"Mr. White, I was wondering—does the Breeding House have any Tangela eggs?"
As they walked, Owen suddenly spoke up. To his own surprise, his meticulously crafted cultivation plan had identified Tangela as the most optimal candidate.
"Tangela?"
White, leading the way, paused for a moment. He searched his memory; he didn't recall Tangela being featured in the Breeding House's brochures or on the official website.
First, they were relatively rare, and second, the species was primarily distributed in the south.
Tangela was frankly, not very "cool" looking. Why would a kid like Owen be interested in it? White was puzzled.
"Uh... I don't believe we have any in stock right now. However, if you place a pre-order, I imagine we could have one delivered within a week," White answered after a moment's thought.
"That's okay... let's look at the other eggs first." Owen felt a wave of relief. If they didn't have it, he didn't have to agonize over the choice. To be honest, he wasn't particularly fond of Tangela's appearance anyway.
Owen continued to weigh his options as they walked. If Tangela wasn't an option, he could fall back on Bellsprout or Oddish.
However, Owen had other ideas brewing.
While he had poured a lot of energy into his Grass-type cultivation plan over the last two weeks, he was starting to feel nervous.
He had zero actual experience. He was a complete rookie, and real-world Pokémon raising wasn't a simple matter of "grinding for XP."
It required precision. Instead of experimenting with his theories on his very first partner, Owen considered waiting until he had more experience and could scientifically verify his methods.
So, beyond Grass-types, Owen had narrowed his choices down to three categories:
The Grass-types: Tangela, Oddish, Bellsprout—perfect for his "Energy Ball" theory.
The Bug-types with Psychic potential: Caterpie, Venonat, Wurmple. These were very easy to raise and had short growth cycles. Within a year, they would complete their natural evolution and possess decent strength. Plus, Psychic abilities were rare and powerful.
The Risk: In reality, Butterfree, Venomoth, and Dustox rarely mastered Psychic powers naturally. Unlike the games, where they learn moves by leveling up, there was no guarantee here. Without those powers, their advantage vanished.
The Third Option: A certain versatile Normal-type.
The Hidden Potential of Eevee
White led the family through the spacious facility, introducing species after species and offering professional advice.
"These are Nidoran eggs..."
"These are Meowth eggs..."
"And here we have Eevee eggs..."
"Eevee is a Normal-type, which is often called the most adaptable attribute," White explained. "This is one of our top recommendations.
Eevee are gentle, easy to raise, and have four evolutionary branches: Electric, Water, Fire, and Grass. Their strength increases significantly after evolution.
If you're aiming for a high score on the Battle Exam, choosing Eevee is the best way to guarantee a passing grade."
"We also sell the corresponding Evolution Stones. You can use them as soon as Eevee enters its growth stage. If you buy the stone with the egg today, you'll get a 5% discount," White added with a professional smile.
"Eevee..."
Owen stared, ignoring the mention of discounts. This was his third category.
According to his knowledge, Eevee had at least eight evolutionary branches. Currently, the Pokémon League has identified only 702 species. The evolutions achieved through other methods—Glaceon, Espeon, Umbreon, and Sylveon—were not among those 702. Owen had verified this through extensive online research.
It wasn't surprising; Pokémon had only been integrated into society for a few decades. Many secrets remained undiscovered.
For instance, Politoed and Slowking were also unknown. The evolution method for Slowbro was still a mystery, and the secret of how Feebas becomes Milotic had never been made public.
Ironically, humans knew more about Legendary Pokémon from ancient murals in Secret Realms than they did about the secrets of common species.
The Final Decision
Eevee itself wasn't actually that expensive. Because of its gentle nature and perceived lack of combat prowess, the general public viewed it more as a pet. The real cost lay in the Evolution Stones.
Even a low-quality stone costs several times more than an Eevee. While Eevee could breed, Evolution Stones were a non-renewable resource found only in Secret Realms.
They were heavily monopolized, and prices were sky-high. The anime trope of giving them away like candy didn't apply to commoners like Owen.
This Breeding House was clearly pushing a "bundle deal." Most families, if they had the money, would be tempted.
But if everyone's understanding of Eevee was limited to "it only gets strong with a stone," then Owen was certain: Eevee was one of the most severely underrated Pokémon in the world.
Espeon, Umbreon, and Sylveon—which didn't require stones—were just as powerful as the other branches.
Owen lingered in front of the Eevee eggs much longer than any others. His parents exchanged a look.
"What do you think of Eevee?" his father asked.
"It's very good. In fact, it's the optimal choice. But..." Owen trailed off. Compared to Bug or Grass types, Eevee was safer, gentler, and possessed massive, overlooked potential. It felt like a "hidden gem" waiting for someone lucky to find it.
"Then that's it. Don't worry about the rest; we can afford an Evolution Stone," his father said, patting Owen's shoulder.
Owen looked up, stunned. That wasn't the reason... but he couldn't explain it. If he chose Eevee, he definitely wouldn't waste money on the five common stones.
But explaining why to his parents would be impossible without revealing secrets he couldn't share.
It came down to a classic "three-way" choice. Owen hadn't been able to decide before arriving, but now, standing here, he couldn't hesitate anymore.
"I'd like to take one more look around," Owen requested. White obliged, taking them on one last circuit, focusing specifically on his three candidates.
The Bug-types... the Grass-types...
And then, the Eevee eggs. They were white with brown patterns, the markings flowing as harmoniously as clouds.
Owen had expected to be purely rational, but he realized that the final, deciding factor was something much simpler: Aesthetics.
Whether it was the look of the egg itself or the adorable creature that would hatch from it, Eevee was the one that truly captured his heart.
Aesthetics are, indeed, justice.
Staring at the patterned egg, Owen made his final choice:
"I'll take this one."