Reformatting

The Digital Age politely declined an evolution ceremony. "You sure?" Kyrie asked. "Everyone else–well, only Prez, actually, but we at least planned one for everyone else."

"I'm sure," they responded. "I don't know what I want to evolve into yet, and I want to decide on my own time."

"Fair enough," said Kyrie. "Let me know if you change your mind, okay?"

They pat Digital's head. The Digital Age nodded at them and flew off to the bedroom.

Loop de Loop was outside. Digital's other friends, Aether and Prez, were with him. All the evolved eevees were out together to get used to their new abilities, and with Digital not close to any of the others, they weren't sure how to occupy themself in the meantime. Prez had been teaching them to be more social, so maybe this was a chance to test their skills.

The Digital Age twitched their ears. The bedroom had a couple of eevees lounging around, though it looked like most were in various stages of sleep. Spotlight might be awake? His eyes were closed, but Digital knew that Spotlight often kept his eyes closed to prevent his flashlight eyes from blinding anyone. As an android eevee, the Digital Age was unaffected by bright light, and would therefore be a perfect candidate for Spotlight to be himself around.

They landed on the floor and folded up their wings. The gentle clanking of their feet on the wood caused a few eevees to stir as they walked by, but none to awaken. Spotlight's ears perked up when Digital approached.

"Hello," said Digital.

Spotlight cracked one eye open, light streaming out. "Hello," he said. "What do you need?"

"My friends are busy," Digital said, "but Prez has been teaching me social skills."

"So you want a guinea pig?"

"What's a guinea pig?"

Spotlight closed his eye again. "A test subject."

Digital nodded. "I understand. Under that definition, I would not like a guinea pig. I would like a new friend."

"A new friend," Spotlight echoed, and he opened his eyes. "Well, I could potentially fill that role."

Digital couldn't smile the way their mouth was molded, but they perked their ears up and added a lilt to their voice. "Thank you," they said. "What should we do as friends?"

"Not so fast." Spotlight held up his paw. "Before we become friends, we have to get to know each other. Let's go somewhere we won't be bothered."

"Okay," said Digital. "Where can we go? I can't leave the cabin."

"That does limit our options, but I believe I can make something work." Spotlight pointed his nose towards the cabin's roof. "Can you fit in there?"

The Digital Age zoomed in on the spot. "There's a hole," they said out loud. "Yes, I think I can."

"Hm," said Spotlight. "How do you think, by the way?"

"What?"

He tilted his head. "Apologies if I offend, I'm just curious. Androids do think differently than flesh and blood eevees, correct?"

"Oh," said Digital. "I'm not certain. I believe my systems are different, yes, but I am unsure how to describe that difference."

"I see." Spotlight looked back at the hole in the ceiling. "We can talk more in private. Shall we?"

Digital nodded. "Do you need me to carry you?"

"Oh, no, I have a path. You go first and I'll be right behind you."

They nodded and spread their wings. Digital didn't strictly need their wings to fly, but the action of spreading their wings was intertwined with preparing to fly. They wondered if, as Spotlight put it, flesh and blood eevees had similar quirks.

The hole was just large enough to fit them. Digital squeezed themself through and peered into the dark interior. The lights on their mane illuminated a little of the dusty loft, but the majority remained in darkness.

"All the way in," Spotlight said from behind them. Digital moved out of the way and Spotlight crawled through, his eyes lighting up the loft like flashlights.

Digital rotated their ears towards him. "What sort of things do you want to talk about?" they asked.

Spotlight turned his glowing eyes towards them. "You, mostly," he said. "What you are and where you came from. Do you have any objections to that?"

"No, I don't."

Spotlight stepped closer. "Really? No objections at all?"

"No objection," Digital said. "I already told Kyrie what I know. It makes sense that others would want to know, too. I want us to be friends."

"Huh," Spotlight said. "You see, I'm not certain you told Kyrie everything."

Digital tilted their head. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I'm the one asking the questions." Spotlight sat down. "What is your purpose here?"

"You said you wanted to go somewhere we wouldn't be bothered, so I–"

"Not literally here," he snapped. "You know. Your purpose existing."

"I don't think I'm anything but literal," Digital said. "I exist because I was built."

"Exactly," Spotlight said. "Now, who built you?"

"Team Cyber," they said. "I am property of Team Cyber."

The words came automatically, like a natural truth of the world. Even though Kyrie told them a person couldn't be property, Digital understood that it was programmed so thoroughly into him that he couldn't not believe it. That was okay, though. As long as Team Cyber didn't find them, they would be no one's property.

"Why did Team Cyber build you?"

The Digital Age paused. "I've never thought of that before."

"Wouldn't that be something you'd want to know?" Spotlight asked. "Something we all should know?"

"Probably." Digital pawed at the floor, trying to think of what to do. It did bother them that they didn't know something Spotlight thought was so important. "I can examine the way I was programmed and extrapolate from there?"

Spotlight huffed. "Sure, why not."

"You don't sound happy about it."

"It's not really what I had in mind, but let's see what you come up with."

"Okay," said Digital, and they turned their mind inward.

As an android eevee, the Digital Age could examine their own mind much more thoroughly than a flesh and blood eevee could. No living eevee could chart out the exact paths their own neurons took, but Digital could trace a function back to its source. Their cooling fans started whirring.

Spotlight made a quiet noise. Digital paid him no mind.

After about seven real-time minutes, the Digital Age believed they had come to a conclusion.

"I came from an egg," they said to Spotlight. "I did not physically grow inside the egg, but my programming was proliferating itself inside my mind, building what would eventually become me. I was built to grow."

"Interesting," Spotlight said. "Grow into what?"

"I don't understand."

"You have to grow into something, correct? We may be eevees, but even with eight choices to evolve into, we have to become something." Spotlight tilted his head. "What are you becoming, Digital Age?"

"I'm not certain," Digital said. "I don't think I was intended to be anything specific. All my programming implies I was built to learn from those around me."

Spotlight nodded. "But you said you are property of Team Cyber. Perhaps you were intended to learn from them."

Digital considered this. If they were meant to learn from Team Cyber… what would they be like, then? They rather liked who they were after learning from Kyrie, Loop de Loop, Aether, Prez, and everyone else, and Team Cyber was willing to threaten all of Digital's friends to get them back.

Would they become a person like that, too?

"I wouldn't," Digital said.

"Wouldn't what?" Spotlight asked.

"I wouldn't become like Team Cyber." Digital put their ears back. "I don't like them. They want to take me away from my friends. I don't like them at all. I'm glad I never learned from them, because I don't think it would have been anything good."

Spotlight nodded. "Well," he said, "that's all the questions I have for you."

"Oh. Okay." Digital put their ears up again. "Are we friends now?"

"Perhaps." Spotlight went to the loft's entrance. "I'll think about it. Maybe next time, I'll tell you about myself."

"Okay," said Digital. "That sounds nice. I hope we do become friends."

Spotlight had already ducked out the hole. Digital waited for a few moments before they left as well.

---

The Digital Age did not like Team Cyber.

The Digital Age was property of Team Cyber.

They reached a paw out as if stretching, lying in a dark corner while their cooling fans whirred.

The Digital Age was worried about Kyrie, Loop de Loop, and the others. Loop de loop was strong, because he had evolved. He could protect them from Team Cyber.

Couldn't he?

They left the cabin in the middle of the night.

It wasn't easy; with all the eevees around, it was rare that all of them would be asleep at any given moment. But the Digital Age made it outdoors without being seen. They didn't go far; they stopped in front of the cabin's entrance, staring up through the trees at the moon. They still didn't know what evolution they really wanted, but did it really matter? Digital wouldn't mind being an umbreon.

They closed their eyes and ran the program.

Digital's body hummed and whirred, their fan kicking into overdrive. The metal groaned and stretched, their frame elongated; a combination of Team Cyber's technology and the energy of a pokémon's evolution. Every part of them reconfigured itself, and, blessed by the moon and the night, dark-type energy crept into their programming and offered new abilities they couldn't yet make use of.

The Digital Age opened their eyes.

Maybe now, they would be strong enough to protect themself.