Chapter 170:
After finishing his bath, Hayashi Kaede climbed into bed. Beside him, Alolan Vulpix and little nine were watching anime, while the other two Eevees timidly made room for him when they saw him approach.
Alolan Vulpix and the Eevees were watching an anime where a Pikachu was the hero.
The story was set in a Pikachu town where an evil organization existed, and there was a Pikachu living incognito who was actually a hidden hero.
To be honest, this kind of anime would probably be considered outdated back on Earth.
But in a world where culture and entertainment were mostly limited to Pokémon battles and Pokémon performances, a story like this was already quite thrilling.
At least, Alolan Vulpix and the Eevees had been completely absorbed in it these past few days.
Especially Alolan Vulpix—it had even started mimicking the gestures the Pikachu made in the anime when it appeared.
It would stand up, wave its front paws, and press them together, almost like a certain Ultraman from Hayashi Kaede's previous life firing a beam.
While doing this, it would chirp, "Vulpix!" (Transform! Take this, Thunderbolt!)
Then it would spit ice shards.
It was all very amusing.
But it would never make these gestures outside; only at night, in the room.
Probably because it was a bit shy and afraid of being seen.
Still, Hayashi Kaede thought it was fine—the story's values were positive and healthy.
Maybe he should have Mewtwo watch it with Goodra sometime.
He'd noticed that Goodra was still too... how to put it? Introverted? Or perhaps just scared.
It was unwilling to interact with other people or Pokémon.
Earlier today, Hayashi Kaede had wanted Mewtwo to bring Goodra to the garden to eat, but the moment it came out, it hid behind Mewtwo and refused to engage with any other Pokémon.
It would only eat if Mewtwo stayed by its side.
Hayashi Kaede had initially thought about having Goodra stay in the shed, but he soon realized that wouldn't work.
Mewtwo wouldn't stay in the shed with it—at night, Mewtwo just found a random place to rest.
This had left Indeedee (little sister) feeling quite sad.
It had been so confident in its childcare skills when it arrived, but now that it actually had a "child" to care for, it felt like it was failing...
In the end, Hayashi Kaede found himself comforting Goodra first, then reassuring Indeedee (little sister), telling it, "Don't give up just because of one setback! Think of it as a challenge!"
With this encouragement, Indeedee (little sister) quickly regained its confidence.
It was actually quite endearing—in a way, Indeedee (little sister) was still a baby itself, even younger than Goodra.
It was only natural for it to feel discouraged, sad, and doubtful when facing setbacks.
Therefore, he is teaching her to never abandon your goals because of temporary difficulties.
Not wanting to disturb the Pokémon watching anime, Hayashi Kaede's thoughts returned to Salamence.
During the day, he'd had Mewtwo take Salamence up into the sky above the road to quietly watch the workers repairing the path.
This was to help it calm down and let it move around within limited boundaries.
Then, at mealtime, it was brought to the garden.
But it still refused to eat anything Hayashi Kaede offered.
So Hayashi Kaede had no choice but to have Mewtwo continue using "forceful" methods to make it eat.
After Hayashi Kaede said one thing to it, though, its resistance lessened slightly.
"Think about it—your heart already hates humans this much. Shouldn't you at least keep your body healthy? What's the point of being so angry?
If you make yourself sick, will anyone compensate you? Besides, if you ruin your health, how will you keep hating humans? Wouldn't it be better to eat well, drink well, and rebuild your strength? That's what really matters."
"Vulpix!" (Take this, 100,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt!)
Just then, Alolan Vulpix's voice suddenly rang out, pulling Hayashi Kaede out of his thoughts about how to better care for Salamence.
Looking down, he saw the scene on the phone: the hero Pikachu, persecuted by the evil Pikachu, was unleashing a powerful move fueled by some emotional surge.
The little ones were all fired up, watching with intense excitement.
Even the two newly arrived Eevees were caught up in it.
Alolan Vulpix had even struck a pose, aiming its gesture at Hayashi Kaede as if he were the big villain Pikachu from the anime.
As Alolan Vulpix "fired" at him, Hayashi Kaede playfully fell back, crying out in a dramatic shriek "Aah, I've been hit... but I'll definitel be back!"
"Vulpix!" (I defeated Hayashi Kaede, heehee..!)
Alolan Vulpix immediately burst into happy laughter, utterly delighted.
Below, Serperior watched this exchange between Alolan Vulpix and Hayashi Kaede with a hint of amusement and exasperation.
It glanced at the time, then stretched its tail onto the bed and gently tapped Hayashi Kaede's hand. "Serperior !"
It was reminding Hayashi Kaede that it was time to sleep.
So, Hayashi Kaede looked at Alolan Vulpix, which was about to tap the "next episode" button, and took the phone away right under its nose. "Alright, this episode's just ended. Time for bed."
Although a little reluctant, Alolan Vulpix obediently went to its spot—the right side of the pillow—curled up honestly and closed its eyes.
Hayashi Kaede looked at the three remaining Eevees, his gaze sweeping over them before settling on the most familiar one, little nine. "You're little nine, and aren't the other two little three and little five?"
"How did you get these names?"
"Eevee?"
Hearing this question, little nine was momentarily stunned. Before it could answer, another Eevee spoke up, "Eevee, eevee." (I'm little three, the oldest among us. Then little five is the second oldest, and little nine is the youngest.)
"Is that so?"
Hayashi Kaede nodded. Looking at the three Eevees, he could indeed see that the one called little three was the largest, and little nine is the smallest.
Once that was cleared up, he picked up the Eevees one by one and placed them on the left side of his pillow. "Alright, time to sleep..."
....
The next few days passed relatively quietly. Perhaps due to the noise from the road construction and building work, fewer people came and went from the Breeding House, though parcel deliveries became more frequent.
Hayashi Kaede was content with the peace, spending time watching Dragonair repair the road, sitting near Salamence to soothe its emotions with his Veridian power as they watched the workers below...
Life was peaceful.
Yet, Hayashi Kaede couldn't help feeling a growing curiosity.