Hoenn Region – Fallarbor Town – Contest Hall
Lately, Ariel had been feeling very troubled.
Her Eevee, no matter what she did, just couldn't learn a Fairy-type move.
Eevee's genetics were famously unstable.
Depending on environment, energy, time of day, and emotional bonds, they could evolve into vastly different forms.
Ariel and Eevee shared a dream: to become the world's greatest Coordinator. Ever since Eevee had hatched and gained awareness, it had been striving to evolve into a Sylveon.
But so far, they hadn't made any progress.
"At this rate, we're going to miss this year's Contest…" Ariel sighed in frustration.
The little Eevee looked equally dejected. Failing to evolve into Sylveon had clearly affected its mood.
Seeing this, Ariel gently patted its head to comfort it. "Don't be sad. You've been trying so hard."
Even as she said that, Ariel worried. What if Eevee accidentally evolved into Espeon or Umbreon instead?
Their traveling companion, a Trainer named Akai, suggested, "Why not ask a Breeder for help?"
That's when Ariel suddenly remembered the daycare they'd passed on the road to Fallarbor a couple of days ago.
Usually, daycares could teach Pokémon certain moves.
The problem was... that place had looked really run-down, almost abandoned. She didn't have much confidence in it.
But they had no other choice. Most people in Fallarbor Town were Trainers or Coordinators, and they didn't know any reputable Breeders who could help Eevee learn a Fairy-type move.
Forget it. They'd just go check it out. If it worked, great—if not, they'd think of something else.
Decision made, Ariel left her lodging and followed the path westward. After some time, she spotted the familiar building up ahead.
"Huh? Is it just me, or has this place changed a lot?"
Walking closer, Ariel realized it wasn't her imagination. The entire daycare had been renovated from top to bottom.
A bright "Open for Business" sign hung on the door, and on the right side stood a chalkboard listing available services:
[Daycare Services]
1. Pokémon Boarding
2. Currently Available Move Tutoring: Baby-Doll Eyes, Tackle
3. Rare Item Trading: Common Stone, Big Root
4. Meals & Lodging
Ariel's eyes immediately locked onto Baby-Doll Eyes.
A Fairy-type move!
If Eevee could learn it, it might finally evolve into Sylveon!
"Boss!!"
Ariel called out excitedly, flinging open the door and shouting inside.
Kawaki looked up from the book he'd been reading about Pokémon care and saw a familiar green-haired girl at the entrance.
She was the Trainer who had passed by two days ago with an Eevee in her arms.
"Welcome," Kawaki said.
Ariel rushed up, eyes bright. "Boss, can you really teach Baby-Doll Eyes here?"
"Of course," Kawaki replied with a small smile.
"I want to do it!" Ariel said instantly.
But before she could say anything more, her companions Akai and Henry quickly pulled her aside.
The three huddled together, whispering.
"Hey, doesn't this seem a little... off?"
"This daycare is way too empty!"
Most daycares were home to lots of Pokémon, but this place had only one Bewear.
Even weirder—wasn't the so-called owner just a kid?
Was he even ten yet?
Teaching a move wasn't easy. Even veteran Breeders couldn't guarantee success every time.
But this little kid, who looked even younger than them, was saying he could?
"Is he a scammer?" Henry muttered.
Ariel hesitated after hearing that.
All three turned to look at the boy behind the counter.
Kawaki: ...
He calmly turned his gaze to the Eevee on Ariel's shoulder and began to speak:
"Eevee's genetics are highly unstable. Its evolution is influenced by its surroundings and the bond it shares with its Trainer."
"A Fire Stone will turn it into Flareon, a Water Stone into Vaporeon. If it's close enough with its Trainer, it'll become Espeon in the day, or Umbreon at night. But evolving into Sylveon is far trickier."
He paused briefly, then smiled and asked:
"If I'm not mistaken, you want to learn Baby-Doll Eyes so this Eevee can evolve into Sylveon, right?"
The moment he said that, all three froze slightly.
Even Henry, a novice Breeder, was stunned.
So professional!
What shocked them even more was that even now, researchers across the regions still hadn't pinpointed the exact triggers for all of Eevee's evolutions.
Take Espeon, for example. It was known to evolve during the day with high friendship, while Umbreon evolved at night.
But sometimes, even during the day, Eevee would become Sylveon instead…
After thorough research, scholars found that Sylveon required learning a Fairy-type move to trigger the evolution.
But even then, it wasn't 100% guaranteed. There were cases where Eevee knew a Fairy-type move yet still evolved into Espeon.
Could friendship and emotional bonds influence the final evolution too?
Yet here was this kid, stating it all so clearly… Was he bluffing? Or did he really know?
If the latter was true, this could make waves across the region.
Who was this kid? Henry found himself deeply intrigued.
Ariel, meanwhile, didn't think that deeply. She nodded quickly. "Yes! That's exactly it!"
Kawaki smiled. "Then would you like to give it a try?"
"How much does it cost to learn Baby-Doll Eyes?" Ariel asked.
Kawaki hadn't checked other daycares' pricing yet. He hadn't had time to scout the competition, so he blurted out the first number that came to mind.
"5,000 PokéDollars."
"5,000?!" Ariel yelped.
Kawaki raised an eyebrow. Had he priced it too high?
But the next second, Ariel beamed. "That's so cheap! Other daycares charge at least 10,000 per move—and that's not even a guaranteed success!"
Kawaki quickly adjusted his stance. "Well, since you're our first customer since reopening, I'm giving you a special discount."
Crisis averted—time to bump that price back up later.
"Wow!" Ariel's eyes lit up.
What a deal!