"Buyi~~"
The newly evolved Glaceon showed off its beautiful form in front of Togetic, its long ears gently twitching, scattering sparkling glimmers of ice. Each breath it exhaled carried a hint of chill, and it could instantly condense water vapor around itself, forming beautiful ice flowers.
"Chakorii."
Togetic raised its head disdainfully.
Tsk.
If before evolution Togetic still felt threatened by Eevee, now it felt nothing.
Though both Eevee and Glaceon are cute and attractive, their characteristics are distinctly different.
Eevee is soft, tender, and endearingly cute, while Glaceon is cold, elegant, and strikingly beautiful.
Cuteness and beauty are not entirely synonymous.
Togetic only felt threatened by Eevee's "cuteness," what does whether it's beautiful or cute have anything to do with it?
Though Glaceon certainly looked better after evolving, especially with every move accompanied by sparkling snowflakes and ice crystals.
Togetic glanced sideways, slowly sweeping its eyes towards Glaceon from the corner of its eyes.
And met Glaceon's eyes full of laughter.
"Chakarii——"
Quickly turning its head back, continuing to act disinterested.
In the living room.
Natsuhiko and Hilona sat on the sofa, each holding a steaming cup.
It's hard to ascend Celestial Crown Mountain, but descending was simple with Yujira instantly teleporting back.
Their Pokémon got along well, but they....
"Ahem." Finally, Natsuhiko broke the silence.
It's always like this, never expect Hilona to speak first as she'd hesitate on where to start until late into the night...
"Well, that thing I said before was just in the heat of the moment, don't take it to heart..."
Natsuhiko's eyes wandered, somewhat avoiding meeting Hilona's gaze.
Calling her a "dumb woman"?
If those so-called "Flower Guardians" of Hilona found out, even facing ten challenges a day, Natsuhiko figured he wouldn't finish before reaching his grave.
"Thank you."
But before Natsuhiko could finish, Hilona interrupted him, sincerely thanking him.
He not only helped Eevee evolve into Glaceon but also saved her during the Celestial Crown Mountain trip.
"Uh..."
Natsuhiko rubbed his temples with a headache.
Chatting with Hilona always means being ready for the conversation to be "killed" at any moment.
"Cough cough, no need to thank, but if possible, I hope your Glaceon can help me complete a paper." After a long while, Natsuhiko said.
"No problem." Hilona gently brushed her hair, "Glaceon really likes you and is grateful to you, it will definitely cooperate well."
The new evolution form of Eevee, Glaceon!
Hilona's Glaceon is likely the first in the Pokémon Realm.
Coupled with the Espeon and Umbreon that Sakuragi engineered based on Natsuhiko's idea, the originally three-form evolved Eevee has suddenly gained three new evolutions.
This is revolutionary in the study of Eevee as a Pokémon.
Previously, Natsuhiko published under the pseudonym "Dodo" a speculative paper on Eevee's new evolutions, causing quite a stir in small circles.
Though Sakuragi's research on the "Affinity" leading to Eevee's new evolutions wasn't publicly disclosed, many are already aware.
Those with an interest have already eyed Natsuhiko, "Dodo," through the Affinity thesis's authorship and the earlier Eevee evolution speculation thesis's authorship.
If he checks the League's official site, Natsuhiko would be surprised to find he's garnered tens of thousands of followers.
Natsuhiko nodded.
It's not just Glaceon, there's also the Grass Type, Leafeon.
Compared to Glaceon, evolving into Leafeon might be simpler, after all, Leaf Stones are far more widespread than Ice Stones.
As for why Eevee hasn't evolved into Leafeon via Leaf Stone so far, Natsuhiko assumes either the quality of used Leaf Stones wasn't up to par, or Leafeon's evolution requires some other specific conditions.
In any case, once his paper, no longer just speculation, is organized and published, it should cause quite a sensation.
"By the way, that Snorlax..." Hilona looked at the Snorlax currently occupying most of the living room, soundly sleeping, wanting to say something but stopped.
Just a while ago, Snorlax devoured almost all of Hilona's General Type Energy Blocks.
She wasn't troubled about losing these Energy Blocks; with her resources and wealth, though not comparable to Flint, it's not burdensome.
Her curiosity was more about why Natsuhiko possessed such a Snorlax yet never brought it out for battles or training.
In response, Natsuhiko recounted the gist of capturing Snorlax, glossing over the time, place, and details somewhat wearily.
Since Snorlax was out, there's no need to hide it any longer.
"So, even though it's my Pokémon, my current abilities aren't enough to tame it, our relationship is more of a 'collaboration,' or rather, a 'meal ticket' and a 'freeloader' relationship."
"Pfft——"
Hearing Natsuhiko's self-deprecating description of "meal ticket" and "freeloader," Hilona couldn't help but laugh.
Under Natsuhiko's gaze, Hilona waved her hand repeatedly, "Sorry, sorry, just respecting your... relationship."
Respect?
To use that word...
"So your expenses are quite hefty." Hilona sighed.
Among other things, she vividly recalled Snorlax's astonishing appetite.
She even feared it might just grab the furniture and stuff it into its belly.
"Isn't it just?"
If Hilona knew Natsuhiko not only kept a gluttonous Snorlax but also a Dragapult with a comparable appetite, she'd be curious about what she'd think.
She'd probably give him a thumbs up.
"Speaking of which, after Eevee evolved into Glaceon, what moves did it learn? What moves can it learn? How should it be trained? What are its traits and strengths? I have no clue at all."
Hilona looked at Natsuhiko with a slightly hopeful gaze.
The hardest part is being the first to attempt something.
Now that Eevee evolved into Glaceon, fulfilling both Eevee and Hilona's wish.
But how to train it, what techniques to use, is a big problem.
As the one who assisted her Eevee's evolution to Glaceon, Hilona placed considerable hope on Natsuhiko.
What others find troublesome, Natsuhiko finds relatively simple.
Natsuhiko pondered briefly, then licked his lips and said:
"Alright, give me one night, I'll finish the unfinished paper, then list the characteristics and training direction of Glaceon for you, it should help."
Hilona's eyes lit up.
"Really? Then I won't stand on ceremony."
They have survived near-death experiences twice, once in the Dark Ruins and another not long ago on Celestial Crown Mountain, obviously bringing them closer.
Hilona became less formal.
Natsuhiko nodded, "This way, you'll have tomorrow to get familiar with Glaceon, while the day after tomorrow the trial begins. One day should be enough for you, right?"
"Mm-hmm."
Unknowingly, the conversational initiative shifted a bit between them.
——————
Five updates! Arrived early today, and I need to continue, got 10 more updates to prepare, it's tough... please send a monthly ticket, give me some motivation.