Pokémon Breeder's Story

Chapter 9: Eevee

The first thing Eevee saw when it opened its eyes in the egg was Ariel's face. The girl's face was filled with a happy and joyous smile as she affectionately lifted it from the egg and raised it high into the air. From that moment on, Eevee considered this girl to be the best partner in the world.

Therefore, after learning that Ariel liked Sylveon, Eevee immediately made becoming a Sylveon its number one mission in life. It worked hard, constantly battling against strong Pokémon. It wanted to become stronger, to evolve into a beautiful Sylveon.

But no matter how hard it tried, it could never succeed.

If it couldn't evolve into a Sylveon, Ariel would surely be very disappointed, right?

In truth, Eevee was also a little scared, a little worried. If it evolved into a different form of Eevee, would Ariel still like it?

"Eievui..."

Eevee hung its head, utterly dejected. The rain began to fall from the cloud above its head again.

"Kyuu?"

Bewear noticed Eevee's state. It blinked its eyes and asked a question.

Eevee looked at the large Pokémon before it and sadly poured out all the worries in its heart. "Eievui, eievui..."

"Kyuu."

Kenji stood to the side, watching the two Pokémon interact while also observing this Eevee's data. He noticed one thing: this Eevee was male. He had a guess in mind, then turned and went outside to find Ariel, asking her about the Eevee's personality and usual behavior.

Speaking of her Eevee, Ariel's face filled with pride.

"Eevee is a very reliable partner!" she said. "When we first started our journey, we ran into a lot of dangerous Pokémon on the road! Eevee protected me every single time, defeating all of those Pokémon. Don't be fooled by its small size, it's actually really strong!"

Kenji nodded. It seems this Eevee is very talented in terms of physical strength, he thought. Compared to Sylveon, it would be a better fit to evolve into Flareon or Leafeon, two forms that excel in power. But this Eevee was stubbornly trying to become the cute and soft Sylveon...

A male Eevee, skilled in physical strength, with a personality that was likely brave or adamant. Such a personality wasn't cute at all. Fairy-type moves, on the other hand, generally contained cute elements. The "Baby-Doll Eyes" Eevee had just used... no, compared to the charming and cute Baby-Doll Eyes, it was more accurately described as an intimidating "Leer."

It's got the entire direction wrong. It'd be a miracle if it could learn Baby-Doll Eyes this way, Kenji couldn't help but criticize internally.

"What is it, owner?" Ariel asked.

"I think I know why your Eevee can't learn Baby-Doll Eyes," Kenji said. He told the client his findings.

After listening, Ariel's eyes widened. "In that case, does that mean Eevee isn't suited to evolve into Sylveon at all?" she asked.

"In Pokémon raising, there's no such thing as being 'suited' or 'unsuited' for a growth path. It's about whether you 'want' it or not."

Although that Eevee was more skilled in physical strength, it didn't mean it was deficient in Special Attack. As long as it was raised properly, even if it evolved into a Sylveon, it would be no less inferior to other Eevee.

So, the question was, did Eevee want it?

Hearing the owner's words, Ariel couldn't help but ponder this question. All this time, it had been her who wanted Eevee to evolve into a Sylveon because she found Sylveon's appearance very cute and perfect for participating in Pokémon Contests.

Kenji didn't say much more. He already knew the root of Eevee's problem. Even without his special ability, he was seventy percent confident he could get Eevee to learn Baby-Doll Eyes.

He returned to the backyard. Eevee and Bewear were now deep in conversation. The little Eevee was sighing, and Bewear was patting its back with a fluffy paw.

"I think I know why you can't learn Baby-Doll Eyes," Kenji said.

Hearing this, both Pokémon looked over at the same time.

"Bewear, please show Eevee Baby-Doll Eyes one more time," Kenji requested.

Bewear did as it was told.

"Eevee, carefully observe Bewear's movements."

Eevee raised its head, staring intently into Bewear's eyes. It only felt that the Bewear before it was incredibly cute, making it reluctant to attack. Its own body even began to feel soft. A moment later, the Baby-Doll Eyes ended.

"Did you feel anything?" Kenji asked.

"Bui bui..." So cute!

"That's right. The key to Baby-Doll Eyes isn't to widen your eyes to intimidate the opponent, but to act cute and spoiled, just like you normally would. You show the opponent your cute side, making them lose the will to attack," Kenji explained. "Do you know how to act cute?"

Eevee seemed to ponder this, and then once again displayed its cross-eyed technique.

Kenji facepalmed.

Forget it. No more delays. I have other things to do today.

Special ability, activate!

This time, Kenji prepared to do it himself.

With a slight thought, all the techniques and principles for using Baby-Doll Eyes were transmitted to Eevee. In an instant, Eevee felt as if it had grasped the move! Its eyes lit up, and then, a faint pink glow slowly emerged.

Baby-Doll Eyes was used successfully.

When Ariel and her friends rushed over, this was the scene they witnessed. A faint pink glow emanated from her Eevee's eyes, the signature feature of Baby-Doll Eyes.

Eevee... had learned Baby-Doll Eyes!

"Eievui!"

Eevee couldn't wait to run to its trainer to show off the move it had just learned.

"That's great!" Hikaru and Ryu couldn't help but feel happy for their friend's Pokémon learning a new move.

"Eevee, you did an amazing job!" Ariel praised.

"Eievui!"

"Congratulations. It seems your Eevee is exceptionally talented! I only explained it once, and it learned Baby-Doll Eyes," Kenji said to Ariel with a slight smile.

"Thank you so much! Owner!" Ariel's heart was filled with gratitude.

However, there was one more thing Ariel wanted to ask Eevee on this visit.

"Eevee, do you want to evolve into Sylveon?" she asked.

"Eievui?" The little Eevee's rising Joy Value suddenly paused.

Ariel looked at it seriously and asked, "I mean, regardless of me, do you want to evolve into Sylveon?"

"Eievui..." The little Eevee didn't quite understand.

"I'm sorry for ignoring your feelings all this time. I've thought it through. It's not just cute Pokémon that can participate in Contests. Even if you evolve into another form of Eevee, we can still compete together!"

The courage and coolness of Flareon, the elegance and beauty of Vaporeon, the nobility and pride of Espeon...

"So, don't worry, and don't feel so much pressure. No matter what you become, you will always be the best partner by my side, Ariel's side!" Ariel said with sincerity.

During this time, it wasn't just her; Ryu and Hikaru had also felt the pressure on Eevee. It had been trying so, so hard to evolve into Sylveon.

"Eievui..."

Eevee was incredibly moved. But its eyes were more determined than ever before. Not just for itself, but for Ariel, it had to evolve into Sylveon!

At this moment, Eevee's heart was overflowing with emotion.

In the next second, under everyone's watchful eyes, an extremely brilliant light burst forth from its body.

It was... the light of evolution!