This was Eevee's first bath since arriving at the Breeding Center.
This proud Eevee behaved completely differently with Wayne than with Eden.
"It'll be fine once she gets used to it."
Eden was still puzzled. "But I've spent much more time with Eevee."
Wayne's conversation with Eden wasn't just casual chat—it was a teaching session.
This way, Eden could also help bathe Eevee in the future.
A gentle stream of water dampened Eevee's fur. This was a healthy, solid Eevee.
Wayne's movements were quick as he lathered Eevee with a wet sponge.
"Eevee's fur is actually quite long, so you can't scrub back and forth. You have to go with the direction of her fur."
"Why are your movements so fast?"
"To prevent her from catching a cold."
The shampoo created plenty of foam, and Wayne gently stroked her fur with his hand.
Watching from the side, Eden could feel Eevee's fur gradually becoming smoother.
The water in the basin was no longer clear.
Eevee looked clean at first glance, but in reality, she was quite dirty.
"Huh? I comb Eevee's fur every day. Why is she still so dirty?"
"It's probably because she was raised free-range."
"I see."
Wayne didn't tell the whole truth—it was most likely because Eevee had never had a proper bath before.
After her bath, Eevee instinctively shook her body, splashing water everywhere.
Her brown fur darkened when wet, and the creamy fluff around her neck clung tightly to her body.
Eevee looked at her refreshed appearance in the mirror, seeming a bit bewildered for a moment.
"How is it? Are you satisfied?"
"Vui!" The Eevee's expression brightened.
Eevee's soft pink paw pads stepped onto Wayne's knee, and she unconsciously wagged her tail.
"When blow-drying, use a fine-tooth comb to lift and dry the deeper fur layers, then put her in the Pokémon automatic dryer."
The dryer wasn't foolproof, especially for Pokémon like Eevee with multiple layers of fur.
When Eevee was taken out of the dryer with her fur completely dried, she looked refreshed and revitalized.
The bathed Eevee was even cuter, her fur as smooth as silk, and she emitted a faint, fresh scent that made one want to bury their face in her fluff and take a deep breath.
Wayne was extremely familiar with bathing Pokémon.
For an Eevee of this size, the whole process could be completed in less than half an hour.
Wayne took a photo of Eevee after her bath and sent it to the chat group.
Yellow was very excited, a delighted squeal echoing in her voice message.
"Ah ah ah! What a cute Eevee!"
Green, on the other hand, wore the expression of a shrewd merchant.
"What form are you planning to evolve her into? You'll get a discount if you buy an evolution stone from me!"
Gold still lived in the moment. "Did you forget what his family does? Why would he need to buy from you?"[T/N: I translated as silver before but is it gold]
Red chimed in: "You can also evolve her into Espeon based on friendship, just like my Eevee!"
Blue quickly popped up as well. "Have you bred Eevee before?"
Lorelei adjusted her glasses. "Since it's the Sinnoh region, Leafeon and Glaceon would be better choices, right? I personally recommend Glaceon."
Seeing the chat getting increasingly off-topic, Wayne quickly stopped them.
"This is an Eevee from my family's Breeding Center. As for evolution? I haven't considered it yet. It depends on Eevee's own wishes."
"I'm just showing off Eevee. I just finished bathing her."
Wayne also took photos of the other seven Eevee waiting for their baths.
Anyway, whether Eevee evolved or not, her Egg Group was Field, which didn't affect future breeding plans.
Respecting the Pokémon's wishes?
This undoubtedly aligned with Red's philosophy.
Red said excitedly, "I feel like she'll evolve into Sylveon, Espeon, or Umbreon!"
The three Pokémon Red mentioned all evolved through friendship, which showed his recognition of the bond between Wayne and Eevee.
Would she evolve into one of these?
Wayne felt they were all pretty good options.
Sapphire's tone was very excited. "Eight Eevee—just enough to evolve into all eight known Eeveelution forms!"
Wayne took a look, and it was true.
Wayne hadn't even noticed until Sapphire mentioned it.
Yellow asked curiously, "Do you think there are any new Eeveelution forms we don't know about yet?"
Blue answered the question.
"There should be. Eevee's genes are unstable, and no one knows exactly how many evolution forms exist. Professor Oak and I have been researching this recently."
Blue then mentioned Wayne directly. "With so many Eevee at your place, if there are any unusual developments, send them to me."
Wayne quickly replied, "Okay."
Although Wayne didn't have high hopes for it.
He wasn't a researcher, nor did he plan to specifically study Eevee's evolution.
How could a new Eeveelution form be discovered by him?
The path of becoming a researcher who shocked the world didn't seem meant for him.
Steven rarely appeared in the chat. "I hope so. That way I could catch a Steel-type Eeveelution."
Lance chimed in. "+1, I want a Dragon-type Eeveelution."
Gold once again invited trouble. "Aren't you supposed to want a Flying-type Eeveelution?"
Lance, staring at his phone screen, nearly crushed his device.
"I'm going to grab Gold and give him a good beating one of these days! Hmm... I'll call Silver to help!"
Blue, who hadn't spoken for a while, uploaded a file to the group.
[Eevee Breeding Guide.pdf]
Blue sent a voice message: "This is Professor Oak's method for breeding Eevee in his backyard. All eight evolution forms are currently available there."
There were some other noises in the background, seemingly Professor Oak speaking.
Because Professor Oak and Blue had been researching this recently, Blue specifically created a file for the staff to study.
Blue didn't need to explain further—Wayne himself was a Breeder.
Wayne's eyes lit up. "Thanks."
Wayne mainly wanted to learn about the diet plans to see if there were any improvements he could make.
Eevee was purely a carnivorous Pokémon and didn't eat vegetables, though Berries didn't count.
That was because Eevee ate Energy Cubes and Poffins made from Berries.
"I'll go bathe the rest of the Eevee first. You all keep chatting."
Wayne went offline for a bit—work was important.
After bathing all eight Eevee, Wayne's arms were almost sore all over, but at least the job was done.
Fortunately, Eden had been helping. Otherwise, Wayne wouldn't have been able to finish everything in one afternoon by himself.
"Thanks, Eden."
Eden quickly waved her hand. "You did most of the bathing. I was just assisting."
The group members were all quite chatty.
By the time Wayne finished bathing the Eevee and an entire afternoon had passed, they were still talking.
After all, the Masters League had started again, and they were watching the matches while chatting and routinely teasing Gold.
Gold's performance in official competitions was poor—he was the type with many unconventional methods.
It was like not being allowed to use certain strategies in competitive play...
And Steven was unusually still online.
Wayne had obtained a strange meteorite that morning, and he wanted to ask Steven to take a look at it.
Wayne privately messaged Steven. "I have a strange stone here, and I'd like you to take a look."
Hearing about a strange stone, Steven's eyes lit up. "No problem, send it over."
Wayne took a video of the meteorite from multiple angles and uploaded it to the chat.
Steven's tone carried a hint of excitement.
"Where did you find it?"