Naoki believed that evolving Pokémon was not just about power—it was about uanding and respeg their choices. While he hoped the remaining Eevees would evolve into forms not yet present on the ranch, he khe decision ultimately beloo them.

  When the Eevees returned from their outdoor py, Naoki gathered them in the living room. The nine pokemon sat in a row, their curious gazes fixed on him. Freon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon sat in the middle, their evolved forms a source of fasation for the others.

  "Ahem." Naoki cleared his throat, drawing their attention. G and Umbreon exged knowing gnces, while the unevolved Eevees waited eagerly to see what Naoki had to say.

  Koraidon wheeled in a small bckboard, and Naoki began pinning pictures of Eevee’s evolutionary forms onto it. Each image was carefully categorized and beled, making it easy for the Eevees to follow along.

  “I wasn’t pnning to introduce this topic so soon,” Naoki began, his tone slightly exasperated, “but three mischievous Eevees stumbled into my treasure chest, found the evolution stones, and evolved ahead of schedule.”

  The unevolved Eevees turheir wide eyes toward the trio iion. Freon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon gnced away sheepishly, stig out their tongues in an attempt to look endearing.

  “Buyibuyi~” (Sorry, we didn’t mean to!)

  Naoki sighed, shaking his head, but a small smile tugged at his lips. He tinued, “Eevee, each of you holds unlimited evolutionary potential. Evolving means being stronger, just like Freon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon have.”

  The Eevees listened ily, their tails wagging in anticipation.

  Naoki poio the first image on the bckboard. “Let’s start with Freon, just like our fiery friend here.”

  All eyes turo Freon, who puffed out its chest proudly.

  “Freon, as the name suggests, has the power to trol fire. It release high-temperature fmes to attack its enemies and even roast berries to perfe.”

  “Buee!” Freon nodded enthusiastically to firm Naoki’s words. To demonstrate, it inhaled deeply and exhaled a small fme.

  The fme, unfortunately, nded directly on the carpet, igniting it instantly.

  Naoki froze. “F-F-Freon! What have you done?!”

  The room erupted into chaos as Naoki scrambled to extinguish the fmes. Thankfully, Vaporeon acted swiftly, using its Water Gun to douse the fire.

  When the smoke cleared, Naoki surveyed the scorched carpet with a grim expression. “From now on, no one is allowed to use moves indoors. Is that clear?”

  “Bu-yi…” Freon lowered its head, its ears drooping in guilt.

  Naoki softened, rubbing Freon’s head. “I’ll let it slide this time, but never again, okay?”

  Freon nodded vigorously, its eyes shining with determination. “Bu-yi!”

  Naoki adjusted his focus back to the lesson. “You’ve all seen what Freon do. Now, let’s talk about Vaporeon.”

  Vaporeon perked up at the mention of its s fin-like tail wagging happily.

  “Vaporeon,” Naoki expined, “gains the ability to live in water after evolving. It freely trol water and use moves like Water Gun to attack. In daily life, Vaporeon is incredibly helpful—it water crops or eveinguish fires, as you’ve just seen.”

  Naoki observed the Eevees as they curiously studied Vaporeon. Some seemed intrigued by its aquatic abilities, while others appeared less ied. Sensing their shifting focus, he turned his attention to another Eevee evolution.

  “, let me introduce you to G,” Naoki said, his gaze nding on the cool and collected Pokémon.

  “G wields the power of id snow. It’s especially useful during summer—you won’t o worry about heatstroke if G is nearby! In sh is a reliable and refreshing panion.”

  G gave a subtle nod, a quiet firmation of Naoki’s description. Its reserved demeanor added to its charm, leaving the younger Eevees in awe.

  “Now, onto Jolteon,” Naoki tinued, pointing to the spiky-furred Electric-type Pokémon. “Jolteon evolves through the Thuo’s capable of geing powerful electrical attacks that paralyze oppos. Jolteon’s strength is undeniable.”

  Jolteon, known for its high-strung nature, surprisingly appeared calm in Naoki’s presence. Perhaps because it had hatched from an egg under his care, Jolteon was unusually docile. To demonstrate its abilities, it stored electricity in its fur, causing tiny sparks to crackle and light up the room. The other Eevees watched in wide-eyed amazement.

  “ up is Umbreon,” Naoki said, shifting to the elegant, moonlit Pokémon. “Umbreon evolves when bathed in the light of the moon. It’s noal and prefers to roam uhe stars, blending seamlessly with the shadows.”

  “Additionally, Umbreon’s bck fur helps it camoufge at night, making it almost invisible to oppos in darkness.”

  Umbreoed a soft, melodic cry: “Umbree~” as the blue rings on its body glowed faintly, creating a magical ambianbsp;

  Naoki smiled at Umbreon’s dispy, then turned his attention to the remaining unevolved Eevees. “Now, let’s talk about some evolutions we don’t have on the ranch yet.”

  At this, the four unevolved Eevees perked up, their ears twitg with excitement.

  “First, there’s Leafeon,” Naoki said, pointing to the corresponding picture on the board. “Leafeon is a Grass-type Pokémon that photosynthesize like a pnt. Because of this, it always smells fresh and carries a unique, grassy aroma.”

  Otle Eevee tilted its head and stood up, curiosity shining in its eyes. “Buee?” (What does grass smell like?)

  Naoki paused to think before calling Koraidon, who quickly summohe nearby Gogoat. “Let’s show them,” Naoki said, gesturing foat to activate its Grassy Terrain.

  A soft green light spread across the room, apanied by the faihy st of freshly grown grass. The Eevees twitched their noses, sniffing eagerly.

  “That’s what grass smells like,” Naoki expined.

  “Buee!” one Eevee cried happily, clearly ented by the st.

  Meanwhile, another Eevee wris nose, less impressed.

  Naoki quickly instructed Gogoat to disperse the energy from its Grassy Terrain, shifting focus to the evolution.

  “Now, let me introduce Espeon,” Naoki announced, pointing to the image of a sleek Pokémon with vender fur. “Espeon is the opposite of Umbreon. It absorbs sunlight and verts it into psychiergy. Not only that, Espeon has an exceptional ability to predict the future.”

  The Eevees turheir attention to the photo, their eyes lighting up with awe.

  “Booee!” (Wow!)

  The Pokémon in the picture radiated elegas soft, velvety fur glinting faintly. A beautiful ruby embedded on its forehead gleamed with an otherworldly glow. The Eevees were visibly ented by its beauty.

  Naoki chuckled at their rea and moved on. “A, I’d like to introduce Sylveon.”

  The Eevees shifted their gaze to the image. Sylveon’s photo depicted a Pokémon with pristine white fur ated by soft pink tones. Adorned with a bow and ribbon-like feelers, Sylveon exuded a graceful charm.

  “This is Sylveon,” Naoki expined. “A Fairy-type Pokémon. It may look gentle and cute, but it’s incredibly powerful. Sylveon hold its own even against fearsome Dragon-types that are much rger than itself. It fearlessly jumps into battle to protect its trainer and friends.”

  Naoki paused, the Eevees’ reas. Some were clearly intrigued, while others seemed thoughtful.

  “Well,” he said, “have you thought about what kind of Eeveelution you want to bee iure?”

  Before they could respond, Naoki remembered an important point and added, “Of course, evolving isn’t the only path. Staying as an unevolved Eevee is perfectly fioo. Even without evolving, Eevee grow into a strong and reliable partner.”

  He smiled warmly at the group, tinuing, “A’s not fet Eevee’s ultimate move: Extreme Evoboost. This special Z-Move, used with the help of all eight evolved forms, biheir powers with Eevee’s to create a spectacur attack.”

  The Eevees tilted their heads in curiosity.

  “In the Alion, this move doesn’t just deal damage. It raises Eevee’s attack, defense, special attack, special defense, and speed by two stages, making it incredibly powerful. To perform this move, I’d need a Z-Crystal and Eevium Z.”

  The Eevees listened ily, their eyes shiftiween Naoki and the photos on the bckboard. They seemed intrigued by the possibilities but hesitant to make a decision.

  Naoki didn’t rush them. “It’s your choice,” he said gently. “You don’t have to decide right now. What’s important is that you’re happy with the path you choose.”

  However, before the unevolved Eevees could respond, Freon bounded forward enthusiastically.

  “Bueeeeee!” (Naoki, Naoki! I want to bee the Partner Eevee!)

  Naoki blinked, startled, then sighed heavily. “Freon, you’ve already evolved. You ’t de-evolve!”

  “Buee…” Freon’s ears drooped, disappoi clear in its posture.

  Naoki felt a pang of guilt seeing its deje. “It’s my fault,” he muttered to himself. “I should’ve introduced all the Eeveelutions earlier… or at least kept those Evolution Stones out of reach.”

  Naoki sighed, knowing there was no way to ge what had already happened. He decided to fort Freon instead.

  “Don’t be upset, Freon,” Naoki said with a reassuring smile. “You’re incredibly powerful just the way you are. When winter es, you help us make a fire to keep warm. You’re an important part of the team.”

  Freon’s ears perked up, and its fiery tail wagged excitedly. “Buee Buee?” (Really? Does Naoki like me?)

  Naoki chuckled, reag out to pat Freon’s fluffy head. “Of course!”

  The thought seemed to cheer Freon up immensely. “Buey!” (I’ll do my best!)

  Freon puffed out its chest proudly. “Buee Buee!” (I love being Freon! I don’t want to be anything else now!)

  Meanwhile, the remaining four Eevees seemed to have made their decisions as well.

  One of the little Eevees stepped forward and excimed, “Buee!” (I want to evolve into Leafeon!)

  Naoki smiled warmly. “Good choice. Leafeon has a soothing presend smells like a fresh meadow.”

  Another Eevee looked up at Naoki with curiosity. “Buee Buee?” ( Espeon Eevee really predict the future?)

  Naoki nodded, recalling the information from his book. “That’s right. Espeon has the unique ability to sense and predict what’s about to happen.”

  He expined further, “Espeon's fur is incredibly sensitive, allowing it to detect ges in the air. It sense approag weather, enemy movements, and even small ges around it.”

  Hearing this, the Eevee’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Bueeeeeee!” (Then I want to bee Espeon! That way, I know when Naoki’s ing home!)

  Naoki raised an eyebrow, amused. “Why would you o know when I’m ing home?”

  The Eevee froze, its eyes darting nervously. “Buee... Buee!” (Uh… so I don’t get caught eating the ice cream in the refrigerator… oops!)

  Realizing it had said too much, the Eevee quickly covered its mouth with its paws. Naoki’s expression shifted to a mix of disbelief and amusement.

  “I don’t stop you from eating too much because I want to be mean,” Naoki expined patiently. “I’m just worried you’ll get an upset stomach. Eating too much ice cream make you feel sick.”

  The Eevee drooled at the thought of the delicious treat. “Buee!” (But it’s so tasty!)

  Naoki sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead. “Fine, fine. If you get a stomachache, I’ll ask my sister Indeedee to use Heal Pulse or Crest Dance. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll take you to Nurse Joy at the Pokémoer.”

  Naoki turo the remaining two Eevees, his eyes filled with curiosity. “What about you two? Have you decided what kind of Eevee you’d like to evolve into?”

  One of the Eevees immediately puffed out its chest and looked at Koraidon, its eyes bzing with determination. “Buee!” (I want to evolve into Sylveon!)

  Naoki tilted his head, intrigued. “Why Sylveon?”

  The little Eevee’s expression was brimming with resolve. “Buee!” (Because Fairy Eevee defeat Dragon Pokémon!)

  Naoki stifled a ugh as uanding dawned on him. Ah, so that’s what this was about. He recalled an i from a few days ago when Koraidon had tried to join him and the Eevees on the bed. Naoki had gently refused, worried that the bed was too small and that Koraidon’s rge size might actally crush the tiny Eevees.

  Jealous, Koraidon had taken one of the Eevees off the bed, keeping it close as if staking a cim. The poor Eevee had been shte burst into tears, waking Naoki in the middle of the night. It had taken a lot of soothing to fort the little Pokémon, and ever sihen, it seemed this particur Eevee had decided Koraidon was its rival.

  Naoki g Koraidon, eared pletely unbothered. He couldn’t help but ugh softly. “Sure, you evolve into Sylveon,” he said, patting the determined Eevee on the head. “But I have to warn you, Koraidon isn’t just any Dragon Pokémon. It’s incredibly strong. Beating it won’t be easy.”

  “Bu-yi!” (I’ll do my best!) the Eevee decred, its fighting spirit unwavering.

  Koraido out a soft, amused rumble. “Ah, gah…”

  Finally, Naoki turo the st Eevee, who had been quiet throughout. “And you? What kind of Eevee would you like to evolve into?”

  The little Eevee gnced around nervously, its ears twitg. It seemed uaking its time to deliberate. After a long moment, it spoke hesitantly, “Eevee...” (I want to be a partner Eevee)

  Naoki crouched down, his voice gentle. “You don’t have to choose Partner Eevee if you don’t want to. There are so many other evolutions, and I’ll train you to be whatever you want to bee.”

  The Eevee hesitated but eventually shook its head firmly. Its small face lit with determination as it decred, “Eevee!” (I want to be a Partner Eevee!)

  Naoki blinked, momentarily stunned. “You don’t want to evolve into anything else?”

  The Eevee shook its head again, this time more vigorously. “Bu-i-bu-i!” (No! I want to be the most powerful Partner Eevee!)

  More importantly, it didn’t want to evolve into any of the other forms like its panions. It wao stand out, to be unique among all the Pokémon on the ranot just in its appearance, but also in its bond with Naoki.

  This little Eevee desired to remain as it was: an Eevee. Not out of fear of ge, but because it cherished its individuality and the special pce it already held in Naoki’s heart.