Chapter 158: Eevee
By the time Arthur was discharged from the hospital, this incident could be considered to have settled.
The Stitched Shadow Army had one leader die, and one high-ranking cadre was captured alive. The remaining personnel were gathered by Dayna and, within a short period, had completely withdrawn from the East Continent.
Seizing this opportunity, the two major powers, the White Eagle and Sinnoh Leagues, both stepped in to influence the situation, and the Kubfu Alliance's military operations had to come to a temporary halt at this point.
A few days later, Arthur, along with the military forces, withdrew from Star Brilliance and returned to his own Alliance.
This time, when crossing the border, absolutely no one came forward to question him.
After returning, Arthur had nowhere to go for a while, so he simply waited in the military barracks for a few more days, waiting for Levi to complete all subsequent handover work, after which Levi would take him back to Lavender Town.
To see the vast clan left behind by Leafeon, and incidentally, to attend the Everhart's family patriarch's birthday banquet.
Coincidentally, as soon as he exited the train station, Arthur once again saw Monica, the young lady from the Everhart's family who had taken her mother's surname.
This time, she happened to be holding a little Eevee in her arms, born not long ago, only about the size of three palms.
It seemed what Levi had said earlier about the family Eevee having cubs was likely a case of multiple births.
Pokémon generally find it very difficult to conceive; apart from certain Bug-type Pokémon with vast populations, the reproductive capabilities of most Pokémon do not match those of ordinary animals.
However, occasionally they too can have multiple births in one litter, with Feline and Canine-type Pokémon being especially so.
Since Levi had previously told Arthur that as long as he felt a fated connection, he could pick one to take, it was clear that his family's Eevee had definitely given birth to more than just one or two in this litter.
"Ah, it's Arthur! What a coincidence, we meet again~ You're a big celebrity now, you know! How about giving your big sister an autograph?"
Monica was as lively as ever, chattering away like an oriole the moment she saw him.
The little Eevee in her arms, however, was very shy, its personality not at all like hers. Upon seeing a stranger, it even carefully tried to burrow deeper into Monica's embrace.
Monica noticed Arthur looking at her little Eevee, so she happily held the Eevee up in front of him.
"How about it, cute, right? My little one that I just captured."
Eevee is very popular in the human world.
Not just as battle companions, but also as cute pets, they consistently rank high on popularity charts, and along with Igglybuff and Togepi, are adorable Pokémon deeply loved by girls.
The little Eevee, currently held in mid-air, looked at Arthur in front of it, so scared its whole body froze, not daring to move an inch.
A Pokémon's intuition is mostly stronger than a human's; they often have an innate sense for particularly dangerous creatures.
For example, in the little Eevee's intuition at this moment, the danger level of the human before it was comparable to an adult Hydreigon!
This reaction made Arthur chuckle in amusement.
Specter, hidden in Arthur's shadow and witnessing the entire process, couldn't help but complain via their mental link, "Is this really the descendant of that dog-humper? So timid..."
Arthur replied with a smile via their thoughts, "It's been over ten generations; how much similarity can there still be? Besides, this little one is female."
"Oh, then it's better if she's not like that dog-humper..."
Specter quickly changed his tune.
Arthur reached out and gently stroked the little Eevee's head. After a moment, he finally managed to soothe the Eevee, which had been frozen stiff with fright.
This scene made Monica click her tongue in wonder.
"Eh, how come this little one is so well-behaved in front of you? Previously, when I took her to a friend's house to play, she threw a little tantrum and even bit someone."
A newly born Eevee's bite doesn't actually hurt much; its teeth haven't fully grown in yet. It just made Monica's best friend, who had originally wanted to tease her, a bit sad at the time.
Regarding this, Arthur also found it difficult to explain.
It's not like I can just bluntly say your Eevee is just being cowardly, right?
Afterward, Monica took Arthur back to her home.
The Everhart's family's patriarch had reached the rank of General before retiring and owned a detached house within a military district compound in Lavender Town. The entire Everhart's family lived there.
The patriarch didn't plan to hold his birthday banquet at an outside hotel, as that would be too ostentatious. He just invited a few good chefs from the army's Canteen Corps, preparing to make several tables of fine dishes at home, inviting many old friends to come to the compound for a short two-day stay.
Arthur quite liked this kind of atmosphere; it felt as if he had suddenly returned to those years when he campaigned with the army.
As soon as he entered the door, Raymond, who had returned a step ahead of them, saw his sister bringing Arthur in, and his gaze instantly sharpened.
Fortunately, Monica was holding the little Eevee the entire time and didn't have a free hand to hold Arthur's, which made him feel a little better in his heart.
But when he turned his head again, he found that Arthur hadn't even noticed him at all, and a sense of frustrated helplessness immediately welled up...
Afterward, Monica first led Arthur to the backyard.
"You can take a look at the guest rooms first, pick a room, and put down your luggage. Our house has plenty of guest rooms; you arrived early, so pick whichever you like. Later, I'll take you to see the little Eevees~"
The patriarch's birthday banquet was actually the day after tomorrow.
However, the patriarch had many old friends still serving in the military, and it wasn't easy for them to take leave, so the Everhart's family had started preparations over a month in advance.
Arthur's arrival was still considered early.
After settling in, Arthur followed Monica to a nursery room in the deepest part of the large courtyard.
Here, he finally saw the Eevee mother who had given birth this time for the Everhart's family.
It was a Flareon with very beautiful fur.
Among all of Eevee's evolutions, Flareon's appearance is the one that most closely resembles the original Eevee.
She looked just like an enlarged, plus-sized version of the little Eevee in Monica's arms.
Her fur was orange-red; there was cream-red fluff on the top of her head and around her neck, and her tail was fluffy and wide, giving off a very warm appearance at first glance.
At this moment, the Flareon mother was lying on her side in the nursery, nursing three of her babies at her belly, from time to time sweeping her fluffy, large tail over the children's backs, helping them to burp.
This scene couldn't help but make one feel warm and tranquil.
Arthur, having just returned from the battlefield, stood before the Flareon at this moment and actually felt a sense of being healed.
The world of Pokémon isn't just about conflict and slaughter.
In times of peace, the help Pokémon bring to humans isn't limited to competition and battle; there's also the simpler, purer companionship and emotional connection.
The little Eevee in Monica's arms, upon seeing its mother, happily cried out "woo woo."
Monica then gently placed her down, letting her run joyfully towards her mother.
The Flareon stretched out her tongue and licked her little daughter dotingly, helping her groom the circle of fluff around her neck.
Subsequently, the little Eevee whined and fussed, also wanting to nurse, but her mother instead opened her mouth, gently gripped her by the neck, and lifted her away.
A litter of four was too much of a burden for the Flareon mother; the reason she had entrusted one daughter to humans so early was precisely because she didn't have enough milk.
Now that the little daughter who had gone with humans had returned, she certainly couldn't be allowed to snatch food from her siblings again.
Monica's little Eevee whimpered aggrievedly.
Actually, she usually had plenty of milk and had never gone hungry, but seeing the other Eevees all nursing, she instinctively still felt greedy.
However, just at this moment, the largest little Eevee from under the Flareon's body proactively lifted its head, came over, and affectionately rubbed its head against its sister's, then actually took the initiative to move aside.
The Flareon mother also helplessly rolled her eyes for a moment, as if to say, "Just go on and spoil her."
Monica's little Eevee gave a happy cry, wagged its tail, nuzzled over, and began to suckle with narrowed eyes.
The little Eevee big brother who had proactively given up his spot then turned his head, looking for a place to play.
However, the moment he turned his head and saw Arthur, he was immediately so frightened that the fluff around his neck stood on end!
The Flareon mother quickly called to him twice, signaling him not to be afraid.
The older Flareon had lived with the Everhart's family for a long time and knew that humans who could come here wouldn't be bad people and weren't any threat.
Only then did the eldest of the little Eevees calm down, though he still cautiously used his body to shield his nursing younger siblings.
This scene made Arthur's face show approval.
"This little Eevee is very brave, and it also knows to protect its younger brother and sisters."
Specter, from within the shadows, once again complained, "Also, not at all like that dog-humper!"
"..."
Arthur was also helpless.
Specter, your resentment towards Leafeon is a bit heavy, ah...
(End of Chapter)
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