The Shining Eevee

Chapter 5: The Sixth Pokémon Egg

"Hello, you two," Christopher greeted vaporeon and umbreon happily as he entered the gate.

Vaporeon and umbreon were both old pokémon. But they ran up to Christopher as if they were young again. These two, as eevee, were the very first pokémon of Christopher's grandparents. It was during the 15th Pokémon World Championship when Fred Parry of the Sohto Region met the woman he would marry, who was also the first Champion to represent the Johto Region - Marie Srana. Fred had fallen in love with Marie when they first battled each other in the first round of the Finals. After defeating her, and then losing in the next round, he approached Marie for a date. They eventually got married and had one child, a son they named Joseph Parry. They lived a happy life in Lilac Town, watching their son grow to become a great trainer and scientist, and then marrying and having two sons - Nicholas and Christopher Parry. Then before Fred Parry died, he had released all his pokémon into the wild except for his long-time friend and partner - umbreon, which stayed with Marie and vaporeon. As she got older, Marie eventually released her pokémon, except vaporeon, when she could no longer care for them like she used to.

Christopher felt like he was being weighed down while he was carrying his mother's luggage bag, his bag, and his brother's bag, all the way to the patio. He watched as vaporeon and umbreon stepped back when Katherine tried to approach them. He could see that they were uneasy from being approached by a complete stranger, and said to them, "It's okay. She's a friend." The two pokémon understood and allowed Katherine to run her hand across their backs, feeling the sleek skin of vaporeon and the short, dark fur of umbreon.

As Christopher stepped onto the patio and set down the bags, the front door opened, revealing an old woman dressed in pants and a polka dot shirt. She also had on gardening gloves and a sun-hat atop her head. She smiled widely and said, "Christopher, you are finally here." She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. "It has been too long. You have grown to be a handsome young man. You look just like your father when he was your age. And where is your brother, Nicholas?" she asked. Then she noticed Katherine, who was still running her hand across the back of vaporeon, feeling its bumpy spine. "And who is this pretty, young girl? Is she your girlfriend?" she asked aloud.

Christopher slightly flushed red when he heard this. "No, Grandma, she is not. This is Katherine Meleski. We met her in West Amarill Port. I told her about the eggs and decided to invite her because she was really interested in them. I hope it's all right with you if she watches the eggs hatch. Oh, and Nicholas was called back by Professor Redwood to deliver something. He's supposed to come here by cab later on."

"Of course it is okay with me," she said after laughing from her grandson's reaction. "If you want to see them, they are in the backyard with Whitney."

"Oh, thank you," Katherine said with a smile.

"Whitney's here?" Christopher said, remembering that his friend had moved away from Clover Town several years ago. He could not remember where she had moved to since her family kept moving a few more times after that. "I didn't know she lived here."

"Oh, she doesn't. She is here to visit her mother and father on the other end of town. She found out about the eggs and volunteered to help me with them, especially after they hatch into eevee," she said. "Okay, you two can go out back to see them. I'll just go greet your mother, Christopher." She walked off the patio while waving to Christopher's mother, who was taking a few things out of the car.

Christopher walked to the side of the house and continued on towards the backyard. It had been years since Christopher had seen Whitney Green. Whitney was the daughter of two pokémon breeders, who were good friends with Christopher's family despite the fact that they had not seen each other in so long. She eventually grew up training to become a breeder herself. Whitney was now 19 years old and still was learning about pokémon and becoming a pokémon breeder.

Christopher turned the corner and saw Whitney reading one of her college textbooks. Whitney still had the same short, blonde hair that she had always kept. She was always calm and optimistic and rarely ever got angry. It was her personality that made it comforting to be around her. Pokémon, even the wild ones, felt safe with her. It was also her peaceable nature that misled other trainers into thinking she was an easy trainer to beat when she was, as a matter of fact, a great trainer. Christopher remembered watching his brother battle Whitney for the first time, which led to a shocking defeat for Nicholas.

As vaporeon and umbreon moved on ahead to Whitney, she turned around to look at the two approaching her. Her face lit up with joy at the sight of the boy. "Christopher Parry, is that you?" she said, dropping her textbook and running over to Christopher, giving him a hug. "It's been so long, hasn't it? The last time I saw you was when you were just a little boy. So, what's new in you life? Got any pokémon of your own? Where's you brother, Nick?" She looked around for Christopher's brother, but, instead, noticed the girl standing a few feet away. "Oh, I'm sorry. Hi, my name is Whitney Green. What's your name?"

"My name is Katherine Meleski," she said after walking up to Christopher's side. "Nice to meet you.

"Nice to meet you too," Whitney said. "Did you come here with Chris?"

"Yes. We met back in West Amarill Port," Katherine replied. "He and his mother brought me along so I could see the pokémon eggs hatch into eevee. Do you, by and chance, know when they will hatch?"

"Well, I have no idea how they knew, but when my parents came over yesterday to look at them, they were sure that the eggs would hatch pretty soon," Whitney said. "But they also said that there was a possibility that the eggs could hatch at different times, even though they were all born at the same time."

"Oh, okay. Well, may I see them though?" Katherine seemed to beg.

"Sure, I was watching them before you got here," Whitney said.

As the two followed, Whitney led them to a big bundle of sheets all wrapped up together. Whitney slowly lifted the pink sheet on the top of the bundle, revealing six large pokémon eggs. Five of them had the same design on each of the shells: big blue and black dots. The sixth egg had a similar, but differently colored, design: small red, blue, yellow, black, and purple dots covered the shell. This egg was also smaller that the others.

"Wow, they're pretty," Katherine said, trying hard not to quickly reach out and hold them. "I can't wait to see them when they hatch. Your grandmother is so lucky, Christopher."

"Hey, Whitney, why is that one look different that the others?" Christopher asked, wondering about the smallest egg.

"I'm not sure at all," Whitney said. "Not even my parents know. They say that it probably has no significance. What they fear the most, though, is that is may be an eevee with a defect." Whitney said worriedly. "I hope not, of course. And you know what, this egg was actually the last one born. Maybe it being different was a coincidence," she speculated, but her face showed that she was unsure. To break the uneasiness, Whitney said, "Anyway, what have you been up to all this time, Chris?"

Christopher told her that he would be a junior in high school next term. He concluded by saying that his life was too uneventful to talk about, and instead asked Whitney the same thing she had asked him. Whitney told them that she was on her vacation from college, and that she would return in the fall. She would be returning to her studies at Joy University of Sohto, a school known for excellent teachings on pokémon health and breeding, and, apparently, was one of many similar schools founded by a Nurse Joy.

The sun was now setting behind the mountains. Vaporeon and umbreon nestled around their eggs. They licked each other's face and rested their heads together and began to fall asleep. At that time, Christopher's grandmother beckoned everyone to the house for dinner. As the three walked to the backdoor leading into the kitchen, Christopher asked if it was alright leaving the pokémon and the eggs outside, and Whitney told him that it was better that they be outside in the fresh air.

By the time everyone finished dinner, it was already dusk, with the faint light from the sun slightly peering from behind the mountains. The sun was completely hidden and the sky was getting darker. The stars were already visible and the crescent moon was shining brightly in the sky. Whitney went home. Katherine and Christopher's mother were given the only two guest rooms. Christopher decided to sleep on the couch in the living room. Vaporeon and umbreon remained outside with their eggs.

By the time the clock struck nine o'clock, everyone at the house was asleep. But outside, there was still life moving about. Nocturnal pokémon began their nightly routine of hunting and playing. The sounds of a hoothoot could be heard clearly in the quiet night. And dark shadows moved around silently in the forest that stood at the foot of the distant mountains.