The next day.
Natsuhiko and Hilona, having packed their belongings, prepared to head to the Celestial Crown Mountain.
Counting this day, there were only two days left before the League's trial began, leaving little time for Natsuhiko to calm down and refine his Pokémon.
Perhaps just as he finds peace, the trial will commence.
It would be better to maintain a good state, and talk about it after the trial concludes.
So there were two main purposes for going to the Celestial Crown Mountain this time: first, maintain the Pokémon's state through some battles; second, see if he could help Hilona's Eevee evolve.
After all, he had promised her several times, and the Celestial Crown Mountain indeed had conditions suitable for Eevee's evolution into Glaceon.
Actually, there was a third secondary purpose.
Natsuhiko hadn't forgotten about the large stone plate fragment dropped by Arceus, seen in the memory scenes through the "Curved Spoon."
Yujira only acquired a small piece of the Superpower Stone Plate from Agatha, and even that small absorption greatly enhanced its psychic abilities.
It's hard to imagine what a large stone plate could change in a Pokémon.
Though the stone plate fragment fell when the Celestial Crown Mountain wasn't fully formed, it doesn't mean the mountain has no chance.
Search through it.
If it's not found on the Celestial Crown Mountain, then it's likely dropped on Silver Mountain.
Silver Mountain is different from the Celestial Crown Mountain.
It's the location where the Alliance Headquarters and Kanto Alliance are situated.
They chose it not because of its geographic advantages—after all, it's on a tall mountain where traveling is inconvenient, and building facilities is challenging.
Moreover, Silver Mountain is surrounded by vast primal forests, rarely visited, with Wild Pokémon carrying great strength.
The Alliance initially chose to position their headquarters on Silver Mountain mainly to prevent Wild Pokémon from entering Kanto or Johto and causing destruction.
However, as time went by and the Alliance's strength increased, Silver Mountain became a favored training ground for the few powerful League Direct Lineage Trainers. With strong Wild Pokémon, its resources are quite abundant, making it one of the Alliance's natural treasuries.
Evidently, entering Silver Mountain requires high permissions and strength.
If he can't find the stone plate fragment on the Celestial Crown Mountain, Natsuhiko will temporarily give up and wait for another chance to explore Silver Mountain.
Natsuhiko summoned Togetic while Hilona called forth her Eevee.
Hilona's Eevee was evidently well-trained, its coat shiny and smooth, small in size yet displaying agility, explosive power, and reaction capabilities at least at the Elite Level.
"Chako-ee~~"
"Buyi?"
Upon meeting, Togetic and Eevee sensed a strong "threat" from each other.
A threat posed by "cute pets."
"This Eevee is trained quite well. If evolution goes smoothly, it might reach Gym Leader Level?" Natsuhiko remarked.
Hilona brushed her hair from her face and replied with a smile, "Maybe a bit short, but it shouldn't be far off."
Gym Leader Level...
If those "monsters" at the Lily Youth Competition have main Pokémon at the Gym Leader Level, Natsuhiko thought it would be tough.
"Has your Togepi evolved? It's so adorable."
Hilona extended her hands toward Togetic, which immediately snuggled into her embrace.
Its little head kept rubbing against her chest, blinking at Eevee in a "taunting" manner.
'Did you hear? I'm adorable.'
Suddenly, not only was Eevee envious.
Natsuhiko couldn't help but show envy.
At that moment, he wished to swap places with Togetic!
"Buyi~~"
Eevee, "unwilling to show weakness," ran to Natsuhiko, cooing softly.
Its wide-eyed gaze made anyone want to hug it.
Ranking high on the "Most Popular with Female Pokémon" list, Eevee not only has a nice appearance but also a charming personality.
Natsuhiko withdrew his gaze and laughed, picking Eevee up.
Warm palms gently pressed some acupuncture points on Eevee's back.
Instantly.
Eevee squinted comfortably, giving off softer cries as it turned over in Natsuhiko's embrace, exposing its soft belly.
Hilona seemed surprised witnessing this scene.
"Your massage makes Eevee feel good; it likes you."
This was the first time Hilona saw Eevee expose its belly to anyone other than herself, not even her grandmother Jiezilan had this privilege.
Of course, part of it was because Eevee was "competing" with Togetic, but mainly Natsuhiko's massage felt good.
To write a more accurate thesis on Eevee evolution types, Natsuhiko understood this Pokémon just as much as Beedrill.
Eevee initially wanted to "retaliate" against Togetic, but unexpectedly felt too comfortable and couldn't resist.
"Chako-ee!"
Seeing its originally exclusive embrace now occupied by an Eevee, Togetic puffed its little cheeks and "retaliated" by burrowing into Hilona's arms.
Hilona actually liked Togetic even when it was still Togepi.
She wanted to catch a Togepi but never had the chance.
The two small creatures' "jealousy" set a good tone for the trip to Celestial Crown Mountain.
Watching Eevee ahead, head held high with its fluffy creamy white tail wagging, and Togetic flying closely, heads held high, both Natsuhiko and Hilona smiled.
The road to Celestial Crown Mountain wasn't easy.
Although not yet reaching the snow-covered area, the rocks and soil here became smooth and hard due to the cold.
Every step taken had to be careful to avoid slipping.
Natsuhiko didn't intend to demonstrate psychic powers before Hilona, walking cautiously.
Contrarily, Hilona seemed familiar with this path, walking with more ease than Natsuhiko.
"Buyi!"
"Chako-ee!"
After a stretch, the two little ones cried out simultaneously.
A puddle of foul-smelling purple liquid shot through the woods.
Though the two small creatures previously viewed each other unfavorably, they reacted and cooperated remarkably well under attack.
Togetic extended its feet, and Eevee raised its front paw. Their feet collided, using each other's force to quickly draw away, dodging the sudden "Poisonous Liquid Impact."
Sss—
As the venom touched down, it instantly displayed strong corrosiveness, dissolving parts of the ground, emitting an unpleasant stench.
Soon, appeared a gigantic red Scolipede, over two and a half meters tall, crawling from the forest. Its poison needle glowed with purple hues, revealing that the prior venom attack came from it.
Natsuhiko narrowed his eyes.
"An elite-level Scolipede?"
They had barely begun their ascent, though it was from the mountainside, this strength was rather surprising.
"This is the backside of the Celestial Crown Mountain Range, rarely climbed by people, hence the Wild Pokémon's strength here is slightly stronger," Hilona explained, unsurprised.
As for Scolipede, although uncommon in the Sinnoh Region, it wasn't entirely absent.
Simultaneously.
Dodging Scolipede's attack, Togetic and Eevee's eyes burned with anger.
Ambush!
The two Pokémon exchanged glances and nodded to each other.
This was the cute pet "battle." Why is a big Scolipede here?!
Such a high and mighty attitude.
"Buyi!"
'Let's deal with it first!'
"Chako-ee!"
'Agree, bury it!'
Eevee, ready to charge forward, stumbled and nearly fell, turning its head to Togetic.
What did you say?