I'm popularizing ecology in the Pokémon world.

Meanwhile, in the forest south of the Quartz Plateau, the naturally optimistic Eevee has regained its liveliness and is now playing and frolicking with a group of Eevee of the same age in the forest.

There were many evolved Eevee parents standing guard around, watching over the children.

Among them were many of Eevee's own kind whom he had never seen before.

For example, Flareon, Jolteon, Vaporeon, and Glaceon.

Upon returning to his homeland, Little Eevee learned for the first time that he actually had so many elder relatives of his kind, each with a different appearance.

Suddenly, a large, plump cat leaped into the arena with an agility far exceeding its own weight, startling several young Eevee pups that were playing nearby.

Little Eevee nimbly jumped back to avoid the big cat's fall, then tilted its head in confusion and meowed a few times to the side.

"Bu-i-bu-i?"

He asked his father: What kind of evolutionary form are we?

Umbreon's father slowly emerged from the shadows, lowered his head with annoyance, grabbed his silly daughter by the scruff of her neck, and shoved her backward.

"Ugh—!"

This isn't our evolved form, this is a Dong Shi cat!

Like the goat mount, the Dawning is not a native species of Quartz, but was introduced from Sinnoh.

Their habits are similar to those of lynxes, and they also prefer high-altitude environments. As a result, they have been thriving in the high-altitude quartz region since their introduction, and their habitat range overlaps considerably with that of Eevee.

In addition, being small quadrupedal mammals, they are often mistaken for Eevee's evolved form.

For a time, human trainers even affectionately called them "Fat Eevee".

Unexpectedly, even Ibrahimovic, who was new to the area and returning home for the first time, made the same mistake.

Little Eevee was very curious and wanted to go closer to see what was different about this chubby aunt who looked just like everyone else, but as soon as he got close, he was given a dirty look by Dong Shi Cat.

"Meow!" — Vixen!

Most Dong Shi cats actually have rather bad personalities; their popularity stems more from their soft, beautiful fur, which makes them highly sought after.

At the same time, due to its poor temperament and difficulty in taming, large-scale artificial breeding has never been achieved, and the production of fur is extremely scarce, which further exacerbates its rarity as a luxury item.

This, in turn, caused the price of the Meowth to skyrocket, making it one of the most expensive Pokémon in the human world.

Expensive, yet unpopular, these are the two contradictory yet coexisting attributes of Dong Shi Miao.

Even in the forest, their sharp tongues are not liked by the Pokémon around them.

But this time, Eevee, who has an angelic personality, reacted in a way that surprised Dong Shi Miao.

Little Ibu wasn't angry at all at the other person's sarcasm. Instead, he continued to stroll forward and asked obediently.

"Buyibuyi?" — What does "vixen" mean?

"Meow meow meow meow! Meow!" — That foxy girl is saying you look like you know how to please humans! Stay away from me!

Dongshim scolded the little Eevee, then brazenly lay down and took over the forest clearing where the Eevee babies used to play.

Their despicable behavior reveals their true nature.

However, little Ibu wasn't angry at all; instead, he happily twitched his ears on the spot.

"Bu-ee? Bu-ee-bu-ee~ Bu-ee!" — Really? So I'm really popular with humans~ That's great!

Despite trying to mock and ridicule Eevee, Dong Shi Miao was completely speechless.

"Meow meow meow? Aww! Meow meow meow!" -- Then why don't you go wag your tail at a human? Ha! Oh, I remember now, humans won't be coming here this year!

The ecological reserve on the Quartz Plateau has been established for many years, and the intelligent Pokémon here have long since figured out the patterns of human behavior.

They knew that humans would come in large numbers to visit during the spring and autumn seasons each year.

We also know that beforehand, humans will conduct large-scale surveys of the survival status of all species within the protected area. If the number of Pokémon in a certain area is found to be low or below a certain threshold, then this year humans will create many warning signs around that area to inform tourists: Please explore the area ahead another time; it is closed this year.

The Pokémon are very intelligent; the local Pokémon who have lived here for a long time can now understand most of the signs in the Safari Zone.

So even this idiot knows that humans won't be coming to this forest where Eevee live this year.

But little Ibuki was the only one who didn't know.

She wasn't angry at all after hearing Dong Shi Miao's mocking meows; instead, she suddenly became very depressed.

"Buyi..."

So, humans aren't coming this year...?

Its tail stopped wagging and drooped down, and even its pair of playful long ears drooped listlessly.

Her pitiful appearance made even the usually sharp-tongued Dong Shi Miao momentarily flustered, and she felt a strange sense of guilt.

It turns out that her initial assessment was just stubbornness—Eevee's appearance is not only pleasing to humans, but even she herself finds it hard to resist.

Seeing that Little Eevee was disappointed and depressed, Dong Shi Miao couldn't sleep for a while and hurriedly got up to comfort him.

"Meow meow meow? Meow...meow meow?" -- What's wrong with you? Or...should I go and lure a few humans over for you?

Lure in a few unruly humans, then ruthlessly toy with them in front of this little fool!

Surely this innocent little guy will forget about those unreliable humans by now, right? Dong Shi Miao thought smugly.

However, Little Eevee was not happy because of Dong Shi Miao's comfort. Instead, it suddenly looked up to the north, its eyes suddenly brightening, and its little mind was filled with some unknown thoughts.

"Meow meow meow!"

Dong Shi Miao meowed a few more times, seemingly complaining to herself: What's so good about humans? They're greedy and heartless.

Seeing that Little Eevee had suddenly cheered up again for some reason, she didn't bother with it anymore.

Lazily lay down again, sticking out its tongue to lick a wound on its side left by the violent plucking and hair harvesting that happened years ago.

Humans are nothing more than temporary food feeders. This forest has everything, so there's no need for those malicious feeders!

As Dong Shi Miao pondered, she basked in the warm spring sunshine.

It wasn't until she looked up again that she realized she was no longer in that sunny clearing in the woods that she had spotted at first glance.

Instead, they were dumped on the edge of a steep hillside.

When she woke up, she almost shuddered and fell down the hillside.

"Meow, meow meow meow!! Meow meow meow!" — Damn Espeon, it's hypnotizing me again!! I will definitely come back!

She took over the play area of ​​the Eevee pups, and the adult Eevee wasn't indifferent; it was simply waiting for the adult Eevee, who was best at dealing with her, to return.

Fat Eevee was ultimately no match for the elegant, agile Espeon, which was skilled in hypnotic abilities, and was banished in its sleep.

The best habitat in the forest still belongs to the Eevee people.

For some reason, these favorable living environments failed to keep little Ibu away.

After that conversation, it seemed that a bold plan was brewing in her mind!