Pokemon: My Strange Pokemons

Since they were going out to play, of course, some preparations had to be done carefully.

In the days leading up to the trip, Ethan worked hard on making videos, and Eevee trained even harder than usual to make up for the guilt of relaxing for a day.

It was Ethan's first trip with Eevee, and he even brought along a camera, attaching a small camera to Eevee's head.

This was a new venture he was preparing to explore, inspired by some first-person perspective videos of cats and dogs from his past life. Such videos hadn't appeared in this world yet.

Ethan didn't expect this series to go viral, but even the smallest effort is worth something. He couldn't afford to be picky about the amount of money right now.

Under the blazing sun, Ethan wore a sun hat and put sunglasses on Eevee. Together, they took the subway to head towards Miranda Mountain.

Miranda Mountain is an island in the middle of the lake, located in the eastern suburbs of Riverhaven City, in the largest freshwater lake in the Valoria region—Sylphmere Lake.

Due to factors like climate and soil, Miranda Mountain has a thriving fruit tree ecosystem, with several varieties of pears being especially famous for their high quality.

In addition to the fruit tree areas, half of Miranda Mountain is left for wild Pokémon, in line with the global consensus for peaceful coexistence between humans and Pokémon.

As a result, Miranda Mountain and the surrounding Sylphmere waters have long been popular spots for trainers in Riverhaven City to catch wild Pokémon.

Ethan, limited by his financial situation, didn't have plans to raise a second Pokémon for now.

The purpose of this trip was simple—just to enjoy the day.

After taking the subway to the terminal station, Ethan and Eevee transferred to a bus.

Along the way, they enjoyed the vast water scenery of Sylphmere Lake, making the journey not too boring.

...

"Mom, look! It's a Gyarados! It's so big!"

In the seat in front of Ethan, a child of about six or seven years old pressed his face to the bus window, eyes wide as he watched a Gyarados suddenly leap out of the water.

It seemed like the child was also heading to the Pear Festival at Miranda Mountain, just like Ethan.

"That's right. Don't be fooled by its size now. Before it evolved, it was only about the size of your face. Pokémon evolution is amazing, isn't it?"

The young mother gently patted her son's head, explaining carefully.

"I know! It's the dumb-looking Magikarp! But why is Gyarados a Flying-type and not a Dragon-type?"

The curious child asked.

But this kind of century-old conundrum that even scholars don't fully understand was beyond the young mother's knowledge. She awkwardly chuckled and didn't know how to answer.

Suddenly, on the surface of the lake, a long, graceful body leaped out, drawing the child's attention.

"Wow, Mom, what's that Pokémon? It's so beautiful!"

The young mother let out a sigh of relief and answered, "Oh, that's Milotic, a very rare Pokémon. I didn't expect to see one today, just like Gyarados. It evolved from the same humble Feebas."

"However, the conditions for its evolution are much stricter. It needs a very rare item called the Prism Scale."

"Ah, only the Prism Scale works? There's no other way?"

This question wasn't from the child, but from Ethan. His face showed slight surprise, tinged with excitement.

The young mother, always tolerant towards young, handsome men, patiently explained, despite Ethan's interruption.

"Right, that's the only way. Because Feebas is so rare, it's a bit obscure. I only remember this because I work in the Pokémon breeding industry."

The young mother puffed out her chest a bit proudly and smiled, thinking to herself that this young man was quite nice, providing her with a stage to showcase her knowledge in front of her child.

Sure enough, the child clapped enthusiastically. "Wow, Mom is so smart!"

But Ethan didn't care about that. After politely thanking the mother, he picked up his phone with slightly trembling hands.

If this information was true, then here was another low-cost Pokémon research opportunity for him to explore!

...

Though Ethan had been in this world for more than half a year, he still couldn't fully grasp how different it was from the Pokémon world he was familiar with.

The world was so vast that some information gaps were to be expected.

When Ethan had looked up information online, he found that the evolution chain from Feebas to Milotic was already well established, so he thought there was nothing else to explore.

Moreover, because Milotic was so rare, he had not encountered one since then.

He didn't expect there would still be an aspect to research.

Ethan's mind started to buzz with ideas.

In the games, there are two ways to evolve Feebas into Milotic: one is by using the Prism Scale, and the other is by increasing Feebas's beauty.

But this world didn't have the concept of beauty, so no one had studied the second evolution method for Milotic.

Could he try to figure something out?

Ethan knew that developing an energy cube to increase beauty wasn't going to be easy, but that was exactly why the potential rewards would be huge once it was successful!

Just imagine, when people found out that they could evolve Feebas into Milotic without the expensive Prism Scale, how shocking would that be?

And when the time came, he, who had monopolized the energy cubes to enhance beauty, would no longer need to worry about not having money to raise Pokémon!

By then, he would have a whole bunch of cute Pokémon to take care of, changing them up every day for fun.

...

"Bui?"

Eevee tilted its head, puzzled by Ethan's goofy grin as he stared at his phone. Was he thinking about some weird thing again?

"Eevee, what do you think about us raising a Feebas?"

Ethan's question caught Eevee off guard. Feebas?

His trainer had never mentioned such an idea before.

Where did this sudden thought come from?

However, as a reincarnator, Eevee felt it had a duty to bring the timeline back on track.

"Bui? (Do you have money to buy Feebas? Do you have money for the Prism Scale?)"

Although Ethan didn't understand Pokémon speech, he could read Eevee's suspicious look.

He gave a mysterious smile, thinking to himself, "What do you know, little Eevee?"

"Let's try it. Maybe we'll get lucky and find one!"

Eevee's expression instantly turned to concern.

"Bui? (Is the heat making your brain fry?)"

"Alright, don't worry. I've got a plan. Anyway, do you agree or not?"

Ethan patted Eevee's head, smiling brightly.

He gave full respect to his starting Pokémon, and he would still ask Eevee's opinion before capturing future Pokémon.

Of course, it would be best if Eevee agreed, but if not, Ethan would find a way to convince her!

After all, as a trainer, surely he could convince a little Eevee!

Eevee didn't give Ethan the chance to demonstrate his persuasion skills. After thinking for a while, she reluctantly agreed.

Jokes aside, having accompanied Ethan for ten years, she knew he had some unconventional ideas, including regarding her evolution.

She probably felt the same way about Milotic.

As long as she could maintain her top position in the team, she was fine. After all, she had been reborn, and if she didn't have this kind of confidence, it would be too embarrassing.

...

"The terminal station, Miranda Mountain Scenic Area, has arrived. Please take your Pokémon and belongings and exit the bus."

The announcement broke the contemplative mood of both Ethan and Eevee.

"Let's go, and enjoy this holiday!"

"Bui!"

(End of Chapter)