Smack!
Meowscarada's paw came down and hit the Eevee on the head.
"Eevee!" it yelped, its eyes going watery as it pressed the sore spot.
The struggle slowed. The fight was not gone, only weaker. The small creature's breathing steadied, and its tiny body finally stopped thrashing.
Yet its eyes still burned… burned with a deep, stubborn resentment as it still glared at me and my girls.
Then, a soft glow suddenly wrapped around it.
I blinked in surprise.
Its body began to change. It grew bigger. The soft brown fur faded, turning smooth and sleek. Its limbs shifted, and a long, fish-like tail formed behind it.
Right before our eyes, the Eevee evolved.
In just a few seconds, the struggling, furious Eevee was gone.
A sleek Vaporeon stood in its place.
Meowscarada's grip slipped.
"Nyaa?!"
The Vaporeon landed lightly on the ground.
"Vapo!"
And then, without a single backward glance, it dashed straight into the bushes.
"Nyaa!"
Meowscarada tensed, every muscle coiling as she prepared to chase after the fleeing Pokémon.
I quickly grabbed her wrist. "Let it go," I said, giving her a small, reassuring smile.
She looked at me, her ears twitching with irritation.
She was clearly not happy about the decision. In her eyes, that Vaporeon had attacked me, and she wanted to chase it down and teach it a lesson, but she still stopped.
I let out a slow sigh.
I felt a little sad myself. I had never touched an Eevee before, let alone a Vaporeon. I had always wanted to pet all the Eeveelutions in my life, but that chance had just slipped away.
And where had that Eevee gotten an Evolution Stone anyway? She clearly did not have one when we held her. Did she hide it somewhere?
And that look in her eyes. She definitely did not like us.
Did we step into her territory or something? I thought to myself.
I sighed and turned to look at my Pokémon.
They were staring back at me, their expressions worried. Eyes were full of concern.
To lift their spirits, I put on a bright smile and said, "Alright, that's enough of that. Don't forget, we've got a busy day ahead. Let's finish our training and then head out for some shopping."
Meowscarada, Lopunny, and Gardevoir nodded eagerly. Their voices mixed together in bright, happy agreement.
"Nyaa~♡"
"Lopuuun~♡"
"Gar~♡"
…
One Hour Earlier at the Pokémon Center…
My mother had called.
She sounded annoyed, as always, scolding me right away for not calling her. Still, her tone softened the moment she saw Gardevoir on the screen.
She initially thought I had caught a new Pokémon, but I explained that it was Kirlia.
She had seen her before, back when she was much smaller. I told her how I had rescued her from an abusive trainer, and her expression softened with sympathy.
She remembered clearly now, the timid little Kirlia she had once met.
Seeing her as Gardevoir now was a completely different experience. My Pokémon had grown into an elegant and graceful beauty, and Mom could not stop admiring how stunning she looked.
At one point, she even suggested that I send Gardevoir to stay with her for a while.
I refused immediately and changed the subject. I asked her why she was really calling. She smiled and held up a ticket to the screen.
She had won a one-person trip to the Alola.
Since she and Dad already had other plans, she wanted me to take the ticket instead.
The mention of Alola stirred a quiet thrill in my chest. I had read about the region in books.
It had many different kinds of Pokémon than Kanto.
And from my past life…
I had a vague sense that this region was connected to something unusual, perhaps a special kind of move or even Pokémon from another world, but the details refused to surface no matter how hard I tried to remember, and even the books offered very little information.
When Dad joined the call, I didn't dwell on it any further and simply spoke with him for a while.
We chatted briefly, and my Pokémon and I greeted Machamp and Butterfree as well.
"Machaaamp!"
"Butterfree~"
…
Back to the Present…
My mother's ticket would arrive by evening. That meant we would leave for Alola tomorrow.
And it looked like Team Rocket was not going to trouble us anymore….
---
And it seemed my guess was right, as somewhere in Viridian City…
A man sitting in a chair looked at Nova.
Although many members had been caught, Nova had managed to secure an item so she would not face any consequences.
"Leave the kid alone for now," the man said calmly, holding up the small, sealed box.
Nova frowned but nodded. Her fury was barely contained. Not only had Viper been captured, but that boy had escaped as well.
She hated Ryan to her very core.
Once she was gone, the man turned to his assistant.
"If that boy gets involved in Team Rocket matters again, eliminate him."
"Yes, boss."
The man's eyes returned to the box on the table.
A faint, dangerous smile crossed his lips.
"When this thing is complete, no one will be able to stop me..."
…
Meanwhile, that Vaporeon had somehow transformed into an Umbreon and had started secretly following Ryan again.
It looked like this trouble was far from over. And just how in the world had it evolved again?
Well, that was a mystery for another time…