Ash's Story (Part 6: Unova)

Chapter 85: Team Eevee

Dad's video call came through before breakfast, and seven familiar cries filled the hotel room behind his voice.

Umbreon sat closest to the screen, calm and watchful. Flareon kept leaning into the camera until Dad gently nudged him back. Jolteon sparked every time Pikachu waved from my shoulder.

Vaporeon rested with patient dignity near the back. Espeon's gem glowed as if she already knew why I had called. Leafeon and Glaceon pressed close together, both listening for my answer.

Dad gave me the kind of tired smile that made Reisa's joke feel painfully accurate. "They heard the word semifinal and refused to stay quiet."

"Sorry, Dad," I said, rubbing the back of my head. "I know this was sudden."

"It is the League," Dad said warmly. "Sudden requests from you stopped surprising me a long time ago."

Alice stood beside me and looked over the Eevee family with quiet amusement. "Are all seven coming?"

"I can only use six," I said. "Virgil's team is built around rescue balance, so I need my own balance too."

Golly checked the transport approval on her tablet. "The League desk confirmed temporary reserve transfer. They return home after the match unless you request a formal rotation later."

"That is not happening today," I said. "This is just for Virgil."

Eve folded her arms, watching the screen carefully. "Good. Then the battle stays about respect, not collection."

I nodded because that mattered. Virgil had shown me his Team Eevee during the rescue work before the League, and I did not want to answer that bond with random power.

I wanted to answer it with family.

I looked at Glaceon and felt the hardest part of the choice. Virgil's Glaceon would likely appear, but I needed Jolteon's speed, Espeon's control, Vaporeon's patience, Leafeon's field reading, Flareon's courage, and Umbreon's opening defense.

"Glaceon, I need you watching with Pikachu today," I said gently. "You know ice better than anyone, so help me read Virgil's Glaceon from the side."

Glaceon gave a quiet cry, disappointed but steady. Her meaning came cool and clear. "If I do not battle, I still guard the answer."

"You do," I said. "Every one of you is part of this."

Pikachu's meaning brushed against me like a small spark. "They came because they trust you. Virgil's team will feel that."

"I know," I whispered to him. "That is why I have to battle properly."

By the time we reached Vertress Stadium, the crowd already knew something unusual was coming.

Virgil stood across the battlefield in his rescue-team jacket, calm but excited. His Eevee waited beside him, ears up and tail moving as the announcer introduced us.

The big screen showed Hugh sitting with his sister after winning his own semifinal earlier that morning. He looked focused instead of restless, and that made the final feel closer than ever.

For a moment, I remembered Hugh shouting about stolen Pokémon, chasing shadows because anger was the only thing he could still hold. Now his sister sat beside him, and Liepard's return had changed the shape of his eyes without erasing the scars.

That was waiting tomorrow if I won today. I could not look past Virgil, but I could feel the weight of the final sitting behind this semifinal.

Alice stood at the railing with Golly, Eve, Iris, Cilan, Reisa, and Pikachu. Glaceon waited beside Pikachu, ears raised as cold mist lightly curled from her mouth.