Even though her heart still wouldn't calm down, Anon had no choice but to trust the bond between herself and her Pokémon.
True, all she could think of was how Eevee had been constantly beaten lately. But despite that, every day she diligently groomed Eevee's fur and made sure it stayed clean.
Eevee definitely won't hate me… right?
She desperately tried to reassure herself as she gazed at Eevee. Eevee stood confidently on the battlefield, showing no signs of fear. Watching it, Anon swallowed nervously, gradually feeling her anxiety fade. She glanced toward Satoshi—then immediately blushed even deeper, quickly shifting her gaze to Grookey instead.
"Huh? Why'd she look away?"
Satoshi tilted his head in confusion.
Wasn't making eye contact with your opponent the universal signal for starting a battle? Why was Anon acting all shy and looking away first?
Even someone as "emotionally intelligent" as Satoshi was baffled.
[Girls' hearts are mysterious, aren't they~? My dear Satoshi, if you beg nicely, I might explain it to you~]
No thanks, I think I already get it.
With a Pokémon as cool as Rillaboom, how could she possibly look anywhere else?
Satoshi quickly concluded that, obviously, anyone would stare at his awesome Pokémon instead of him.
Ahh, what a majestic Pokémon! Rillaboom's strength is just so handsome~
Though his Pokémon was currently just a Grookey, not a Rillaboom.
[I don't think that's it at all… Ughh, you dense idiot!]
"Anon, are you ready? Let's get started!" Satoshi called cheerfully.
"Yes—I'm ready now."
Anon had mostly sorted out her emotions, though she still couldn't quite manage eye contact. She knew that just one glance at him would instantly disrupt her newly steadied heart.
"Eevee, use [Disarming Voice]!"
"Vee~! Aaah~!"
Eevee opened its mouth gently, releasing a delicate pink sound wave that drifted gracefully through the air. The enchanting sound wrapped around Grookey like a spell, momentarily mesmerizing it.
Since [Disarming Voice] wasn't Eevee's type, there was no need for Grookey to counter immediately with [Grassy Glide]. Satoshi wanted to help Anon regain her confidence, so he deliberately held back, not wanting to end the battle too quickly.
Even if Anon's skill level was painfully low, he intended to force her to her feet.
He wanted to spend every day with a cheerful Anon, from morning to night, playing together until exhaustion.
[Satoshi~, why do I get the feeling your thoughts are heading somewhere dangerous?! At this rate, I'll have to recommend using Throat Chop on her instead!]
"Grookey, block the attack." Ignoring Furiko's teasing, Satoshi focused fully on the battle.
"Pachi~!" Grookey stood tall, crossing its arms protectively in front of itself to withstand the invisible attack.
As for the move 'block'? There was no move 'block'!
The psychic sound wave wasn't very strong to begin with, causing Grookey little harm.
"Now, Eevee! [Swift]—and use [Disarming Voice] again to accelerate it!"
The air around Eevee stirred excitedly, countless golden stars materializing around it like a brilliant, glittering galaxy.
"Vee~~Aaah!"
Eevee's voice rang out clearly again, the sound waves from [Disarming Voice] propelling the [Swift] attack forward at incredible speed. The stars merged into a dazzling stream of golden light, racing toward Grookey.
"Incredible! You're getting stronger! Grookey, let's counter with [Grassy Glide]!"
"Pachi!"
Drawing power from the surrounding grass, Grookey moved fluidly across the field, gracefully avoiding the attack. With its stick acting like a skilled conductor's baton, Grookey deftly knocked away every incoming star. In a burst of remarkable speed and agility, Grookey then struck Eevee, sending it flying backward.
"Eevee!" Anon cried out worriedly, but Eevee twisted nimbly in midair, landing safely on all fours.
Far from defeated, Eevee stood firmly, eyes blazing with determination.
"Vee! (I'm okay!)"
Anon's heart surged with emotion seeing Eevee stand resolutely, refusing to fall, clearly determined to win.
"It's okay if you run away or get lost. As long as you and your Pokémon keep trying, you'll eventually find your way."
Satoshi really was right…
Anon looked at the boy in front of her, feeling her heart race again, but this time a strong urge to win accompanied it.
"In that case—Eevee, we absolutely must win! Full-power [Quick Attack]!"
She thrust her arm forward decisively as Eevee shouted in response:
"Vee! (I will win!)"
Suddenly, Eevee's entire body was engulfed by a brilliant glow of blue and white. Warm energy enveloped it as Eevee's form slowly changed, growing slightly larger and sprouting ribbon-like antennae.
"This is…?"
"The light of evolution?!"
Satoshi stared in awe, his heart pounding with excitement. Just from the distinct blue-and-white glow, he immediately recognized what Eevee was evolving into.
It was the strongest, most battle-ready Eeveelution of them all:
Sylveon!
"Sylvie~!"
The beautiful pink-and-white Sylveon gracefully appeared on the battlefield, eyes locked fiercely onto Grookey.
With a base stat total of 525, Sylveon easily surpassed Grookey's current strength.
[Sylveon—the cutest Pokémon in the Eevee family, and also its most practical battler! Rumor has it, Sylveon and Hydreigon are secret lovers~]
"That's amazing, Anon! Sylveon evolved because it sensed your feelings!"
Satoshi's face lit up brightly at Sylveon's appearance, genuinely delighted by this turn of events.
"Ehehe… but it's thanks to you, Satoshi! I definitely couldn't have done this alone!"
Hearing this praise, Anon's blush deepened even further, and she laughed awkwardly to herself.
Ehehe~ Sylveon, my very own Sylveon… I'll definitely crush Taki now!
But, oh no—I accidentally met Satoshi's eyes again… so embarrassing…
Perhaps because he'd helped her so much today, Anon's feelings felt especially strange. She found it hard to keep her focus entirely on the battle.
"Sylveon, [Quick Attack]—keep rushing forward, and don't let up!"
"Sylvie~~!"
Sylveon blurred into a shining phantom, accelerating dramatically like a bolt of lightning.
With this newfound speed, Sylveon repeatedly lunged at Grookey, forcing it to dodge rapidly to avoid being hit.
"Pachi~~!"
"Grookey, stay calm! Drop your stick and grab Sylveon directly!"
Satoshi narrowed his eyes slightly. Despite Sylveon's incredible agility right now, its species' natural speed was notoriously slow. Even under [Quick Attack], its movements were still faintly predictable.
"Pachi!!!"