Quickly, as the light faded, a much larger Steenee appeared before them, significantly bigger than the Bounsweet it once was. Steenee had a humanoid appearance. Its torso and legs were dark purple, while its hips, arms, and head were all white. It had dark purple eyes with purple, triangular markings over them, similar to stylized eyelashes. On top of its head was a large, light green calyx with short leaves on the front and back, two large leaves out to the sides similar to pigtails, and a short stem on the top. The right leaf had two yellowish-green spots on it. The upper part of its torso had short ruffles at the top, similar to a dress. Its wide hips were made up of six segments and resembled the flesh of a mangosteen. Its slender arms had slightly rounded hands with no visible digits, and its legs had pointed tips.
While it had a delectable fragrance, this Pokémon also had a tomboyish personality that could make it hard to get along with. Steenee's scent was a popular antiperspirant used by humans and helped others feel invigorated. Steenee's peeled rind could be used for stomach pains. Its calyx had hardened, allowing it to play with other Pokémon without worrying about being damaged. However, the leaves spun as Steenee moved and often struck nearby objects. It apparently did not care what it hit, and even used the calyx as a form of attack. Foes were struck with the leaves first, then kicked by one of Steenee's equally hard legs.
Steenee was still in a daze from its recent evolution, wondering how it had gone from being in its trainer's arms to standing on the ground.
"Congratulations, Steenee! You've successfully evolved!"
Rex walked up to Steenee, picked it up, and congratulated it.
With Rex's reminder, Steenee began to examine its own changes and, after a while, finally accepted that it had evolved. Seeing the envious looks from its leaders, Teddiursa and Exeggcute, Steenee felt greatly satisfied. It thought it might now compete with Teddiursa for the leader position.
Imagining Teddiursa and Exeggcute following behind it in the future, Steenee couldn't help but giggle.
This behavior startled Teddiursa and Exeggcute, who wondered if Steenee had developed some kind of problem after evolving. Steenee's daydream was abruptly ended by a slap from Teddiursa, and it held its reddened cheek, glaring at Teddiursa while chattering angrily.
Without needing a translation, Rex knew Steenee was accusing Teddiursa of hitting it without reason, while Teddiursa looked indifferent, believing the slap had actually woken Steenee up.
"Teddiursa, and you, Exeggcute, you need to work hard. Otherwise, you'll fall behind Steenee."
Rex patted Steenee's head and then encouraged Teddiursa and Exeggcute.
Initially, Teddiursa and Exeggcute were happy about Steenee's evolution. But after hearing Rex's words, their happy expressions fell, especially Teddiursa, who felt its position as the leader of the trio was now shaky.
Steenee, however, felt hopeful about its future and began to imagine itself as the leader.
Leaf Storm, Stomp, Low Sweep, Magical Leaf, Giga Drain
Rex took out the Pokédex to check Steenee's post-evolution abilities and discovered it had learned these five moves.
With these new moves, Steenee's combat repertoire was no longer as monotonous as before. Its stats had significantly improved, especially its Special Attack, which had reached 100, marking its departure from being a novice.
Most importantly, the evolved Steenee could now learn the signature move of Rex Farm, Grassy Terrain. Rex believed that once Steenee mastered Grassy Terrain, it would have a solid foundation for understanding life energy, making it easier to learn other Grass-type moves like Energy Ball and Leaf Storm in the future.
"Sorry, Miss Koko, for taking up so much of your time due to Steenee's sudden evolution!"
After organizing his thoughts about Steenee's evolution, Rex apologized to Koko.
"Rex, you're too polite! I feel incredibly lucky to have witnessed Bounsweet's evolution today. When my Bellossom evolved, I was so excited I couldn't sleep for days!"
Koko responded, looking like she had hit the jackpot.
Later, Rex took Koko on a tour of Rex Farm and invited her to a sumptuous lunch. Koko was curious about everything on the farm, but her flower shop and the flowers she cultivated needed her care, so she declined Rex and Yuriko's invitation to stay longer and returned to Mauville City after lunch.
In the afternoon, with nothing else to do, Rex decided to have Steenee battle Teddiursa and Exeggcute to test its post-evolution strength. Steenee was eager to show Teddiursa and Exeggcute that it was no longer the crying Bounsweet.
Teddiursa, feeling underestimated by the trainer, insisted on a one-on-one duel with Steenee, while Exeggcute didn't mind but still followed Teddiursa's lead in defiance. In the end, Exeggcute managed to bow out and became a spectator, leaving the battle as a 1V1 between Teddiursa and Steenee.
Teddiursa, determined to defend its leader status, didn't hold back and charged at Steenee with a Tackle. Steenee, less experienced in battle, panicked at first but quickly adjusted and used Magical Leaf.
Countless magical leaves formed between its arms and flew towards Teddiursa, hitting it and causing significant damage, sending it flying and interrupting its Tackle.
Seeing this, Steenee was stunned, clearly not expecting its new power to be so great. Teddiursa, though knocked away, quickly recovered and charged again, this time learning to run normally to avoid attacks more nimbly.
Steenee, seeing this, quickly used Magical Leaf again, but Teddiursa leapt to avoid the attack and swiftly approached, hitting Steenee with a Headbutt, sending it flying far away.
Rex noticed that Steenee hadn't mastered controlling Magical Leaf properly, which allowed Teddiursa to dodge it so easily. Otherwise, with Magical Leaf's homing feature, Teddiursa would have had no escape.
Steenee, after being hit and thrown to the ground, felt the pain and almost started crying as it used to. However, it held back, with tears welling up but not falling.
Teddiursa, seeing this, paused, thinking it might have gone too far. If it made Steenee cry, it could take days to cheer it up. So, Teddiursa glanced at its trainer, then at Steenee, rolled its eyes, and flopped to the ground, pretending to be severely injured and unable to continue fighting.
Rex found Teddiursa's antics somewhat amusing and didn't know what to say, while Steenee, seeing this, immediately brightened up, clearly forgetting its previous grievances.
(End of the chapter)