“I gave you a chance to live happily.” Nick said, the words sharp and angry. “I wanted you to be happy and like having sex with me.” He tugged my leash as he walked with long strides that I had to run to keep up with. The ground was dry and the slightest stir sent wisps of dust up that clogged my nose. On either side, dark shapes stood silently as Nick yanked me along. Were they trees or people?

“But you wouldn’t love me and you resisted.” Nick spun around suddenly and I briefly got a look at a face twisted with rage before he yanked on my leash so hard I fell to the ground. He kicked dirt at me and I went into a spasm of coughing. “Weak bitch!” He yelled. “I don’t know why I bought you.”

He turned toward one the dark shapes then and began walking toward it. It was all I could do to get up before I was dragged along the ground. It was indeed a tree. Nick stopped before it then tossed the leash over a branch and pulled it taught.

“You don’t deserve to live.” Nick said cruelly, pulling the leash slowly. I tried to pull back but his strength was super human.

“No!” I shouted. I was up against the tree then. It was a pine and I could smell its sap through my dust-clogged nose. Nick was still pulling. I felt the collar around my throat getting tighter and tighter slowly. “Stop, Nick! STOP!” I pleaded. I heard laughing in the background, but Nick himself was oddly calm.

“I gave you chances.” He said in a lecturing tone. I tugged at the collar, but it wouldn’t give. I stood on my toes as the leash continued to pull me up. The laughing got louder and louder.

Then I was up in the air, hanging there with my windpipe constricting. I pulled even more frantically on the collar, but it held firmly. The laughing just wouldn’t stop. I took a ragged breath and dust clogged my lungs. “I only wanted to make you happy.” Nick told me. “I only wanted to have sex with you.” He was getting fuzzy, my vision was clouding.

“But I suppose your corpse will have to do.” Nick reached up and put his hand on my cheek gingerly. “A shame that it has to expire.” The laughs became hysterical now.

I stopped pulling at the collar, my arms felt too much like lead to move anymore, and my body felt like to much of a burden now. Black was creeping into the edges of my vision then, but even the colors that I had left were indiscernible. Seeing was too much of a bother, too. Suddenly I couldn’t think anymore either. It was so much easier to just not think at all. To not think about how my body wasn’t responding, to not think about breathing, to not think about anything at all. I just floated, surrounded by the ridiculous laughter.

I closed my eyes and the darkness was absolute.

I gasped and opened my eyes to see a dark forest, thick with grey leaves glowing from the fire. I breathed raggedly, enjoying the air came rushing readily to my lungs while my heart was thumping away in my chest so rapidly. I looked around with confusion. Nick was gone.

A dream, I realized. I reached up and yanked at my collar angrily.

“Are you okay?” Leah asked. I jumped violently away, spinning around. She was hovering silently behind me, watching me with concerned, lying eyes.

Damn it, she’s too quiet. I thought. I growled at her. She flew further into the air.

“Sorry to disturb you. You looked like you were being tortured.” Leah turned midair. I stopped growling and looked around. The fire was just residual ash now and the light I thought was coming from it was actually the red rose of a new dawn.

“The sun is rising.” Leah pointed out.

You don’t say. I thought in backlash. I was still kind of sore about that whole business of my leash getting snared on her cloak after she transformed. She did it on purpose. I was sure of it.

“I should probably wake Nick.” She said idly. I got the sense she was less talking to me than she was herself. I looked to the tent, now aware of the softest whisper of snoring inside. I thought of my dream, shivering at the vivid pain.

“Do whatever you want.” I replied in the span of one “Eevee”. 

“I will, thank you.” Leah responded to my surprise. I yelped and flinched. She frowned at me. “Did you think I couldn’t understand you?” I could only nod. “Well your accent is kinda thick, and I have trouble understanding Pokespeak in general, but I’m still half Pokémon so… um, yeah I can.”

“Oh.” I replied. It both terrified me and comforted me to have one of my captors be able to understand me.

“I grew up speaking English. Pokespeak is my second language.” She said idly, once again appearing to talk to herself.

My stomach grumbled, but I ignored it as Leah continued to speak. “You know, Nick’s not a bad person. Whatever you think he’s going to do to you, I can assure you he won’t. I know that you probably had some rough times in FATA, but Nick’s not like those people.”

“Okay.”

“He’s nice.” Leah said smiling. “And I should really wake him up. I’m hungry and only he knows how to properly cure a case of the munchies.”

I didn’t really know how to respond to anything she said. She was my captor, not to mention crazy. Why was she being so friendly to me?

“It’s okay, Leah.” Nick’s voice came from inside the tent. “Your ceaseless chatter woke me up.”

“Great, now make me something to eat.” Leah said, thankfully forgetting me.

“Why don’t you ever make yourself anything to eat?” Nick sighed from within the tent. “At least get the fire started again.”

“Yes sir!” Leah mock saluted and flew off into the woods. The day before Nick had gotten most of the firewood himself while Leah set up the tent clumsily. When Nick asked Leah to do something more, Leah became irritable. I found it weird that she was so compliant so suddenly.

A few minutes later Nick emerged from the stomach of the tent, still wrestling his shirt on, sending shivers down my spine as memories surfaced of clothing coming off. He took note of me soon after he was clothed. “What’s wrong girl?”

“Eev.” I replied briskly, turning away.

“Your tail’s all poofed up.” He laughed, walking closer to me. I shied away as he got closer. He frowned. “I promise not to hurt you.” He kneeled down next to me so our eyes were level. My thoughts flickered back to my dream. Eye’s filled with fear, heart pumping, and lungs in overdrive I must have been a sorry sight for him. 

“Alright.” He stood up. I flinched. “I’ll give you your space. You can’t be afraid forever… I hope.”

As he walked away I breathed a sigh of relief. “E-Eevee.” I stuttered.

“What was that?” Nick asked, poking the firepit with a stick.

“Eevee.” I replied.

“Oh. That’s what I thought you said.”

I took stock of myself. My legs were jittery from nerves, my fur was filthy, and my hair was a mess of knots. I whined, knowing how I must look. I began to brush my fur with my fingers, hoping against hope that that would be all I needed to do to return my fur to pristine condition. I hated having dirty fur more than I hated being tied up.

“Do you want me to brush your fur?” Nick asked. I jumped.

“Eevee.” I shook my head.

“Let me show you.” He grabbed a small object from his bag and walked toward me despite my protests. “Give me your hand.”

Hesitantly I reached out and slid my hand into his. His grip was gentle. He then took the item I now know as a wire brush and ran it gently and lovingly down my arm from shoulder to wrist. What was left in its wake was a knot-free, sparkly-clean line of smooth fur that would have taken hours of grooming to achieve normally.

“Eevee?” I said with wonder, looking up into Nick’s eyes. For the first time in a long while I put on a genuine smile.

“A smile really suits you more than a frown.” He said. I was stupefied. Did he just compliment me? “Why don’t you brush yourself while I go get the food ready to cook?” He put the brush into my hand and stood up.

“Eevee.” I thanked him and examined the brush to determine what exactly imbued the device with magical powers. While it looked nothing like anything else I had seen thus before, it didn’t really seem anymore spectacular than anything else I’d seen before either. I put the wire side down onto my arm like Nick did and pulled it down, immediately yelping as the rough brush scratched my skin harshly.

“Eevee, are you okay?” Nick was quickly by my side again, concern filling his voice.

“Eevee Eevee.” I replied.

“You have to be gentler.” He instructed, taking the brush from me. “Watch me.” He ran the brush slowly down my arm once more, again leaving a trail of pristine fur behind it. I looked at it with amazement.

“Eevee?” I asked with wonder.

“I’m sorry.” Nick laughed. “I don’t know what you said.” He looked at me really weird then, in a way no one ever looked at me before. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t understand it. “I should teach you to speak English.” I only nodded my head, not wanting to make him angry.

“Then how about I brush you and teach you English all at once?” Nick questioned. Not waiting for an answer he took the brush and ran it down my arm once more. “Do you know the alphabet?”

I nodded, feeling shivers go up my spine as the brush lightly scratched my skin.

“Good. We’ll start there I suppose. Can you say ‘aye’?” Nick asked, switching arms.

I thought a moment. “Ee.” I said, my tongue naturally going to the position it always does. “Eeeeeyaaaaaeee.”

Nick chuckled. “You can do it.”

“Yaaaayee. Ayeeeee. Aye.” Finally making the first of 26 letters of the alphabet, I congratulated myself by saying it again. “Aye!”

“Good,” Nick congratulated, “Now say ‘Bee’.” He moved from my arms to my back, asking me to stand up. I wasn’t too keen about letting him out of my sight when he was close enough to touch me, but I told myself that he hadn’t done anything yet to hurt me. At the very least he wasn’t going to explode and hurt me without warning like Boss and his men did.

I tried shaping my mouth like Nick did when he said the letter, but that came out as “Baaaaeeee.”

“Your tail seems to be just one big knot of hair.” Nick said before I could try again. I looked back at him. “Oh, sorry. Keep trying.”

“Vee.” I responded.

“Well at least we can skip that letter.” Nick smiled, going back to brushing my back.

“Byeee. Bee. Bee.” 

By the time Leah returned with a stack of floating firewood trailing behind her I had mastered A, B, C, and D, with E being a given. As Leah came back with the firewood floating behind her, she looked at us and gave us the thumbs up.

“There you go!” She said, “Master and servant finally get along.” She didn’t say anything about the floating kindling and Nick didn’t either. Really, it only confirmed my existing suspicions of her ability to use psychic powers for things besides flying.

“She’s not my servant.” Nick said, brush running down my right leg pleasurably. “And didn’t I tell you not to use your powers?”

“The Eevee doesn’t seem freaked out by it.” Leah said, dropping the wood into the firepit. She began rummaging through Nick’s pack until she found a book of matches.

“She could’ve been.” Nick replied. “I’ve been teaching her the alphabet.”

“Oh have you now?” Leah smiled as she added paper to the firepit. “How’s that been working out for you?”

“Surprisingly well actually.” Nick looked up to me from his lowered position. “Can you repeat the letters you know?”

“Aye, Bee, See, Dee, Ee.” I recited.

“Meh.” Leah shrugged. “I can do better.”

“That’s because you were raised speaking English!” Nick interjected.

“Details.” Leah smiled, her eyes lighting up. 

These people… Despite my unrest toward them deep inside… I was starting to like them. It shocked me to realize that. When Nick began the arduous task of getting all the knots out of my tail, taking every precaution not to hurt me, I didn’t flinch away at all. He wasn’t at all like the Nick that strangled me in my nightmare.

“You have beautiful fur.” Nick remarked casually.

Soon Leah had the fire going again and Nick took out a pan and made scrambled eggs with ingredients from another disobey-the-laws-of-physicsomatic expando sphere. I was so hungry I ate the alien food, finding the flavor to be strangely appealing.

“She better not waste anymore good food.” Leah threatened Nick with her fork. “I’ll kill you if she does.”

After breakfast they packed up the tent and put out the fire. Nick then untied me and we were underway. Leah flew off into the clouds soon after departure to do whatever it was Leahs do, and Nick resumed teaching me the alphabet. By lunch I could say all the way to U with the exceptions of G and J because I couldn’t make the ‘ja’ sound.

“Maybe when you learn to talk we can finally decide on a name.” Nick said smiling.

I nodded, smiling as well. It felt good learning and getting his praise. With every passing hour I trusted him more and more and the doubts in my mind were driven back further. They were still there though, making their presence known, demanding constant, exhausting attention.

“Nnnn…. Iiii… ka.” I said, piecing his name together from the letters I had learned thus far.

“Good.” Nick patted me on the head. “But it still needs work.”

“I… n-n-n… o.” I stuttered, the syllables feeling alien in a mouth that uttered nothing but ‘Eevee’ for years.

“Okay, now try saying ‘vee.’”

“Vee.” I said.

“That was quick.”

“Eevee.” I said, rolling my eyes like I had seen multiple humans do on many occasions.

“Oh yeah, it’s part of your name.” Nick laughed.

A distant rumble of thunder came to my ear then. Nick didn’t take any notice so I assumed that it was too quiet for him to hear. I looked up to the darkened, cloudly sky and could smell rain on the air.

“Nika,” I said again, getting a little frustrated about the left over ‘a’ in my speech, “tahnder.”

“What?” Nick looked up where I was looking. “Looks like rain.”

I nodded enthusiastically.

“I have that old cloak. Hold on, let me get it for you so you can stay dry.” Nick stopped and started digging through his pack before pulling out the cloak that Leah had been wearing when I first saw her. Her scent was extremely strong on it for some reason. Too strong in fact. It was almost as if she was still wearing it.

“Here.” Nick said, holding it up. He draped it around my shoulders and fastened the star so that it would stay in place. “Now if it rains you’ll stay dry.” That made me happy, but it was way too annoying for the smell of Leah to be all over it.

“You?” I asked, cocking my head. Thunder rumbled closer.

“I have an umbrella. Leah will hopefully be along before she gets struck by lightning.”

“Speak of the devil.” Leah said, appearing out of nowhere.

“Eevee!” I shouted, falling to the ground in shock.

“Leah!” Nick shouted. “You startled her!”

“Like that’s my fault!” Leah whined. “I thought she would smell me.”

“I da… id.” I said. “cllllowk.” I gestured toward the cloak I was wearing.

Leah looked at me funny. “What the hell did you just say?”

“Never mind that.” Nick said. “There’s a storm coming, so you better walk with us.”

As we walked, Nick continued teaching me letters. Soon enough, it began to sprinkle… then rain… then rain hard… then pour down like angels where bailing water out of heaven above our heads. Or peeing on us. I like the boat better though.

The rain grew too loud for me to hear Nick and Leah under the umbrella and it was getting really dark. Finally after what felt like hours of walking through the dense rain Nick tugged on my leash toward the trees where we enjoyed a relatively dry break from the relentless water. Few rain drops made their way to us under the foliage.

“You okay?” Leah asked me, nearly having to shout over the thunder and rain. I nodded though I doubt she saw it.

“We’re planning on setting up camp and waiting the storm out.” Nick said into my ear. “I’m gonna tie you up here while Leah and I set up the tent.”

I grabbed his arm as he moved the leash. “Da-ownt.” I yelled over the patter of rain.

“I’m sorry but this is not something I’m going to take a chance with.” He said, moving my leash to the tree branch despite my protests. By then their logic had taken root in my brain. I had realized that they were right about the Female Anthro Taming Agency capturing me again, and much to my shame Leah and Nick had begun to grow on me. I wondered if I was beginning to trust them too fast.

Lightning cracked like a sinister whip overhead, illuminating Nick floundering with poles as Leah outstretched her hand. Everything went dark except for the tent tarp; it glowed a light purple with Leah’s silhouette in front of it, controlling the floating materials with her mind. The tent poles flew from Nick’s grasp and fixed themselves where they belonged, giving the floating tent shape.

The tent was gently lowered to the ground, and Nick went around the outside pounding stakes into the ground to keep it from blowing away before morning came. Nick threw in his backpack and Leah jumped inside where it was dry.

Nick ran towards me and unfastened my leash from the tree, and he pulled me forcefully into the tent. Inside was cramped and not really made for three people.

“Ahg!” Leah cried out. “Nick, she’s getting water everywhere! Towel now!” She threw a towel at me for emphasis. “Dry her off before setting up the tent becomes useless.”

“Relax she’s wearing a cloak!” Nick yells, taking up the towel anyway and beginning to dry off the cloak I was wearing.

I squirmed as he did so.

“Sorry, girl, but the cloak needs to get dry, too.”

I continued squirming as he rubbed the towel all over my chest area. I didn’t exactly like it when he touched me there.

“Leah, could you get out the flashlights so I can see what I’m doing, please?” Nick asked, moving on from my breast. Leah began ruffling inside his backpack before producing two short flashlights. Turning them on, she handed one to Nick.

“It’s still day, too.” Leah said absently as Nick rubbed my squirming body off. “If I flew above the clouds right now they would look like a stormy ocean like that one time we were in Canalave city. You remember right? It was right after a storm blew through. The ocean had such large waves and everything was yellow.”

“Yeah I remember, but you’d better not.” Nick cautioned. “I remember the last time you got struck by lightning. I had to take you from the hospital to Pokecenter and back again and again because neither would treat you.”

“Getting struck by lightning is not fun.” Leah frowned. “I was partially paralyzed for the longest time. I’ll dodge it this time.”

“You are not going out there.” Nick, forgetting me, moved to block the exit. “You can’t dodge lightning from the sky; it’s faster and more powerful than an attack from a pokemon.”

“Too bad. I’m a legendary Pokémon.” Leah said, getting up off the tent floor. “I’m going and your insistence for me not to only makes me want to do it more.” She floated past him.

“Leah…” Nick called out. Leah turned as she opened the tent flap. “Please… be careful.”

“I will.” Leah smiled then blasted out into the pouring rain.

“Isa… Is… She… er mate?” I asked, blushing under my fur at my horrid speech.

“’Is she your mate?’” Nick repeated. I nodded. “No, she’s not. We’re just good friends. Let me get that cloak off of you.” He undid the clasp and helped me out of it, folding it up so the clasp was outside. 

“We’ve been friends for years.” Nick continued. “I thought I loved her at one point, but she only wanted to be friends. I’m happy that she said no to tell you the truth.” He sat down and motioned for me to do the same.

“Now let’s continue with letters.” Nick smiled. Soon I had every one down including G and J, the two toughies that eluded me earlier. Nick sang praises about me, but I chastised myself for letting myself get caught up in his words. I had to be vigilant in case he decided to make a move on me.

“Now we’re back to names.” Nick frowned. “I’m tired of calling you girl.”

“Eevee.” I replied. “I mean… yyyy-ah-uh”

“I’ve come up with a few more. Cheryl?”

“No.”

“Valentine?”

“No.”

“Trinity?”

I paused for a moment. “I lllliiiika eet.”

“You like it?”

I nodded.

“You sure?”

Again I nodded.

“Trinity it is then.” Nick smiled. I liked his smile. “I actually got that off of the clasp for the cloak. I saw it as I was undoing it.”

So That’s what it said. I thought to myself. I had been puzzling over that calligraphy all day as I was wearing it. My mother taught me how to read when I was just a kid, but lack of use and the fancy script made it difficult to decipher. Now that I knew what it said, I could clearly read it and wondered how I couldn’t see it before.

I had a name now, I realized. I wouldn’t be called Eevee or girl or anything else for as long as I lived. It was both unsettling and energizing at once to me.