Joss was stunned. She had just been given the gift she'd been asking for ever since she was ten; a Pokemon. A ticket to freedom. She cradled the egg and flashed a huge smile at Cynthia, who grinned right back at her. Did this mean that Grams decided to change her mind and finally let her leave home?

"Cynthia, darling," Grams began sweetly, but Joss could hear the cross undertone that she was trying so desperately to stifle, "What is that?"

Cynthia crossed her arms over her chest defensively, "It's exactly what it looks like."

Joss could sense the tension in the room. She anxiously clutched the egg closer to her chest, the feeling of movement inside helping her to drown them out. She hated it when her family fought.

"A Pokemon egg!? You know good n' well that it ain't safe for Joss to leave home. 'Specially with everythin' that's been goin' on lately." Grams didn't hold back her anger anymore, "I ain't about to let my one and only granddaughter end up dead like her mother."

"But the best way for her to be safe is for her to get stronger. She's going to be in danger no matter what, and if she stays cooped up on this farm without any Pokemon or experience to protect her, she is going to end up like my sister. She needs to be able to protect herself, not rely on you to keep her safe." Cynthia argued, and then her expression became grim, "The only reason that I survived the Team Galactic attack all those years ago and she didn't is because I was the stronger sister. You threw me out into the world before I was ready and I struggled my way to the top. Meanwhile you coddled her and now she's dead. Do you really think that doing the same with Joss will keep her safe? She'll end up the same way if you're too damn stubborn to learn from your mistakes."

Joss could see Grams' clenched fists and irate expression as she stomped towards Cynthia, inches away from her face, brows pulled into a dark scowl, glaring at her aunt with the nastiest look she had ever seen her make.

"You ain't got the right to tell me how to be a mother or a grandmother, and you sure as hell ain't got the right to blame me for anything. Not after everything I've lost!" Grams yelled, the veins in her forehead and fists bulging slightly, "Not when you were the one who was there when she died. Not when you were the one who could have saved her."

Joss didn't know much about the day her mother died, but she did know that whenever it was brought up it always spiraled into a terrible fight. She knew that both Cynthia and her mom were at the Spear Pillar on the day that Team Galactic attempted to rip space and time apart, and she knew that only her aunt made it back alive.

Cynthia never talked about what happened that day. Both she and Grams had seen therapists to deal with the trauma that came from it, and as far as Joss knew, they were the only people who had heard all the details.

Joss felt tears pricking her eyes. She didn't want to hear any more of this. She was already haunted by it enough without her family screaming at each other about it. She just wanted to run away with this new Pokémon and forget about everything. She wanted to be free from it all.

Before Cynthia could respond or Grams could say anything more, Joss stepped in between them both and shouted, "I don't care what happened before! I wish that I had been able to meet my mother more than anyone, but you guys have to understand that I'm not her! I want to live my own life my own way, and I don't want either of you to tell me what I should do anymore. I want to be strong! I know I can! Im not going to let you take this egg away from me, Grams. This is all I've ever wanted!"

Grams and Cynthia both fell silent.

Before anyone could object, Joss rushed out of the parlor, holding her egg tightly against her chest. She ran outside to the far edge of the ranch, resting against the fence that kept all the Mareep together, and let out a long sigh. She had finally been given the exact thing she'd always longed for, and she refused to let anyone take it from her. She needed to be free. She stared down at the egg, caressing the robust shell.

"I'm going to see the world with you." She whispered. The egg wiggled in return, as if nodding in agreement, and Joss hugged it like a pillow.

That was when she felt it. A crack.

No, it couldn't be, she had only just been given this egg. Startled, Joss peered down at the small brown shell to see that it was most definitely hatching, and she hadn't just imagined it. The egg continued to move and crack, the Pokemon inside struggling to free itself. Joss kept it in her lap, stroking the shell in encouragement, until bits of brown fur began to peek out of the cracks. With one final movement, the Pokemon broke free, staring up at Joss with huge black eyes.

An Eevee.

"Hey little buddy." Joss smiled, running her fingers along the cream colored fur around its neck. It was still wet from the amniotic fluids of the egg, and the tiny Pokemon shivered from the cold, letting out a tiny mew before stumbling out of the egg and curling up into a tight ball on Joss's lap, purring.

Joss's heart swelled with warmth, and she picked the Eevee up, hugging it closer to her chest, "Alright, come on, let's go inside so I can clean you up."

The Eevee continued to purr and rub its wet little head against her chest as they walked back to the house. Joss's heart was pounding. What would Grams do? Joss was the first person that the newborn Pokemon saw, meaning that it imprinted onto her and saw her as its mother, and it would be quite inhumane to separate the two of them. Would Grams really do such a thing? Joss opened the door and came face to face with her family.

Both of them were still talking, deeply engrossed in hushed conversation until they saw Joss walk inside. They seemed a lot less hostile now, which was a relief. Grams looked toward her with eyes wide and mouth agape in shock, while Cynthia stood next to her with arms crossed and lips turned upward into a subtle smirk.

"Is that the Pokemon?" Grams asked in a low-pitched voice, pinching the bridge of her nose in stress, "Did it hatch?"

"Yes." Joss replied, clutching the Eevee tighter, "And I'm going to raise it just like Cynthia wanted. I'm eighteen now and you can't tell me what to do anymore."

Grams blinked a few times, shocked at her granddaughter's assertiveness, but then her features softened and she let out a long sigh, sitting down in one of the dining room chairs, "Fine, you win this one, Cynthia. It was a bold move givin' her an egg that was 'boutta to hatch. You knew I ain't gonna separate her from a newborn that imprinted on her."

"Yes, and I knew you'd be too stubborn if I asked permission." Cynthia replied, "I'll help her train the Pokemon once it's strong enough to fight. It has a lot of potential-- the egg came from my sister's Leafeon and my Glaceon."

"Wait, is this Eevee really the child of one of my mom's Pokemon?" Joss beamed, looking down at the tiny brown creature. Holding it made her feel closer to her mother and it filled her heart with joy.

"Yes. When your mother passed away she entrusted me with the care of her Pokemon. I bred her first partner with one of mine as a gift for you." Cynthia patted the top of the Eevee's head, "It's such a cute little girl. You'll have to bottle-feed her for a few weeks until she's strong enough to start training. We can do that after we go clean her up," Cynthia started toward the bathroom and then looked over her shoulder, "you want to come help, Grams?"

Grams stuck her nose in the air, refusing to look at the two girls, "No. You gave her the egg, you go help her clean it up."

Cynthia rolled her eyes and walked upstairs toward the bathroom, Joss following closely behind her, smiling uncontrollably. She always knew that her aunt was cool, but this? This was the best birthday present she had ever received, and she even went so far as to outsmart Grams to give it to her. It really meant the world to her.

As the pair sat down next to the bathtub, Joss looked towards her aunt with tears in her eyes, "Cynthia, I- I'm so happy. I feel closer to my mom than ever before. Thank you."

"She deserved better than what fate handed to her." Cynthia couldn't look at Joss, but her eyes were filled with guilt as she stared down at her hands, "And so do you. I'm sorry that I couldn't save her that day at the Spear Pillar. This is the best I can do to repay that debt."

"You did all you could, I know you did." Joss put a hand on her aunt's back, comforting her, "You're the best person I know."

Cynthia stood up and started towards the bathroom door, still not looking at Joss, "The long-haired Pokemon shampoo is under the sink."

The blonde woman left the room, never acknowledging her niece's comforting words. Joss sighed and grabbed the shampoo, forming it into a lather on her hands. She knew that the guilt Cynthia felt about not being able to save her mother on the day of Team Galactic's attack ate her alive, just like the grief over never having met her ate Joss alive. She understood why she wouldn't want to talk about that traumatic day, even though she wanted to know more.

Regardless, Joss now had a Pokemon that was the offspring of her mother's first partner, and that brought her so much joy. She smiled at the tiny newborn Eevee and worked the lather of maple-scented shampoo into its thick brown fur, feeling little purrs against her fingertips as she did. She rinsed the soap off of her and then lifted the hatchling out of the tub, rubbing a warm towel over her fur to dry her.

"There you go, all clean!" Joss grinned, and the Eevee let out a small mew in return, shaking the excess water from her thick pelt, "Don't worry, Grams will come around eventually, you're too cute."

When Joss came downstairs with the now very fluffy Eevee, she was greeted by the smell of homemade chicken and dumplings as well as pancakes— her favorite breakfast. Cynthia sat quietly at the dining room table, drenching her pancakes in enough maple syrup to drown a small Pokémon.

"Grams is in the kitchen mixing your Eevee's formula. I think she's in a better mood now." She said, still pouring the syrup. The baby Eevee's nose twitched at the tempting unfamiliar scent, and her eyes were fixed on the lake of sweetness beginning to overflow from Cynthia's plate.

"Cynthia the syrup." Joss reminded her, but before she was able to stop, the Eevee had already jumped out of its trainer's lap and over to Cynthia's plate. She licked the tasty substance from off of the table where it had overflowed, causing her face and paws to become incredibly sticky in the process.

Quickly, Joss ran over and grabbed her Pokémon, pulling her away from the mess, "No! That's human food! You need to be drinking milk right now to grow big and strong."

Upon being scolded, the Eevee's ears went flat and she gave Joss a few licks as if to apologize. The gesture was so adorable that the new trainer couldn't possibly stay angry. Her freckled featured softened and she gave the sticky creature some pats on the head.

"Sorry about that. I really do need to stop being such a slob." Cynthia sighed and half-heartedly placed her napkin on top of the spill. That was so like her; confident and ambitious as a trainer, but lazy everywhere else.

"It's fine." Joss told her, staring at the little Eevee, "It gave me an idea for her nickname."

"Oh? Let's hear it." Cynthia grinned.

"Maple."

Hey there! Thank you so much for reading! Some family drama was introduced, Cynthia apparently loves maple syrup, and Joss finally got her first Pokémon— and nicknamed it too. I guess that leads into the question of the chapter . . .

QOTC: Have you ever nicknamed a Pokémon? If so, what was your favorite nickname that you've used/ seen?