Chapter 20

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=100 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="14800640egdysm.jpg"> <div> <B>Dark Reflection (Beginning):  </B><A HREF="dr_pro.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Prologue"><U>Prologue</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 1"><U>Chapter 1</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 2"><U>Chapter 2</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 3"><U>Chapter 3</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 4"><U>Chapter 4</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 5"><U>Chapter 5</U></A></div> <div> <B>A Master in the Making:</B>  <A HREF="mim18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 18"><U>Chapter 18</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 19"><U>Chapter 19</U></A>   |   <B>Chapter 20</B>   |   <A HREF="mim21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 21"><U>Chapter 21</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 22"><U>Chapter 22</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 23"><U>Chapter 23</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 24"><U>Chapter 24</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id734.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 25"><U>Chapter 25</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 26"><U>Chapter 26</U></A></div> <div> <B>Dark Reflection:  </B><A HREF="dr6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 6"><U>Chapter 6</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr7.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 7"><U>Chapter 7</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 8"><U>Chapter 8</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr9.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 9"><U>Chapter 9</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr10.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 10"><U>Chapter 10</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr11.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 11"><U>Chapter 11</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr12.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 12"><U>Chapter 12</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr13.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 13"><U>Chapter 13</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr14.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 14"><U>Chapter 14</U></A></div> <div> <B>Dark Reflection (Finale):  </B><A HREF="dr15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 15"><U>Chapter 15</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 16"><U>Chapter 16</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr_epi.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Epilogue"><U>Epilogue</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#000066" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/oldnews.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Old News</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/zrfic/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>My Fanfics</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/zrart/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>My Fanart</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/a-j/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Authors A-J</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/k-z/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Authors K-Z</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/art/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Fanart List</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/ffsubmit.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Submit a Fanfic</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/fanart_submit.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Submit Fanart</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://pub46.ezboard.com/beeveesmb" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://pub46.ezboard.com/beeveesmb"><U><B>Message Board</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=380 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Chapter 20</I></div> <div> <B>A Master in the Making: Chapter 20: First Impressions</B></div> <bR> <div>     {I'm tired, Zeth... Can't we stop for a break yet?}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth looked back at Florio in exasperation.  "You want to stop again?  I thought you were the one who was supposed to have all the stamina.  Don't you battle enough or something?"</div> <bR> <div>     Florio glared at Zeth, {You walk too fast.  I use up all my energy trying to keep up with you.}</div> <bR> <div>     "Fine, fine... We'll stop for <B>one</B> more break before we get to Jasper Town.  Then you can go back in your pokéball and Sting and Aqua can keep me company the rest of the way.  At least they doesn't complain about being tired all the time!"</div> <bR> <div>     Florio rolled his eyes, {That's because you carry Aqua, and Sting can fly when you go too fast.  It's not a fair comparison.}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth grinned, "So?  Since when has life ever been fair?"  Sitting down on a tree stump, Zeth released his four other pokémon from their pokéballs.  "Come on out everyone, Florio needs another break."</div> <bR> <div>     {Again?} Blaze complained.  {He's worse than you are, Zeth!}</div> <bR> <div>     Florio stared at Zeth questioningly, but the teen just shrugged.  "You're the one complaining about me walking too fast.  Just try keeping up with him!"  Zeth looked over his shoulder at Eva, who had jumped up onto his backpack and was rummaging through it.  She started to open up one of the side pockets, but Zeth grabbed the zipper pull before she got a good grip on it.  "Not that one Eva.  Aqua's Water Stone is in there."  Zeth did not mention that he also had a Fire Stone and a Thunder Stone in that pocket, hoping to save them for a surprise on some future occasion.</div> <bR> <div>     {But I smell something good in there!}  Eva protested.  {What smells so sweet in there?}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth frowned, unzipping the pocket just enough to reach inside and pull out the item Eva was interested in.  It was the gummi worms he had bought for Talon the day before the accident and had never given to the Spearow before he sent him back to Professor Ivy's lab.  Zeth stared down at the small package of candy for a moment, feeling a little angry at himself for forgetting to give the bird the treat.  Deciding that there was no real reason to beat himself up over it, he ripped the package open and handed the bag to Eva.  "I guess you might as well eat them."  The Eevee obliged, happily munching away on the sweets.  Zeth smiled, something else coming to mind.  "That reminds me of something.  I called back home this morning, Florio.  Talon's been watching all those DVDs you bought the other day.  He wanted me to tell you how much he was enjoying them.  He said he had no idea why they didn't air that lost episode, because it was really good."</div> <bR> <div>     The Ivysaur stared at Zeth, {What?!  He's watching all those episodes without me?  That's not fair!  I haven't even <B>seen</B> the lost episode yet!  He better not have touched my comic books!}</div> <bR> <div>     "Too late for that too...  He says that 'The Falcon's Treasure'  was the best one he's read, but that 'Attack of the Weed-Men'  was just plain boring."  Florio frowned, trying to figure out if the comment was supposed to be a friendly jab or an actual observation.  "Oh, yeah, and he watched the "Revenge of the Spider Queen" movie...  You know, it's that one that we rented a couple years ago, and the tape gave out halfway through...  Talon said that Gligarman rescues that girl by using--"</div> <bR> <div>     {Enough!!!} Florio yelled, covering his ears with his vines.  {I don't wanna know how it ends!  I want to see it for myself!}  Zeth smiled evilly, but decided to stop pestering the Ivysaur before he decided to transport himself back to Valencia Island when they reached the next pokémon center.</div> <bR> <div>     {Hey, Zeth!} Sting called from a few feet away, where she had been sparring with Blaze.  {Where did Eva go?  Blaze says that you gave her that candy and I wanted to ask her for a piece.}</div> <bR> <div>     "Eva?  She's right here on my shoulder..." Zeth said, turning to look on top of his backpack, where the Eevee had been sitting a moment before.  The little pokémon was not there, however.  Zeth was surprised that he had not noticed when she had jumped off.  He glanced around, but did not spot her anywhere.  "Well, she <B>was</B> here.  I don't know where she went, though."  Still looking around, he called for her, "Eva!  Where are you?"</div> <bR> <div>     {I'm over here!} The Eevee's voice came from somewhere a little farther into the woods.  {Hold on a minute!}</div> <bR> <div>     Following her voice, Zeth and the other pokémon left the path and ran into the forest.  Brushing noisily between some bushes, Zeth saw something dart under the low branches of a pine tree that Eva was sitting next to.  {Aww, you scared him away!} Eva complained.  {We were having such a nice conversation, too...}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth glanced at the pine tree, but whatever had been there was already gone.  "Who was it, Eva?" he asked.</div> <bR> <div>     Eva grinned happily, {Another Eevee!  According to him, there's a whole bunch of them around here!  I was going to ask if he could take us to see them, but, judging from his reaction to you, he probably wouldn't want to do that.}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shook his head, "Wild pokémon can be pretty shy sometimes.  Maybe we'll be lucky enough to see one of those Eevees again, though."  Zeth grinned cheerfully, "Then you might be able to finish your conversation."</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     The travelers continued on their journey, reaching Jasper Town after another ten minutes of walking.  "See how close we were, Florio?"  Zeth said, poking the Ivysaur in the ribs.  "We didn't need to stop after all."</div> <bR> <div>     {Now don't start complaining about that again,} Florio ordered.  {There was no way I could have known that.  Besides, Eva enjoyed talking with that other Eevee for the three or four minutes she saw him for, so our stop wasn't a complete waste of time.}</div> <bR> <div>     {She didn't have to give him all that candy she had, though...} Sting remarked.  {She should have saved us some!}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shrugged, "First come, first served."</div> <bR> <div>     The six of them quickly found their way to the small town's pokémon center.  It was one of the smallest pokémon centers Zeth had seen so far, but it seemed cozy enough.  Surprisingly, Nurse Joy was not around at the moment, but there was a sign on the window welcoming any travelers.  As his pokémon left with one of the Chanseys, Zeth tossed his backpack on a bunkbed and made himself some lunch in the center's kitchen.  Once he had eaten, he walked back to the center's waiting room, where he found his pokémon all lounging around.</div> <bR> <div>     After losing two games of chess to Sting, Zeth was relieved when Nurse Joy returned and gave him a reason to stop playing.  As Zeth stood up to greet her, Aqua teleported over to the game board and then proceeded to teleport the pieces back to their starting places so he could play a game against the cunning Beedrill.</div> <bR> <div>     "Hello, Nurse!" Zeth called, "Where have you been?"</div> <bR> <div>     "Busy!" She said tersely, before disappearing into the emergency room.  Wondering why she was in such a hurry, Zeth followed her.  There he found that she had brought in a patient with her -- a little Eevee, unconscious and covered in nasty-looking cuts.  Nurse Joy and the Chansey he had seen earlier were both working quickly to clean and bandage the cuts.  Having some experience with basic pokémon medical care from his work at Professor Ivy's lab, Zeth joined them.  Nurse Joy handed him some antiseptic spray, gauze, and a roll of hospital tape.  "The cuts are the only physical injury, but she was stung by over a dozen  Beedrill and it will take a while for her to recover from the poison.  She's had a shot of antidote, but we need to finish bandaging her before she wakes up because she's a wild Eevee, not a trained one.  She probably won't cooperate once she's conscious."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth nodded his understanding and began bandaging the Eevee's injuries.  Between the three of them, they managed to finish in under ten minutes, just as the Eevee began to stir.  "Be ready to sedate her if she panics," Joy told the Chansey.</div> <bR> <div>     "I have a better idea," Zeth said.  "Hold on a minute."  Hurrying back into the waiting room, he returned a moment later with Eva.  "We can have my Eevee talk to her," he explained.  "I'm sure Eva can keep her calm."</div> <bR> <div>     Eva examined the injured Eevee.  {She looks just like my little sister!} she exclaimed.  The other Eevee moaned, and her eyes flickered open.  {Easy now,} Eva told her.  {You're safe here.}</div> <bR> <div>     {Where am I?  Are the Beedrills gone?}  Looking around, the young Eevee spotted Zeth and Nurse Joy.  {Humans!}  Before she could try to get up, Eva placed a gentle paw on her to keep her still.</div> <bR> <div>     {It's ok, they're friends.  They took care of your injuries, but you have to take it easy so you can heal.} Eva explained.</div> <bR> <div>     "We'll leave the two of you alone for a while, if it makes you feel more comfortable," Zeth offered.  "Just remember to get some rest so Nurse Joy will be happy."</div> <bR> <div>      At that, Joy smiled cheerfully.  "It's nice to see a trainer recommend rest for once," she said, as she and Zeth walked back to the center's waiting room.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     Half an hour later, Eva came out of the recovery room, where Joy's Chansey had moved the injured Eevee after Zeth and Joy had left.  {She's asleep now,}  Eva informed them.  {She wanted me to tell her tribe that she's ok, though.  Since we don't have anything else to do, can we do that?  She gave me some basic directions, so I think I can find the way.}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth grinned, "That sounds like a pretty good idea."  He looked around at the other pokémon, then added: "All who wish to stay, raise your right hand!"</div> <bR> <div>     As the other pokémon looked down at their feet in confusion, Aqua stuck out his tongue at Zeth.  {I suppose that's one way to slant a vote in your favor!}</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     Led by Eva, Zeth and his pokémon headed back into the forest.  Most of the time, Eva seemed to be leading them in circles, but she claimed that they were getting closer to the Eevees.  Blaze, with his sharp sense of smell, concurred.  Still, it was a good twenty minutes before they spotted an Eevee, and the one they saw first darted away before Eva could stop it.  {Maybe I should go on ahead and have you follow me from a distance,} she suggested.</div> <bR> <div>     "You're right, Eva." Zeth agreed.  "Maybe you can convince them not to run away when they see us, or at least manage to tell them about the Eevee back at the center before they bolt.  Go on, and we'll follow you after a few minutes.  Blaze should be able to track you without too much trouble."  Nodding quickly, Eva disappeared into the underbrush.</div> <bR> <div>     Eva searched for another ten minutes with no success, but finally she jumped a low bush and nearly collided with the Eevee she had met earlier, who yelped in surprise.  Recognizing her, he regained his composure and smiled cheerfully.  {It's you again!  I'm glad to see that you escaped!}</div> <bR> <div>     Eva looked at him in confusion, then realized what he was referring to.  {Oh, I didn't have to escape.  That was just Zeth, my trainer.}  Seeing the shocked look that her new friend was giving her, she tried to explain.  {He's really nice, though!  You don't have to be scared of him if you see him.}  The other Eevee looked doubtful, so Eva decided that she should probably explain why she was looking for him before Zeth arrived.  {Anyway, we all came back out here to tell you about a member of your tribe that we found.}  Eva quickly described what had happened, telling him the injured Eevee's name and how the Beedrills had attacked her.</div> <bR> <div>     {That's my little sister!} He interrupted, looking terribly worried.  {Is she all right?  No one captured her, did they?}</div> <bR> <div>     {She's fine.} Eva explained, {She's back at the pokémon center in town, but Nurse Joy wants to keep an eye on her for another day to make sure that she doesn't have any bad effects from the Beedrill poison.}</div> <bR> <div>     The other Eevee was quiet for a moment, then he frowned,  {Those Beedrill are causing more and more trouble all the time.  This is the third time they've attacked us in the last two weeks.  They're the nastiest creatures I've ever seen.}</div> <bR> <div>     {I must say that I resent that comment...}  The two Eevees stared up to see Sting, who had just landed in the tree branches above them.  {Perhaps I should pay those other Beedrill a visit and reprimand them for giving our race a bad reputation.}</div> <bR> <div>     Eva glanced back toward the other Eevee, glad to see that he had not fled at the first sight of the Beedrill, although he had taken up a defensive combat stance.  {It's ok, she's a friend.}  Eva told him.  {Where's everybody else, Sting?} she asked, looking back up at the Beedrill.</div> <bR> <div>     {They're over there,} Sting pointed back the way she had come.  {Zeth and Florio got caught in a thornbush.  I think Florio's complaining more, especially since Blaze tried to help them out by burning away some of the branches and ended up singeing him by accident.}  The Beedrill buzzed with laughter.</div> <bR> <div>     Eva giggled, {Poor Florio...  I bet he'll be ranting about that for the rest of the day, too.}  She smiled at her new friend.  {Come on, let's go and see if they're still stuck.}  The other Eevee took a step back at the thought of going near a human, and Eva laughed, winking at him playfully.  {Come on!  You're not scared, are you?  I'll have to tell your sister that she was braver than you!}  At that, she darted back through the bushes, leaving him standing there staring after her.  Her jab must have worked, because a moment later he followed.</div> <bR> <div>     When they found the others, Zeth had already managed to free himself from the thorny branches, but Florio was still badly tangled.  Zeth had carefully stepped back into the thorns, trying to extract the Ivysaur without tearing more holes in his leaves than the thorns had.  As Sting landed beside the two Eevees, laughing at her friends' predicament, Zeth called to her.  "Hey, Sting?  Why don't you help us out and use your Cut attack to free Florio?"</div> <bR> <div>     Sting laughed harder, {I was just waiting to see how long it would be before you thought of returning Florio to his pokéball or asking Aqua to teleport him out of there!}  Realizing that he had missed the two easiest solutions and gotten quite a few scratches because of it, Zeth nodded to Aqua, who immediately teleported both of them out of the thorns.</div> <bR> <div>     As Eva had predicted, the Ivysaur immediately started grumbling about his woes of the day, although no one paid him any attention.  "Hey, Eva!" Zeth called, noticing the Eevees.  "I see you've had better luck than we've had.  Did you mention why we're here yet?"</div> <bR> <div>     Eva nodded, {Yeah, he knows.  This is Teak.  The Eevee that Joy found is his sister.  He'll probably want to see how she's doing.} She noticed the expression on the other Eevee's face and added, {After she's well enough to come back, that is.  He's not trusting enough to go back to the pokémon center with us.}</div> <bR> <div>     "That's understandable," Zeth said.  "I guess that means I shouldn't come over and say hello to him."</div> <bR> <div>     {Nope, bad idea.} Eva agreed.  Teak whispered something to her and she smiled.  {He says it's nothing personal, just a manic fear of all humans in general.}  The Eevee said something else to her, louder, but still too quiet for the pokédex's translator to pick up.  Eva rolled her eyes.  {Fear, mistrust, same difference.}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth smiled, "It's ok, Eva.  I think Florio wants to get back to the center anyway."  The Ivysaur nodded an affirmative.  "I'll tell you what... Why don't you stay here while the rest of us go back to town?  I'll leave Sting here with you.  She can watch out for those other Beedrill and give you a ride when you want to come back.  That'll give you a chance to visit with the Eevees around here without them all worrying about me."</div> <bR> <div>     Eva asked her friend something, and he nodded.  {Sounds good to us!  We'll see you later!}</div> <bR> <div>     {Now we have to walk back?} Florio grumbled, limping from a thorn he had stepped on.  {That's not fair...}  To everyone's relief, Zeth returned him to his pokéball, halting any further complaints.  Picking up Aqua, Zeth followed Blaze back toward Jasper Town.</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     Eva was amazed.  Once Zeth had left, Teak had taken her to meet the rest of the Eevees in their tribe.  They all lived a bit further to the north, in cozy little dens dug into a gently sloping hillside.  Nearby, a beautiful grassy meadow stretched out, covered with tiny flowers that dotted the green grass with yellow, pink, and blue.  Since it was the middle of the afternoon, most of the other Eevees were frolicking in the meadow, of chatting in the shade of the nearby trees.</div> <bR> <div>     The other Eevees had warmly welcomed Eva, although Sting received quite a few mistrustful glances, even after Eva vouched for her.  Still, the Beedrill did not seem terribly upset when most of the Eevees avoided her, she just flew up into the top branches of a tree and took a nap.  At least, she looked like she was sleeping.  It was hard to tell with Sting, sometimes...</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     As a matter of fact, Sting was still wide awake.  She had noticed that by maintaining the illusion of sleep, she could observe the Eevees better.  Of course, she had expected that the shy pokémon would feel uneasy around her, but they seemed more relaxed now that they thought her to be napping.</div> <bR> <div>     At the moment, though, Sting was more interested in Eva than the others.  Eva seemed to be enjoying this interaction with others of her kind, perhaps more than she herself realized.  Also, Sting could not help but notice how much time Eva was spending with one Eevee in particular.  The Beedrill wondered if it was because Teak was the first Eevee she had met, or perhaps for some other reason...</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     Eva giggled as a tiny Eevee kit tried to knock her over to demonstrate his Tackle attack.  The tiny Eevee, of course, had neither the strength nor the bulk required to actually throw her to the ground, but Eva dropped anyway, pretending that he had done it.  {Oh, you're so strong for your age, you little rascal!  I don't know if I'll be able to stand after that!}</div> <bR> <div>     The kit immediately looked chagrined, {Sorry, Miz Eva, I didn't mean ta throw you so hard.  Can ya get up?}</div> <bR> <div>     Eva made a great show of straining to stand, with Teak helping to "support" her.  {Yes, I think I'll be ok.  Just go easy on the Tackle next time.}</div> <bR> <div>     {Yes, Miz Eva.  I will.} the kit nodded somberly.</div> <bR> <div>     {Good,} Eva said.  {Now why don't you run along and play tag with all your friends.  I think they're waiting for you.}  The kit nodded happily and dashed off to join his friends.  Eva sighed, {It's been a while since I was that young.}</div> <bR> <div>     {Really?} Teak asked.  {Well, if he didn't wear you out too much, then we could battle and see just how old you really are.}</div> <bR> <div>     Eva laughed, {If that's a challenge, then you've got an opponent.  Somehow I think you're not as powerful as that kit was.  You'll have a harder time beating me, if that's the case.}</div> <bR> <div>     Teak grinned, {I wouldn't have it any other way.}</div> <bR> <div>     Eva pounced on him, knocking him over and rolling away expertly.  In retaliation, Teak tossed a few Swift stars at her, which just barely hit her.  {You'll have to do better than that if you want to beat me,} Eva taunted.  The words were barely out of her mouth when he dove at her, catching her with a Body Slam that brought both of them to the ground.</div> <bR> <div>     Eva struggled to get up, but Teak had her pinned.  {Not bad, huh?}</div> <bR> <div>     She nodded, {Yeah, you're pretty good for a beginner.}  Kicking out with all four feet, Eva sent Teak sailing into the air.  He managed to land on his feet and jump back at her, but earned a Tail Whip in the face  for his trouble.  That did not stop him for long.  He just nipped Eva's tail with his teeth.  She yipped, then found herself on the ground again.</div> <bR> <div>     {Give up yet?}  Teak asked cheerfully.  When Eva did not respond, he jumped off of her and nudged her face, {Eva?  Are you ok?}</div> <bR> <div>     Suppressing a giggle, Eva looked at him with tears in her eyes.  {You big brute.  I think you've flattened me.}</div> <bR> <div>     {Oh, I'm so sorry.  I didn't mean to hit you that hard.}  Teak looked at the ground to avoid the pitiful expression Eva was giving him.  {Here, I'll help you get up, then we'll go do something else.}</div> <bR> <div>      WHAM!  Teak hit the dirt hard enough to take his breath away.  Looking up at the sky, which seemed to be spinning, he blinked.  {Whoa, what hit me?}</div> <bR> <div>     Eva giggled as she helped him up, {The old 'poor me' routine.  Works every time.}</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     When the sun had begun to set in the evening sky, Sting decided that it was time to head back to the pokémon center.  After a round of goodbyes, mostly to Eva, Sting scooped up her companion and took to the skies.  As they skimmed over the treetops, Eva talked nonstop about how great a time she had, how nice the other Eevees were, and how funny and cute and charming a <I>certain</I> Eevee was.</div> <bR> <div>     At that point, Sting landed in the top branches of the nearest tree.  {You're in love!} she declared, cutting off the Eevee in mid-sentence.  {You're in love with Teak's tribe, you're in love with Teak's home, and most of all, you're in love with <I>Teak</I>!}</div> <bR> <div>     Eva was suddenly quiet for a moment.  {What makes you say that?} she asked slowly.</div> <bR> <div>     {Come on Eva, I've seen the way you look at him, and I've heard how you talk about him.  Even a blind pokémon could see that you have a crush on him.}</div> <bR> <div>     Eva shook her head, {That's not real proof.  You were way up in a tree the whole time, so you could easily be mistaken about that.}</div> <bR> <div>     Sting waved a stinger arm at Eva, {Fine, you want proof.  I'll give you proof.  Over the last three hours, your spent ninety percent of your time with Teak.  Understandable perhaps, because he was showing you around, but it still was a great deal of time.  Also, even when other Eevees were around, over seventy-five percent of your conversation was still to him.  Not only that, but you couldn't take your eyes off him... which you deny, of course.  And finally, you've been talking about him for the last ten minutes, without noticing that I've been flying us around in circles.  Is that enough evidence for you?}</div> <bR> <div>     Eva stared up at the Beedrill, shaking her head.  {All those percentages...  What are you, a living calculator?  Come on, take us back to the center before everyone starts to worry about us.}</div> <bR> <div>     Sting complied, picking up Eva, and aiming directly for the center this time.  She could not help one more comment, though.  {You know what, Eva?}</div> <bR> <div>     {What?} she growled, though without any real anger.</div> <bR> <div>     {I think he likes you too.}</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     Two minutes later, after a silent flight the rest of the way to the pokémon center, Sting landed in front of the building's automatic doors, which opened the moment they touched down.  Blaze spotted them as they entered and called for the others.  A moment later, everyone else was in the room, asking Sting and Eva questions about their trip all at once.  Zeth finally hushed them, "I'll just sum up everyone's questions and ask 'What happened?'"</div> <bR> <div>     Sting set Eva down, both of them silent for a moment.  {We'll tell you all about it, but I think Eva has something important to say first.}</div> <bR> <div>     Eva began to deny it, but found that she could not.  She glanced at Sting, who nodded gently.  {Sting's right,} Eva started, then paused for a moment.  {It was... Um... Well...  What I mean to say is...}  she fumbled for words, noticing the confusion that crossed her friends' faces.</div> <bR> <div>     {I want to stay.}</div> <bR> <div>     <B>To be continued...</B></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>