Chương 167: Chapter 162

Between the skilled laborers, Pokémon assistance, and general increase in technology this world had to offer, the house was completed in an incredible three months. With Alola scheduled to start in November, and the house being done in the middle of September, that meant my Pokémon and I had a full month to appreciate a long-missed home life. The house was designed by both my Pokémon and me, with a contractor hired to tell us what was and wasn't possible.

Everything was made with the idea of living together, and it was specifically designed to expand. The end result was a decent-sized cottage, as that was all my budget could afford. It consisted of two stories and a basement, with the base floor being a wide, open floor plan. A pair of tall double doors in the back allowed any Pokémon to move in and out. Solid, hardwood floors prevented scuff marks from roughhousing and mistakes.

The second floor was actually divided up into rooms, having a bedroom, a bathroom, and an office. The office was more like a den than anything else. My League trophy and a few spare items went in there as a result. Mawile had her own set of funds she had at her disposal thanks to her Mega Stone duplication earnings, and I helped her choose some items to add to the house. She bought beanbags.

We already had two in the form of a Dive Ball and a Snorlax Azumarill had won in a few festivals, but now the ground floor was covered in comfortable places to relax. There was a kitchen down there too, as I needed a space to cook for my team, but it looked a little ridiculous with how the dining table was surrounded by pillows. Mawile loved it, and the team loved it. It took a while to set the house up, but whenever I went down there, I always saw someone dozing off in one place or another.

What was nice was that there was enough to make easy pillow forts, which Whimsicott and Dedenne did all the time. Outside the house was a bit different. Instead of the clearing it had been initially, my Pokémon had gone heavy on the landscaping. Whimsicott and Florges made it so the canopy now extended over the area, plunging the space into perpetual twilight. Flowers grew in beds around the house, and small pockets grew near some of the trees.

Azumarill and Carbink managed to dig down to access a water source and make a small pond. With the dirt and rock they dug up, there were now chunks of stone strewn about to add texture and targets for Pokémon to attack while they trained. Between the sunbeams poking through the branches, the sound of the bubbling pond, and the haphazard mess of flower growths and boulders, somehow this area had turned into a grove fitting for a Fairy Type specialist.

Just seeing it made me proud, and with everyone contributing in their own way, it actually felt like home. Also, there were other Pokémon that started calling it home, too. As Florges used to live in this area, she was actually familiar with some of the wild Pokémon that lived around these parts. Since most of my days weren't spent at home—Gardevoir would teleport me around the region instead—a few wild Pokémon started to visit when no humans were obviously present. Wild Flabébé hid in Florges's flower gardens.

A single wild Comfey would visit every so often to check in. In the pond, a pair of wild Marill would splash about, but they were too intimidated to come by if Azumarill was around. This was a place of peace and safety. Not only did my Pokémon protect it, but they designed it as well. Also, the Pokémon here had a guaranteed protector; they had a Pokémon that would always come to their defense. Dachsbun. Dachsbun was the main reason the area was so safe.

He was much more powerful than his description online had said. As a retired Elite Pokémon, Dachsbun was strong, but he didn't operate at his peak. He had long since been worn by age and time. However, he was still an Elite Pokémon, and age hit Pokémon differently than how humans experienced it. Dachsbun looked like any other member of his species at the baseline; he was a dog that looked to be made out of bread.

However, his body had several scars that looked like scores on a bun, and a long, tan line was scratched over his eye. When Dachsbun walked, his legs moved slowly and his head hung down low. Each footstep seemed to take effort, and his fur sagged from his stomach. But, when it came to situations where his presence mattered, it was like his age melted away when he leapt into a fight. Through a series of charades, my Pokémon told me a story from just after when all the builders had left.

Apparently, a pack of Mightyena had tried to butt in now that the area had been rendered "safe." My Pokémon had tried to fight them off, but Dachsbun called them back. Instead, he went off alone, and the intruders learned of his might. Play Roughs decimated the hounds. Roar kept them back. A Mightyena's well-timed Fire Fang dealt no damage, only serving to harden Dachsbun's body and make him even tougher to beat. In the end, the rest of the Mightyena were knocked out and it was just Dachsbun and the packleader.

Whimsicott chittered excitedly when he did his best to explain it. Essentially, Dachsbun demonstrated every one of his moves just so he could finish it off with a Last Resort. Honestly, it felt like my team were exaggerating to try to justify why Dachsbun deserved the job. They didn't need to, as when I came back that night, I had seen the aftermath of his fight. Most of the Mightyena were gone, but a few of them laid injured underneath the trees along the edge.

Dachsbun was half-asleep on a rock stationed just outside the house, one eye half-lidded, watching the dozen Fidough of his pack play around at his feet. When I saw that, it only took me seconds to process everything and walked forward. Dachsbun shifted slightly as I approached, and I let my hand rest on his head and pet down his back.

"Good boy," I said. His body relaxed under my touch. In all senses of the phrase, he really was a good boy. Other than that, there was one last set of development over these past few months. Essentially, both Tinkatink and Togepi showed signs of evolving. I wasn't surprised, as the pair had been with me for months, and their independent training had stepped up during it. Tinkatink's hammer was becoming much larger than before.

At this point, hundreds of pieces of scrap metal had been attached, tested, and either thrown out or kept. Instead of a rattle-like mallet, she now had a long, pure steel hammer with an oversized head that dragged behind her. Almost every part had been replaced in some form, except for a few of Mawile's discarded teeth that Tinkatink had surreptitiously added. As for Togepi, her signs of evolution were different. Rather than having any physical signs, she was just extraordinarily happy.

As in, she was always happy almost all the time. Nothing could get her down, and everything seemed to be good news. She had a knack for knowing how to turn something negative into something positive, and everyone around her walked with a little extra cheer. (As a side note, playing with the Fidough was one of Togepi's favorite things to do.) Unfortunately, Togepi's planned evolution was going to be different than Tinkatink's, and, even more, it was going to be different from the rest of the team.

While Togepi could evolve right now if she so wished, she was instead given a small chunk of Everstone to wear around her neck to prevent her evolution. Togepi didn't want to evolve. At least, she didn't want to just yet. Togepi liked being small, and she liked being able to be carried around. While she would still technically have that as a Togetic, she wouldn't be able to do so as a Togekiss.

The obvious solution would be to let her evolve into a Togetic and delay her final form, but that went against her wishes as well. Togepi was going to become a Togekiss straightaway. Whenever Togepi would decide to evolve, she would evolve into Togetic, and I would give her a Shiny Stone as soon as it was safe to do so afterwards. At her request, she would go from her weakest form to her strongest, which meant there would be a bit of catch-up whenever it finally happened.

I wasn't sure why she wanted that, but the idea made her happy. She had the right to request how her future played out, and I and the rest of the team fully supported her decision. With all of that finally finished, the months passed and I continued my training. While I was technically a member of the newly made Wandering Elite, it wasn't yet officially announced. Even more, my role was closer to an "in-training" member that was still learning the ropes.

I had the authority and the pay, but my position was a test run. So far it'd been doing well in Hoenn, but I was to head to Alola next for the real test. With November fast approaching, I just had one last set of tasks to take care of before I could leave the region. It was strange to wake up in a bed that was undoubtedly mine. I'd spent so long on the road and traveling that doing so felt off. Still, faint wisps of sunlight drifted through an open windowsill.

The room was chilled from Ninetales's presence napping on her own elevated cushion in the corner. My own blankets warmed me up underneath. I turned on a light with a yawn, then I stood up and got dressed. When I checked the time, I smiled. Noon. Perfect. The kitchen was occupied when I moved downstairs. The smells of cut berries and vegetables entered my nose. Blinking, I saw Wally's cousin, Wanda hard at work. Behind her, three Alolan Vulpix and a group of Fidough eagerly awaited their lunch.

"Morning," I said.

"Afternoon, boss!" she shouted. I stumbled briefly when I remembered that, yes, I did hire her, and she laughed as she started to fill up bowls for the Pokémon. The sound of the Pokémon eating was really something else. All of them frequently switched which bowl they ate out of too. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"So," I said, sitting down, "how's the job been so far?"

"Honestly? This is probably the best job I've had in my life, I get to sit around all day and play with Pokémon, and it's not too far from my house." I chuckled.

"Now give me the rundown you'd give to someone who isn't your employer." Wanda shrugged.

"Pay's a bit worse than my last job, but it's easier overall and closer to home. Plus, with the amount of free time I get, I have plenty of time to talk with my boyfriend who lives in Rustboro."

"That's good," I said, yawning again. Since I had this home built, I had given my Pokémon the option to come here or stay at Sycamore's ranch. They all unanimously chose to come here even though the overall quality of the care was lower than at a Professor's ranch. The motivating factor was that this was our home instead of someone else's property. It was effectively the difference between staying at your own place and staying at a luxury resort.

Since everyone was now living here, I had Pokémon that would need to be cared for. I couldn't stick around all the time every day, and I couldn't bring everyone with me. So, I applied for the proper permits, put out an ad in the local paper, and, in no time at all, I was awash with people applying for a caretaker role. The sheer number of candidates was mind-boggling. I hadn't realized it, but this area of Hoenn was common to people working at Daycares.

Unsure what to do, I asked my friends for help, and Marty had dropped in while Phoebe sent a few pages of advice. With their help, I narrowed down the list and interviewed the rest. This proved to be the correct decision, as I was able to hire five properly trained people to come here for my Pokémon as a part time job. My "employees" had their income subsidized by the League, which was a benefit all trainers in the organization got upon request.

Wanda was one of the five I had hired, earning the job through her own merit rather than any nepotism. She had worked for the main Daycare on the nearby route in the past, and before I hired her, she had been working as a caretaker of local Pokémon at what amounted to a day-boarding place. She'd been looking for a new job on account of having a difficult boss. I was glad to know she was doing better, but there wasn't much I could do about the pay.

"And your shift ends in an hour?"

"Yup. After that, the afternoon's mine. Really makes things easy for me, overall. Dad wasn't too happy when he found out I was working for you, but he at least liked that I was close to home." We chatted for a bit as I properly woke up to take on the day. I helped make meals for the rest of my team and passed them out outside. There, Florges was surrounded by Flabébé and a single Swablu, strangely enough.

Rapidash was resting under a tree, Carbink was off away from the clearing to probably work on the mountain cave with Ninetales's sister, and everyone else was either sparring or just hanging out. Funnily enough, Azumarill and Dachsbun were in a match. Azumarill just couldn't let her own desire go. Dachsbun was far weaker than her when it came to raw strength, but his movement in combat was unmatched. No matter how much she tried to punch, Dachsbun was able to dip and dodge between her attacks.

Azumarill swore she'd beat him eventually. As of now, she still had a way to go.

"Lunch is ready!" I called out. Happily, my Pokémon finished what they were doing to approach. I didn't fail to notice how Tinkatink stared at Azumarill with wonder after witnessing her battle.

"We have plans today," I announced once everyone was around.

"We'll be meeting up with Thomas, then we'll be heading out." At the mention of Thomas, a few of my team perked up. Azumarill exchanged a few looks before stepping forward. After her, Dedenne, Mawile, and Whimsicott did the same, too.

"Good. I can already see a strategy forming. With you, Rapidash and Ninetales will come, too. Togepi, do you want to stay here, or come with?" I paused.

"Togepi?" Glancing behind me, I could see where she'd gone. The Fidough had been fed and were now full of energy. Togepi slipped away while I was busy talking, and she was now back inside the house, playing with the dogs in a wild game of tag. I shook my head, amused.

"Alright, Rapidash, I assume you're okay with staying here with Togepi, then." He gave an amused snort of agreement in response.

"So then, with that, the team is full for now. Tinkatink, you'll be coming, too. It'll be good to have someone of your level to meet with our next member of the team." Tinkatink glanced up from where she was putting a Rawst berry, her favorite, into her mouth. She blinked then nodded, but she did look a little annoyed that I implied she was weak.

"You're not weak," I assured her, "you just don't match up with everyone else quite just yet. Give it some time, and you'll be smashing everyone you can with your hammer. I can promise you that." My words made her grin. The way the berry juice dripped off her fingers and onto her hammer almost made it seem like blood. In total, my plans brought the total Pokémon I'd bring with me up to seven. As Cynthia had promised, my carry limit had expanded, but there were a few caveats with that.

I could carry a max of eight, but any above the cap had to be Pokémon I was in the process of training. That meant Tinkatink and Togepi could count for members over the cap, but no other members of the team. Essentially, overall, I could substitute one "fully trained" Pokémon for two "currently training Pokémon," which meant my current potential limit was seven, not eight. I could either have four and four, or five and two, or six and none.

With only two Pokémon that counted, I carried with me a maximum of seven when Togepi and Tinkatink both stuck around. Today, that was going to change. Once everyone was done eating and had done their stretches to help out with digestion afterwards, I recalled who I promised to take with me and left to the Pokémon Center. At the same time, Wanda exchanged shifts with another employee, their time here divided up to have all times of day properly covered. I met with Thomas when I arrived.

I had asked for advice a few days ago, and he had gone all the way to take the day off. He was to accompany me to meet this Pokémon and ensure everything would go alright. As payment, we'd battle. We had a rematch to do, as he'd been itching to fight.

"Thomas!"

"Alex." I greeted him outside the building with a firm shake of the hand. His usually calm face grinned almost ferally. My own expression mirrored the same.

"Again, thanks for the help. Today has been a long time coming."

"No problem, anything for a friend. My experience with Umbreon should make sure this goes well." We released hands and split apart. The grins faded, but small smiles still remained. After, we headed off eastwards towards Route 117.

"So how has Fortree been treating you?" I asked.

"Good. Things around there are peaceful. As a city built into trees, there's less of a division between the wilderness and the city itself there, but it's surprisingly calm."

"No wild Pokémon attacks?"

"No, actually, and I'd actually attribute that to wild Absol, which are common in the area. Part of the reason I'm there is to help manage their interactions with the city, as most of them frequently go out of their way to warn us about trouble."

"Wow, that sounds incredible," I said.

"If you're working with Absol so much, has one joined your team? Or are all of them still wild?" Thomas chuckled, but it almost sounded pained.

"No, none have been interested. Absol are famously independent Pokémon. I think they don't want to have a trainer with a team that's already mildly cramped."

"Ah," I said. We continued to walk on. Our destination wasn't too far into the route. The sides of this place were almost entirely taken up by Daycares or ranches. It was hard to tell since most of them didn't mark their spaces, but that was to encourage wild Pokémon to wander in and live on the route.

"I've been wondering," Thomas said, bringing something up as we approached.

"You already have ten battle-ready Pokémon and twelve overall on your team. Togepi and Tinkatink are still being trained up, so I have to ask, why get another Pokémon right now?"

"Oh, that? Well, it's not too complicated. Essentially, I want to expand my team. Back in the Conference, I felt like my team choices were limited since I didn't have enough to field two full teams. As a specialist, I dream of being able to choose any Pokémon from a massive list. I want my opponents to always keep guessing.

"Plus," I added, "I want to meet more Fairy Types. I can't call myself a Type expert if I only have twelve species on my team." That comment made Thomas laugh, and he admitted I had a point. From there, it wasn't too long until we arrived at the breeder's side ranch I had an appointment scheduled with.

"Alex, right?" a man wearing a green apron called out to me. I was recognized almost immediately. I shouldn't have been surprised. Not only were we the only people in this one room lobby, but I both had an appointment schedule and was collecting a mild amount of fame.

"That's me. I have a friend with me to assist with the selection process. That won't be an issue, will it?"

"That's completely fine!" The man exclaimed. He stood up and smiled at me from behind a desk before striding over to the backdoor.

"We've already narrowed down the Eevee to one we think would be a good choice for your team. You said you wanted a Sylveon, correct?"

"That's right," I replied.

"Great!" He exited the building, and I followed. Thomas stuck to my side.

"Here at the ranch, we strive to ensure Eevee and trainer are properly aligned," he said.

"With so many possible evolutions for Eevee, we don't want to match one with a trainer who wanted a different evolution. We have a dedicated process to ensure each individual gets a partner that will properly work with them. That includes appropriate background checks, interviews, and tests for both the Eevee and trainer."

"So will I need to take a test?"

"Hm? Oh, no, no, no. Cynthia has already handled that for us." Huh. I knew she was the one who recommended me, but I didn't realize she had gone that far. Wait, when did I take a test? We walked through the back and moved through a wide open space on the ranch. It stretched off the route, and I could see that there were areas aligned with certain possible evolutions. There was a shady grove for Umbreon and Leafeon, a wide pond for Vaporeon, and a few humming generators for Jolteon.

Around them, I could see small, fluffy Eevee playing. I blinked at seeing several of them merrilly running around active generators, but the breeder assured me they were perfectly safe. It still went against all forms of common sense I had.

"Glaceon and Espeon are by far the most popular evolutions," the breeder continued.

"After them, Vaporeon, then Jolteon, and then Leafeon and Flareon. Sylveon actually only ranks one place higher than Umbreon overall. That's due to its difficulty when it comes to its evolution method, and the general unease about its ribbons."

"Its flesh tendrils?" I asked.

"Please don't call them that," the breeder quickly replied. Part of this program was there to ensure Eevee would have a proper future and evolve in a way they wanted. Everstone collars were provided for free to ensure the evolution would actually happen just the right way. This breeding business was only a branch of a greater one, and they had experts all over the world that would help judge when an Eevee was able to evolve.

No one wanted to risk an Espeon or an Umbreon when an Eevee wanted to evolve into a Sylveon. The same was true in reverse. While the evolution methods were specific, there was some overlap in potential. The Everstone was as necessary as it was mandatory.

"We're here," the breeder said. There was a small greenhouse set up, nestled under a few trees. The canopy somewhat went against why the roof was made out of glass, but entering it, I could see it actually made a nice, shaded area. A pond sat in the corner, and a few plants grew here and there. One side was missing any growth whatsoever, and it was clear that was for where previously-evolved Flareon and Glaceon would meet. In the back, another employee was waiting by a door, and our escort went to talk to them.

I took this moment to whisper to Thomas about this whole situation.

"Was your Umbreon bred here, or..."

"Wild caught, extremely rare. I used their services to ensure he was happy, though." I nodded, appreciating Thomas was giving this place his tacit approval.

"If you could come over here," our guide said. I moved over to the point he gestured to, and the other breeder disappeared behind the back door.

"Eevee will be out in just a moment. For now, please refrain from releasing any of your team members until Eevee is comfortable. The first moments of meeting are crucial to establishing how Eevee will—" The door had been slowly creaking open as he spoke, but he was interrupted by a brown blur darting out of the back room. Out of nowhere, it leaped through the air with a wild cry of "EEEEVEEE!" and slammed into my arms. I stumbled back from the impact, just barely able to prevent it from falling.

Before I could do anything else, it was already rubbing its face against me, essentially purring its name.

"Didn't expect you to catch an Eevee so literally," Thomas mumbled. The breeder snorted but quickly covered his mouth. I was too focused on the Pokémon in my arms to respond.

"Hey little guy," I said.

"Excited to have a trainer?" His paws pushed against my chest to bring his head back, and he looked in my eyes to give a firm nod of "Vee." I laughed.

"You want to be a Sylveon, yeah?" He froze, but it wasn't out of fear. His tail wagging too ferociously to be anything but excited.

"Vee!" he declared. I laughed again.

"Then I think you have the right person," I said. His head pushed back to my chest as he continued to rub his face against me. I repositioned my arms to better carry him and glanced Thomas's way. He shrugged in a way to signal he had no complaints. The breeder next to him had a big smile on his face.

"Eevee here has been in love with becoming a Sylveon for ages," the breeder said.

"He's been furiously training to do so for a long time, and he's already mastered two Fairy Type moves—Charm and Baby-Doll Eyes. We haven't had an appropriate trainer seeking a Sylveon to match him to until now. If you're both happy—""I think he's perfect," I said. Eevee declared the same as well. The following meeting consisted of Eevee demonstrating his moves—Baby-Doll Eyes, Charm, Tackle, Quick Attack, Tail Whip, and Swift—and the breeder giving me an overview of how to take care of him.

To evolve him into a Sylveon, he would require a lot of physical affection, which meant he would be staying out of his ball a lot. Speaking of Pokéballs, I let him make his choice, and he took one look at the Love Ball before choosing it. I think he liked how the pink of the Love Ball matched the pink of Sylveon. The Eevee was a little obsessed with his potential evolution. Once that was handled, Eevee entered his ball and was almost immediately sent back out.

The funds for payment were transferred, and Eevee and I were off to start making our way back home with Thomas. He walked by my side as Thomas and returned to the route. As we left, I glanced over to my new Pokémon and asked him a question.

"So Eevee, how about meeting the rest of the team?" He cocked his head to the side.

"Maybe a demonstration is in order," I mumbled.

"Thomas, how about we have our battle?"