" And Gary wins the battle." Tracey announced.

Ash ran to Pikachu and picked it up. " You did good, Pikachu. That was a hard battle."

" Chuu......" Pikachu said weakly.

Wisty walked up to her brother. " Here. Give Pikachu this."

She presented him with an Oran berry, and Ash took it right away.

" Thanks."

Wisty smiled. " Isn't that what little sisters are for?*

Suddenly, there was rustling in the bushes, and out jumped Eevee.

But something was wrong. Her eyes were closed, and small tears were coming out of her eyes

Wisty gasped. " Eevee?!"

Without hesitation she ran to her Pokemon and scooped her up, hugging her tight. " What happened, Eevee? Tell me."

" Eevee.... Eev...ee."

Wisty let out an angry sigh. " Where?"

" Vee Eevee."

Wisty looked at her. " It is a big deal, Eevee! No one does that to my baby girl."

Ash blinked. " What... What happened?"

" Pika Pika!"

Ash looked at his Pokemon. " Eevee's been bullied.... Because she's different than the others?"

Wisty nodded, anger written all over her face. " Come on, Eevee. We're going out for a day at the spa."

Gary's eyes bungled. " The spa?!"

Wisty nodded. " Yes. When we come back Eevee will look beautiful! No one will mess with her, not even your eevee, Gary!"

Gary blinked. " What did my Eevee ever do?"

Wisty whirled to face him. " Lots!"

Gary crossed his arms. " You're... Gonna have to be more specific."

" Think of what you do to Ash, except in the form of bullying."

Ash stared at Wisty, his expression shifting from confusion to concern. “So... Gary’s Eevee calls her names?” he asked, trying to wrap his mind around the situation. “Are they good nicknames? Because the one Gary has for me is the worst.”

Wisty shook her head vigorously, her frustration palpable. “It’s not the nicknames she’s crying about! It’s the fact that Gary’s Eevee thinks it’s better than mine because his is an actual Eevee, while mine has more unstable DNA than his!”

With that, Wisty turned on her heel and strode away, leaving everyone in stunned silence.

Gary opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. Instead, he exchanged glances with Ash, who was still processing Wisty’s outburst. “Wait, what?” Ash finally said, scratching his head. “I didn’t know Eevee had different types. Is that even a thing?”

Pikachu let out a concerned “Pika,” sensing the tension in the air.

“Yeah, well, it’s complicated,” Gary said, crossing his arms defensively. “Eevee’s evolution and DNA variations are based on certain genetic traits. Mine is a purebred Eevee. Wisty’s... well, I don’t know what you want me to say. It’s not her fault.”

“But that doesn’t make it right for her Eevee to feel inferior,” Ash said, frowning. “Wisty really cares about her Pokémon. I think we need to support her.”

“Right,” Gary muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “But how do we do that? I didn’t mean for my Eevee to hurt hers. I thought they were just playing.”

“Playing or not, feelings are feelings,” Ash said, determination shining in his eyes. “We should follow Wisty. She’ll need our help at the spa.”

Gary sighed but nodded in agreement. “Fine. Let’s go.”

As they made their way through the forest, Ash and Gary discussed how they might be able to resolve the situation. “Maybe we can teach your Eevee to be nicer,” Ash suggested.

“Or we can get your sister's Eevee to realize she’s special just the way she is,” Gary added, still feeling the weight of Wisty’s words.

They ran through the forest, trying to catch a glimpse of pink ribbons or a flower headband.

" Wisty?" Ash called. " Wiiiisty?!"

" Wisty? Eevee?" Gary exclaimed. " Where are you?"

Ash sighed and crossed his arms. " I can't find her."

Gary shrugged helplessly. " That makes the two of us."

Suddenly, they heard someone singing.

" “ I wanna be the very best, like no one ever waaaaas,
To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cauuuuse,
I will travel ‘cros the land, searching far and wiiiiiiiiiiiide,
Each one to understand, the power that’s insiiiiiiiiiiiiiide,
POkemon,
Oh, it’s you and me,
I know it’s my destiny,
Ooooh, you’re my best friend,
In a world we must defeeend,
Pokemon,
Oh, our heart’s so true,
OUr courage’l pull us through
You’ll teach me and I’ll teach you,
POkemoooon,
Gotta catch ‘em all,
Pokemon!"

Ash smiled faintly. " Besides me, you, Misty and Brock, there's only one other person who knows that song."

They took off running past trees and logs, jumped over rocks, and sucked below tree branches.

When the singing got closer, Ash put his hand up and put a finger to his lips, signaling to be quiet. Gary nodded.

They tiptoed and hid behind a bush.

There, in front of them, was Wisty. She was brushing her Eevee on the soft green grass, and Eevee was leaning on Wisty.

Wisty smiled gently as she picked a flower headband and put it on Eevee. " There." She said as she looked at Eevee in admiration. " Now you're the prettiest girl ever!"

" Eevee Eevee!"

Wisty nodded. " Yes, yes. I know those two are behind the Bushes."

She turned. " You can come out now, you know. I wasn't gonna bite you if you came directly to me."

Ash and Gary exchanged sheepish glances as they stepped out from behind the bushes. Ash rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, while Gary crossed his arms, trying to play it cool.

"Wisty, we were just—" Ash started, but Wisty cut him off with a raised hand.

"I know why you’re here," she said with a smirk. "You two are worried about me and Eevee."

Gary shrugged. "Well, we wanted to make sure you were okay. Eevee seemed pretty upset back there."

Wisty sighed, her expression softening. She gently patted Eevee’s head. "She was, but she just needed some time with me. Sometimes, it’s not about what others think, but about reminding her that she's special no matter what."

Ash smiled, kneeling down beside Eevee. "You’re right. And Eevee really does look beautiful with that flower headband."

"Eevee!" Eevee chirped happily, clearly feeling better.

Gary glanced at his sister. "I’m sorry if my Eevee made yours feel bad. I didn’t realize it was such a big deal."

Wisty stood up and faced Gary. "It’s okay. But you have to remember, just because someone looks or acts different doesn’t make them any less valuable."

Gary nodded, taking her words to heart. "I’ll talk to my Eevee. I’ll make sure she knows that being a good friend is what really matters."

Wisty smiled. "That’s all I wanted."

Ash stood, offering a thumbs-up. "Now that that’s settled, how about we head back? I think we could all use a nice lunch."

"Sounds good to me," Gary agreed.

Wisty gave her Eevee one last pat. "Let’s go, girl. Time to show the world your beauty."