Chapter 129:
Eevee chattered on for a long time, its words so rushed that Hayashi Kaede couldn't immediately understand them.
However, seeing its urgent tone, he didn't hesitate and immediately used his special ability to probe Eevee's thoughts.
He soon grasped the situation and frowned, "Are you saying there are two more Eevee like you outside?"
"Eevee! Eevee!"
Seeing that Hayashi Kaede understood, Eevee's expression immediately brightened. "Eevee, Eevee..." (They're still outside, but I don't know where they are now.)
"Yikes..."
Hayashi Kaede took a sharp breath.
Two Eevee with no experience surviving in the wild, in this kind of weather—their situation must be very difficult.
However, Hayashi Kaede didn't rush. Instead, he used his calming power to soothe Eevee. "Don't worry, don't worry. Think carefully about when and where you got separated. It's okay if it's vague."
He needed to clarify the specifics first. Otherwise, with the vast area around Aogiri Town, even with Gardevoir and Dragonite's help, finding two small Eevee would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
"Eevee..."
"Eevee..."
With Hayashi Kaede's soothing, Eevee's emotions quickly calmed down, and the scene of parting with its friends began to surface in its mind.
At that moment, a scene, channeled through Hayashi Kaede's special ability, quickly emerged in his consciousness.
This was an advanced application of his power, allowing him to access Pokémon's memories and explore past events.
The scene showed three little Eevee sneaking out of the Breeding House, excitedly making plans after their escape. Then, they ran out of the Breeding House and arrived at the snack street in Aogiri Town.
Finally, the three Eevee, each following a different enticing scent, were separated by the crowd.
The scene cut off here.
Eevee stopped its recollection, ready to describe it to Hayashi Kaede.
Hayashi Kaede interrupted it, "Okay, okay, I understand."
After taking in the entire scene, he now knew the origin of this Eevee.
It was from the Eevee Breeding House in the Oak District of Aogiri Town.
This shop, specializing in breeding, boarding, and selling Eevee, is quite famous in Aogiri Town and has been open for over a decade. Hayashi Kaede remembers visiting there with his parents as a child.
It was his first time petting a fluffy Pokémon.
It was also then that he developed an obsession with fluffy Pokémon. He even thought that if he became a Trainer, he would definitely catch an incredibly good Eevee and pet it every day.
After figuring out Eevee's origins, the rest was straightforward.
He said to Rotom, "Rotom, please contact the owner of the Eevee Breeding House to see if they're missing two Pokémon. Also..."
Hayashi Kaede was just about to call for Gardevoir and Dragonite when Gardevoir appeared before him.
Apparently, Gardevoir had sensed through its psychic abilities that Hayashi Kaede might need it.
"Rotom~! Master, don't worry about the other two Eevee. The Eevee Breeding House just updated the quest board at the Pokémon Center, saying they've found two Eevee, and only the last one is still missing."
"Look~" Rotom said.
It projected an illusory screen in front of Hayashi Kaede and Eevee.
At the top was inscribed "Pokémon Center Quest System."
Below were various quests.
Due to the varying abilities of Pokémon, the Pokémon Center issues quests based on citizens' needs. These quests are generally assigned to Trainers, effectively resolving issues within the town while providing financial support to Trainers struggling on their journeys.
[Quest 3: Three Eevee have recently gone missing from the Eevee Breeding House. Pictures are shown below. Little 3 and little 5 are friendly, while little 9 is more shy. If found, or if you have any information, please report immediately. Upon verification, the Breeding House will offer a generous reward of no less than 5,000 pokedollar per Eevee.
Note: Little 3 and little 5 (nickname) have already been found.]
The quest featured various pictures of the three Eevee's daily lives.
One of them was clearly the Eevee in front of him.
Clicking on the mission details revealed the scene of the other two Eevee being found.
Two kind-hearted residents had discovered the tags around their necks and brought them to the Eevee Breeding House.
Seeing this, Hayashi Kaede breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the Eevee with a playful smile, "Well, don't worry about your little friends. They seem smarter than you. They didn't break free from their tags and have already returned."
"Eevee?"
The Eevee's eyes widened.
It didn't understand.
Hayashi Kaede looked at Rotom again. "Send a message in the name of the Breeding House, saying the last Eevee is with me and that it's safe. I'll send it back after the typhoon passes."
"Okay, Master,"
Rotom immediately sent the message.
Within a minute, a video call came through on Rotom.
Hayashi Kaede didn't hesitate and immediately answered.
The video showed a handsome young man, about 24 or 25 years old, wearing a white shirt and glasses.
From the video background, a Flareon could be seen strolling past behind him.
Hayashi Kaede was slightly surprised when he saw the young man. "Yūji, aren't you supposed to be on your journey?"
As a child, whenever Hayashi Kaede went to Aogiri Town to run errands, he would pester his parents to take him along, partly to see more Pokémon and partly to visit the Eevee Breeding House.
This Yūji was the son of Fang Bu, the owner of the Eevee Breeding House.
After his parents disappeared, Hayashi Kaede rarely went there. Later, he heard that Yūji had set out on a journey during high school and had apparently traveled through two or three League regions by now.
The two had been close as children.
Back then, Hayashi Kaede would ask Fang Yūji to take him out to walk the Eevee every day.
Interestingly, during their childhood, because Hayashi Kaede always seemed more mature and knowledgeable than Fang Yūji, their relationship was somewhat unusual.
Although Fang Yūji was five or six years older than Hayashi Kaede, he still called him "Brother Kaede"
and did so quite naturally.
However, Hayashi Kaede's impression of him was that he loved to boast.
"Hahaha... Brother Kaede!"
Fang Yūji, sitting across the screen, was also a bit surprised to see Hayashi Kaede. Then he burst out laughing. "Neighboring breeding house... I was wondering if Uncle Kaede had returned. I didn't expect it was you who inherited your parents' breeding house! This is so different from how you were as a kid!"
"I thought you had already embarked on a journey and swept through all the Gyms in the Regional League by the time you came back this time..."
"Uh, well..."
Hayashi Kaede laughed awkwardly, "I just graduated from high school this year..."
Then he asked, "Aren't you here about the Eevee?"
"Oh, right, where's the Eevee?"