After a good night's sleep, most of the fatigue from his recent trips to Sinnoh and Kitakami had dissipated.
Feeling refreshed, Aiden stretched lazily and, as usual, picked up his phone to browse while sitting on the bed.
As expected, today's video had already caused a stir on PokeTV, replacing Professor Oak's 'The Oak Family's New Year's Eve Feast' and once again topping the trending charts overnight.
"My influence online is still quite something, isn't it?"
Aiden nodded in satisfaction. As he reached out to pet the Eevee by his bedside, his hand met empty air.
Glancing instinctively at the bedside table and finding it empty, Aiden suddenly remembered.
His gaze shifted to a small cat bed that had appeared in the corner of his bedroom.
Because of its evolution, there was no longer enough space for Sylveon on his bedside table. So starting today, Sylveon would sleep in a cat bed in his room.
As for why a fox Pokémon was sleeping in a cat bed…
Well, after evolving, Sylveon had developed a slightly tsundere personality and tended to cling to its trainer—a trait that made it resemble a big cat.
Plus, it had a real kitten as a friend. Birds of a feather flock together, right?
Looking at Sylveon sprawled out in the cat bed with an utterly shameless sleeping posture, Aiden couldn't help but chuckle. He soon got up and left the bedroom.
Let it sleep peacefully.
At this time of morning, Riolu was surely out running. Recently, its activity range seemed to have expanded beyond Cabo Poco, as it began exploring in all directions.
Though Aiden didn't fully understand why, one thing was certain:
Riolu's "morning run" was secondary. Its real purpose was likely to find strong Pokémon to practice against along the way…
Aiden felt it was only a matter of time before it evolved into Riolu Punchline… er, sorry, in the Pokémon world, it should be called Riolu (Single Strike Style).
Walking into the living room, Aiden watched as Bagon, who had been sleeping on the sofa pillow, rolled over and fell headfirst onto the floor with a thud.
"Huh?"
Bagon opened its eyes groggily, noticed it was lying on the ground, and casually flopped down, ignoring the earlier head impact and continuing to sleep.
Aiden was unfazed by this.
Apparently, falling from heights was just part of Bagon's nature. Even though it was still in its developmental stage, it often climbed to higher places and jumped straight down whenever it was awake.
Its skull seemed to have developed faster than the rest of its body—its hardness was already astonishing.
Thus, such minor accidents meant nothing to it.
After picking up Bagon and placing it back on the sofa, Aiden walked out of Sunshine Gym.
"Gao…"
Miraidon squinted at Aiden before resuming its role as a laid-back couch potato.
"Pon!"
However, Ogerpon, who had been up early and was busy tilling a field with its Ivy Cudgel nearby, noticed him and happily ran over, leaping onto Aiden with a lively cry.
"Pon, you're already up farming this early?"
Aiden affectionately patted its head, pointing to the patch of wasteland where Pon had been working.
"Pon!"
Pon nodded enthusiastically and pulled some seeds from its cloak.
Aiden recognized them immediately—they were the Herba Mystica seeds he had stored in the gym.
Aside from the sweet seasoning they obtained after defeating Klawf with Nemona and Arven, he had also received some Bitter Herba Mystica seeds from Arven.
He had originally considered renting a farming Pokémon to achieve seasoning independence.
Now it seemed that Ogerpon itself enjoyed farming?
Thinking about it, it made sense. After all, Ogerpon used to live alone on Oni Mountain, where there weren't many berries to eat…
If it didn't grow its own food, it might have had to sneak into villages to steal.
According to the Pokédex, Ogerpon was an intelligent Pokémon with a mischievous streak, often causing trouble in villages.
But that was probably a century ago. Later, the entire village treated it like a "ghost," never allowing it to approach.
So it had no choice but to farm for self-sufficiency?
Realizing this, Aiden gently patted Ogerpon's head, his eyes softening.
"Well then, I'll leave it to you, Ogerpon."
"Pon yo~"
Ogerpon puffed out its chest as if to say:
Leave it to me!
It quickly hopped off Aiden and returned to work.
Though Ogerpon's strength was limited, it had its own unique farming method.
Perhaps due to the craftsmanship and effort poured into its masks, each of Ogerpon's four masks possessed different powers.
The Cornerstone Mask, symbolizing rock, invoked the power of the earth, causing the surrounding soil to churn. Under the mighty force of the earth, the soil quickly softened.
At this point, Ogerpon switched to the Wellspring Mask, which channeled water-type energy, injecting life-giving streams into the slightly dry land.
Once all preparations were complete, it donned the Teal Mask it had worn for years, using its Vine Whip to evenly scatter seeds across the field.
Under the magical power of its masks, Pon's farming efficiency was astonishing, leaving even Aiden watching in amazement.
Wow, so Ogerpon was actually a pro at this?
Come to think of it, maybe it was also skilled at cooking. After all, it must have honed its skills during years of solitude!
What a perfect little chef, offering full-service!
After observing Ogerpon's work for a while, Aiden realized he couldn't really help and reluctantly returned to Sunshine Gym.
"Vee…?"
Just then, Sylveon had woken up and, still drowsy, staggered forward with a swaying cat-like gait. Noticing Aiden, it stopped.
Seeing this, Aiden immediately understood. He picked up the cooperative Sylveon and took it to the washroom to clean up.
When it came to raising Eeveelutions, he was an expert. By now, he could tell what Sylveon wanted just by its actions.
Perhaps it was also because their friendship level was maxed out?
Pokémon were truly fascinating, weren't they?
In any case, while he couldn't perfectly converse with his Pokémon, understanding their intentions wasn't difficult for Aiden.
"Syl!"
Soon, the refreshed Sylveon emerged from the washroom, still dripping with water. It immediately transformed into a washing machine, rolling rapidly and leaving water droplets all over the floor.
"…"
Aiden twitched his lips and silently grabbed a towel to clean up.
Oh well, it's my own Pokémon…
After returning to the bedroom, Sylveon intended to go back to sleep and wait until lunchtime.
But as it instinctively approached Aiden's bed, it noticed the paintings on the wall and suddenly remembered something—
Oh yeah, didn't I say I'd visit the art gallery this time and show my work to Master Smeargle?
Thinking this, Sylveon turned around and looked at Aiden, who was walking toward it.
"Vee!"
Seeing Sylveon call out and then tap the sketches on the wall with its ribbon, Aiden instantly understood.
"You want to return to the Lumiose Gallery and share your recent works with the Smeargle who taught you how to draw?"
As everyone knew, Lumiose City was the undisputed art capital of the world. The Smeargle residing long-term on the second floor of the Lumiose Gallery naturally had considerable skill in painting.
Sylveon owed its ability to sketch and embark on its illegal career to this "Master Smeargle."
Therefore, Aiden fully supported Sylveon's idea.
"Then, as usual, close your eyes and count to ten."
Aiden smiled and nodded at Sylveon.
"Bui!"
Sylveon looked thrilled. Using its ribbon, it retrieved two of its most prized masterpieces, its eyes filled with anticipation as it quickly closed its eyes.
Aiden glanced at its choices and couldn't help but twitch his lips.
One was "Blood Moon," painted in Kitakami, and the other was "Fantasy Mega Shiny Rayquaza."
Although the Rayquaza was only partially drawn, and few people knew about Ursaluna, neither Pokémon depicted in these paintings were exactly friendly.
Hopefully, Master Smeargle wouldn't be scared.
With this thought, Aiden quietly sighed and focused his mind.
He hadn't used the travel training module in a while, as he hadn't wanted to teleport Riolu to the Isle of Armor dojo during their travels.
Upon entering, a chibi version of Sunshine Gym appeared.
As more and more Pokémon joined, the place had become livelier.
Sylveon, waiting with its eyes closed; Bagon, snoring on the sofa; Riolu, represented by its icon since it was out running; Miraidon, lounging outside; and Ogerpon , hard at work with its masks—all contributed to the vibrant atmosphere.
The once-empty Sunshine Gym now brimmed with life.
Realizing this, Aiden couldn't help but smile.
Clicking on Sylveon's icon, its chibi description appeared.
[Sylveon (Little Painter)]
[Training Goal: To draw the coolest (in its opinion) dragon!]
[Current Status: Excited, preparing to embark on a journey]
After patting Sylveon's head, Aiden quickly set the destination for this trip.
Kalos Region – Lumiose City – Lumiose Gallery.
A flash of white light later, Sylveon vanished.
At the same time, a line of text appeared before Aiden.
[Pokémon Sylveon has embarked on a journey!]
…
"Sylveon!"
(つд)
Sylveon, its eyes covered by its ribbon, opened them to find itself in front of the familiar white building—the Lumiose Gallery.
Perhaps because the holiday season had ended, the gallery was devoid of tourists today, unlike Sylveon's last visit.
Sylveon trotted up the steps and entered through the main entrance.
"What a cute Sylveon!"
Skillfully dodging the guide's outstretched hand, Sylveon dashed into the gallery.
The guide couldn't help but look puzzled.
It wasn't unusual for Pokémon to appear here—Pokémon often visited the gallery for exchanges.
"I feel like I've seen this Sylveon somewhere before…"
Watching Sylveon's retreating figure, she shook her head.
"It must be my imagination…"
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