Chapter 211:
"Would you like to have a turn on the battlefield?"
After explaining the situation, Hayashi Kaede looked at the little Eevees.
The Eevees glanced at each other. Finally, little five stepped forward.
Hayashi Kaede recognized it.
It was the middle Eevee, little five.
It was the only male among the three Eevees.
To be honest, even Hayashi Kaede found this a little strange.
Because the male-to-female ratio for Eevee Pokémon had a certain disparity; generally, males were more common.
But here, with just three random Eevees, two were female.
Among the three Eevees—Little three was the eldest, their big sister, but in reality, it was the most timid.
Little nine was the youngest, but also the boldest.
The middle one, little five, had a very placid personality, without any particularly outstanding traits.
It ate and drank, neither striving nor contending.
But when it came to battles, are male Pokémon really more active?
Hayashi Kaede couldn't help but glance at little five's stats panel.
[Pokémon: Eevee (little five)]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Adaptability]
[Potential: Blue]
[IVs: HP (15) Attack (24) Sp. Atk (21) Defense (15) Sp. Def (18) Speed (25)]
[Level: 21-23]
[Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Growl, Quick Attack, Sand Attack, Swift, Dig, Protect, Double Team...]
[Friendship: 81 (It thinks highly of you...)]
[Enjoyment Value: 50 (Wants to give it a try...)]
little five had just reached the top tier level, with a Friendship of 81.
Speaking of this Friendship value, Hayashi Kaede was also a bit puzzled.
little nine's Friendship had already reached 94, which should be quite high, right?
However, it hadn't evolved into a Sylveon yet.
Did it need to reach 100 to evolve into a Sylveon, or was its current level too low?
Little nine's level was still in the Intermediate tier.
But speaking of evolution—after this tournament, he needed to buy a few Everstones to have on hand, for Pokémon that didn't want to evolve.
Otherwise, evolution was easy, but devolution was impossible; that would be trouble.
Or…
Could I also create a type of food that allowed Pokémon to evolve and devolve at will!?
Hayashi Kaede's eyes lit up.
That would be really interesting.
"Eevee~ Eevee~"
Upon seeing little five step up, little nine's eyes shifted, and it also took a step forward.
Its personality was a bit like Alolan Vulpix's—clever, quirky, and endearing.
It just didn't quite match the elegance of a Sylveon.
"You want to go too?"
"Eevee~!" (Yes, yes~!)
little nine raised its paw.
"Alright then, I'll find a chance for you guys to go on later. Just be mindful not to be reckless, okay~"
Hayashi Kaede didn't refuse.
So the win/loss issue was settled.
If the Eevees could win, they'd keep winning; if they lost, it wasn't a big deal either.
The battles below continued.
Hayashi Kaede watched the ongoing matches seriously now, mainly to see what Pokémon the other competitors had.
That way, if he encountered them later, he could decide which Pokémon to send out.
In this atmosphere, the morning passed quietly.
The first round was nearing its end. As the lunch break arrived, the competitors each took their Pokémon to eat, and most of the audience filed out orderly.
However, some spectators approached the edge of the competitors' area, asking Hayashi Kaede for autographs. After being refused, and since they couldn't enter the competitors' area, they had to leave disappointed.
Hayashi Kaede had initially planned to leave the competitors' area too, to find a spacious park to eat lunch.
But then he thought, with everyone gone, the competitors' area was plenty big, with many empty seats—wasn't it the perfect place to eat?
So, he set up a meal right there, taking out today's food for everyone.
Since the afternoon matches might start soon, he didn't cook again but brought out the large pot of rice balls he'd made in the morning.
The rice balls were wrapped around meat and contained cabbage leaves picked from the garden.
In short, while not gourmet, these rice balls were filling.
Moreover, this type of rice ball was actually quite effective for Fighting-type Pokémon.
[A-rank Rice Ball with Meat – The maker used ordinary Happy Rice to form rice balls, but added a special blend of meat and sauce inside, giving it a unique flavor.
Effect 1: Makes Pokémon feel full for a short time.
Effect 2: Pokémon that eat this long-term will gain some increase in strength!]
That was why Hayashi Kaede said these rice balls were specially made for Blaziken.
Of course, they were also paired with some Ability-Unlocking Energy Cubes.
This was because Blaziken had used its ability extensively earlier.
So, having some SSS-rank Ability-Unlocking Energy Cubes now was best.
"Blaziken!" (Food, I'm coming!)
Sure enough, Blaziken's eyes lit up when it saw the rice balls.
Hayashi Kaede shook his head with a wry smile. Without saying much, after asking Takagi Megumi to bring her parents over, he also started lunch with his Pokémon.
However—
They hadn't been eating long.
"Groooar!"
A dragon-like cry echoed through the previously empty competitors' area.
A massive shadow fell over the spot where they were eating.
Hayashi Kaede looked up.
A pair of fleshy wings flapped as a large Charizard descended slowly from the sky.
Its arrogant face, sharp claws, and the blazing fire on its tail all testified that this was an exceptionally powerful and young Charizard.
On its back, a young man jumped down directly.
"Elite Four Kaito?"
Hayashi Kaede was startled, pausing with the rice ball in his hand.
Having watched for so long, Hayashi Kaede naturally recognized the referee for this year's Junior Cup main event.
Earlier, when he first saw this Elite Four member, Hayashi Kaede had been curious.
Why would an Elite Four member be interested in refereeing such a tournament?
But he hadn't pondered it further.
Now, it looks like he is seeking him out? Most likely, Blaziken's performance had attracted his attention.
He looked again at the descending Charizard.
When he saw its stats panel, he secretly gasped.
No wonder this was the Charizard that had crushed Ryō Fū's Beedrill's confidence back then.
This strength…
[Pokémon: Charizard]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Blaze]
[Potential: Gold]
[IVs: HP (30) Attack (29) Sp. Atk (28) Defense (28) Sp. Def (28) Speed (27)]
[Level: 81-83]
[Moves: Ember, Flamethrower, Flare Blitz, Dragon Claw, Heat Wave, Fire Fang, Slash, Scary Face...]
A Charizard over level 80 was no weaker than an average Champion's Pokémon.
Although its IVs weren't all perfect 31s, they were almost all near maximum.