Chapter 39: Evolution Pokémon

Chapter 39: Evolution Pokémon

~Third POV~

[Kanto Region, Celadon City – Quiet Alley]

Azure's mind swirled with questions, none of which he had time to answer because Jolteon was already on the move. It sent a Thunder Shock racing toward him.

Azure could see it all happen in slow motion, the electricity sparking. Dragonair summoned a green transparent barrier, and she used the move Protect. The bolt hit him, blocking the attack.

Azure's heart dropped. He knew there was a better way as Growlithe came out.

*Pop*

Pikachu and Growlithe were ready to leap into action, their eyes filled with determination, but Azure couldn't let this escalate as he commanded, "Stop it right now, you three!"

The air seemed to freeze around them. Azure felt every muscle in his body tense as Jolteon, no, Flareon now stood before them, transformed yet again.

*Shiii*

The light of evolution had faded, leaving behind this new form, its reddish-orange fur gleaming in the dim light of the forest. Its dark, intense eyes locked onto Azure's, and he swore he could feel the heat radiating from its body.

Vee stood by Azure's side, but he couldn't tell if Vee was ready or terrified. Maybe both. He sure was. His mind raced, 'What now? What's my next move? What is my next move?'

Everything was silent for a heartbeat, and then Azure's instincts kicked in. He shouted, his voice cracking with the urgency of the situation, "Thunder Shock!"

He didn't have time to think, he just reacted to the battle ahead. Flareon's eyes flicked toward Pikachu, and Azure saw the embers starting to gather in its mouth.

Quick as he could, he gave his command. But he wasn't fast enough.

*BRRRR*

Flareon's embers clashed with Pikachu's Thunder Shock mid-air, the two attacks colliding in a bright, blinding flash. The noise was deafening—a sharp crack, followed by the sizzle of sparks raining down on them.

*CRACK*

Growlithe and Dragonair stood back, understanding their trainer's intention. They covered the entrance of the alley as they watched as Azure took control of the battle in front of him. He commanded, "Pikachu, go! Quick Attack!"

*Swooosh*

His partner was already moving before he could finish the command, darting forward in a blur of speed. He barely had time to register his movement before his attention shifted back to Flareon.

His instincts told him to focus. Eyes back on the fight.

*BOOM*

Pikachu was already dodging Flareon's Swift attack. Those yellow stars shot out from its mouth, sharp and fast. Too fast. Azure's heart leaped into his throat, but Pikachu swerved to the right, narrowly avoiding the first barrage, but the stars.

However, they were coming back. They boomeranged.

Azure commanded, trusting his partner, "Pikachu! Agility!"

He felt his breath catch as the stars closed in, but Pikachu flipped, like something out of a movie, and those stars slammed into each other mid-air using Agility. An explosion of light and sound, and suddenly, there was an opening.

His eyes widened as he commanded, "Now! Zippy Zap!"

*Zoooom*

Pikachu blitzed forward and slammed into Flareon with a full-body tackle of electricity, knocking the fire type off balance. A golden aura was shown, revealing it to be a critical hit as Azure breathed, "Wow… you did it, Pikachu!"

Smiling Azure trusted his partner to pull through in the most unusual of situations. There was something sharp in the way he moved, the way he read his opponent and adapted under his command.

But before Azure could fully process what he'd just witnessed, distant voices reached his ears. They were faint at first, but unmistakably getting closer, alarmed, "Do you hear that? The sounds of battling. The experiment might be there."

Noticing Vee flinch, Azure's eyes narrowed, realizing who they meant. His stomach twisted as the pieces clicked into place.

Seeing the weakened Eevee, Azure brought his Super Potion from his Sub-Space. His fingers closed around the Super Potion he bought, and without wasting a second, he splashed it over the injured Eevee.

*Splash*

The blue liquid hissed and crackled as it contacted Vee's body, releasing a sharp, almost metallic smell that was both sterile and faintly sweet. The sound of sizzling filled the air as the Pokémon's wounds began to heal, vanishing before Azure's eyes.

Vee blinked in confusion, her body stiffening as the pain faded. She looked up at Azure with wide, uncertain eyes.

Azure whispered, crouching down slowly, trying to seem as unthreatening as possible in a soft tone, "Eevee. Come with me. I can keep you safe."

The Eevee didn't move. Why would she trust him? Azure could practically see the doubt written all over the Pokémon's face.

*Tmp*

Azure said softly, glancing over his shoulder as they could hear the crunch of footsteps growing louder, "Listen… Team Rocket's closing in. You've got two choices: You can run and hide, but how long do you think that's going to last? Or you can trust me, and I'll get you out of this predicament. No one will even know you're here."

Vee's ears twitched, her expression unreadable. She didn't run, but she didn't step closer either.

Azure's heart pounded in his chest. He didn't have time for this.

He reached into his backpack again, this time pulling out his thermos. His fingers were trembling as he unscrewed the lid and said, "Look… just… do the Vaporeon water thing, okay?"

For a moment, Vee just stared at him, her large eyes searching Azure's face for something that Azure didn't know. He tried to hold his gaze, to keep his expression calm as he said calmly, "Please trust me. I'm not like them. I'll keep you safe."

And then, something shifted. Vee's cautious stance softened, her eyes narrowing with a hint of determination. Maybe she remembered the freedom he had offered to the Rocket Pokémon or the way Azure had helped their freedom.

Or maybe it was the Super Potion, the undeniable proof that Azure wasn't here to hurt her. Whatever it was, Vee made her decision.

*Shiii*

The Eevee's body shimmered for a moment, its form shifting as it transformed into water. Azure watched, holding his breath, as the liquid form slipped effortlessly into the thermos he carried.

He screwed the lid on tightly, his hands shaking. He whispered, his voice barely audible, "I've got you."

His grip on the thermos tightened as he crouched lower, whispering to the Pokémon inside in a determined tone, "If things go south, I want you to run. I'll hold them off."

Vee's watery form swirled slightly, his wide eyes visible through the container. Recalling his Growlithe, he climbed on top of Dragonair as he said in a calm tone, "We'll rush them like we did to the others if we fight. Don't hesitate to do it, you two."

Pikachu and Dragonair nodded in understanding. Their eyes narrowed as they rose high above, seeing a group of Team Rocket Grunts.

One looked up to see Azure riding his Dragonair. Greed in their eyes, seeing Dragonair, but they refrained from acting upon it.

They came for their objective. One of the Grunts yelled at them, "Hey, you!"

Azure's fingers tightened around the thermos, feeling Vee tremble inside. He could practically feel the anxiety radiating from Vee, but he had to keep calm, had to keep them from noticing anything off.

His mind raced as another yelled out to him in an angry tone, "Have you seen an Eevee around here?"

*Zzzzz*

The cackle of electricity was shown around Pikachu's cheeks and Dragonair's pearl around her neck as he calmly said, "Yeah. But the Eevee managed to give me the slip. The Eevee I fought was doing something weird… evolving and devolving into Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon. It transformed into Vaporeon, escaping through the Celadon City sewage system to evade me. That way."

The Team Rocket grunts were in a rush, and without another word, they bolted, vanishing into the streets, bringing out Grimer into the sewage system. They hadn't had the time or luxury to see if Azure spoke was true.

They had their objective, and not wanting an Admin to see the experiment, they escaped and did their duty as their lives depended on it. Azure acted disgusted, taking his cue to leave from the stench as he pulled out his Arc Phone, muttering, "This thing grants me access to every Pokémon Knowledge, huh? I wonder if I can call Gym Leader Erika or Officer Jenny to tell them."

/////

[Kanto Region, Celadon City – Pokémon Center]

Having reached a safe distance away, he chuckled, seeing Team Rocket Grunts being entangled by the police of Celadon City under Erika's command at a safe distance. Holding his Arc Phone as he slyly smiled, muttering, "And that's how you clean up the trash, alarming a Gym Leader. Thank god for my Arc Phone."

*Tmp*

Landing down a bit far from the Pokémon Center, he petted his Pokémon for their stellar performance. Opening his flask, Vee emerged from there, changing in a white light back to an Eevee.

Her brown fur blended in with the night as he quietly padded over. Her cream-colored tail flicked, eyes wary but relieved. Azure blinked, noticing the heart-shaped tail on the tip of her tail as he thought, surprised, 'Wait… Vee is a girl? Wasn't she a he... No, wait, that doesn't matter right now…'

Azure whispered in a happy tone, "Welcome back."

Vee hesitated for a moment, her eyes meeting Azure's, and he could tell Vee was unsure. She paused; her wide, dark eyes fixed on Azure as she sniffed the air cautiously.

Azure popped a piece of Poke Block into his mouth, the sweet taste drawing his attention back to Vee. The Eevee tilted her head, curiosity glimmering beneath her wariness.

Azure chuckled softly, holding out a piece of the Poke Block. He said, his voice calm, "Here. Try it. They were made for Pokémon, but humans can eat them like candy."

Vee approached slowly, her body low to the ground, each step hesitant and deliberate. She snatched the Poke Block with a quick motion, retreating a few paces before biting into it. Her eyes widened immediately, her ears flicking as it barked happily, "Eevow? Eev… Eevow!!"

Azure couldn't help but laugh at the reaction. Pikachu, perched nearby, crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the exchange.

Noticing the jealous look, Azure grinned and tossed him a slice as well in a cheeky tone, "Don't worry, I didn't forget you, partner."

Pikachu sniffed it, took a tentative bite, and cried happily at the Poke Block, "Pika~"

Azure smiled, his worries momentarily forgotten in the humor of the moment. The lightheartedness faded as Azure turned his attention back to Eevee, his expression softening.

He began, his voice steady but gentle. The Eevee's ears perked, his muscles tensing as he looked up at Azure warily and continued, "Eevee. Can I ask you something?"

Vee didn't move, but her watchful gaze told Azure he was listening. Azure asked, leaning forward slightly in his pitch, "Do you want to join us? Not just for today, not just until the city is behind us. I mean… really join us. As part of the team."

The question hung in the air, heavy and unspoken. Vee's body stiffened, her ears pinning back as a flicker of doubt flashed through her wide, dark eyes.

Then, in an instant, she bolted. Her small frame darted through the stone streets, leaves scattering in his wake. She couldn't trust this human, she couldn't trust anyone. They were all the same.

They wanted her power, and they would hurt her to take it. Her heart twisted painfully at the thought, but it only fueled his determination to run. But then Eevee stopped when he heard his next words, "I can permanently fix you!"

Vee skidded to a halt, her claws digging into the dirt as he froze mid-stride. Her breath came in shallow pants, and she turned her head slowly, cautiously, to look back.

Azure hadn't moved from his spot. He was standing there calmly, his expression unreadable, but his tone carried a strange weight, one that cut through the noise of Vee's panic in a determined tone, "I can make it, so you never have to experience that pain again."

Vee's ears twitched, and he turned fully now, his gaze locked onto the human. There was no greed in Azure's eyes, no hunger for power, no cold calculation like the scientists who had poked and prodded him.

Azure raised his hands slowly, palms open in a gesture of peace. He grinned as he spoke in a determined tone, "I know you've been through a lot. I don't know the full story, but I can tell you're hurting. That instability in your body, what they did to you it's not fair. And it doesn't have to be permanent. I can help you."

Vee stayed rooted in place, her chest rising and falling as he processed Azure's words. Her body trembled with the urge to run, but something in the boy's tone made her pause. For the first time in a long while, it felt like someone was offering more than just promises. It felt like hope.

His eyes locked onto Vee's as he grinned with his cap down and continued to speak in a determined tone, "Your body, this thing you can do, evolving and devolving, I can tell it's not natural. It's unstable, and I bet it hurts like hell. But I can help you fix it."

Vee's tail stopped flicking, and her ears flattened as he stared at Azure. Something about the boy's words seemed to chip away at her defenses, but doubt lingered in her wide, dark eyes.

Azure placed a Pokéball and a thermos gently on the ground between them. He gave Eevee a choice in a soft tone, "It's your choice. Come with me, I promise I'll do everything I can to make things better."

Pikachu, sitting nearby, gave Vee a small, reassuring nod, his eyes full of quiet understanding. Vee hesitated, glancing at the Pokéball, then back to Azure, then to Pikachu, hesitantly.

Her claws dug slightly into the ground as he stood motionless, her body caught between the instinct to flee and the desire to believe. Slowly, cautiously, she stepped forward.

Finally, Vee lowered his head and touched the Pokéball with her nose. A soft click echoed through the busy city as he was pulled inside.

*BON*

Azure stared at the Pokéball in his hand, feeling its faint weight and the enormity of what had just happened. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as he said in a comforting tone, "Welcome to the team, Eevee."

Inside the Pokéball, Vee's mind swirled with uncertainty and fragile hope. The pain she had carried for so long felt distant for the first time, like a storm finally breaking.

Azure checked his Arc Phone, reading Eevee's abilities. He was surprised to read her info and status.

|Name: Eevee (Evolution Pokémon)

|Type: Normal (Fire/Water/Electric)

|Level: 25

|Held Item: None

|Gender: Female

|Ability: Adaptability

|Nature: Mild

|Moves: Covet, Tackle, Tail Whip, Sand Attack, Quick Attack, Baby-Doll Eyes, Swift, Bite, Mimic, Ember (IM), Thunder Shock (IM), Water Gun (IM), Yawn (EM) (6 Moves to learn)

[Eevee the Evolution Pokémon. Eevee is rarely found in the wild and is mostly only found in cities and towns. It is said to have an irregularly shaped genetic structure that is easily influenced by its environment. This allows it to adapt to a variety of habitats by evolving. Eevee can potentially evolve into eight different Evolutions.

Eevee can also start to adopt the face of the Trainer that owns it. Eevee's genes are believed to hold the key to solving the mysteries of Pokémon Evolution. Eevees are believed to dream about which form they will evolve into.]

Closing his Arc Phone, Azure sighed, entering the Pokémon Center to rest. Unaware of him, Gym Leader Erika comes out from the shadow near the outside of the Pokémon Center, overhearing the entire conversation.

She had an intrigued expression on her face with her Tangela as she murmurs, "To think we would find the Eevee to save it, only to witness someone else save the poor Pokémon. I wonder if this boy is the one Misty spoke highly of… Azure Sky of Viridian City?"

/////

A/N: So yeah, I made Vee in this fic a girl. I mean, realistically speaking, if Team Rocket wanted to mass produce an Eevee that can devolve and evolve, wouldn't a female work for Pokémon breeding purposes to get multiple Eevees that have Vee's abilities?

And to some that this chapter seems familiar, you'll notice I took some inspiration from the Pokémon: An Unexpected Odyssey chapter where Ash (Transmigrated) found Vee. I liked the chapter after finding some Pokémon fanfics to give me inspiration to use in this story.