"We're here!"
After getting off the levitating maglev train, the group transferred to two more buses before finally arriving at their destination.
Once inside the resort area, they checked their reserved rooms. After a quick look around and finding them satisfactory, they decided to go eat together.
It wasn't until the afternoon that their relaxation truly began.
Yun and Eevee stepped onto the sand. The soft, comfortable texture instantly spread through their bodies and minds.
"How is it, Eevee?"
Barefoot on the warm sand, Yun took a deep breath, instantly feeling refreshed...
The sea was blue, the sky even bluer. A gentle sea breeze blew over him, immediately putting him at ease. Most importantly, there was a group of swimsuit-clad older girls around.
"Bui~ Bui~"
Eevee rolled around in the sand nonstop. It was its first time on the beach, so everything felt especially new and exciting.
Not only Yun, but many trainers and Pokémon were at the beach too.
Staryu, Seel, Slowpoke, Oddish, Psyduck, Dratini… all kinds of Pokémon were present.
Wait a second...
Dratini?
That's a rich person, clearly.
Aside from that, the beach was filled with adults and children. Some kids were digging for pebbles with small buckets, others rolled up their sleeves and splashed each other, some held swim rings ready to go in the water, while others were busy building sandcastles!
When Eevee saw another Eevee also building a sandcastle, it immediately started mimicking it, using its two little paws to stir the sand. Interestingly, Eevee learned very quickly — even though it was its first time, it was shaping up quite well.
"Not bad at all."
Yun sat down beside Eevee, watching it focus. Honestly, Eevee's castle looked way better than the other Eevee's, at least in his eyes.
After a while, Yun realized that the castle Eevee was building resembled one that appeared in a movie they'd watched yesterday... So this little one actually remembered!
After finishing, Eevee even compared its creation to the others. The moment it realized how good its own looked, it blinked proudly, looked left and right, then raised its chin high — clearly very satisfied with its masterpiece.
But as Eevee looked around again, it accidentally spotted a girl and her Pokémon — a Sandshrew — also playing in the sand. Its expression turned hesitant.
That Sandshrew's sand palace was clearly far more grand and majestic. Eevee looked back at its own creation with a bit of doubt. Yun also followed its gaze. Facing a Ground-type Pokémon, it was understandable Eevee might fall short when it came to playing with sand. However, to Yun's surprise, Eevee suddenly smashed its own castle with a paw and began rebuilding from scratch — determined to make something even more impressive than Sandshrew's.
"Bui! Bui!!"
While building, Eevee asked Yun to wait for it. Seeing Eevee's serious expression, Yun couldn't help but grin. He hadn't realized before how competitive this little one could be.
This simple, childish activity of building with sand — for the first time — made Eevee show such a serious face. Yun was happy to see this and decided not to interrupt. He just stayed quietly by Eevee's side, watching it pile up and reshape the sand...
Meanwhile, the other members of the Psychology Club regrouped after a round of sightseeing. They found Yun and said, "We just checked — the surfing pool isn't crowded. Let's go play there first."
"Huh… What are you doing? Building sandcastles?"
"Yeah… Eevee seems really into it. Sorry, why don't you guys go ahead? I'll stay here and keep it company," Yun apologized with his hands pressed together.
Lu Jie said, "No problem. Building sandcastles is fun too. Let's do it together! How about a competition? Let's see whose Pokémon builds the best one."
Tang Ying added, "I'm in."
Once Meng Zicheng and Du Ai agreed as well, their Pokémon immediately looked over at Eevee with eager expressions.
With permission, their Pokémon joined in — Boss Cat (Meowth), Graveler, Gloom, and Golbat all dove onto the beach.
After the competition, the best creation came from Graveler and Meng Zicheng. Second place went to Boss Cat and Tang Ying. Little Eevee only came in third, which left it feeling even more disappointed.
Eevee: Σ(°△°|||), looking crushed.
"Bui…" It compared again, then looked once more at Sandshrew's palace from the day before — still the most magnificent of them all.
Actually… I'm probably in fourth place...
"Hahaha…" Yun rubbed Eevee's head and said, "It's okay. Tomorrow during our free time, I'll bring you back again. Let's aim to do better and better."
"Bui…" Eevee finally nodded.
Yun sighed in relief. Good thing Eevee was understanding.
After all that, the group headed off to enjoy the water park.
But Yun had already made up his mind to return with Eevee the next day. It was rare for little Eevee to want to do something seriously — as its trainer, Yun felt it was only right to support it. Just like parents support their children's decisions, he would support Eevee too.
Even if it was just building with sand, he wanted Eevee to have fun and feel accomplished.
Luckily, the group had already planned to split up for individual activities tomorrow — giving Yun and Eevee time alone.
At the water park, everyone went wild. The thrilling rides helped Eevee temporarily forget about sandcastles.
But the wild fun didn't make Eevee forget completely. The next morning, it woke up even earlier than Yun.
The little guy smacked Yun's face eagerly, looking full of confidence, chirping "Bui! Bui!" as if to remind him of their promise.
"I know, I know."
Still lying in bed, Yun picked Eevee off his face and yawned groggily.
"Don't worry — I've got the whole day just for you," he said.
A beautiful day of free activity was something to look forward to. Although a senior had invited him somewhere else, Yun declined — for Eevee.
A date with the senior was valuable, but freedom was even more so. And for Eevee — both could be cast aside!
Since it was still early, the temperature wasn't as hot as the previous day. The sand felt slightly cool underfoot, but that didn't dampen Eevee's enthusiasm. Once they returned to the same spot as before, it immediately got back to building.
It was recreating the magnificent buildings it had seen in the movie.
Yun was impressed. Eevee's memory was really sharp — it remembered the architectural details more clearly than he did.
"Bui! Bui!" Before long, Eevee finished again. But as soon as it recalled Sandshrew's palace from yesterday, it shook its head in dissatisfaction and smashed its own work once more.
"Keep it up, take your time," Yun encouraged.
Eevee showed a determined expression.
Time passed slowly.
One hour… two hours… three hours…
Yun was amazed — in the blink of an eye, so much time had passed, and Eevee had been working hard the entire time.
Its sandcastle had improved a lot, but compared to Sandshrew's from yesterday, it still came up a bit short — which made Yun feel a little sorry.
By now, more people had arrived, and the temperature was rising. As Yun stretched lazily, his expression suddenly changed — because he spotted the same girl and Sandshrew pair from yesterday once again.
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