[Pokémon: Eevee]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Adaptability]
[Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Growl, Covet, Sand Attack]
[Status: Listless]
[Mood:]
[Joy: -50]
[Friendship: 1 (You are strangers in this world)]
[Description: If I can't evolve into a beautiful Sylveon, I'm done for! —Eevee]
Kawaki glanced at the Eevee perched on Ariel's shoulder and immediately noticed the gloomy little raincloud pouring down over its head.
That storm cloud was practically a downpour—this Eevee was in an extremely low mood.
Compared to two days ago, its Joy had dropped even further.
Its data appeared clearly in Kawaki's mind.
From -20 all the way down to -50.
No doubt because it still hadn't managed to learn a Fairy-type move and evolve into Sylveon.
Kawaki narrowed his eyes. If he could fulfill this Eevee's wish and help it evolve into Sylveon, its Joy value would probably skyrocket.
And when that happened… what kind of generous reward would he receive?
As Ariel buzzed with excitement over getting a "bargain," Kawaki felt a bit conflicted.
She thought she was the one profiting, but in truth, the one who stood to gain the most… was him.
Five thousand PokéDollars, plus a rare and unknown reward—for him, it cost absolutely nothing.
"If you'd like Eevee to learn Baby-Doll Eyes, you'll need to leave it here for half a day," Kawaki explained. "You're welcome to explore the area, or you can stay here and rest. We offer food and lodging for our guests as well."
For Kawaki, teaching a move was as easy as thinking about it. But to avoid suspicion, he decided to let Bewear handle it in appearance.
"Gu~!"
He had already briefed Bewear in advance, and now, with the task officially assigned, Bewear happily accepted.
Ariel paid the fee and handed Eevee over, crouching down to give it an encouraging pep talk.
"You got this, Eevee! I'll be right here waiting for you!"
"Bui!" Eevee nodded eagerly. It would seize this chance and give it everything it had!
As Bewear and Eevee headed to the backyard for training, the three friends noticed a smaller chalkboard hanging behind the counter.
It listed the simple food and lodging prices.
[Bewear's Inn]
Lodging: 5,000 PokéDollars per night
Currently available food:
Ramen – 800 per bowl
Porrage– 300 per bowl
Berry Juice – 100 per cup
Sandwich – 500 each
Pokémon Snacks – 500 per pack
Since the training would only take half a day and they didn't need to stay overnight, the group ordered a few berry juices and settled onto the lobby's couch to chat and rest.
Kawaki brought over the drinks himself. Other than Bewear, he didn't have any other Pokémon helpers in the daycare, nor did he have the money to hire staff—he had to do everything himself.
As he watched the group chat and relax, Kawaki suddenly felt something was missing.
A TV!
He should install a television in the lobby to play news and channels relevant to Trainers. It would help pass the time for guests waiting inside.
That said, Trainers didn't really need TV.
After a while, the two boys, Akai and Henry, got bored and went outside to battle on the roadside.
Only Henry stayed behind. He watched Kawaki deep in thought behind the counter and couldn't help but ask:
"Boss, how did you know all those details about Eevee's evolution?"
Kawaki paused, confused. "You didn't know?"
Wait a minute—Sylveon already existed in this world. Shouldn't this kind of info be public knowledge by now?
"I know Sylveon exists," Henry said, "but no one's figured out the exact conditions. You said Eevee's evolution is affected by friendship too?"
His eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Whether it was Espeon, Umbreon, or Sylveon—they'd all been around for ages, including in the wild. But their exact evolution triggers had never been fully clarified.
If… if that was true, then it made sense!
The Eevee used by researchers likely didn't have a deep bond with them, so the evolution results were inconsistent and uncontrollable.
Kawaki: …
Something felt off.
Very off.
According to his knowledge, this was Year 206 of the League Calendar.
He had assumed this information was common knowledge by now.
Henry was still watching him, clearly waiting for an answer, when Kawaki suddenly blurted out a strange question.
"Who's the current Hoenn League Champion?"
Henry gave a name Kawaki had never heard of.
Not Steven?
Kawaki's eyes widened. "Have you heard of Steven?"
Henry shook his head, clearly puzzled.
Kawaki was stunned.
So at this point in time, Steven hadn't become a Trainer yet?
Or maybe he'd just started his journey?
No wonder Henry had reacted that way.
Crap. Did I just spoil the future?
But Kawaki quickly composed himself and answered smoothly, "All that info came from a scholar's notebook my parents found. They used to run this daycare years ago, and I just returned to take over."
Returned? From another region, maybe?
That would explain why the boss asked who the Champion was.
As for the scholar's notes…
Henry didn't question it. The world was full of eccentric geniuses.
Ancient aura guardians, modern-day professors living in the wilderness… even in Fallarbor, there was a Professor Solance who studied fossils. People said he spent all day digging around Meteor Falls.
All in all, he was just a weirdo.
"I see! That makes sense," Henry nodded.
Kawaki smiled, saying nothing more.
In the backyard, Bewear stood in front of Eevee, its eyes slowly glowing with a soft pink light.
Eevee stared intently at Bewear's eyes. After a moment, the light faded, and Bewear signaled for Eevee to try replicating it.
"Bui~!"
The little Eevee nodded seriously, squatted down, and gave it everything it had.
It went cross-eyed.
Kawaki: "…"
"Gu…?" Bewear was stunned.
Baby-Doll Eyes – failed.
Eevee lowered its head, completely discouraged.
"Buiiii…"
Kawaki now understood why Eevee had failed to learn the move.
"Don't rush it. Take your time. I promise I'll make sure you learn it before the day is over," Kawaki said gently.
"Bui?" Eevee looked up, unconvinced. It had already tried so many times…
And failed every time.
It was starting to doubt everything.
Its Joy value began to plummet.