Early one morning not long afterward, Baby Eevee rubbed his sleepy eyes and poked his head out of the cool burrow.
Normally, Sylveon would already be waiting elegantly outside by now, her ribbonlike feelers gently wrapped around a breakfast of Berries.
If Baby Eevee refused to get up, she might simply haul him out of bed.
But today, the space beside his nest was empty. Some food had been left behind, but Sylveon was nowhere to be seen.
"Vee?" Baby Eevee tilted his head, twitched his ears, and ran into the backyard with his tail held high.
The yard was quiet today, too.
There were no sounds of Lucario training, no Squirtle slacking off, and no Corviknight flying overhead. Even Regirock, who normally never budged, had changed positions.
Regirock now stood closer to the yard's gate. Any creature climbing over the wall there would most likely receive a warm welcome from Regirock.
Baby Eevee circled Regirock twice without attracting any attention. Instead, he caught the eye of Bellossom, who was leading the Gloom through their morning exercises nearby.
It was still early, and the sunlight was not too strong. The Grass-type Pokémon were soaking it up now so they could avoid getting baked at noon.
"Bellossom?"
Baby Eevee nodded, his tail wagging unconsciously.
Once Bellossom understood what Baby Eevee meant, she pointed toward the path outside the yard and gestured with her leaves to indicate that someone had gone far away. Then she pointed at the house next door.
Simply put, Sylveon had gone out with the neighbors-and had not taken Baby Eevee along.
Before leaving, she had even asked Bellossom to keep an eye on him.
"Vee?!" Baby Eevee's ears instantly shot straight up, and his eyes went perfectly round.
But he was not disappointed or sad. He was