Eevee spent a week recovering at the Pokémon Center, and its injuries finally healed.
Morning sunlight slipped through a gap in the tent.
The moment Ash opened his eyes, he found Eevee staring right back at him.
At some point during the night, Eevee had squeezed in beside his pillow, its fluffy tail draped across his face.
As soon as Ash woke up, Eevee started wagging its tail.
Its soft fur brushed against his cheek.
“Trying to charm me again?” Ash laughed, reaching over to rub Eevee’s head.
That only made Eevee more excited.
It climbed onto Ash and planted both paws on his chest, purring contentedly.
Pichu came over and tried to squeeze into Ash’s arms as well.
Eevee immediately turned toward it, bared its tiny teeth, and gave a warning growl.
“Eevee!
Eevee!”
Breakfast was even more ridiculous.
Ash had barely sat down when Eevee jumped onto his lap, curled up against his arm, and stared at the food.
When Ash gave Pichu a Pokéblock, Eevee promptly tapped the back of his hand and started whining.
It refused to stop until Ash gave it a piece of its own.
Only then did Eevee settle down, looking thoroughly pleased with itself.
Ash chuckled at its demanding behavior and tapped the tip of its nose.
Eevee tilted its head and swept its tail across his thigh.
Four more years passed.
Only one week remained before Pallet Town’s new Trainers would set out on their journeys.
That morning, Ash boarded a ship heading out to sea.
The salty breeze tugged at the brim of his cap.
Wingull cried overhead while the steady hum of the ship’s propeller carried across the water.
The Eevee he had rescued four years ago was curled up on his shoulder, fast asleep.
As the ship rocked, its fluffy tail occasionally brushed against Ash’s neck.
Pikachu crouched on the railing nearby.
Its tail brushed Eevee’s nose, earning an irritated little cry.
“Eevee!”
Yes.
Pikachu.
During those four years, Pichu had evolved into Pikachu.
“Ash!
We’re almost at the coordinates!” one of the crew members shouted over the wind and waves.
Ash gripped the railing and looked ahead.
The faint outline of an island was beginning to appear in the distance.
Four days earlier, he had seen a news report at the Cerise Laboratory.
Three fishing boats had been caught in a violent storm.
Just when things were becoming dangerous, a group of Dragonite had appeared, lifted the boats from the water, and carried them to a safer part of the sea.
The surveillance footage showed enormous waves rising beneath the Dragonite’s wings while lightning flashed overhead.
“Professor Cerise believes these Dragonite may have a permanent habitat somewhere around here,” one of the researchers had explained, placing a satellite weather map in front of Ash.
A large section of ocean on the map had almost no usable location data.
Professor Cerise had asked Ash to investigate.
“Hard to starboard!”
The captain gave the order, and the ship turned sharply.
Eevee grabbed Ash’s collar with both paws.
Pikachu jumped straight into his arms.
“This is the place.”
Ash took a deep breath.
A deafening roar suddenly echoed from somewhere in the distance.
The ship shook, sending a bucket bouncing across the deck.
Soon afterward, they reached a barnacle-covered reef near the island.
Ash climbed down from the ship and landed in the shallow water beside the shore, splashing seawater over the cuffs of his pants.
He followed the beach inland.
The fine sand gradually gave way to damp soil.
Dense ferns stretched overhead, forming a natural canopy.
Sunlight slipped between the overlapping leaves and scattered shadows across the ground.
Then Ash heard splashing ahead.
He held his breath and pushed through a curtain of tangled vines.
Ash stopped.
Beside a clear green lake, dozens of Dratini were playing in the water.
Their blue bodies gleamed in the sunlight as their slender tails swept through the lake, sending droplets into the air.
Several Dragonair rested on the rocks along the shore, their long bodies curled loosely around themselves.
Whenever a Dratini passed nearby, the Dragonair lowered their heads and nudged the younger Pokémon with their noses.
Farther out, several adult Dragonite stood atop a massive reef in the center of the lake, stretching their wings.
Sunlight reflected from the water and across their bodies while the movement of their wings stirred the mist around the reef.
One Dragonite picked up a piece of floating driftwood and carried it to the shore.
It placed the wood near a Dragonair that was practicing how to fly, creating a makeshift platform for it.
“This is incredible…”
Ash kept his voice low, not wanting to disturb them.
Eevee jumped from his shoulder and approached the edge of the lake.
A nearby Dratini suddenly spat a bubble of water at it.
Eevee jumped back two steps in surprise.
“Pika-Pika!”
Pikachu laughed and ran over to join the game.
Ripples suddenly spread across the center of the lake.
An enormous Dragonite rose from beneath the surface.
Old scars covered its chest, but the huge Pokémon still carried an intimidating presence.
Its body was green.
Ash stared at it for a moment.
A Shiny Dragonite.
The Dragonite looked toward him and gave a low rumble.
At once, the nearby Dratini and Dragonair fell silent and moved behind the adult Dragonite.
Ash remained where he was.
A pale blue glow surrounded his body as he released his Aura.
The huge Dragonite tensed.
Then it seemed to notice something in Ash’s Aura.
Its posture slowly relaxed, and it lowered its wings.
The Dragonite looked directly at Ash and let out another deep rumble.
As Ash’s Aura reached it, the last of the tension left its body.
Splash!
Dragonite’s massive tail slammed against the surface of the lake.
Water burst into the air, scattering droplets through the sunlight.
A moment later, the lake grew calm again.
Only widening ripples remained, along with several curious Dratini peeking out from the shoreline.
Eevee shook the water from its fur and jumped back onto Ash’s shoulder, patting his cheek with one paw.
Pikachu raced along the edge of the lake, small sparks crackling from its cheeks as it played with the Dratini.
By the time the sun began to set, the lake had turned golden-red.
Ash stood quietly beside the water, listening to the cheerful cries of the Dratini.
This island had remained hidden for a reason.
If word of a place filled with Dratini, Dragonair, and Dragonite reached the outside world, Trainers and poachers would eventually come looking for it.
Nothing good would come from that.
Ash had seen enough.
He called Pikachu and Eevee back and began making his way toward the shore.
The path beneath his feet was still damp from the sea air.
He was almost back at the ship when he heard rapid splashing behind him.
Ash turned around.
A Dratini was swimming toward him as fast as it could.
It was the same one that had spent the most time playing with Pikachu and Eevee.
The Dratini reached the edge of the water and immediately wrapped its long body around Ash.
Its cool body pressed against him while its tail curled around his wrist.
Then it rubbed its head against his chest.
“Oh?”
Ash looked down at it in surprise.
“Why did you follow me?”
He stroked the top of Dratini’s head.
Dratini cried happily and tightened its hold on him.
The behavior felt strangely familiar.
Then Ash remembered something from the original story.
There had been a Dragonite that loved hugging him every chance it got.
Ash looked down at the Dratini wrapped around him.
Could this be the same Pokémon?
Could this little Dratini eventually become that Dragonite?
Dratini looked back at him.
Ash smiled.
Maybe this really was fate.
“All right.
If you want to come with me that badly, let’s go together.”
Ash lifted Dratini into his arms.
Dratini immediately rubbed its head against his cheek and cried happily.
With Pikachu, Eevee, and Dratini beside him, Ash headed back toward the ship.
Behind them, their shadows stretched across the shore beneath the setting sun.