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Austin raised an eyebrow as he read through the camping guidebook. It wasn't the usual advice about setting up tents or cooking over a fire—it was something he hadn't given much thought to: clothing. The section emphasized how often novice trainers underestimated the importance of proper attire, especially those tackling the gym circuit.
What really caught his attention, though, was a particular statistic:
Approximately 80% of novice trainers fail against the first gym leader.
He paused, letting the weight of that number sink in. Eighty percent. He could believe it. Brock hadn't been the pushover from the anime—no, the real Brock was a wall, literally and figuratively. Without all the prep and scouting he'd done beforehand, Austin knew he would've been just another rookie crushed under Brock's Onix.
As the memory of that battle surfaced, a familiar sound snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Eevee! Vee!"
Austin glanced down to see his Eevee gnawing at its paw, looking thoroughly annoyed. He set the book aside and crouched down. "What's wrong, buddy?"
Eevee raised his paw, exposing the soft pads. The fur around his toes had grown too long, tangling and irritating him. Austin sighed. "Alright, let's take care of this."
Reaching into his grooming kit—something he'd organized with the same obsessive care as everything else—Austin pulled out a small trimmer. The soft hum filled the room as Eevee's ears twitched nervously.
"Don't worry, Vee. I've got this," Austin said, his voice low and reassuring. Carefully, he took Eevee's paw and spread the toes apart, guiding the trimmer with precise movements. Eevee, to his surprise, stayed still, trusting him completely.
A few minutes later, Austin turned off the trimmer and inspected his work. Perfect. No more stray hairs, no more irritation. He brushed away the clippings and patted Eevee on the head.
"All done. How's that feel?"
"Eevee!" Vee stretched his paw, then playfully batted Austin's hand.
Austin chuckled, feeling pretty good about himself. But as his eyes flicked to the rest of the grooming kit, an idea formed.
"Hmm…"
Eevee instantly stiffened, sensing the shift in his trainer's expression.
"That fur of yours is looking awfully fluffy," Austin said, a grin tugging at his lips.
"Vee!" Eevee took a step back, eyeing the kit like it was a predator.
"What? I'm not planning to test all this on you or anything."
Eevee's skeptical glare said otherwise.
"Come on," Austin coaxed, holding up a bottle of fur conditioner. "I'll even throw in a hot bubble bath."
But Eevee was already darting toward the door, his little legs scrambling for an escape route—only to find it shut. Trapped, he turned back, betrayal written all over his face.
Austin couldn't hold back a laugh. "There's no running from this one, buddy."
As if on cue, Eevee reared up on his hind legs and let out a series of desperate cries. "Vee! Vee! Vee!"
Austin burst into full-on villain mode, laughing theatrically. "Zehahahaha! It's too late! You're mine now!"
Eevee, realizing there was no escape, resigned himself to his fate with a dramatic flop to the floor.
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Hours later, Austin strolled through the busy streets of Pewter City, trying not to laugh as Eevee trotted beside him. The little guy wore Austin's cap like a celebrity hiding from paparazzi, but the tension between them was palpable. Eevee kept shooting him heated glares, his pride clearly wounded.
Austin bit his lip to stifle a laugh. Okay, maybe he had gone a little overboard with the grooming.
He glanced down at Eevee again and winced. Okay, a lot overboard. The poor Pokémon looked like a half-plucked chicken. His fur had been trimmed so unevenly that the top of his head was practically bald.
"Sorry about that," Austin said, trying to sound sincere, though his tone was undercut by the grin creeping across his face.
Eevee's tail snapped up, smacking Austin's leg in retaliation.
"Come on, it's not that bad," Austin teased. "Your fur will settle down eventually… I think."
Eevee glared at him, ears twitching irritably.
But before Austin could try to smooth things over, a gust of wind blew by, snatching the cap off Eevee's head. His freshly-shaven patch was exposed for the world to see.
"Bald!"
Austin turned to see a little kid pointing directly at Eevee, his face full of innocent amusement.
"No, no bald here!" Austin stammered, scrambling to pick up the cap and slap it back on Eevee's head.
"Bald!" the kid yelled again, louder this time.
"Listen, kid," Austin muttered, crouching down to the kid's level. "You're bald, your daddy's bald—"
Austin stopped mid-rant when the kid's eyes started welling with tears. Crap.
And then, of course, the kid started bawling.
Everyone was staring now.
Smooth, Austin. Really smooth.
Without another word, he grabbed Eevee, stuffed him into his backpack, and bolted.
Later, Austin stepped into a small tailor shop tucked away on a quiet street. The warm, cozy space was lined with rolls of fabric in every texture and color imaginable. A Caterpie perched on the counter spun silk lazily, and an older man hunched over a sewing machine glanced up as Austin entered.
"Yes?" the tailor asked, his hands never stopping their work.
Austin pulled a bundle of fabric from his bag and set it on the counter. "I'm looking to have some clothes made. Out of this."
The tailor's fingers brushed over the material, and his eyebrows rose. "High-grade," he muttered. "Waterproof, fireproof, scratch-resistant… Where'd you get it?"
"Found it sealed up in an old army crate," Austin lied smoothly.
The tailor nodded, seemingly satisfied. "What are you thinking?"
"T-shirts, windbreakers, pants, gloves," Austin said.
The tailor did some quick calculations. "5,000 Pokédollars. Two days."
Austin handed over the money without hesitation. "Throw in a recommendation for a good Pokémon groomer, and you've got yourself a deal."
The tailor scribbled an address on a slip of paper and handed it over.
"Thanks," Austin said, tucking the paper into his pocket.
As he stepped out of the shop, he glanced at the paper, then at his pack, where Eevee poked his head out just enough to glare at him.
"Don't worry, buddy. We're getting this fixed."
Eevee huffed but seemed to relax slightly.
Austin sighed. "Next time, no DIY grooming. Lesson learned."
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[ Author Note: I hope you all like the more slice of life, less tension filled chapters for a while. ]