"Croconaw~"
Freshly evolved, the Croconaw was still a bit dazed. But when it raised its hands and noticed its new form, it instantly became ecstatic, jumping up and down with excitement.
"Croconaw~ Croconaw~"
I've evolved! I've evolved!
The other Pokémon quickly gathered around to offer their congratulations.
Sobble, also a Water-type Pokémon, couldn't resist squeezing its way to the front. It circled around Croconaw, occasionally reaching out to touch it, its eyes full of envy.
It, too, wanted to look cooler.
Compared to the smaller and less imposing Totodile, the majestic and robust Croconaw was undoubtedly more striking.
Angie also joined the commotion, pushing his way forward with an eager curiosity to inspect Croconaw.
In contrast to the petite Totodile, the Croconaw was much larger and sturdier. Angie estimated it to be at least 1.5 meters tall.
Unable to resist, Angie reached out and patted Croconaw. He found that its skin was much tougher and rougher than it had been as Totodile. Its arms, legs, and tail were all muscular and firm, radiating strength—a Pokémon that gave a solid sense of security.
Post-evolution, Croconaw had become much more composed. Despite Angie poking and prodding it here and there, it showed no sign of irritation. If it had been Totodile, it might already have lost its patience and snapped at Angie's hand.
As Angie marveled at Croconaw's transformation, a sudden flash of blue-white light erupted nearby. The Pokémon around them gasped in surprise. Angie turned to look and saw that the one enveloped in the evolution glow was… Sobble?
Of course! When Sobble first joined Angie's team, its level was already near the threshold for evolution. After spending so much time with Angie, it had long since reached the point where it could evolve.
Within the radiant light, Sobble's small frame rapidly grew taller. Its legs and arms became more slender, its tail stronger and more powerful. In the blink of an eye, it had grown taller than Munchlax.
As the light faded, a brand-new Pokémon stood before Angie and the others—Drizzile, Sobble's evolved form.
Compared to Sobble, Drizzile's bright sky-blue skin had been replaced by a darker, duller blue. Its once watery, adorable eyes were gone, replaced by droopy lids that gave it a tired, uninterested look, with one eye partially obscured by a sagging head crest.
Its appearance… exuded the vibe of a jaded, disillusioned youth.
But to Angie, Drizzile was just as lovable.
Under the "Observation Eye" ability, Drizzile's stats appeared as follows.
...
[ Drizzile ]
Type: Water
Ability: Sniper
Gender: Male
Level: 24
Moves: Pound, Growl, Water Gun, Water Pulse, Feint Attack, Bind, Soak, Liquidation, Water Pledge, Whirlpool, Aqua Ring
...
[ Individual Values (IVs) ]
HP: 20
Attack: 29
Defense: 20
Special Attack: 31
Special Defense: 24
Speed: 31
...
"Drizzile?"
Drizzile was equally surprised by its sudden evolution. It raised its hands, then its feet, inspecting itself before dashing out of the crowd of Pokémon in a burst of excitement.
"Drizzile, where are you going?" Angie called out.
"Drizzile~ Drizzile~"
I'm going to see if I've gotten cooler!
Drizzile's voice echoed from around the corner of the staircase as it disappeared from sight.
"What did it say?" Angie asked Diancie.
Covering her mouth with a laugh, Diancie replied, "It said it's going to check if it looks cooler now."
Angie couldn't help but laugh. "Even after evolving, it's still the same old Drizzile."
However, as soon as Angie finished speaking, a piercing scream came from upstairs, startling everyone. Not long after, Sobble trudged downstairs with a dejected look, holding a palm-sized mirror in its hand.
It walked up to Angie, wrapped its arms around him, and buried its face in his stomach.
Angie patted its head gently. "What's wrong, Drizzile? Aren't you happy about evolving?"
"Drizzile~ Drizzile~"
This isn't me; it's so ugly!
Drizzile raised its head and pointed at its reflection in the mirror, wailing in distress.
Angie patted its head and said with a firm expression, "Nonsense. How is it not handsome? I think you look just as cool as ever!"
"Drizzile?"
Really?
Drizzile's eyes were still brimming with tears.
"Of course! If you don't believe me, ask Munchlax," Angie replied confidently.
Munchlax immediately caught on, giving Drizzile a big thumbs-up.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Yep, super cool!
Drizzile looked at Munchlax and realized that it was now slightly taller than its friend. Before, it always had to look up at Munchlax, but now the tables had turned.
This gave Drizzile a small boost of confidence.
It then glanced at the other Pokémon around.
Diancie smiled warmly. "Not ugly at all, really. Very handsome!"
Meowstic chimed in enthusiastically, "Meowstic~!"
Cool!
Gallade, with its ever-serious demeanor, added.
"Gallade~ Gallade~"
Handsome, very handsome!
Gallade's compliment finally brought a smile to Drizzile's face. It had always admired Gallade, considering it incredibly cool. If even Gallade thought it looked good, then it must be true!
With that thought, Drizzile broke into a grin.
Seeing Drizzile's mood improve, Angie let out a sigh of relief.
...
The next morning, Angie woke up bright and early as usual, preparing the day's materials with Munchlax and Drizzile.
Since evolving, Drizzile found tasks much easier. It no longer had to support itself with water jets to reach the countertop. Now, it could simply stand on a small stool like Munchlax, which made it quite happy.
Once everything was ready for the day, Diancie came over with news. "Angie, the system has a new task!"
Finally!
Angie's eyes lit up. The system hadn't issued any tasks in a while, and he'd started feeling restless. After all, no tasks meant no rewards!
"Quick, show me what it is!" Angie said eagerly.
Diancie nodded, and a pop-up appeared in front of Angie.
...
[ Capture Mission ]
[ Objective: Catch the thieves destroying the vegetable garden and punish them by making them replant the ruined Leeks. ]
[ Do you accept it? ]
[ Yes ] or [ No ]
...
Of course, he was going to accept! He'd already planned to catch the little thieves. They deserved punishment—ruining so many leeks!
If they'd at least eaten what they pulled, it wouldn't be as bad. But not only did they not eat them, they scattered them all over the place.
Unforgivable!
After accepting the task, Angie decided to visit the vegetable garden before heading to Azoth Kingdom.
At the moment, the Dugtrio brothers was hiding among the vegetable patches, keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings. Alongside them, lurking in the shadows, were Croconaw and Chesnaught's child, Quilladin.
These two of them were the helpers Angie had assigned to Dugtrio.
Angie approached the four Pokémon and said, "I'm counting on you all to catch those thieves. Make sure you don't let them get away!"
"Dugtrio!"
"Dugtrio!"
"Croconaw~!"
"Quilladin~!"
The four Pokémon nodded enthusiastically, brimming with confidence.
After giving them a few more instructions, Angie headed off to work, leaving the Pokémon to lie in wait among the crops.
As time passed, the sun rose to its peak in the sky, but the so-called vegetable thieves still hadn't shown up. Croconaw, feeling its eyes growing dry from staring for so long, couldn't help but rub them.
Rustle rustle rustle~
Suddenly, Quilladin's ears twitched as if it had caught something. It gestured subtly, and the four Pokémon quietly parted the vegetable leaves. Sure enough, there was some movement near the wall.
"Farfetch'd~"
"Farfetch'd~"
Two Duck Pokémon sneakily climbed over the wall, dashing into the vegetable garden like two streaks of shadow. Their target was the plot planted with giant leeks.
As soon as they entered, they each yanked out a leek and began swinging it around. After a few swings, they seemed dissatisfied and tossed the leeks to the ground, pulling out new ones and waving them vigorously.
Witnessing this, the Dugtrio Brothers were furious. These leeks were the result of their hard work, and now they were being ruined just like that.
The four Pokémon, still concealed, exchanged glances and quietly shifted their positions under the cover of the plants, eventually surrounding the plot of leeks from four directions.
"Quilladin~"
Stop right there, thieves!
"Croconaw~"
Veggie thieves, let's see how we deal with you!
Seizing the right moment, the four Pokémon suddenly leapt out, encircling the two Duck Pokémon.
Startled, the Duck Pokémon grabbed the leeks in their wings and flapped upward, soaring over the wall in no time.
Curses! They can fly!
There was no way the Dugtrio Brothers would let the thieves escape. They dove underground, pursuing them at full speed.
Croconaw and Quilladin were not about to be left behind, swiftly scaling the wall to give chase.
The two veggie thieves were quick, using their wings for short glides as they fled. As they got farther and farther ahead, the Dugtrio Brothers were growing frantic.
Suddenly, two vines shot out at high speed, wrapping around the leg of one Duck Pokémon and yanking it out of the air.
Seeing its companion fall, the other Duck Pokémon panicked. Just then, a Water Gun attack struck, knocking it out of the sky as well.
The Dugtrio Brothers, Croconaw, and Quilladin surrounded them in an instant.
Realizing there was no escape, the two Duck Pokémon exchanged glances and raised their leeks, assuming battle stances.
Croconaw moved first, leaping toward one Duck Pokémon and attempting to Bite it. However, the Duck Pokémon was more agile than Croconaw anticipated. With a swift sidestep, it dodged the attack and then rapidly swung its leek, which glowed with a white light. The repeated strikes of its Fury Cutter knocked Croconaw flying.
The other Duck Pokémon wasn't idle either. It vanished in a flash, reappearing behind Quilladin with its leek raised high to deliver a Rock Smash attack.
But Quilladin wasn't about to take the hit without a fight. With a loud cry, it extended two vines, wrapping around the opposing leek to immobilize it.
The Dugtrio Brothers were absolutely livid. How dare these thieves act so brazenly?
The Dugtrio brothers dove underground again. When they resurfaced, they were right beneath the Duck Pokémon's feet.
The Duck Pokémon were so focused on Croconaw and Quilladin that they paid no attention to what was happening below them.
Red, yellow, and blue lights glowed simultaneously on the heads of the Three Dugtrio Brothers and shot toward the Duck Pokémon.
"Farfetch'd~"
"Farfetch'd~"
Caught off guard, the two Pokémon were sent flying.
The Dugtrio Brothers got lucky this time — all three of their Triple Attack hits triggered secondary effects. The eldest brother's attack inflicted a burn, while the younger brother's caused freezing.
The Duck Pokémon with the burn grimaced in pain, clearly suffering. Meanwhile, the one whose legs were frozen acted decisively, raising its leek and slashing at the ice encasing its feet. In an instant, the ice shattered, and it regained its freedom.
However, it used so much force that it numbed its own legs.
The two Duck Pokémon exchanged glances and, with perfect coordination, charged at the Dugtrio Brothers, raising their leeks to slash at the brothers' heads using Leaf Blade.
But the Dugtrio Brothers weren't that easy to hit. They were incredibly quick at escaping, and with a swift retreat into their holes, they vanished underground.
Thud!
Thud!
With two loud crashes, the Leaf Blades hit nothing but grass, carving deep grooves into the ground where the Dugtrio had been moments earlier.
Taking advantage of the opening, Croconaw and Quilladin launched their counterattack.
Croconaw, cloaked in a stream of water, transformed into a water missile and charged at one Duck Pokémon. At the same time, Quilladin opened its mouth and fired glowing green seeds at the other Duck Pokémon.
One Duck Pokémon was slammed to the ground by the aqua jet, while the other was struck down by the seed bomb.
Both tried to rise and fight again, but suddenly realized that the grass beneath their feet had turned into sand, which began sinking, pulling them down with a powerful suction.
It was the Dugtrio Brothers' Sand Tomb!
The Duck Pokémon flapped their wings furiously, attempting to break free, but it was no use. They only sank deeper.
Seizing the perfect moment, Croconaw and Quilladin launched another attack — Ice Fang and Seed Bomb. This time, the two Duck Pokémon were finally knocked unconscious.
As the two fainted Pokémon lay before them, the four victorious Pokémon let out a collective sigh of relief. They'd finally caught the persistent thieves, though not without effort.
Quilladin and Croconaw stepped forward, lifting the unconscious Duck Pokémon and beginning the trek back to Angie's house.
...
When Angie returned home from the Azoth Kingdom at noon, he was greeted by the sight of the Dugtrio Brothers, Croconaw, and Quilladin surrounding two tied-up Farfetch'd, glaring at them intently.
"These two are the veggie thieves?" Angie asked.
The Dugtrio Brothers, Croconaw, and Quilladin all nodded in unison, especially the Dugtrio Brothers, who furiously began describing the Farfetch'd's villainous deeds to Angie.
Of course, Angie couldn't understand a word of it.
He thought to himself, No wonder the system's mission was to make the veggie thieves help with planting leeks.
He recalled that when he first acquired the giant leeks, the system had explained that they would taste far better if planted with the assistance of Farfetch'd.
Angie circled the two Farfetch'd a few times, noticing that they didn't seem like ordinary Farfetch'd. Normal Farfetch'd had yellow-brown feathers, but these two had dark-brown plumage.
Not only that, but their eyes were noticeably sharper, exuding a cool and determined aura.
"So these are Galarian Farfetch'd?"
With transportation between regions becoming increasingly convenient and communication more frequent, it wasn't unusual for region-exclusive Pokémon to appear elsewhere.
"Why did you destroy my vegetable garden?" Angie asked while activating his Eye of Observation to examine the two Pokémon's data.