The rainy night air carried a damp chill.
Lanterns outside the Breeding House swayed in the wind.
Since Jiraiya's return, this tranquility had gained a touch of liveliness.
Originally, the Breeding House only housed Shiroishi and the trio, along with a group of baby Pokémon. Now with one more person, the place instantly became more bustling.
Of course, Jiraiya's lodging was completely natural.
"Hey, Shiroishi, this place is really nice! Much more comfortable than that little hut!"
Jiraiya laughed heartily, sitting cross-legged in the center of the hall with a pot of tea and a plate of grilled fish by his side, looking as comfortable as if he were in his own home.
Shiroishi smiled faintly without refuting.
He knew perfectly well that Jiraiya's convenient stay was more for security reasons.
Recently, activities in Amegakure had become frequent, with increasing movements of rogue ninjas and mercenaries in the outskirts.
Amid such chaos, having him around would naturally be much better.
However, even in these relatively safe days, a trace of concern still lingered between Shiroishi's brows.
That feeling of being watched hadn't disappeared.
Whether during the darkest hours of night or when the morning mist first cleared, he could vaguely sense:
From somewhere in the direction of the mountains behind the Breeding House, a strange and faint presence had been secretly watching this place all along.
That presence felt cold, cunning, carrying a non-human fluctuation.
"That little snake..."
Shiroishi murmured softly, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the table.
Jiraiya hadn't detected this snake, plus it was using snakes as Summoning Beasts for reconnaissance.
A name naturally surfaced in his mind.
Orochimaru.
If it was really him conducting secret investigations, things would definitely not be so simple.
"Seems I need to confirm this."
Shiroishi turned his head to look at Eevee, who was grooming itself by the window.
"Eevee, help me investigate the source of that presence."
"Eevee!"
Eevee raised its head, ears twitching slightly.
It leaped lightly, landing steadily on the windowsill, then with a flick of its tail, performed Lightning Flash the next moment.
Its figure transformed into a silvery beam of light, almost simultaneous with the thunder, cutting through the rainy night and disappearing into the forest in an instant.
Deep in the rainforest, only the sound of rain remained in the silence.
Orochimaru's summoned snake was moving silently,
Its scales sliding against the wet ground, its cold tongue constantly flicking out, capturing the flow of Chakra in the air.
Far away in a cave several miles distant, Orochimaru observed through the summoning connection, looking down from the snake's perspective.
Through the blurred rain curtain, the corner of his lips curled upward.
Just as he prepared to move closer.
A flash of lightning tore through the night.
The snake's visual field suddenly turned completely white.
Instinctively looking up, it saw a ball of white light descending from above, like lightning taking form, charging straight toward it.
Eevee.
Its fur stood on end, electric arcs flickering around its body, its gaze as sharp as a hawk's.
In its view, this slithering white snake...
Looked just like a moving spicy strip.
"Eevee!"
Electric light exploded, grass blades instantly dried up, and the air filled with a scorched smell.
The small snake hissed in panic, trying to retreat, but Eevee's speed was so fast it almost made the air whistle.
"Snap!"
A blurry shadow flashed by, the small snake's tail clamped firmly in Eevee's sharp claws.
It struggled desperately, trying to burrow into the soil to escape, but Eevee pressed forward step by step, its eyes carrying an uncompromising coldness.
In the distance, Orochimaru's brow furrowed slightly.
"Speed... much faster than expected."
He could sense that the Chakra Wave within the small creature was abnormally complex.
Muttering to himself, he prepared to further control the small snake to escape.
However, the electric sparks around Eevee suddenly transformed into shimmering bubbles.
Several bubbles burst open in the rainy night, releasing a peculiar Chakra energy that trapped the small snake completely.
The white foam was transparent like crystal, shimmering with a faint blue light under the rain.
The trapped snake struggled incessantly, only to become more entangled the more it moved.
Eevee let out a soft snort and flicked its tail.
A flash of light arced through the air!
Crack!
As the bubble shattered, the small snake's body was cleanly severed by sharp teeth.
The connection of the Summoning Technique was instantly severed.
Far away in a cave, Orochimaru looked up and couldn't help but smile.
The consciousness link of that small snake had completely dissipated.
"Severed?"
His golden pupils abruptly contracted.
"Hehehe… To possess such keen perception, even capable of tracking the aura of a summoning… That young man is no ordinary one."
He chuckled softly, the corners of his lips curling into a dangerous arc.
Rainwater trickled down the cave wall, dripping onto his pale face.
He extended his tongue, lightly licking away a raindrop, a hint of morbid curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
"Hehehe… That fool Jiraiya seems to have stumbled upon quite the remarkable place."
He turned and vanished into the darkness.
Meanwhile, in the rain, Eevee had quietly returned to the Breeding House.
It leaped onto Shiroishi's shoulder, its tail giving a gentle flick.
Shiroishi reached out and stroked its head, a faint, elusive smile playing on his lips.
"Well done, Eevee."
Shiroishi gently ran his hand over Eevee's smooth fur, his tone soft and composed.
He lowered his gaze to the small snake that Eevee had slain on the ground.
Its scales glistened, carrying a faint, cold light.
Remnants of Chakra still swirled in the air—cold, damp, and faintly tinged with a distorted aura.
Narrowing his eyes, Shiroishi flicked his fingers lightly.
The snake's corpse was lifted by Chakra, hovering mid-air.
In the next moment, his consciousness slowly sank into another world.
Within the space of his consciousness, the World Tree stood silently.
This colossal tree, born from the fusion of the Ten-Tails and the Pokémon World Tree, stretched its branches toward the endless sky, its roots piercing deep into the void.
An ancient and immense life force surged like ocean waves, each breath resonating with the pulse of the entire space.
Standing before the tree, Shiroishi raised his hand and gently tossed the small snake's corpse.
The slender body traced an arc through the air, landing amidst the drooping vines of the World Tree.
The branches seemed to come alive, writhing, coiling, penetrating, and devouring.
In mere seconds, the small snake was completely absorbed into the depths of the trunk, vanishing without a trace.
And then…
Boom!
A new Chakra Wave spread out from the heart of the tree.
The power was not vast, but it was exceptionally pure.
It flowed through the tree's veins, transmitted along some strange pattern, and eventually returned to Shiroishi's body.
"This is…"
He felt the Chakra within him being gently cleansed, becoming transparent and sensitive.
At that very moment, Eevee on his shoulder trembled slightly, its eyes suddenly glowing with a soft pink light.
[Eevee learned the move: Round Eyes]
[Host acquired the Supportive Formula: Round Eyes]
"Round Eyes…?"
Shiroishi was momentarily stunned.
In the next instant, his vision abruptly transformed!
The surrounding world seemed to shed a layer of haze.
The texture of space, the flow of energy, and the Chakra particles in the air were as clear as if they were right before his eyes.
He could see the breath of life flowing between the leaves, feel the distant branches trembling with respiration, and even the pulse of space had become visible.
"This feeling..."
It was like the Byakugan... but not focused on insight, rather on perception.
Within his consciousness space, his eyes reflected the radiance of the World Tree.
Those originally calm black pupils were quietly beginning to shimmer with an unusual hue.
A faint pinkish-gold color flickered within his eyes.
-
Of course, Eevee is the cutest in its Arceus form.
-
A Sylveon is already reserved.