Eevee is a fan-favorite Pokémon that looks like a cross between a fox and a cat. In the second generation of the original Game Boy games—editions Gold, Silver, and Crystal—Pokémon introduced two new evolutions for Eevee: Espeon and Umbreon.
Unlike previous evolutions, which required you to give Eevee a specific item, these new transformations depended on the strength of your friendship with Eevee—and the time of day. It was an entirely new concept at the time, akin to integrating Tamagotchi into Pokémon games. For the first time, you could decide which Pokémon one of your favorite monsters would change into!
With the points system for your friendship level buried deep inside the system, initially, it was incredibly hard to even trigger the evolution. Which items and actions make Eevee friendlier towards you? And what’s the fastest way of completing enough of those actions to trigger the evolution? Today, a quarter century later, all of this has been analyzed and optimized by savvy players, and you can do it quickly if you follow the right guide online.
Once you’re prepared, you need to level up your Eevee one last time. Then, if it’s day time in the game, it will evolve into Espeon, a sleek feline with a split tail and lilac fur. It resembles the sun and has strong psychic powers. If your Eevee evolves during the night, however, you get Umbreon, which looks more like a black fox with yellow rings in its dark fur and menacing red eyes. It represents the moon, has sharp teeth, and channels the power of the night.
When I first played these games, I really wanted Espeon first. I was a sucker for Psychic Pokémon with their telekinetic abilities. Many people agreed with me: Espeon was the fan’s choice at the time. “If only I could move objects with the will of my mind!”
20 years later, my preference had somehow changed. Umbreon was one of the first Pokémon I went after when I got back into the games, and it was also the first “Eeveelution,” as Eevee’s eight grown-up versions are often referred to, for which I began chasing a master set in the physical card game. It’s been two years, and many Umbreon cards and interactions later, I’m still a man of the night. In fact, Umbreon graces the back of my t-shirt right now.
In some phases of your life, you’ll shine bright like the sun. Your destinations will be clear, and you’ll float towards them as if drawn in by invisible magnets. You’ll prefer the day, the straightforward action, the hustle and bustle of life when the sun is out in full force.
In other years, you’ll have to be sleek like the night. Subtle, attentive, and thoughtful. Shadows might initially cloud your vision, but they can also provide space to let ideas settle. To think in the quiet about what you really want—and then build towards it while everyone else is asleep. With children, coworkers, and spouses tucked under the covers, you may chisel your sparkliest stars out of the night.
Last Christmas, my fiancée gave me a black Pokémon sweater. It has Pikachu on its back, with a famous catch phrase from the series below: “I choose you!” It’s the title of the very first Pokémon episode in which Ash makes Pikachu his elected companion for life. Even with “only” the original 151 Pokémon—now there are over 1,000—the idea was always the same: Life is rich, and you can choose; choose based on what you need and who you want to be in any given moment.
You can be the sun. You can be the night. Or any of the million shimmering colors in-between. Just make sure you never stop evolving.
