Chapter 28: Rich Man, Let's Be Friends
Pokémon: Dratini
Level: 16
Gender: Male
Height: 1.8m
Weight: 3.3kg
Ability: Shed Skin
Moves: Dragon Dance (Egg Move), Wrap, Leer, Thunder Wave, Dragon Rage
These are Dratini's stats. While not particularly powerful yet, it possesses the qualities of a premium pseudo-legendary. With careful training, it'll definitely shine. Ryan decided to follow Ash and his friends' route to Cinnabar Island, then take a boat back to Cerulean City, head straight to Viridian City, and finally back to Pallet Town to prepare for the Indigo League.
Ryan pondered this as he rode his bicycle. He and Lillie were currently riding their rented bikes across the under-construction Cycling Road. Dratini sat comfortably in the front basket, with Alakazam's Poké Ball secured on Ryan's belt. It had been ages since it had been outside Professor Oak's lab, and though it was comfortable there, it still wanted to travel with him.
During their ride, they didn't encounter any bike-riding gangs, which didn't dampen Ryan and Lillie's good mood. After returning the bikes, they passed through a forest populated by wild Pikachu and encountered a large herd of them. There were a few high-quality ones, but neither Ryan nor Lillie had any desire to capture them.
They quickly emerged from the forest, and before nightfall, they arrived at the mansion of the four Eevee brothers, who had made their fortune selling Evolution Stones.
They decided to stay the night. The three brothers, dressed flamboyantly with dyed hair, excitedly said, "You're Ryan, the one who discovered that Eevee could evolve in other ways? Welcome, welcome. You can stay as long as you like."
With their warm hospitality, Ryan and Lillie settled into the mansion.
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, the three brothers brought their younger brother, Mikey, out. Then their eldest brother, Rainer, who owned a Vaporeon, said, "Ryan, I'd like you to teach us how to evolve Eevee into Sylveon. We'll also give you a substantial reward. What do you think?"
"But brothers! I don't want Eevee to evolve!" Mikey said somewhat defiantly, hugging his Eevee.
"Don't be ridiculous!" the three brothers said in unison.
"Mikey, we're doing this for your own good. Eevee only becomes stronger if it evolves," said Pyro, the Flareon trainer.
"That's right. Originally, we wanted your Eevee to choose one of our three evolutions, but since we know another Eevee evolution method, we'll let your Eevee evolve into Sylveon," said Sparky, the Jolteon trainer.
"Exactly. Ryan, please help us. If the compensation isn't enough, we can increase it. How about we make it worth your while?" Rainer said.
"Ahem." Ryan coughed dryly and exchanged glances with Lillie. He was desperately short of money, but after seeing Mikey's feelings from the anime, he felt a bit uncomfortable interfering in their family affairs.
"Ryan, just help them. Besides, Mikey's situation is a bit pitiful," Lillie said. "And they're just like Team Rocket, always forcing Pokémon evolution carelessly. So we have to help Mikey."
Ryan said, "Okay, hold on a moment. Listen to me."
"Ryan, have you finally decided to help? Don't worry, we won't shortchange you. Just tell us what you need," Rainer said happily.
Ryan shook his head and said, "Mikey, are you sure you don't want to evolve Eevee?"
"Yes. I want to be an Eevee trainer, not an Evolution trainer," Mikey said seriously.
"That might be difficult," Ryan said. "Eevee is a very adaptable Pokémon. Even if you don't use an Evolution Stone, it might evolve naturally if certain conditions are met."
"Huh? Is this how Sylveon evolves?" Pyro asked.
"Yeah. Such a simple method," Sparky said.
"No, this is just one of the ways Eevee can evolve." Ryan shook his head and said, "Evolution is a natural way for Pokémon to grow. You don't need to force it either way. You have to consider the feelings of the Pokémon, right?"
"Eevee, do you want to evolve?" Mikey asked, somewhat convinced by Ryan's words.
"Eevee," Eevee said softly, looking at Mikey.
"You two have a really strong bond," Ryan smiled after hearing this. "I can understand Pokémon speech. Eevee just said that it will follow Mikey's decision in everything."
"Really? Eevee, then if you want to evolve, go ahead and evolve, but I hope it's not with an Evolution Stone," Mikey said seriously, and Eevee nodded at him.
Seeing this, Ryan smiled and said, "Then I'll tell you how Eevee evolves naturally. If Eevee has a strong bond with its trainer, when their friendship reaches the required level, it will evolve into Espeon during the day or Umbreon at night. The way to evolve into Sylveon is for Eevee to learn a Fairy-type move, and then when the bond with the trainer reaches a certain level, it will evolve into Sylveon."
The three Eevee brothers' eyes lit up after hearing this, and Rainer sighed, "The world is really vast, and we know so little. Mikey, when you're ready, go out and travel like Ryan, so you can see more of what's out there."
After that, he took out a checkbook. He quickly wrote down a figure, handed it to Ryan and said, "Thank you, Ryan. Telling us these things has also helped Mikey make up his mind. Please don't refuse this small token of our appreciation."
Ryan took the check, looked at it, and was stunned, saying, "This is too much."
"It's fine, you can keep it. It's only 5 million Pokédollars. You're a trainer, and you know that Pokémon-related items are sold at very high prices. We don't mind this small amount of money," Pyro said.
As soon as these words left his mouth, they reeked of wealth. Ryan couldn't help but feel a pang of envy, lamenting the differences between people. At the same time, he thought, "Rich guys, let's be friends!" He quickly secured the check and decided to deposit it later. He kept 1 million for future expenses and planned to invest the remaining 4 million wisely.
Looking at his substantially increased funds, he sighed that he could finally afford some quality items. While he still needed many resources for training, at least he could buy some essentials.
For example, some high-grade Pokémon food for his team, some powerful TMs, and the training equipment he'd been dreaming of. Now he could finally make some purchases!
After bidding farewell to the four Eevee brothers, Rainer generously gifted each of them a set of Evolution Stones: a Leaf Stone, a Fire Stone, and a Water Stone. It wasn't a complete set, but it was definitely a thoughtful gesture. And if he didn't need them, he could always trade them for other valuable items, right?
Ryan hummed a little tune and continued his journey toward Cinnabar Island with Lillie, feeling much more optimistic about his financial situation.
(End of Chapter)
join patreon for update and advance 40+ chapters
https://www.p-atreon.com/c/Soulforger
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
"If you're enjoying this story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone! Your support keeps me motivated and helps the novel reach more readers."
"100 Power Stones this week = 1 extra chapter release!"
"500 Power Stones = 2 extra chapter release ."