Pokémon: From Pirate to Just

Just as Sieg was constructing a rough blueprint for his team in his mind, Eevee by his side, who was drying off, suddenly shone with a burst of radiant white light.

In the dead of night, that pure white brilliance was exceptionally dazzling.

It's evolving?!

Sieg didn't even have time to dry himself off. Bare-chested and wearing nothing but standard-issue underwear, he shot up from the hot spring and rushed toward her, water splashing beneath his feet.

He never expected Eevee to evolve under such circumstances, after nothing more than a soak in the hot spring!

Still, it wasn't completely unreasonable. Evolution was a marvelously mysterious process for Pokémon.

To this day, the scientific community had yet to thoroughly unravel the secrets behind evolution.

What influenced a Pokémon's evolution varied: sometimes it was due to insufficient energy, sometimes due to a lack of battle stimuli, and other times it stemmed from emotional fluctuations.

There was no fixed pattern.

Some Pokémon evolved after an intense, heated battle.

Some evolved hazily while drifting into slumber.

And according to stories on the internet, some even evolved in the middle of eating a meal!

So, even though Eevee's sudden evolution filled Sieg with surprise, he quickly composed himself.

"It's nighttime right now, and there's nothing like a Moss Rock or Water Stone around... meaning, the form it's evolving into must be..."

"Umbreon!"

His expression tensed with anticipation as he waited quietly for the white glow to dissipate. Though it wasn't his first time witnessing a Pokémon evolve up close...

The transformation of a species was still as soul-stirring as ever.

Soon, the glow faded away.

And standing before Sieg was an Umbreon, exuding an air of cool aloofness.

Its body shape remained somewhat similar to its pre-evolution form, but its entire coat had shifted into a sleek, jet-black hue.

Golden rings glowed on its forehead, legs, tail, and ears, adding an aura of noble elegance to its solitary black appearance.

Its ruby-red eyes gleamed with a mysterious allure in the night.

A Pokémon born under moonlight, Umbreon!

"Brreee~"

With that soft cry, Umbreon's aloof expression twisted into a moment of adorable confusion. She squirmed slightly, still not fully adjusted to her newly evolved form.

Compared to the original Eevee's fluffy and lush fur, Umbreon's body now appeared sleek and smooth, especially that large, pillow-like tail.

Adorned with those glowing golden rings, she truly looked like a spirit of the night.

Sieg, barely able to contain his excitement, reached out on instinct to pat her head.

But Umbreon swiftly dodged.

Sieg blinked, momentarily stunned, before slapping his forehead with a laugh. "Ah, right. I forgot, Umbreon secretes a toxin-laced sweat from its pores when emotionally stirred."

He looked at Umbreon's aggrieved expression and found himself liking her even more.

Umbreon felt wronged that she couldn't be petted by her Trainer. Her ears drooped sadly, resembling a pitiful little kitten.

Sieg crouched down, a pampering smile spreading across his face. "It's okay, Umbreon. Once you learn to control that sweat, I'll be right here waiting for you."

That night, by the steaming hot spring, Sieg made a promise.

Moonlight bathed his face in its silver glow. Umbreon gracefully walked to his side.

"Bree~"

With a gentle cry, she stepped into one of the showers.

When she came back out, her body was completely soaked, and the toxin-infused sweat on her skin had been thoroughly washed away.

Trotting nimbly over to Sieg's feet, she affectionately rubbed against his leg with her soft, velvet body.

Under the gentle illumination of moonlight, she smiled fondly at her Trainer.

"Umbreeee~"

After wrapping up the check-out process from the hot springs, Sieg hurried back to his room at the Pokémon Center.

"Umbreon, bear with it for now. Please return to the Poké Ball."

He initiated a quick data scan.

Beep beep beep-

Pokémon: Umbreon, the Moonlight Pokémon. Evolves from Eevee when its bond is strong and it evolves at night. When emotionjally stirred, it secretes poisonous sweat from its pores to protect itself.

Level: 20

Gender: Female

Type: Dark

Height: 1.2 meters

Weight: 30 kilograms

Development: Excellent

Potential: Good

Known Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Helping Hand, Sand Attack, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack, Confuse Ray, Feint Attack, Pursuit, Shadow Ball, Protect, Double Team

Egg Moves: Yawn, Wish

At dawn the next day, Sieg, freshly washed and properly dressed, stepped out of the Pokémon Center.

"Bree~"

Umbreon still didn't like being confined in a Poké Ball, and Sieg, of course, wouldn't force her. So they strolled side by side toward the Lavaridge Gym.

Standing before the majestic, towering building, Sieg couldn't help but admire the grand red walls and tiled roofs. The entire Gym exuded an aura of wealth and influence.

"No wonder this Gym once brought up a member of the Elite Four! It's stood proud in Hoenn for so many years, rich with history and heritage."

The Lavaridge Gym was nothing like the newly established Petalburg Gym. Its sheer size alone was several times larger than Norman's facility.

And inside, it was designed like an ancient palace, perched halfway up the mountain, offering a commanding view of the entire structure below.

Yet outside this magnificent Gym, a few old men were lounging in the shade of the trees, chatting casually.

Sieg approached politely and asked, "Excuse me, sirs, is this the Lavaridge Gym?" All their gazes turned toward a slightly chubby old man with gray-white hair and a brown shirt.

"Hehe, welcome, young man! Here to challenge the Gym, are you? We're just locals. And yes, this is the Lavaridge Gym," the old man replied with a friendly smile, adjusting the glasses resting on his nose.

Sieg gave a courteous bow and stepped through the large gate. Sure enough, inside he could see Gym apprentices moving about.

But before leaving, he glanced back at the old man and thought silently to himself, Just as I suspected. If I'm not wrong, that's the former Elite Four of the Hoenn region, and the previous Gym Leader of Lavaridge town!

A faint smile curled at his lips. Good thing I didn't let anything slip, and played the part of a respectful Trainer perfectly.

Thanks to the memories from his past life, Sieg often stumbled upon surprises from gaps in information others didn't have.

The current Gym Leader was named Flannery, a woman with a fiery personality and a loud, carefree nature.

But what drew Sieg's attention even more was her grandfather...

A man named Moore, once a member of the Elite Four, now retired.

Glad I took the time to greet every old man I passed on the way here, Sieg thought to himself. I finally found the real one.

He was certain that chubby old man was Moore. It wasn't just from the vague memories of his appearance in his past life, everyone's reaction to him earlier confirmed it too.

When Sieg mentioned the Gym, all eyes had instinctively turned to that man.

He had no doubt. That was the man he had been looking for.

I may not have had the chance to build a connection today, but leaving a good impression is still valuable.

Sieg kept his thoughts guarded behind his calm expression. In this world, if he wanted to rise above the rest, he needed to learn how to use every resource at his disposal.

Climb every possible rank, seize every shred of opportunity, and wager everything on even the smallest chances of success.

That was his unwavering belief.