Eevee had already become a resident of Luke's household.
The bandage tied in a bow around the wound seemed out of place against the dirty appearance of the Eevee.
Luke attempted to give it a bath several times, but considering the possibility of infection due to the wound, he decided against it.
This Eevee had managed to make its own nest in the other yard. Despite the potted plants being left in a sorry state, Luther seemed rather forgiving.
"It's fine, after all, it's just a child. Hahaha..."
"Ka-cha ——"
The sound of another potted plant breaking reached their ears.
Luther raised his eyebrows, placed down his utensils with trembling hands, and finally left the table with a 'pop'.
"I'll step outside for a bit."
Luke smiled and said, "Mom, I'll compensate Dad for the broken potted plants."
"What broken potted plants are you talking about?" Lisie asked in surprise.
"The ones in the south yard—called the 'Nonsense Tree.' They can survive without watering."
Walking into the disheveled yard, the grimy Eevee pawed at the stone with Laser Focus.
Upon hearing approaching footsteps, Eevee's ears perked up, its expression wary as it focused on the incoming person.
However, upon seeing Luke, Eevee's tail gave a slight wag, which soon subsided.
"Vui~ ..."
Eevee emitted a lackluster cry, lazily lying down and idly licking its bandage.
This marked the 3rd day of Eevee's stay at Luke's house.
The recovery of Eevee was remarkably swift, and the wound had already started to heal.
The rapid healing was also attributed to the Pokémon Potion available in this world. The spray had an astonishing effect, although it was only effective on Pokémon.
Eevee's diet was also being taken care of by Luke.
With Luke's Master Rank craftsmanship in Pokéblock making (Lv5), the fragrance of the Pokéblocks was so alluring that even if Hoopa were present, it would be tempted!
Eevee reluctantly lay on the ground, still allowing Luke to cradle it on his lap.
"It might sting a little, so bear with it."
"Vui~ ..." Eevee looked away disdainfully.
As the bandage was changed, teardrops welled up in Eevee's eyes, yet the little creature remained silent.
With a smile, Luke couldn't help but pat its head.
Eevee froze momentarily, then attempted to grin, letting out a low grunt from its throat instead.
"Wait a couple of days. Can I give you a bath?"
"Vui~!!!"
Eevee resisted Luke's hand.
"Alright, alright. Girls are all beautiful, even at a rescue station..."
Suddenly, Eevee leapt off Luke in anger, its eyes fixed on him with a stern intensity.
"Vui~!"
Taken aback, Luke said helplessly, "Okay, I get it... But would you allow yourself to be captured by me?"
"Vui~."
Eevee cast a cold look at Luke, then turned its head and retreated back into its makeshift nest, clearly engrossed in its own thoughts.
As Luke was forced out, he felt somewhat disheartened.
At the entrance, the uncle awaited, his expression tense. "Is it still not letting you capture it?"
Luke nodded, sighing, "I think I said something wrong."
"What can we do? Perhaps we should send it to a rescue center..."
The uncle scratched his head.
"Or maybe check if a neighbor is interested in adopting it?"
Luke glanced back at the other yard.
"Forget it, I'll return it to the mountains."
Luke had never aspired to become a Pokémon Trainer, and this Eevee's combative nature didn't seem like a good fit for it.
Subduing it would be unfair to Eevee, given its fierce temperament.
"Jie jie~ ..."
Sensing the owner's emotions, even Haunter appeared a bit melancholy.
It had hoped to have multiple companions, and had even practiced greeting gestures with Zigzagoon.
As for the matter of Zigzagoon being taken to the Pokémon Center—it was clearly immune to Shadow Punch, so there was no need for further discussion!
The week of observation was drawing to a close, and Eevee's demeanor was growing more distant.
Luke opened the courtyard gate, only to find the Pokéblocks in the bowl untouched. He shook his head in resignation.
After administering Eevee's final dose of medicine, Luke tidied the bandage once more.
"You can leave now."
Luke stood at the gate of the other yard, addressing Eevee.
"Vui~?"
Eevee's expression seemed puzzled, but the next instant it stood up, its demeanor cool, and began to move hesitantly towards the exit.
Without looking back, Eevee brushed past Luke and headed into the countryside.
Dusk was falling.
Luke trailed Eevee until the sky on both sides of the horizon gradually darkened.
"If you ever need to find your way back, feel free to return," Luke called out.
However, Eevee had already ventured quite far, and even the bow on its bandage was becoming a blur.
Unable to contain his emotions any longer, Luke retrieved a Poké Ball from his pocket.
"If it has a change of heart, I'll catch it." Luke spoke to Haunter.
"Jie jie~." Haunter nodded solemnly.
In the end, Luke watched Eevee vanish into the distance.
If Eevee were to look back willingly, Luke wouldn't feel any psychological burden to capture it.
However, Eevee had disappeared down the path.
Luke felt a sense of emptiness in his heart, an indescribable sentiment.
"Let's go, Haunter."
"Jie jie~ ..."
Haunter also seemed a bit downcast, floating with a despondent air.
Amidst the reeds by the ridge, Eevee observed Luke quietly until his silhouette vanished, then turned lightly and disappeared in a flash.
—
Later that night, the uncle sought out Luke, seemingly about to share some momentous news.
"I've consulted an expert, and it turns out those saplings weren't eaten by Eevee!"
"Yes," Luke replied nonchalantly.
"Why aren't you happy then? It would have made sense for you to capture Eevee!"
"It left earlier today," Luke sighed. "It still didn't agree to be captured."
The uncle's eyes widened. "You could've just thrown the Poké Ball at its head and be done with it!"
"I wanted to, but it wouldn't give me the chance... It didn't even spare a glance back."
If Eevee showed no inclination to return, Luke had no intention of forcing it.
Respecting a Pokémon's wishes was also Luke's philosophy of capturing Pokémon.
The uncle scratched his chin, saying, "But you'll need to accompany me up the mountain tonight. I know who the culprits are."
"Who?"
"Raticate!" The uncle sighed. "They have a habit of gnawing on things, and since the large trees are inconvenient, they're targeting the newly planted saplings!"
Luke was slightly irritated and clenched his teeth. "Could we just burn them?"
"It's probably not a good idea; giving them a lesson would be better..."
"Haunter!" Luke called into the house. "Get the fire bottles ready; we're heading to the mountain tonight!"
The sky was sparsely dotted with stars after a light rain, and the night sky had a crystal-clear appearance.
Leading the way, Luke was followed by his uncle, who shivered in the cold.
"Do I need to stop him later?" the uncle muttered.
Before reaching their destination, an ear-piercing growl emanated from the woods.
"Lada!"
"Vui~!"
Luke dashed into the forest upon hearing the fierce skirmish, his eyes widening in astonishment.
Under the moonlight, Eevee was surrounded by a group of Raticate and Rattata, yet its expression was one of disdain.
When it spotted the familiar bow, Luke involuntarily held his breath.
"Vui~!"
Eevee executed a Quick Attack, deftly avoiding Hyper Fang, and struck a Rattata with force.
Breaking through the encirclement, Eevee threw a handful of sand, slapping the lead Raticate with it.
"Lada!"
The plump Raticate let out a cry, wildly attacking with Fury Swipes, but Eevee evaded with grace.
Baring its sharp fangs, Eevee used Bite on Raticate, then forcefully pinned it beneath its paws!
The uncle looked bewildered. "Is this Eevee really that strong?"
"Vui~!"
At that moment, two Rattata dashed towards Eevee from the side, but before it could react to the collision, a familiar voice reached its ears.
"Quick Attack, evade!"
"Vui~?"
Although Eevee hesitated, its body instinctively responded.
Turning its head, Eevee noticed its tears were starting to well up.
"Don't space out."
Luke directed, "Watch out on your left, use Swift!"
"Vui~!"
Eevee twitched its nose, sidestepping the oncoming Raticate's charge. The sparkling stars hit Raticate head-on, sending it to the ground!
As their leader retreated, the Rattata scattered, screeching and fleeing.
Eevee was about to give chase, but Luke stopped it.
"Eevee!"
Eevee stiffened, swiftly wiping its face with its grimy paws, then continued walking without looking back.
Suddenly, Eevee's neck recoiled.
A Poké Ball landed precisely on its head.
Tears welled up in Eevee's eyes, and it cast a fierce glare at Luke before being engulfed by a burst of red light.
"Are you sure it won't escape?" the uncle gulped.
Its demeanor doesn't appear to reflect willingness to be captured!
Luke sighed helplessly.
"I should have known..."
"After all that, it turned out to be so headstrong!"
The surroundings fell silent until a soft sound rang out.
"Boom—"
Not a tremor was felt.
It was conquered flawlessly!