Full Summary: Nova the Eevee embarks on a Pokemon journey with her new trainer, Sam. Along the way, Nova learns how to train, win battles, make friends and simply enjoy herself. Sam and Nova are joined by two other trainers, Rae, Officer Jenny's ambitious, unconventional niece, and Kurt, the energetic craftsman turned explorer. Nova makes friends out of any unlikely Sandshrew-Gold, who seems to like Fighting moves better than his own Ground-type ones and has a serious attitude.

Trust me when I say stick around, it'll be fun.

Note: I do go back and fix work and improve dialogue as I learn and grow as an author. This chapter was written in 2011 when I was 14 and has been edited in 2013 and AGAIN in 2017 (i'm too old for this shit!) may this be the final time!

Prologue

Morning and night were the same for the small reddish creature, in the nigh- fluorescence it lived in. Days came and went only dictated by the presence of researchers and the thin window where the sun would peak in a few minutes every day before running away again. It was day and it was night, and it was morning again all the same. The diminutive creature did not dream of chasing ratatta, it was always in a dreamless state-not fully resting when asleep, not fully living when awake.

I woke up slowly as I usually did, half an hour before the room crowded in the morning. I yawned and scratched an itch on my muzzle by rubbing my face against the fake grass of my small caged enclosure. I had a little time before the second set of lights would snap on automatically, eliminating any chance of more rest. I was in a familiar room. Too familiar, I lamented.

The lab room was surrounded by machinery and a cluttered metal desk; eight stacked cages were against the wall, empty for a long time; white tile across the floor that gave me headaches when they mopped it with disinfectant; and a larger cage in the middle of the room, where I was held. Ever since I stopped nursing and was taken from my mother and littermates, who were somewhere out in the outdoor enclosure, but they probably had long forgotten about me, as my memories of them were faded too. I did remember that my mother was a leafeon belonging to the Professor, that was no mystery. I had never met my father and I knew for a fact he was not one of the Professor's pokemon.

There was much I didn't understand about the Professor, but I knew one thing, to him, I was not a normal pokemon. And for him, that was a crime punishable by separation and constant research. I pieced together that it was my fur, which was different from my nameless littermates who all had light brown and sunny cream coats. But I didn't think my colors were strange, they were just different.

My fur was russet. And instead of cream, mahogany brown. Not like the town though, the color. And instead of brown eyes, mine were a moss green. I had to wonder if I took after my father somehow. Even though this was the reason I guessed I was here, I certainly didn't understand what or why the uncomfortable, sometimes even painful, tests they subjected me to were.

Usually, when Professor Oak wasn't in the room with me, I was alone in silence, which I hated for a long time. I whined and whimpered to fill the void of sound for hours, having no one to see except Professor Oak with a needle and a clipboard; and no one to talk to; nowhere to go except this small cage and maybe across the room for a check-up.

But then, slowly, I had gotten used to it. The hum of silence, blips and beeps of the equipment, the Professor's heavy footsteps, and his low voice.

Today was different though, Oak was talking to someone outside, someone with a high, excited voice, and there was a strong feeling of change and excitement in the air. I knew I had to find out what the source of the sound and feeling was. As if Arceus itself were looking down on me, for the first time in months, the door to the dark lab room I was in was ajar, letting a small streak of light into the otherwise dimmed room. He must have been distracted. Anyway, it gave me just enough room that I could nose my way through. And maybe find a way back to my family.

And that meant out of the cage. In the time I had been here, I must have tried everything in my small enclosure, from pawing through the bars to gnawing on the latch. I had made some progress months ago but I had lost hope and submitted myself to convalescing in my prison. With renewed vigor in facing the unknown, I slammed a paw at the latch, where a thin bit of metal gave the latch purchase. It shook the cage and I paused, ears pricked, for a sign of Oak coming in. Nothing, they must be two rooms down. I sat up on my haunches, and slammed down with two paws this time, throwing the weight of a growing eevee onto the latch, something I didn't have before. Again, and a fourth time, shooting up and slamming down against the metal piece, before it snapped from the pressure on the hinge, the cage swinging open. I smiled to myself and hopped down onto the floor and towards the door. Finally, finally I did it. I'll never let him catch me again… I told myself.

I remembered the saying my mom had told me before. Curiosity killed the cat. I hope fate knew I was an eevee.

I squeezed through the typically sealed door. I was in a bright room. No artificial light. Sun. Real sunlight shining in from large windows in the ceiling. I smiled, blinking my eyes against the light.

My ears perked up as I heard something move in the next room. I had come this far, I wanted to know what it had been that had changed to dreary feeling here for a moment… I crept over to get a closer look from the side of the next doorway. On a metal table sat three pokemon, about my age, maybe a bit older. I hadn't seen other pokemon in over a month! I wanted to shout out and ask their names but I quickly quashed the impulse down. I was too nervous to communicate with them, if they had any interest in talking to me in the first place.

The three of them were standing stiffly, puffing their chests out. I recognized them as a Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander. I followed their gaze. There stood a human. A small male human. He was looking each Pokemon carefully. All three looked very strong and healthy. I took a step forward then, promptly, a step back.

I didn't like humans. They kept you locked up. They hurt you. They liked to control and that didn't change. But that was Oak and his assistants.

This boy looked innocent and naive. Like me. I felt a calm feeling start to affect me. This kid, he doesn't seem too bad. I thought to myself. He might be able to get me out of here!

The boy saw me. He had auburn hair and hazel eyes. His skin was tanned. Like all humans, he was tall, almost five times bigger than me. But he beckoned me with his hands and warm smile. After carefully assessing his body language and sensing no hostility, I slunk over to him carefully. I wanted to know why he was here. Usually, the lab was so quiet.

"It's alright, buddy. I'm not gonna hurt you," he spoke softly.

I held my breath and lowered my ears when he reached out his hand to pet me. His hand was slow but not nervous and when he stroked the top of my head, I instinctively leaned into his hand. His grin widened and some of my fear faded. I relished the foreign feeling of warmth against my fur. I decided I would definitely use him to get away from this lab. If not back to my family, then out the doors-anywhere was better.

A door opened and Professor Oak walked in. "Sam, have you picked your—" His eyes landed on me in his arms. I crouched and buried myself into the boy's lap. The boy protested and pulled me out. I glared at him furiously and bit the boy's hand as punishment for not helping me.

Doesn't he realize that I need to hide? The man is going to make sure I never escape again!

"Sam, how did you find that eevee?" He demanded, his voice lacking the cheeriness it had seconds ago-there was some fear now. He grabbed me roughly from the boy's hands. Sam looked ready to protest. I growled and tried scrambling out of Oak's arms and Sam stood up, clearly a little startled.

The boy must have seen something desperate in my eyes because his laid-back attitude hardened. "Yes, I made my decision. I want the eevee please," he told the Professor, holding his arms out in front of him expectantly.

Professor Oak stiffened and his hold on my scruff and hind legs tightened. I knew that Oak's soft spot was new trainers because his grandson was going to get his first pokemon in just a couple months.

"Now son," he tried to explain, "this eevee is a very special example of the breed. Notice its roan coat. It isn't a shiny eevee either. That's really rare, but this is something I've never seen before. I have to find out what genes mutated the normal Eevee Ultra-Dominant coat color. And other than that, there are other things that need to be researched that I really can't get into. Though the eevee does need field experience to delve any further, that will be taken care of by my grandson, Gary."

"When he turns ten in two months?" Sam asked, trying a new approach. "Won't hinder your research?"

"I might but, it's not something that can be changed," Oak shrugged slightly.

"What if another Professor figures it out before then, sir? Isn't two months is an awfully long time in the scientific field?" The auburn-haired boy asked innocently.

That got Oak, whose ever-curious mind wanted results, fast. "Alright then, m'boy, you may take the eevee as long as in two months you bring it back for a couple of tests."

"But I'll be able to keep her."

"Absolutely, provided nothing ground-breaking shows up," Oak assured him with a smile. Sam tensed slightly. There was a risk for him in this deal. I whined lightly in worry. If he decided to take one of the other starters I would never see the outside of the lab. Sam's eyes met mine for a moment.

"I'll take Eevee." He said with an easy smile as if the risk was nothing to him. Oak consented, setting me down. I carefully retreated to where Sam was as Oak pulled a piece of paper out of his notepad and scribbled furiously on it. I watched carefully from a safe distance. Once I was out, I'd be free, this trainer would understand, he would be better off without me, and me him.

Then he handed the scribbled paper to Sam, who thanked him with exuberance as he received five Pokéballs, a Pokédex and the Ultra Ball that I had been caught in. He shoved the items in his bag in a rush.

With Sam giving the professor a final goodbye, we walked out of the lab for the last time.

Sweet freedom.

I had just separated from Sam a few steps when a Caterpie protested loudly from being tripped over on the grass. I jumped back prickling, and ran back to the young boy. They were just laying around on the streets?! Maybe I'd spoken a little too soon… I decided I'd sit by him just for a few minutes until I was able to make heads or tails out of his scary new world. I couldn't dive into my new life until I had a little bit of time to observe and Sam's protection was a very good thing.

Once the lab was out of view, we picked a shady tree to sit at and he began to read the list out loud. I ran my paws through the grass and admired the filtered sunlight through the leaves.

"Wash fur every other day with Silk Pedigree Eevee Shampoo. Do not let Eevee battle against Fire or Electric-types, as they might cause wear to her coat. Keep in Poké—" Sam read wide-eyed until I cut him off by ripping the paper from his hands and tearing it to tiny pieces. I watched it sail away in the early spring breeze with a sense of finality in my heart. I heard the chuckle of relief and humor from Sam, my rescuer, and the disappearing last traces of Professor Oak.

I had been wrong before.

Now I was free.