Sabrina calmly put away her game console. "You'll encounter Alakazam and Slowbro eventually, but Espeon can only evolve from Eevee, which is quite rare in the game," she said with confidence. "I dare say no one has caught an Eevee yet."
This wasn't just idle talk. Sabrina had managed to catch an Eevee only because she had asked Carl to give her a little advantage. As the game's designer, Carl had made Eevee rare due to its popularity and multiple evolutionary paths. It could only be found in specific locations under specific weather conditions.
"Ethan, is that true?" Caitlin turned to confirm.
"I haven't seen an Eevee yet," Ethan replied truthfully. If Sabrina hadn't brought it up, he wouldn't have noticed.
He had always wanted to catch an Eevee to evolve into an Umbreon, thinking it would be quite useful in a turn-based game. Even in gaming, Ethan's skills were impressive.
"Serena?" Caitlin, not willing to give up, looked at her.
"I haven't seen an Eevee either," Serena shook her head. "I've posted online for tips because I love Eevee, but no one knows how to catch one. Some even doubted its existence in the game until an official battle video featuring Eevee's evolutions was released." Suddenly, she turned to Sabrina, "Do you know how to catch an Eevee?"
"I do, and I can help you," Sabrina replied, her face expressionless, but her words warmed Serena's heart. She was glad to have Sabrina as her sister.
"My Pidgeot's learned Fly, so we can head off anytime. Thank you, Sabrina," Serena said, handing over her game console. She wisely avoided asking for the location herself, knowing Caitlin might pester her about it.
Caitlin watched this exchange, feeling a twinge of envy. Why did Sabrina have to be the one who knew? She also wanted the adorable Psychic-type Espeon.
"I'm usually lucky," Caitlin said stubbornly, continuing to play her game, convinced she could encounter an Eevee. Yet, her complaints grew louder, as if venting frustration.
Meanwhile, in the skies over the Kanto region, a military helicopter with an "R" insignia flew under a tense atmosphere. Giovanni stared at aerial footage of ruins, his expression shifting.
The recent experience puzzled him. He had sensed someone watching him, but when he pursued them on his Pidgeot, they vanished. Whoever could do that under his nose was undoubtedly strong. But why would such a person hide from him?
"Boss, we have results!" a technician suddenly called out.
"Just the key points," Giovanni replied without looking up.
The technician quickly reported, "This drone is from the Joto region. Its final signal connection also traced back to Joto, but the data was wiped clean. It might be the work of Rotom."
"Joto again," Giovanni clenched his fists, knuckles turning white.
Recent troubles all linked back to that game from Joto. Now someone dared to monitor him. Frame him? No need; he intended to settle scores with the people from Joto sooner or later.
"Deploy our contacts. We must uncover the real identity of the XY game console developer at any cost," Giovanni declared, a cold determination in his eyes.
At that same moment, in Pallet Town...
Chairman Damalanchi was reviewing messages from Cynthia, along with detailed reports on Team Rocket and the investigation.
"That's a relief!" he exhaled deeply.
Professor Oak chuckled beside him. "Looks like Sabrina's not a problem?"
"More than not a problem," Damalanchi beamed. "She's a psychic prodigy, the ace trainer of Goldenrod City, a future Elite Four member, and a treasure of our Kanto League."
Professor Oak was curious, "What's the situation?"
"Take a look yourself," Damalanchi handed over his phone.
Professor Oak quickly skimmed through, remarking, "We all know Sabrina's struggles, but we couldn't help. Who'd have thought Team Rocket would try to recruit her? It's fortunate Carl intervened; he's been a great help."
"Team Rocket is truly pervasive!" Damalanchi's mustache bristled with irritation. Recent investigations had uncovered several Team Rocket infiltrators and corrupt officials, infuriating him as president.
He spoke earnestly, "I must personally thank Carl when I get the chance. Professor, you'll have to introduce us."
"Professor?" Seeing no response, he called again.
Damalanchi waited, but Professor Oak remained silent, absorbed in his thoughts.
"What's wrong?" Damalanchi asked.
Professor Oak handed him the phone. "Look at this."
Damalanchi took the phone, reading the brief message from Cynthia: "Mewtwo is real!"
Mewtwo? The name sounded familiar to Damalanchi, and he suddenly recalled it was the creature Team Rocket had created in the game.
"Contact Blaine immediately!"
Later that evening, Carl finished his meditation and descended the stairs, taking in the scene in the living room: Caitlin and Cynthia squeezed onto one sofa, Lillie and Serena sitting together, while Sabrina sat alone. All five girls were engrossed in their games.
Caitlin, particularly vocal, kept complaining, "Clefairy is too easy to catch, it's boring. Meowth can't use Pay Day, how lame. And why is this Psyduck blue? Did they mess up the colors?" She continued to command her Charmeleon to use Metal Claw.
As she stretched her neck, she noticed everyone watching her.
"What?" Caitlin asked, perplexed.
"Do you know about shiny Pokémon?" Sabrina prompted.
"Of course," Caitlin replied with a hint of sarcasm, "Like Steven's shiny Metagross."
"Did it occur to you that the blue Psyduck could be a shiny Pokémon?" Sabrina explained.
Caitlin was stunned. Serena watched, feeling a sense of déjà vu.
"This game even has shiny Pokémon?" Caitlin's eyes lit up, gripping her console tighter, her foot on Cynthia's lap tensing.
Cynthia knew Caitlin was genuinely delighted by the game.
The last time Caitlin was this excited was four years ago when she encountered a Solosis by the seaside. Despite its average stats, her family had deemed it unworthy, but she insisted on capturing and nurturing it. Now it had evolved into a Reuniclus, significantly stronger. From this, Cynthia had seen Caitlin's true, kind nature and wanted to help her improve her social skills.
"There are shiny Pokémon in the game. Look at my shiny Butterfree," Serena proudly displayed her console screen. The pink Butterfree was strikingly different from the usual.
"It's beautiful!" Lillie's eyes sparkled with undisguised admiration.
"Not bad," Caitlin feigned indifference in her evaluation, but Cynthia noticed her excitement almost led to a kick.
Sabrina, though silent, tightly gripped her console. She usually favored purple shades, but this unique Butterfree caught her fancy. Caitlin noted the subtle changes in her expression.
In the world of gaming, surprises and camaraderie continued to unfold.