In the first half of May, uhe clear skies of the 199th year of the Alliance dar, the weather was sunny and vibrant. A warm breeze swept across Naoki's ranch, carrying the fragrant sts of ripened fruits and freshly cut grass.

  Summer had fully arrived, and it was harvest season on the ranaoki, donning a straw hat and holding aric clipper, prepared to tackle the wool trimming of his Wooloo. Nearly two weeks had passed sihey had arrived, and their wool had grown thid dense, leaving the Wooloo feeling sluggish and overheated uhe summer sun.

  Naoki opehe gate to the Wooloo pen and got to work, carefully shearing the sheep one by o first, his shearing teique had been clumsy. He'd even visited a neighb rancher who specialized in raising Wooloo to learn the proper method of wool clipping. After dedicated practiaoki finally mastered the art.

  The process required careful attention. First, he prepared a special electric clipper. He would then position the Wooloo and begin trimming, starting from the heel of a front leg, moving up along the thigh to the belly, and then w down to the hind legs. From there, he tirimming across the back, carefully w from the lower spio the neck. This method ehat the wool could be removed in one plete piece, making it far more valuable.

  Naoki vividly remembered the rancher's advice: "The more intact the wool is, the higher its value. If it's cut unevenly, it won't sell for much."

  Despite the process seeming straightforward, it was bor-intensive and required a steady hand. After shearing all eight Wooloo, Naoki stretched his back, feeling the strain of bending over for nearly two hours.

  Looking at the freshly groomed Wooloo, Naoki felt a deep sense of aplishment. Freed from their dense coats, the Wooloo appeared much livelier, their energy restored.

  "Alright, all done. Go ahead and py!" Naoki said, smiling at them.

  The eight Wooloo trotted out in an orderly liheir movements synized like a regiment of soldiers. This behavior was characteristic of Wooloo, known for their instinove as a group and mimic the as of their leader.

  The sight of the green fields dotted with flowers, butterflies fluttering in the air, and Wooloo grazing tentedly filled Naoki with pride. "What a picturesque se," he murmured.

  Carrying the collected wool, Naoki headed back to the ste shed. Wool from Pokémon like Wooloo was a sought-after material in the Paldea region. Although handmade items like wool carpets or scarves fetched higher prices in the market, Naoki wasn't skilled in crafting. For now, selling the raw wool provided a steady ine for the ranch.

  After seg the wool in the warehouse, Naoki returo the house for a well-deserved break. He grabbed a bottle of chilled soda from the refrigerator and took a refreshing sip, enjoying the ess as he rexed on the sofa.

  Almost immediately, Eevee jumped onto his shoulder, purring affeately. Naoki ughed and lifted Eevee by its front paws, pyfully holding it aloft. The little Pokémon wagged its fluffy tail happily.

  Unbeknownst to Naoki, G stood behind the wall, peeking around the er with a flicted expression. Seeing Naoki dote on the new Eevee stirred a strange feeling within G. It had never sought attention in such a way before—after all, it prided itself on being posed and mature. But now, it found itself yearning for the same affe.

  However, G couldn't bring itself to act. It wasn't a young Eevee anymore; wouldn't it be embarrassing to behave like one? With a quiet sigh, G retreated further into the shadows.

  Meanwhile, Naoki was oblivious to the internal struggle of his G. Pokémon often scattered across the ranch to py in hidden spots, so he was aced to their temporary absences uhey skipped mealtime.

  Naoki picked up a book titled The Eevee Guide from his bookshelf. It was written by an Eevee enthusiast who went by the pseudonym "Eevee Lover" aailed everything about Eevee and its evolutions.

  Sitting down with Eevee led in his p, Naoki opehe book and poio the various evolutions illustrated within. "Take a look. Whie would you like to evolve into someday?" he asked.

  Eevee tilted its head curiously, its rge brown eyes blinking in fusion. "Buyi?" (Evolve?)

  Naoki thought for a moment and expined, "It's like deg how you want to grow up. After you choose, I'll help guide you toward that goal. Or, if you prefer, you stay just as you are now and not evolve."

  Hearing this, Eevee immediately shook its head. "Eevee!" It definitely wao evolve into a stronger form.

  Naoki chuckled, amused by Eevee's enthusiasm. "Alright the's take a look at your options! So far, you have eight possible evolution paths."

  Eevee lowered its head curiously, gng at the book.

  Naoki began pointing at the images of the eight Eeveelutions and introdug eae in turn. "This is Freon, a Fire-type Pokémon. It breathe scorg fmes from its mouth to take down oppos."

  "Bu-ee?" Eevee tilted its head, clearly intrigued by Freon.

  Naoki smiled and tinued. " is Vaporeon, a Water-type Pokémon that blend seamlessly into water, making itself almost invisible. However, o evolves, its fur disappears entirely, and its body bees sleek and smooth like a fish."

  Eevee visibly shivered, the idea of losing its fluffy fur clearly unappealing. It immediately shook its head iion.

  "Alright, moving on. This is Jolteon, aric-type Pokémon. It unleash powerful electric currents to attack its enemies. But," Naoki added with a small ugh, "because of the electric charge running through its body, Jolteon bee a bit moody aic."

  Eevee looked uain and didn't seem particurly ied in Jolteoher.

  "Then there's Leafeon, a Grass-type Pokémon. After evolving, it photosynthesize to replenish its energy, which means it wouldn't o look for food anymore."

  Eevee's eyes lit up momentarily, intrigued by the idea. But then it seemed to remember all the delicious food it loved, and shook its head again.

  Naoki couldn't help but ugh at Eevee's reas. "Fair enough. , we have G, aype Pokémon. Its body is as cold as ice, and it freeze enemies with ease. Actually," he added thoughtfully, "there's already a G here at the ranch. You've seen it, right?"

  Eevee perked up, recalling the aloof G it had entered. "Bu-ee…" Its voice carried a mix of curiosity aation.

  Naoki nodded knowingly. "It's a bit reserved but has a very ki. It lives in that little igloo he back of the ranch."

  At that moment, Naoki suddenly gnced upward and caught sight of G peeking around the er. Their eyes met, and G froze before quickly dug out of sight.

  But Naoki wasn't going to let it hide. Standing up, he walked over and scooped up G, carrying it back to the sofa. He pced the Ice-type Pokémoo Eevee.

  The two Pokémon stared at each other.

  The little Eevee blinked ily and chirped, "Eevee!" in a cheerful greeting.

  Gaintaining its usual cold demeanor, looked away and refused to respond.

  "Bu-ee…" The little Eevee's ears drooped in disappoi.

  Hearing the sad cry, G hesitated. Deep down, it wondered if it had been too harsh. The young Eevee looked so small and hopeful. Wasn't it cruel to be so cold to it?

  After a brief moment of internal flict, G turned bad softly responded, "Bu-ee."

  Eevee's eyes sparkled with joy, and it immediately bounded forward to nuzzle against G's fur. The ued warmth of the gesture left Gomentarily stunned.

  This Eevee's enthusiasm reminded G of Alcremie's cheerful antics. From this perspective, perhaps this little Eevee wasn't so bad.

  Seeing the iioweewo, Naoki smiled aly stroked both Pokémon's heads. "Did you know," he began, addressing G, "this Eevee survived a forest fire st year. It lost its home and ended up living in town before ing here."

  G's expression softened as it recalled the devastation of the fire it had onessed. It had seen the charred remains of forests and the loss of many Pokémon. Thinking of how much this Eevee had endured, G felt a surge of sympathy.

  Oblivious to G's thoughts, the little Eevee tilted its head and barked happily, as if sensing that G was warming up to it.

  "Bu-ee!"

  Naoki smiled at the heartwarming se. "Alright," he said, patting both Pokémoly, "let's tinue expl the book!"

  Naoki smiled and poio the Eeveelution in the book. "Now, let me introduce you to Espeon. Uhe ones we've covered so far, Espeon uses psychic powers to battle. The red gem on its forehead absorbs sunlight, verting it into psychiergy. However, Espeon isn't as effective in battles at night."

  Eevee and G both leaned closer, their eyes fixed on the book. They'd never heard of Espeon before, and their curiosity was evident.

  "The one below Espeon is the opposite in many ways," Naoki tinued. "This is Umbreon, a Dark-type Eevee that evolves at night. It draws strength from the moonlight."

  "Bu-yi…" Eevee murmured, tilting its head. It didn't seem to care mubreon's sleek fur and decided it wasn't the look it wanted.

  G, already having evolved, showed no particur rea to the description.

  Suddenly, Eevee's attention was drawn to an image further down the page. Its paw pads tapped at the picture excitedly.

  "Bu-ee? Bu-ee?"

  Naoki followed its gaze and grinned. "Ah, that's Sylveon, the Fairy-type evolution. Isn't it adorable? You know, there's even a fairy tale based on Sylveon that's quite popur."

  Hearing this, both Eevee and G perked up. Their i iqued, and they chirped in unison, "Bu-yi?"

  "You two want to hear the story?" Naoki asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Buyi!" they both nodded eagerly.