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Ice Vulpix looked at their sister, who was about to leave them, and huddled together, affectionately touching their sister's face with their fleshy pouches, their faces full of reluctance.
Seeing this, Lionel took out some supplies from his backpack, then pulled out several boxes of high-grade energy cubes, and gently placed them among the Vulpix:
"These are for you to eat."
After all, they were family to their new companion, and he couldn't let them...
The little ones' eyes lit up at the smell, but they still glanced at the Ice Nine-Tails first.
Only after receiving their mother's tacit approval did they happily rush over and start eating, and Lionel's goodwill towards them increased as well.
"Alright, we should go now."
Drake stepped forward, his voice softening.
"The League has found you a new home, on the snowy mountains of Izabe Island in the eastern sea.
The environment there is very similar to where you lived in the Alola region. There's a Pokémon Center near the summit to provide you with supplies.
By the way, there are also Snorunt and Hydreigon families living there. Don't worry, the League has arranged everything for you, and they're happy to have new friends to live with."
Nine-Tails nodded, looked at its two little daughters, and gently nuzzled their heads with its tail.
As if giving them a pep talk.
Although it had already told its two little daughters that they would be separated, the two Vulpixes were still a little reluctant to part.
The little Flare Vulpix perched its head on Nine-Tails' paw.
A plaintive whimper came from inside the house; Ice Vulpix clung tightly to its younger sister, its tails intertwined, tears welling in its eyes.
Ice Ninetails lowered its head and gently touched them, comforting the two little ones, finally using its tail to lift the two little girls and push them towards Lionel.
Its gaze swept over Milotic and Metagross beside Lionel, finally landing on Larvesta that was desperately clinging to Fire Vulpix, the worry in its eyes gradually fading.
Lionel took out his phone, and then took another small, specially made phone from Drake:
This was specially prepared for Ice Ninetails, with Lionel's contact information already preset on the screen.
He... Ice Ninetails opened a video call, and immediately her own image and the two Vulpixs appeared on the screen.
The two Vulpixs were initially stunned by this novelty, wondering how they could see each other on the screen, and their usual emotions seemed to diminish.
The Fire Vulpix even waved its paw at the screen, causing a hint of tenderness in Ice Ninetails's eyes.
"This way, you can video chat anytime. If you miss them, just press this button. I'll also frequently send you videos of them so you can see them."
Ice Ninetails looked at the screen for a few seconds, then gently touched the phone screen with its tail, memorizing the instructions.
"Norman, I won't stay any longer. See you later."
Drake patted Norman on the shoulder, then looked at the little Max:
"Little guy, stay home and study hard, don't be lazy. Next time we meet, I'll give you a good test."
"I won't lose!"
Max immediately puffed out his chest, holding up his Treecko toy, and nodded vigorously:
"Don't worry, Elite Four Drake, once I get the Treecko, I'll definitely become the best trainer!"
Norman smiled and ruffled her son's hair:
"Alright, stop bragging."
Amidst farewells, Drake recalled Ninetales and the other Vulpixs into their Poké Balls, then leaped onto Salamence.
With a deafening roar, Salamence's wings parted, carrying Drake straight into the sky, quickly disappearing into the heavens.
Fire Vulpix and Ice Vulpix ran to the edge of the yard, their heads bowed as they watched their mother, sister, and brother disappear into the clouds, their gazes lingering.
Knowing their mother was truly gone, Vulpix's emotions swelled, and it sat on the ground, tail drooping, its eyes red.
Seeing this, Larvesta stood before it, using its horn to unleash a string of small flames, spinning around in front of it like a circus act.
Larvesta deliberately put the ring of flame around its neck, pretending to be strangled, which made Little Flame Vulpix chuckle.
The two little creatures quickly wrestled together again, rolling around on the ground, leaving their sadness of parting behind.
Milotic swam over to Ice Vulpix.
It always liked pretty little creatures, and seeing Ice Vulpix secretly wiping away tears, it gently swayed its tail, manipulating the moisture in the air, condensing it into small ice blocks.
Under its control, these ice blocks slowly transformed into the shapes of Ice Vulpix and Ice Ninetails, so lifelike that even the fur patterns on their tails were indistinguishable. The Vulpix's attention was instantly drawn, its round eyes widening with curiosity that outweighed its feelings of parting.
It cautiously reached out a paw and touched the water.
The icy touch made it wag its tail, then it looked up at Milotic, its little face full of confusion.
"Milo," Milotic called gently, using its tail fin to create a small ball of water, which it held in front of the Vulpix, gesturing for it to try.
The Vulpix hesitated for a moment, then, mimicking Milotic's actions, opened its mouth and exhaled a small puff of cold air, sculpting the small ball of water with its icy touch.
Although it couldn't create an astricate ice formation like Milotic, the water ball did indeed condense into a... Small, irregular pieces of ice.
It cried out happily, and tried a few more times, the ice ball gradually changing shape.
Milotic helped it, slowly sculpting the ice ball into its likeness. Although the final result didn't quite resemble an Ice Vulpix, it made Ice Vulpix forget its sadness, and Milotic wanted to continue sculpting.
Little Max squatted to the side, watching the two Vulpix quickly integrate into their new environment, its face full of surprise:
"Good! Brother Lionel, you have a new friend! Really!"
He looked down at the Treecko plushie in his arms, and mumbled softly:
"When will my Treecko come?"
Norman walked over. Hearing his son's words, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've already spoken to Dr. Birch. Although you're not ten years old yet, the doctor is already keeping an eye out for you. As soon as he finds a suitable Treecko, he'll send it over immediately. You'll have to be careful to get rid of it then."
"Really?!"
Max excitedly raised his head, his eyes shining like stars.
"Thank you, Dad! I definitely will! I'll prepare delicious food for it every day, train with it, and I definitely won't be lazy!"
Seeing Max's excited expression, Lionel and Norman both laughed.
The afternoon sun shone through the gaps in the trees, falling on the playful Larvesta and Fire Vulpix; falling on Ice Vulpix and Milotic, who were diligently learning ice sculpting; and falling on Max, who understood his future.
Lionel's lips involuntarily curved upwards; a new journey seemed... It seemed there were many more exciting developments to look forward to.
While Larvesta and Fire Vulpix were playing with each other, and Ice Vulpix and Milotic were carving ice sculptures, Lionel quietly opened the live stream interface.
The camera switched back and forth between the two little guys, the live stream attracted a large number of viewers, and the barrage of comments almost flooded the screen.
[Holy crap! So cute, two Vulpix? One red and one white?]
[!!!! How did the streamer catch another shiny Pokémon, and a Vulpix at that? He's so lucky!]
[Something's not right, something's not right, this shiny Vulpix is spitting out ice mist. Even if it's a recolored Pokémon, it shouldn't have changed its type, right? What is this?]
[Streamer, explain quickly! Is this white fox a shiny Vulpix? It looks like a Vulpix, but its type is wrong!]
[+1111!]
[Host, stop filming and tell us about the origins of these two cuties!]
Lionel, watching the scrolling comments, smiled at the camera.
"These two are indeed Vulpixs, but the white one is an Ice-type Vulpix unique to the Alola region, a different form from the Fire Vulpix we usually see.
Because of Alola's unique climate and environment, some creatures undergo adaptive changes, not only changing their type but also their appearance.
Like this Ice Vulpix, its original Fire type has become Ice, and its abilities are better adapted to cold environments."
He deliberately brought the camera closer to the two little guys:
"And they are sister Vulpix, one a Fire-type Fire Vulpix, and the other an Ice-type Ice Vulpix."
"Isn't it special?"
[!!! Different attributes for siblings? Their mother is too good at giving birth!]
[So cute! One ice, one fire, Man! Ah, I want to raise an ice Vulpix too!]
[Let's give them a reward! The streamer must take good care of them! I want to virtually raise these two little foxes!]
[100 Pokedollars rewarded, bought a cake for Maddy!]
[200 Pokedollars rewarded, bought a Small cake for Lucy]
Watching the rapidly scrolling barrage and the ever-increasing
Lionel was both amused and exasperated.
These two little guys were even more popular than he'd imagined; in just a few minutes, they'd garnered so many free gifts.
He thanked the viewers while having the camera follow the two little foxes, capturing their adorable antics.
The gifts in the live stream never stopped.
Lionel couldn't help but think, "Long live cuteness!"
Back in his hotel room that evening, Lionel had just released Fire Vulpix and Ice Vulpix when they became rather timid, constantly shrinking back. Their little eyes darted around, quickly searching for the figures of Larvesta and Milotic.
Only after Lionel released Larvesta, Metagross, and Milotic did the two little creatures relax.
However, they were still hesitant to approach Lionel.
The Fire Vulpix huddled behind Larvesta, only its red head peeking out as it curiously observed Lionel; Ice Vulpix, meanwhile, held Milotic's tail fin, its tail held straight.
Seeing this, Lionel smiled; it was time to bring out his "trump card."
He opened...
Looking at the system panel, I checked the popularity points earned from the afternoon's livestream and unhesitatingly clicked on the intermediate lottery.
A few flashes of green light appeared, and two intermediate-level Pokémon energy balls radiating a gentle aura appeared in my hand.
These intermediate-level energy balls were perfect for Vulpix, whose internal energy strength wasn't yet high. I'd save the advanced energy balls for Milotic and the others.
Anyway, with those two "lucky charms," I wouldn't have to worry about earning popularity points through their livestreams in the future, so I didn't need to worry about capacity.
"Come on, take a look at this." Lionel opened his hand, and two luminous green orbs floated in his palm, radiating a faint warmth.
The Fire Vulpix and Ice Vulpix curiously poked their heads out, their noses twitching, seemingly attracted by the gentle aura emanating from the orbs.
Lionel gently pushed them, and the two orbs slowly floated away.
The Fire Vulpix curiously sniffed, then cautiously reached out a paw to touch one of the orbs. The orb instantly transformed into a warm current that flowed into its body.
It immediately relaxed comfortably, letting out a soft "woof woof" sound as it lay down on the ground, revealing its snow-white belly:
its four little paws waved in the air, its five hairy little toes slowly spread open, and its pink, fleshy pads rose and fell slightly with its breath. They were incredibly cute.
Seeing this, Ice Vulpix imitate it, emerging from another ball of light.
The cool energy flowed through its body, it shivered, and then collapsed to the ground, its tail spreading out like a small flower, a look of pure bliss on its face.
The two little foxes rolled around on the ground, making satisfied "chicken-like" sounds. Their completely unguarded and adorable appearance melted Lionel's heart, and he quickly grabbed his phone and snapped over a dozen photos.
After absorbing the energy, the two little creatures' gazes towards Lionel completely changed.
The Fire Vulpix jumped up first, ran to Lionel's side, and nudged his trouser leg with its head. Ice Vulpix hesitated for a moment, then followed, gently tying its head to his hand.
"Looks like you've accepted me." Lionel chuckled and picked them up. One eye was bulging, the other cool to the touch—a wonderfully strange sensation.
He suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but laugh:
In winter, he'd have the Vulpix and Larvesta as a Heater. In summer, Ice Vulpix would cool him down; camping would be incredibly comfortable.
Lionel didn't forget Metagross, Milotic, and Larvesta either, taking out three high-grade energy orbs from his system space and handing them to them.
After absorbing the energy, the three creatures' auras noticeably strengthened.
Lionel looked at the Vulpix chasing its tail on the ground, then at Ice Vulpix perched on Milotic's back, fiddling with ice crystals with its claws, and an idea gradually formed in his mind.
"Larvesta."
He patted Larvesta, which was stroking the Fire Vulpix's fur with its paw: "From now on, you'll be in charge of Fire Vulpix. Teach it Fire-type moves and how to control its flames."
Larvesta immediately nodded its head, and a small flame shot out from its antennae, as if saying it would ensure Vulpix's safety.
Seeing Larvesta's fire-breathing, Vulpix also excitedly opened its mouth and spat out a string of sparks, making Larvesta squeak and laugh.
"Milotic," Lionel turned to Milotic and said, "Then I'll leave Ice Vulpix in your care. Teach it how to precisely control its cold energy and how to combine Ice-type energy with other moves. I plan to have it perform at the next Pokemon Contest. You'll have to teach it well."
Milotic gently shook its tail and nudged Ice Vulpix's head with its own, indicating no problem. The Vulpix understood that Milotic wanted to teach it, and immediately it cried out excitedly, even exhaling a small puff of cold air that condensed into a crooked little ice creature in front of Milotic.