt like I got smacked by a gigantic rock. Despite the pain, I managed to get back up and see who hurt me. The culprit turned out to be a really, really big, fierce, ferocious, and grey Pokemon with a tan belly, tan claws, crimson red eyes, and a really big, sharp looking horn on its nose that looked a lot like one of those drills. As I looked further, I saw a woman sitting in some kind of weird chair with big wheels. She looked really old, but much younger than Heidi, and had messy dark brown hair and solemn looking cobalt blue eyes that shined like steel. She was wearing a tan jacket, a pink scarf, black jeans, and brown boots. In one of her hands was a red and white PokeBall.

A PokeBall...then it dawned on me.

She intended to catch me.

I tried to run, but the big horned Pokemon stood in front of me, looking like it really wanted to defeat me no matter what. The woman in the chair with wheels didn't say anything nor did she seem willing to stop this Pokemon from rampaging. I assumed this Pokemon belonged to her.

"Rhydon. Use Stone Edge," The woman said in a low, solemn voice.

The Pokemon, Rhydon, made a battle stance and all of a sudden, some really sharp stones appeared in mid-air. After that, they all came flying toward me. I tried to run away from them, as I didn't have any attacks that could possibly deflect them or negate them, but they came so fast, most of them managed to hit me. After I got hit, I tried to get up, but my body felt limp like a pillow that had been beaten up too much and I couldn't move. My legs felt weak, like someone had sucked all the energy out of me like a Woobat that used Leech Life. The gigantic Pokemon loomed over me, looking like it wanted to eat me. I wound up remembering my first meeting with Claudia and how terrified I was of her before I realized she was nicer than she looked.

"Please...please don't hurt me!" I implored desperately.

"Sorry about this. It's nothing personal. Desaline likes you and wants to be your friend. Don't think badly of us," The Rhydon told me in a solemn but kind voice, nothing like her vicious exterior. I was surprised to find that this Rhydon was female. I thought she'd be a male considering how scary and bulky she looked. Before I knew it, the woman in the wheelchair, Desaline, rolled over to me and threw a PokeBall at me.

All of a sudden, I found myself trapped in a cramped space, though I could see outside because the shell was see through. I tried to get out, but found myself too weak to break through. I had been captured, just like Bolt had been. But I was happy that I wasn't caught in front of Bolt and his family, thank goodness for that. I sure did thank my lucky stars that I did leave them when I did, because I didn't want them to carry the guilt that I had just thrown off of me. I wound up losing consciousness inside the ball. But when I woke up, I found myself in what appeared to be a Pokemon Center. I was still inside the ball, but it looked like I was in some machine. For some reason everything looked a whole lot bigger than I was, like I had shrunk down to the size of a Joltik.

Then, I felt some hands pick up the ball I was in and put me in their pocket. I couldn't see what was going on, but I spent quite a bit of time in there. Finally, I found myself getting released onto what appeared to be a big meadow. I was happy to be outside the ball, but I turned around and saw the woman and all of her Pokemon with her, most of which I had never seen before. The Rhydon from before was there, along a pink, white, and blue thing that looked like it was made of crystal, a beautiful, majestic, yellow, nine tailed fox like creature, a big, pudgy orange mouse thing with pointed and curled yellow and black ears, yellow cheek pouches, a black tail with a yellow tip shaped like a thunderbolt, dark brown paws and feet, and a big, white, oval shaped splotch on its belly, a big, light blue dragon with big red wings, and a Vaporeon. The only small Pokemon there was a pale green thing with red eyes and a big leaf on its head. The woman, the Rhydon said her name was Desaline, wheeled toward me with a soft smile on her worn out face.

"Hello there. We're sorry to have startled you. I hope you don't mind me looking up what kind of Pokemon you are," Desaline told me kindly as she pulled out some kind of rectangle shaped machine and looked at it. Then, the machine actually spoke, which made me jump quite a bit.

"Sylveon, the intertwining Pokemon, and the 8th evolved form of Eevee. It is the first ever fairy type Pokemon to be discovered. Fairy types are strong against dragon, dark, and fighting types while weak against poison and steel types. It is three feet tall and weighs fifty two pounds. It's known attacks are Bite, Quick Attack, Trump Card, Moon Blast, and Swift. Other attacks it can learn are Fairy Wind and Draining Kiss. It's special ability is Cute Charm, and its means of evolution are still unknown," The machine explained in a very monotone and robotic voice, like it knew me from a long time ago.

Fairy Wind? Draining Kiss? I didn't know those attacks, but the machine said I could learn them. I wondered what those attacks were like. But I was also confused by the fact that it called me an intertwining Pokemon. Was it referring to my long flowy protrusions? I wasn't sure. But I also heard it say I was strong against dark types. I wonder if that was why I managed to win against Moondancer? Poison types...I almost lost to the Venipede back in Pinwheel Forest because I was weak to their poison. But soon after, Desaline put the machine away.

"Ah, so you're the first ever fairy type. I'm so glad I got to live to see a brand new type come into view. We'd love to be your friend, if you want, as I like you very much," Desaline told me.

At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted to or not, even though I was already caught. But all of her Pokemon looked so strong and devoted, like they trusted her completely. They all looked like they had some kind of history with her, and it seemed like they shared many experiences together. Plus, she seemed nice, like Kayoko was, so I decided not to be afraid and trust her. Desaline smiled and very slowly and gently stroke my fur. I couldn't help but think her hands felt thin and weak, like they had the energy sucked out of them. Then she pulled it back.

"I have to go inside and see my doctor now. He'll be here in a few minutes. Why don't you all play for a while?" Desaline said as she wheeled into her small orange house. I was surprised she was able to do so until I realized that the meadow we were sitting on was quite flat, which makes it easy for a woman in a wheelchair to get around. The leaf Pokemon was the first to approach me.

"Hi there! You're so pretty!" The leaf Pokemon chirped in a sweet voice, which reminded me of the voice I had when I was a little Eevee. I couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks," I said.

"Pheh! This prissy little pansy doesn't look like she can do anything!" The crystal-like Pokemon sneered.

"Come now, Polly! There's no need to be so rude! You should know better than that!" The Rhydon scolded, then turned to me. "Please excuse that callous Porygon over there. She always says whatever's on her mind. I'm Donella by the way. Sorry I had to attack you back there," The Rhydon, Donella, explained.

"I've been attacked before, so I'm used to it by now, though you did surprise me. So are you all her Pokemon?" I replied.

"Why, yes. We've been with her ever since she first became a Pokemon trainer as a young girl. We're all from different regions. Desaline has crossed many regions over the decades and we couldn't be happier. Oh! I'm Kitsune, a Ninetales. We're very pleased to meet you," The Ninetales, Kitsune, explained in a very ladylike voice that sounded a lot like my mother's.

"Hi! I'm Megan, a Chikorita! I'm her newest friend!" The Chikorita, Megan, chirped happily. "Wanna play with me?"

"I'd love to," I replied.

Megan cheered and started hopping around. "Yay! Yay yay yay yay! I'm gonna play with the first ever fairy type!"

"I'm Ame, a Vaporeon. Is it true you're a new Eevee evolution? How did you evolve?" The Vaporeon, Ame, asked. He sounded young, so it didn't seem like he was one of my siblings. But I did feel a little wistful in that Vapor could have been like him had he been caught by a nicer trainer, not Jason.

"Yes, it's true, but I don't know how I evolved," I told him.

"I'm Lucius the Raichu! You better remember it!" The Raichu, Lucius, exclaimed boldly, which kind of made me back away a few steps, he was so loud and tough.

"Lucius, you'll scare the child. He thinks he's tougher than he really is. I'm Salamandra, a Salamence. Don't mind my large size. All Salamence are big like I am, so pay it no mind," The Salamence, Salamandra, told me. "Little Megan here hatched from an egg three months ago, so she was the most recent member of our team until she just caught you. But I think you'll like Desaline. She is a kind and wonderful woman who adores all Pokemon, weak or strong."

I wasn't afraid of Salamandra. Not one bit. I could tell she was nice right off. But since they knew her for so long, there was something I wanted to ask. "Do you know why she's in that wheelchair?" I asked.

"Yeah! Why is she in the wheelchair?" Megan asked, like she also didn't know.

As soon as Megan and I asked that question, they all donned very dejected faces, like something really bad had happened. Even Lucius and Polly, who both looked so proud, strong, and determined, looked woefully sad. I wondered if I said something wrong.

"Desaline...she's going to die soon," Kitsune choked out, like getting the words out was the hardest thing she ever did.

I couldn't blame her for sounding like a choked up Tympole.

"She's...dying?! Why?!" I yelped with shock. I could tell Megan looked pretty shocked because of how unusually large her cherry red eyes suddenly got.

"Yes. She's had a bad disease for a while called...uhh...I think it was spinocerebellar ataxia. Yeah, that's it. She's been sick for the past three years now. It's a disease that completely cripples her body little by little, to the point where she can't talk, walk, eat, or do anything. She may look fine now, but in time, she'll turn into a person who's completely bedridden and can't move at all," Lucius explained sadly.

I couldn't believe what I heard. Desaline caught me today, and yet she's dying of some disease that'll kill her in a few years? I didn't know how to react. I just simply stared down at the grass, unable to move. I think Megan did too. She was just a young Chikorita. A little kid. There was no way she could take it in stride. Immediately, Megan started crying. Kitsune walked over to her and wrapped her in one of her tails to comfort her, but it didn't seem to do any good. How could it?

"Then...if she's dying, then why did she catch me?" I choked out, similar to how Kitsune choked out the news.

"She lives with some people who have been tasked to take care of her until she dies. But she misses being surrounded by Pokemon. Years ago, she was a force to be reckoned with, and so were we. We won many Pokemon Leagues and saw many Pokemon in our travels. It was her dream to be surrounded by Pokemon friends, and I heard her say to her children once that she wishes to die in peace, surrounded by the friends who helped her become the strong woman she is now, and that's us. But she loves Pokemon in general, no matter how weak they are," Salamandra explained kindly but sadly. She looked tough, but I could tell she was about to burst into tears.

"Desaline will live! I know it! She's far too strong to let some disease tear her down! Not with everything we've been through!" Ame exclaimed forcefully.

"What do you think, Polly?" Donella asked.

"To be perfectly honest...she needs to die. Now," Polly replied solemnly.

Everyone's eyes grew large.

"Polly! How dare you say such a horrible thing! Are you really such a heartless Pokemon?!" Salamandra roared angrily and looked like she was about to eat her.

"That's not what I mean! Look, I love her just as much as you all do! But...is it really worth it to watch her suffer and be turned into a prisoner trapped in her own body? Wouldn't she be happier if she were free from her suffering once and for all? If she's dead, then she won't have to be imprisoned by her sickness anymore. Besides, even if she dies, her children can still carry on her legacy. They're just as great as she is. They're probably stomping all over the Kalos region with her awesomeness!" Polly explained.

Everyone fell silent. She had a good point. I never thought about death that way. All I really knew about death was that if a Pokemon dies, they can't come back no matter what. But I never knew that it could mean that they'd be free from suffering. Maybe when people or Pokemon die, they won't be sad or hungry or cold or hurt by abusers. Perhaps Alseides' suffering would end if Moondancer and I didn't take him to the Pokemon Center in time.

But Polly said something else that caught my eye. Kalos?

"Did you say Desaline's kids are in Kalos?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah," Polly replied in a deadpan voice.

"There are lots of new Pokemon there, right?" I asked.

"Yeah. Last week I heard Des talkin' to her kids on the computer. They caught some new Pokemon and are gonna come and visit when they have time."

In a way, I was happy that Desaline caught me. All of her Pokemon talked about her like she was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to them and how they've gone through so many hardships and overcame them with a smile. Desaline seemed so nice, so kind, I couldn't get it in my heart to leave her, so I stayed with her. For two years. During that time, lots of things happened. But one thing I noticed about Desaline was that she always pushed her Pokemon rather hard during training. She commanded us to use our attacks on each other during training, and nobody held back. Not even Salamandra, who was the strongest Pokemon she had. Desaline tried to teach me to use the attacks I didn't know like Fairy Wind and Draining Kiss...and she put me up against Salamandra to do it. I almost lost the battle against her. It took me quite a long while to learn them, but when I did, I could tell she looked quite proud. I learned more fairy type moves. I managed to actually win against Salamandra, who said something like, "I never thought I'd see the day in which I'd lose to a cute little fairy." That made me happy. I was happy I was getting stronger. But I was also happy that Desaline, despite the disease potentially crippling her, was not giving up and still focusing on giving her Pokemon, me included, the best treatment she could give us. Her caregivers were concerned that she was pushing herself too hard, but Desaline countered by saying that if she didn't push herself, she'd be setting a bad example for her beloved Pokemon. Not once did I think she set a bad example at all. She was nice, she was strong, she was tough, and never gave up on both herself or us, even as her speech began to slur and her movements began to get rather erratic. She figured she'd lose her speech, so that's why she talked and yelled as much as possible during our training.

Because Megan was still new to their style of training, I decided to take her under my wing. In a way, she reminded me of Papillon, the Caterpie who I looked after when I was staying with Kayoko. She stopped crying over Desaline and decided to get stronger for her sake, so I decided to support Megan and battle her from time to time. Desaline and the other Pokemon helped too. A year after I was caught, Megan finally evolved into a Bayleef. We were so proud of her. Desaline was too, and she was virtually silent when she evolved. Later on, both Polly and Donella found items that helped them evolve into Porygon2 and Rhyperior. They looked stronger, and were happy that Desaline was proud of them. Unfortunately, after that, Desaline's condition began to worsen. She found herself unable to move, eat, talk, or do anything else. She was too sick to continue helping us train. She had to go to the hospital and stay there. But that was also the time her children, Jolene and Callum, came to visit. They came to the house first and left a bunch of their Pokemon there so the caregivers can look after them while they went to visit their mom. Donella told me that Desaline's husband died in a car accident a few weeks after they won the Unova League. All the Pokemon they brought were all kinds I never saw before, and neither did anyone else. Among them were a fluffy pink and white bird, a Pokemon that looked like cotton candy, a big blue frog, a pink butterfly Pokemon (it's not a Butterfree or Beautifly), a blue lobster, and a little blue dinosaur with aurora like eyelashes.

But the Pokemon that caught my attention the most were the gigantic brown and green goats. They looked like parent and child, and I was surprised when one goat Pokemon just started running toward me like it was about to run me over. This goat Pokemon was bigger than me, about Kitsune's size. It had small black horns, shaggy brown fur with leaves all over the top of his body, orange hooves, white legs, and a brown, oval shaped nose. I was quite surprised by this big goat Pokemon, and even more so when the other one showed up, and it towered over the both of us. It wasn't as big as Claudia, but it was pretty big. I evaded the smaller goat Pokemon when it ran toward me until I learned why it seemed so interested in me.

"Wanna play? Huuuuh?" The goat Pokemon asked in a small, high voice that sounded like it belonged to a little boy.

"Uhh…" At first I was unsure, because this Pokemon was bigger than me. "Are you a fully grown Pokemon?"

"Nope nope nope! My daddy's the big Gogoat over there! I'm Skinner, a Skiddo! Wanna play?" The Skiddo, Skinner, exclaimed happily.

'He's bigger than me and he's a baby?' I thought, a little perturbed by the fact that this big goat Pokemon was still a baby. But then again, it does explain the other goat Pokemon, the Gogoat, being bigger. The Gogoat was his father. Skinner seemed nice, so I decided to play with him. As it turned out, he was a lot of fun to play with.

Not only that, they even brought something called a Dubious Disc with them and used it on Polly to evolve her to her final stage, a Porygon-Z. She looked pretty cool. About another year later, Megan finally evolved to her own final stage, a Meganium. She looked so strong, so graceful, and so experienced.

"Yay! I finally evolved! It's all thanks to everyone here, including you, Sylvie!" Megan chirped as she gently nuzzled me with her nose. I got reminded of Papillon and how happy she and everyone else was when she evolved into a Butterfree.

But with joys like that came more hardships and sorrow. Desaline's disease progressed faster than everybody expected, and she fell into a coma. Jolene and Callum got us Pokemon to her bedside, fearing the worst. Donella, Megan, and Salamandra were too big to get into her hospital room so they had to be outside. But they had another reason for not joining us. They said they didn't want to see their beloved trainer die in front of them, so they stayed outside. A machine called a respirator was keeping her alive artificially. We looked down at her, and she had a soft, serene smile on her swollen yet solemn, sleeping face. She looked so peaceful, so content, like she was finally comfortable, like she knew we were all there, like her wish was being fulfilled at last: dying while being surrounded by everyone she knew and loved, her Pokemon included. I couldn't help but feel sad. There was nothing we could all do to help her or save her from this cruel disease. Unlike Katie, who chose to take her life, and who I was too late to save, I knew I couldn't have saved Desaline no matter how much I tried. Katie chose death, Desaline didn't. But she chose to live her life with her family and friends, even though death would soon take her.

Then, something happened.

She croaked out a weird sound in her sleep.

"Tha!"

She said it so strongly that it sounded like she was going to puke, though she still kept her content expression. Then it happened. The glowing, green jagged line on that machine called an electrocardiogram became straight, and made a persistent, uninterrupted BEEEEEEEEEEEP sound.

I couldn't read a clock, but a doctor said it was 3:00 PM. Desaline departed from this world.

I started crying. Polly said nothing. Ame left the room to tell Donella, Megan, and Salamandra the news. Jolene said, "Now mother won't suffer anymore. She's free now."

I stopped crying after about half an hour, but I started thinking about Jolene's words. Perhaps, by free, she thought Desaline's passing was like her turning into a Swanna, spreading her wings and flying towards the clouds, where she can be free and happy and do whatever she wanted. No more sickness, no more being taken care of by people, no more being fed and clothed, no more being stuck in bed forever, no more watching the world go by without you.

But another thing that struck me was...I knew what Desaline was trying to say.

Perhaps "tha" was her trying to say "thank you."

A few days after her death, I decided it was time to leave.

"Sylvie! Wait!" Megan called out, which made me turn around to find her, Donella, and Polly looking at me.

"Are you leaving?" Megan asked sadly.

"Yes. I told you all before. I have to go to Floccesy Ranch and tell whoever's still there that I'm alright. But you'll always be my friends," I told them. "I don't know what'll happen to us, and I don't want to find out," I said that last part because I was afraid that if a Pokemon's trainer dies, someone would come and take them away. I didn't want that to happen to me.

But as it turned out, my fears were false. "Jolene and Callum are taking us in. We won't be set free or taken to a pound. We'll be going on a new journey, in Kalos. I'm sure Desaline trusted her children with us from the beginning. She probably knew they'd be capable of taking good care of us," Donella explained.

"I wish you could come with us, Sylvie," Megan said.

"I know. But I haven't decided what I want to do yet, so I want to go back home first. Then I'll decide what I want to do with my life," I told them.

"We'll miss you," Megan said.

"Megan. Sylvia's made her decision. We have no right to change her mind. Go on, Sylvia. Have a safe journey," Polly said.

I nodded, said goodbye, and dashed away. I could hear Megan crying from far away, which made it hard to go on, but I knew I had to. Four years passed since I was taken from Floccesy Ranch, and I knew I couldn't ignore my goal any further, even though I loved Desaline. After a few days of meandering and wandering around without any luck, I found myself back in Striaton City. It made me feel rather nostalgic, as it was the first city I stayed in, to watch a battle between two trainers. I wondered if that girl managed to win. But as I looked around, I found a part of it I didn't see before. It looked like it led to a small forest, so I went in, only to find that it led to an abandoned building.

It would also be the place where I would run into him again, a familiar fiery lizard who I really hoped I'd never run into again.