After the Skitty bell-snatching incident, Eevee refused to leave Sato's shoulder, clinging onto him with unwavering determination.

  Its tiny paws carefully nudged the Soothe Bell, causing it to jingle. Each sound filling Eevee with pure delight, before it continued pying with it again.

  Eevee was still young, unable to undergo most forms of serious training yet. And considering that their bond needed to grow, Sato decided to let it do as it pleased.

  If possible, he wanted every one of his Pokémon to have a happy childhood, growing up joyfully and without worries.

  Battles? That's for the older siblings to handle.

  Just like Spinarak back then, which had been pampered and protected by Zoroark and the others. They would always side with their little sibling, no matter the situation.

  As they continued northward, the towering forest trees began to dwindle, repced by shrubs and grassy thickets. The air grew dry.

  The view ahead became wider and clearer. And when no more trees blocked the horizon, a vast desert unfolded before them.

  Yellow sand stretched endlessly beneath the winter sun, which still burned relentlessly, its heat oppressive and unforgiving.

  From Sato's own shadow, a dark figure suddenly emerged: Gengar.

  Being a Ghost-type, it absolutely despised this environment and begged to return to its Poké Ball.

  "Houndoom!"

  Unlike Gengar, Fire-types were completely unbothered by the heat. Houndoom even stretched zily, gazing at the desert with excitement in its eyes.

  "Want to go back?"

  "Eevee~"

  Eevee shook its rge ears, firmly shaking its head, its tiny paws clutching onto Sato, as if afraid he'd recall it.

  "Don't start compining ter." Sato chuckled, putting on his pre-prepared desert gear: Sungsses, hat, boots; fully equipped, Sato led Houndoom forward, stepping firmly into the sand.

  ----

  As they ventured deeper, the vegetation grew sparse, revealing the full scope of the desert ndscape.

  And soon after. The Pokémon appeared.

  A Baltoy suddenly spun out of the ground, its body rotating unsteadily before it finally stopped and noticed Sato nearby.

  A moment ter: complete chaos.

  The startled Baltoy filed wildly, then hastily burrowed back underground, disappearing without a trace.

  Sato didn't bother chasing after the silly, absent-minded Psychic-type.

  Although its evolution, Cydol, was one of the few Psychic-types capable of Teleport, this particur Baltoy cked talent. It wasn't even worth catching to sell.

  But, it was a good sign!

  Before long, desert-dwelling Pokémon began appearing one after another: Sandshrew, Graveler, Gligar, Onix…

  And then—Wait…Cacnea!

  Sato's eyes lit up as he spotted four Cacnea pyfully wrestling in the distance.

  Now that's interesting!

  Cacnea's evolution, Cacturne, gained the Dark-type, making it a solid offensive Pokémon. With strong dual offensive stats, it was enough to catch Sato's attention.

  "Eevee, want to battle?"

  "Eevee!"

  Eevee hopped up, eager to jump into the fight. But just as it was about to jump down, it gnced at the Soothe Bell on its chest and froze, its face filled with hesitation.

  "I'll hold onto it for you."

  Sato softly removed the bell, making sure to secure it in his pocket right in front of Eevee.

  But Eevee still wasn't fully convinced. It stood up on its hind legs, pawing at Sato's pocket, making sure it could still feel the Soothe Bell inside.

  Only then did it finally rex, turning toward its second opponent of the day… or rather, opponents.

  "Eevee!"

  Eevee fiercely called out to the four Cacnea, as if issuing a challenge!

  The four Cacnea froze. Then, as if synchronized, they all turned toward Eevee, their beady bck eyes curiously sizing up this unfamiliar Pokémon.

  "Eevee-vee!"

  Seeing the Cacnea hesitate, Eevee thought it had intimidated them, proudly taking two steps forward, puffing out its chest and barking once more.

  Beside Sato, Houndoom seemed to realize something, and without a word. It id down, closed its eyes, and stopped paying attention to Eevee altogether.

  Then, the Cacnea exchanged gnces. And suddenly, they all charged at once! They weren't scared of Eevee at all.

  The one they feared... was Houndoom. With their natural sensitivity, they could feel that Houndoom radiated pure danger!

  "Vee~"

  The four Cacnea lunged forward, and Eevee instantly panicked. Its previous confidence vanished, and it scrambled backward, its tiny butt wiggling awkwardly as it retreated.

  "Don't panic! Eevee, use Charm!"

  Hearing Sato's command, Eevee's ears perked up, and instinctively, it let out a soft, adorable cry toward the Cacnea.

  Then it rolled onto the ground, cutely spinning in the sand!

  And... It worked perfectly!

  The once aggressive Cacnea suddenly stopped in their tracks, hesitating as they awkwardly pushed and shoved each other forward. It seemed like none of them wanted to make the first move!

  "Use Yawn!"

  Eevee remained lying on the ground, letting out a soft, drowsy yawn, its tiny eyes watering as if it were about to cry.

  Then.

  Nothing happened.

  The Cacnea exchanged confused gnces. Now what?

  "Eevee! Swift!"

  Eevee immediately sprang to its feet, its tail flicking rapidly. A barrage of golden, glowing stars shot through the air, striking the Cacnea directly!

  With the Same-Type Attack Bonus (STAB) effect, Swift dealt a decent amount of damage to the Cacnea!

  Instantly, they were furious!

  So it was all a lie! A trick! They felt betrayed... their innocent hearts crushed! They had to punish this deceitful little fox!

  And then, they all fell asleep.

  "Eevee-vee!"

  Four-on-one? Eevee thought it was unstoppable! It was the strongest in the world!

  With a prideful strut, its head tilted so far back that its chin pointed skyward, Eevee marched toward Sato.

  It wanted—Kisses! Hugs! Lift me up!

  Sato couldn't help but ugh, this Eevee was truly a little ball of energy. But as he lifted Eevee up, he felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

  How long had it been since he st saw a moment like this?

  So long that he had almost forgotten. Before evolving into an Umbreon, Eevee was actually this pyful and lively!

  "You did great!"

  Sato raised Eevee high into the air, letting it bask in the joy of victory. Even though, to him and Houndoom, this battle was no more than child's py.

  "Grrr…!"

  Suddenly- Houndoom jumped beside Sato, its expression alert and cautious, scanning the surrounding desert.

  Rustle…

  The sound of shifting sand reached Sato's ears, turning his gaze, he saw the four sleeping Cacnea slowly sinking into the sand.

  The yellow grains continued flowing, and then... a green, three-pronged leafy structure suddenly shot out!

  The leafy protrusion rapidly rose, revealing a rge green hat!

  "Rustle, rustle, rustle!"

  The hat kept rising, and underneath it, a scarecrow-like figure slowly emerged!

  Cacturne!