Sandshrew is a bipedal, mouse-like Pokémon that only uses all fours when running.
This type of Pokémon has yellowish-brown skin that is hard and dry, with brick-like patterns making it resemble a brick wall. Its lower jaw to belly is cream-colored, with a thick conical tail behind it. Its forelimbs have three small, sharp claws, while its hind limbs have two toes. Its ears are very small and triangular, giving it an honest appearance.
The distant Sandshrew's blue-black eyes kept looking over. Clearly, it had also noticed Minato staring at it.
The Sandshrew's actions naturally didn't escape its Trainer—a girl with brown short hair around Minato's age.
After the other party looked over, Minato responded with a polite smile, then returned his attention to Eevee.
Sandshrew, Ground-type, Mouse Pokémon. Because it is rather timid, it digs holes in sand to avoid enemies—this is Sandshrew's nature. This type of Pokémon is a specialized digging expert. As Minato expected, no matter how hard Eevee tried to build sandcastles, it couldn't surpass the palace built by this Sandshrew.
Until mealtime, Eevee was still tirelessly modifying its work. At Minato's call, Eevee finally came back to its senses, its stomach growling, showing a pitiful expression.
By now, the Sandshrew and its Trainer had already left, but another sand palace remained there. Eevee had looked over at it countless times. Although its work already surpassed most preserved works on the beach, this sand palace still greatly dissatisfied little Eevee.
"We'll come back after we eat."
Picking up Eevee, Minato patted its head. Although it was just a small matter, it reflected Eevee's unwillingness to admit defeat. This precious spirit couldn't be lost. Even if he spent these few good days accompanying Eevee building sandcastles, it would be worth it.
"Eevee Eevee~"
After getting Minato's permission, Eevee paused, then chirped happily.
Time passed. That afternoon, Minato and Eevee didn't encounter the Sandshrew and gthe irl again. The sand palace had disappeared, too. Although Eevee no longer had something to compare against, relying on memory, it could still distinguish quality and continuously modify its work.
However, due to body size issues, in some detailed carving, Eevee couldn't achieve the perfection of the Sandshrew, no matter what...
In terms of seriousness and effort, it already didn't lose to that Sandshrew.
Just as Eevee wanted to push down and restart again, Minato stopped it and pointed nearby. Eevee immediately understood and found a new area to build.
Looking at Eevee's best work so far, also the one that took the longest time, Minato really couldn't bear to see it pushed down. First, he picked up his phone to take photos and record it. Then, Minato himself started using small tools to help Eevee carve the detailed textures of this work.
In fact, Minato had taken photos of Eevee's previous works, too. He wanted to keep them all as mementos to show Eevee later.
"Eevee..."
Eevee, who had come to the nearby area, heard the movement and turned back. Looking at Minato lying there carefully carving the sandcastle, Eevee's mood was complex. It recalled Minato's companionship throughout this day and suddenly felt a strange feeling, different from any previous emotion. This caused it to stop the motion of restacking sand.
Instead, it carefully observed Minato's movements.
In this instant, Eevee felt as if it could stand in Minato's perspective, sensing every movement of the sand. The next moment, Eevee suddenly felt the sand beneath it become somewhat hot, seeming to emit strange fluctuations that resonated with its body.
This feeling made Eevee very panicked, letting out a confused cry. This cry immediately attracted Minato's attention. When Minato looked over, he saw that as Eevee's short, thin forelimbs swept across the beach, the sand at its three toes seemed to be manipulated, suddenly pushed to the other side.
After experiencing this incredible event, Eevee felt its body return to normal. However, it clearly remembered that strange feeling, as if its body had memory. If it wanted, it could still do the same thing as just now.
"This is... Sand Attack?"
Discovering Eevee's abnormality, Minato spoke in pleasant surprise. Sand Attack—he had thought Eevee would need to begin formal training before comprehending this move. But who knew it would learn it under these circumstances.
Keep in mind, learning a new move in reality was very difficult. Even moves that could be learned through leveling up in games weren't guaranteed to be comprehended by Pokémon.
Sand Attack was a Ground-type move that could manipulate sand to lower the opponent's accuracy. In the game, it was the earliest move Eevee could learn through level-up But in reality, there was no concept of leveling up. To learn moves, Pokémon needed specific opportunities to comprehend them independently, or they could learn through Trainer cultivation. But it was absolutely impossible to learn without reason. That Eevee could learn Sand Attack while playing with sand showed Eevee's good comprehension. However, this might also relate to its concentrated effort—being completely absorbed in building sandcastles gave Eevee the opportunity to comprehend Sand Attack!
"Eevee..." After comprehending Sand Attack, Eevee was both confused and puzzled. When Minato picked it up, it finally felt at ease.
"Isn't this great? Let's build it again from scratch!"
Minato looked at the sand-covered ground expectantly. Assuming Eevee comprehending Sand Attack was related to this little game, could the Sand Attack move possibly help Eevee build even more perfect sandcastles?
"Moves can actually be comprehended this way. Truly miraculous."
Slowly putting Eevee down, Minato began another round of effort with it.
Based on previous experience, they knew the core detail of building sandcastles lay in the mixing ratio between sand and water. Too little water couldn't bind the sand; too much couldn't hold its shape. The best ratio was 99% sand and 1% water—this maintained the best stability for sandcastles, especially tall, thin ones. To carve to the detailed levels, this ratio was essential. If before they were just messing around, after Eevee comprehended Sand Attack, it had a clearer perception of sand moisture levels and easily found the optimal ratio.
Eevee's claws were flexible and sharp, much more useful than small tools. Before long, they indeed rebuilt a structure rivaling the Sand Palace built by the Sandshrew.
"Great, but there's still one minor flaw."
Because they hadn't considered water loss during construction, the sandcastle at this moment wasn't perfect yet. After Minato and Eevee exchanged glances, they immediately smiled understandingly, knocked it down, and started over, happily using Sand Attack to build.