Chapter 164: The Eevee Paradise
"Hehe, your Meowscarada is so cute," Celestia said, turning to look at Will with a smile. The Meowscarada was asleep in his arms like an octopus, her head resting on his shoulder, purring.
"She's alright," Will said, a proud smile on his face, the feeling of a father whose daughter had just been complimented. He gently patted her back.
"Meow~" she mumbled, but showed no signs of waking up. It seemed he would have to carry her until she decided to wake on her own. He had considered just leaving her at the apartment, but after thinking about the consequences, he had decisively given up on that idea. Meowscarada absolutely hated being left behind, even temporarily.
"Sigh," Will sighed, thinking of the past.
"We're almost there," Celestia's excited voice sounded.
Ahead, a large, circular building stood in the distance. That must be their destination. But there was almost no one at the entrance, just an old security guard dozing on a stool, and his diligent Bidoof standing guard beside him.
"Sir~ Sir~" Celestia leaned down and called softly.
"Hm? Ah, go in," the old man mumbled, barely opening his eyes before lying back down.
"Well... I'll give the tickets to you then," Celestia said with a helpless smile. She handed their tickets to the Bidoof at his feet. The Bidoof took them in its teeth and placed them in a nearby bamboo basket, then just stared at them.
"Let's go," Will said, not wanting to waste any more time. He carried the still-sleeping Meowscarada and walked inside.
The interior space was quite large, but it didn't exude a strong sense of history.
"It looks like it was built recently. I doubt there's much real history in here," Will said, shaking his head.
"It's so deserted. It seems the people of Jubilife aren't very interested in history," Celestia said, looking around.
"Perhaps it's not that they're not interested in history, but just not interested in this kind of traditional, boring display method," Will yawned.
...
"Sceptile! Come look at this!" Celestia's excited voice cried out. Will looked over. The young woman had her face pressed against a glass display case.
"What is it?" Will walked over and glanced inside, then immediately rolled his eyes. ["The Guardian Dragon Lan's Milk Bottle"]
...
"Look, look! There's a fragment of a handwritten note from Queen Iris here! This one looks real!"
"Huh?" Will walked over for a closer look.
A blurry, yellowed piece of parchment was preserved in a crystal-clear block of "Never-Melt Ice." Even though he couldn't read the words, he could tell the handwriting was neat and full of a natural, heroic spirit.
"That's Queen Iris, a legendary figure in the Dragonite Kingdom, an idol for many women," Celestia said, pointing to a large, colorful painting on the wall. The painting depicted a woman with long, pale blue hair, an icy expression, and ice-blue eyes, holding a steel longsword. "Around 1020 years ago, at the age of 28, she personally led her army and conquered the Orange Islands in a single year."
...
"Meow," Meowscarada glanced sideways and raised her eyelids. She silently inserted herself between Will and Celestia, squeezing the other woman to the side.
"...Pfft! It's been a year and a half, and your Meowscarada hasn't changed at all," Celestia said, laughing after a moment of confusion.
"Roselia~" her Roserade shook its head. It could now understand its little friend's possessive thoughts.
"Meow-meow?" Meowscarada tilted her head, playing dumb.
"Well, Sceptile? I don't have any friends here in Eterna City. Only you and Meowscarada can hang out with us. Please, please~" Celestia clasped her hands together and begged.
"Alright," Will nodded. It was no problem at all.
"That's great! Roserade, we have company!"
"Roselia~"
"Let's go, I'll take you to a good place," Celestia beckoned for them to follow.
She led them around the outer edge of Eterna City until they reached a somewhat special place. It looked like an amusement park, but it seemed a little too small, and many of the attractions were clearly not for humans.
"This is an Eevee Paradise~"
"Huh?" Will was stunned.
"This is a privately-owned Eevee park, sort of like a cat cafe. It has all kinds of Eevee evolutions that you can play with, but very few people are allowed in," Celestia said, a mysterious smile on her face.
Will waited for a long time, but she didn't continue. He looked over. Celestia was staring at him with an expectant look.
"...You're not waiting for me to ask, are you?"
"You guessed it! I'm one of those very few people!"
"...I didn't guess."
"To enter the Eevee Paradise, you have to defeat the owner in a Pokémon battle. And the rules are very strict: you have to use one Pokémon to defeat two of the owner's. Only then can you gain entry," Celestia said, not caring what Will was saying. She had her own rhythm.
"So you beat the owner?" Will asked, looking at her Roserade. He didn't think a Lv. 30 Roserade could win a 1v2.
"I didn't get in through the normal way," she said, shaking her head. "The owner is passionate about researching Eevee's evolutions. I provided her with an Ice Stone, which allowed her to evolve a Glaceon. She invited me to visit as thanks," Celestia said, scratching her head, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Oh? If they even have a Glaceon... then maybe we can see all the Eeveelutions in here," Will said, interested.
Of the eight known Eeveelutions, six were relatively easy to obtain. But Leafeon and Glaceon were much harder to see. One reason was that Leaf Stones and Ice Stones were much rarer than the others. The other was the terrain requirement of a Mossy Rock or an Icy Rock. The former was hard to find in the wild, and the latter was usually in a freezing snowfield, a place most trainers wouldn't take their precious Eevee. This made Leafeon and Glaceon the rarest of the eight.
"Meow?" Meowscarada tilted her head, remembering the fat Eevee from Azalea Town. Her eyes lit up.
"Although I don't know what you're thinking, you're probably going to be disappointed," Will said, patting her head. An Eevee looks cute when it's fat because it's fluffy. The same can't be said for the other Eeveelutions, especially the furless Vaporeon.
"Alright, let's go in! I can't wait to kiss some cute little Eevees," Celestia laughed, pulling her Roserade along.
They were stopped by security at the gate, but were quickly let in after Celestia explained who she was.
Just inside the park was a grassland area. This was where the most Eevee lived. The moment they stepped onto the lawn, they saw four different forms: a regular Eevee, a Jolteon, a Sylveon, and an Espeon. There were five regular Eevee, little brown fluffballs rolling around on the grass, looking extremely cute. There was only one Sylveon and one Espeon, as both required a high level of friendship to evolve, which was not easy for an owner raising so many.
"Sceptile, look! It's a Sylveon and an Espeon!"
"Meow!"
"Roselia!"
Celestia, Meowscarada, and Roserade were all excited to see so many cute Eevees.
"The owner of this park must really love Eevee," Will said, shaking his head.
Although the Let's Go games put Eevee on the same level as Pikachu, Pikachu was "as common as a stray dog," while Eevee was a genuinely rare Pokémon, officially recognized as having a "very small population." For this owner to have gathered so many was a sign of true love. And...
"There are dedicated habitats for every type of Eevee," Will said, looking into the distance. He could see a forest, an ice rock, a cave, a lake, and other terrains. The owner had even built an entire arctic environment for the Glaceon. The monthly maintenance fees alone must be an astronomical figure.
"Celestia?" a female voice called out from behind them.
They turned. A woman with long green hair, who looked to be in her early twenties, was walking towards them. She had several leaves tucked into her hair and was holding two large leaves in her hands, as if she were cosplaying a Leafeon.
"Eevee?" Celestia called out.
"Yes! I'm so glad you're finally here! I can't wait to show you the Glaceon!"
Eevee, the owner of the Eevee Paradise and a devoted enthusiast, was an extremely energetic woman. "No! I should show you every kind of Eevee! Haha, come with me! Let me introduce you to my darlings!"
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