As Yves rode through the streets, the wind felt nice on his face. He passed familiar places in Lushwood City, the busy streets and colorful shops.
Arriving home, a simple apartment building, Yves parked his bike and went upstairs to the second floor. Standing in front of room 34, he lightly knocked on the door.
"Yuto, you there?" he called out to his little brother.
After a moment, Yves knocked again. "It's me."
The door creaked open, revealing a small, adorable kid with a handsome face and short hair. "Hey, big brother! Welcome back!" the boy greeted.
"How'd the program go? Did you awaken some cool talent?" Yuto asked, his eyes shining with excitement"
Yves patted Yuto on the head and ruffled his hair. "It went fine. How's your day been?"
Taking a step back, Yuto fidgeted with his hair and scolded. "Hey, big brother, seriously! I've told you before, don't mess up my hair like this."
"Alright, alright, my bad." Yves laughed.
"It's still the usual stuff for me. I'm just reading a book now. Finished studying and homework already." Yuto continued, trying to fix his hair.
"Enough about me! Come on, spill the details about the program!"
"Already done with your assignments? Good job. Hmm... okay, let me change, and I'll tell you all about it inside."
Stepping into the room, Yves walked ahead, Yuto shutting the door and following behind his big brother
Before preparing to freshen up, Yves uttered. "You can come out now, Taro."
In an instant, a radiant pattern with circles and symbols appeared on the back of his hands, glowing brightly. Following this, a small, black tanuki emerged on the floor. The creature had shiny fur, tiny paws, and curious, sparkling eyes, giving off an irresistibly cute vibe.
Yuto's eyes widened in awe as the adorable tanuki appeared. Without hesitation, he rushed toward the creature, his face breaking into a wide grin.
"Taro! You're so cute, I miss you!" he exclaimed, scooping up the little tanuki into his arms. Taro, seemingly content, nestled against Yuto's chest, emitting soft, contented squeaks.
"Looks like Taro missed you too, Yuto." Yves commented.
The tanuki, named Taro, was Yves' one and only partner, a Softstep Tanuki. Yuto continued to shower affection on Taro as Yves excused himself, leaving them behind in the room.
Time passed by and Yves came out wearing different clothes—just his everyday ones, a black shirt with khaki chino shorts. Seeing Taro in Yuto's arms, he smiled.
"Everything good here?" Yves asked, watching as Taro snuggled against Yuto.
"Yeah, Taro was hungry, so I gave him some treats." Yuto replied, gently petting Taro's head.
Yuto looked at his Yves and questioned. "So, big brother, did you awaken a talent?"
Yves nodded. "Yeah, I did. An insight talent that can be used on monsters."
"Really? That sounds amazing! What can you see when you use it?"
"I can see the name of the monster and its current grade." Yves explained.
Yuto's face lit up. "Ohh, that's not bad, right? Have you tried it on Taro yet?"
"No, not yet. I just awakened this talent today." Yves replied.
"Then what are you doing? Come on, big brother! Try it now!" Yuto insisted with enthusiasm.
"Aight. Let me give it a shot." Yves concentrated, locking his gaze on Taro, and gradually, the familiar glowing screen materialized before him.
⋖ ⸻ +++:-:+:-:+:-:+:-:+++ ⸻ ⋗
⊂ Softstep Tanuki ⊃ (Taro)
Grade: Black Iron-order
Realm: ★★★★★
Species: Tanukius Silentaris/Pedisaurum
Special Trait: Light Step
Affinity: Normal, Sound
Ability: Light Claw Swipe, Light Triple Bite, Quick Dash
Evolution Route: Silent Step Tanuki, Shadow Step Tanuki
⋖ ⸻ +++:-:+:-:+:-:+:-:+++ ⸻ ⋗
Yves read aloud, "Softstep Tanuki, grade: Black Iron-order. That's what I can see."
Yuto's eyes widened, impressed. "That's right on target, big brother! This talent is common but super useful, especially when you start going on missions. You can identify monsters and figure out how to deal with them if you know about their strengths and weaknesses. Nice one!"
"You're pretty knowledgeable, huh?" Yves chuckled.
Yuto, with a smug grin, replied. "Hehe, my studies are paying off."
Looking at his phone, Yves saw it was almost 1 pm. Yurning to Yuto, he said. "Let's eat first. I'll make a quick meal."
Heading to the kitchen, Yves opened the fridge and gathered some ingredients. He spotted chicken eggs and an assortment of vegetables. With a thoughtful expression, he decided to make an omelette with veggies.
He chopped up the vegetables and tossed them in a pan, making a delicious sizzle sound. The kitchen smelled so good with all the cooking. Yves cracked the eggs into a bowl, added a pinch of salt and pepper, and gave it a good whisk.
The kitchen turned into a cooking show as Yves poured the eggs over the sizzling veggies. The omelette started taking shape, and the amazing smell filled the whole place.
Yuto, drawn in by the delicious aroma, peeked into the kitchen. "Smells awesome, big brother! Can I help with anything?"
"Set the table for us, Yuto. Lunch will be ready soon." Yves replied.
As Yuto happily set the table, Yves expertly flipped the omelette, making sure it cooked just right. The final result, a fluffy and colorful omelette, was put on the table.
The brothers sat down, ready to enjoy the tasty meal together. Yves, with a satisfied smile, carefully scooped up a portion of the fluffy omelette using a spoon.
He blew on it gently, trying to cool it down a bit before taking a bite. On the other hand, Yuto, unable to resist the tempting aroma, dove right in without waiting.
As Yves enjoyed the first bite, savoring the combination of eggs and perfectly cooked veggies, he noticed Yuto's eyes widening.
Yuto had taken a big bite without realizing how hot it still was. Suddenly, he winced, his mouth full and eyes watering from the unexpected heat.
"Ouch! It's hot!"
Yves laughed, shaking his head. "Careful, Yuto. You've got to blow on it first."
Yuto, recovering from the unexpected heat, giggled along with Yves. "Okay, okay, I'll remember next time. But, wow, this is really good, big brother!"
Yves, still chuckling at Yuto's quick bite, turned to Taro, who had been patiently waiting. "Here for you, buddy." Yves said, serving a portion of the omelette into a bowl for Taro.
Taro, delighted by the delicious treat, couldn't contain his joy. His fluffy tail wagged enthusiastically, creating a small furry blur behind him. Yuto giggled at the sight, finding Taro's excitement contagious.
The small tanuki happily nibbled on the omelette with veggies, really liking each bite as if it were the tastiest thing ever.
Yves grinned, observing Taro's excitement. "Someone's truly enjoying their meal. What do you think, Yuto?"
Yuto laughed, watching Taro's tail wag, and replied. "Definitely! Taro seems to love your cooking as much as I do, big brother."
Taro paused for a moment, looking at Yves and Yuto with his sparkling eyes. Suddenly, he let out a joyful squeak, as if expressing his gratitude for the delicious meal. The sight melted Yuto's and Yves' hearts.
"He's really feeling it, isn't he?" Yuto commented.
Yves nodded, smiling. "Our little Taro knows how to appreciate a good meal. Clearly, he's giving it a perfect ten."
The three continued eating. With no time at all, they finished the meal, letting out contented sounds. As they looked at Taro, they couldn't help but notice a small bump in his tummy, a clear sign that he thoroughly enjoyed the food.
After the satisfying meal, Yves and Yuto got up to clean the table. Yuto took charge of washing the plates, while Yves headed to his room, with Taro following closely behind.
Yves, sitting on his bed, picked up Taro and focused his attention on him. The familiar screen appeared, displaying Taro's information.
Curious, Yves scrolled through the screen and pressed the section he was most interested in—the 'evolution route.' The screen changed, revealing the potential paths for Taro's evolution.
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Evolution Route:
⊂ Silent Step Tanuki ⊃
: A sneaky monster that's good at moving quietly. It can sneak up on you without making a sound.
Grade Potential: Rose Gold-order
⊂ Shadow Step Tanuki ⊃
: A mysterious monster that can disappear into shadows and reappear somewhere else quickly. It's really hard to catch because it moves in the darkness.
Grade Potential: Black Opal-order
⋖ ⸻ +++:-:+:-:+:-:+:-:+++ ⸻ ⋗
Yves scratched his head. "I'm not familiar with these two. Could it be due to Taro being a mutant variant of the Softstep Tanuki?"
"That's one possible reason. Mutant monsters often have unique evolution routes."
"Rose Gold-order... I've heard of that. That's the second-highest grade classification for pet monsters. But Black Opal-order? That's new to me."
After thinking for a bit, a bright smile suddenly broke across his face as he caught on to something.
"I think I get it now. Black Opal-order might be a higher grade than the current highest known one, White Platinum-order. That's why I'm clueless about Black Opal-order."
Yves softly ran his fingers through Taro's fur. "Incredible, Taro. Your potential evolution is likely to be extraordinary!"