When Magikarp heard Evan's words, he felt extremely downhearted.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Magikarp continuously leaped out of the water, crashing back down repeatedly.
However, before Evan could react, the newly evolved Milotic couldn't hold back anymore.
"Mia~!" they cried in unison.
With mouths open, Water Guns were unleashed simultaneously.
Eight streams of water hit the jumping Magikarp directly, rendering it unable to fight and causing it to faint on the spot.
Yet, such a minor injury was just a drizzle to Magikarp—not even needing treatment.
Still, the fierce appearance of the Milotic startled the Pokémon in the lake. They quickly scurried to hide.
Evan, witnessing the scene, was at a loss for words.
"All right," he said. "Don't fight anymore. You should get familiar with your newly evolved forms. Wait a minute—I'll ask Machamp to bring your food."
Hearing this, the Milotic nodded eagerly before diving into the lake one by one, swimming gracefully.
After ensuring the Pokémon were settled, Evan walked toward the breeding house and instructed Machamp to move the required energy cubes. Even the new female Machamp joined in to help. Together, the two Machamp carried the lower-level energy cubes to a nearby warehouse, while plenty of cubes were scattered for the Pokémon in the lake to enjoy.
After finishing the task, the Machamp returned inside to eat their own energy cubes. The female Machamp, however, gave hers to the Machamp in Evan's breeding house. Evan noticed this and couldn't help but smirk.
It seemed the female Machamp had her eye on Evan's Machamp.
Still, he didn't dwell on it and focused elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the younger children returned with the Growlithe, visibly exhausted from playing. Evan fed them milk and allowed the newly born Growlithe to rest. The slightly older Growlithe wagged their tails excitedly as they greeted their younger siblings, showing affection without picking fights, much to Evan's relief. They soon returned to the backyard kennel to rest.
Saturdays and Sundays were quiet for Evan's breeding house, with few customers dropping by. However, children who had received Growlithe from Evan were thrilled. The girls who received them often roamed the orchard with their new Pokémon companions. Thankfully, Growlithe's resilience as a Pokémon meant they weren't overwhelmed by the girls' enthusiasm.
"These Growlithe are bound to be lively in the future," Evan thought.
When Monday arrived, Luna and the others reluctantly returned to school. None of them wanted to leave, clearly preferring to play instead.
Evan, however, had little patience for their whining. "If you don't study hard, I'll take the Growlithe back," he warned.
That single sentence was enough to send them scrambling obediently to school, though their reluctance was obvious. They had no doubt Evan would follow through on his threat.
Once the children were off to school, Evan turned his attention to guiding Isla and the others through making energy cubes. He handed them a list of the required types—Psychic, Grass, and Fighting—and asked for a month's supply. As this was their first time making cubes, the three requested Evan's supervision.
Evan was happy to assist and watched closely as they worked carefully on the task.
On a large scale, producing energy cubes is relatively simple. Mastering the correct temperature and material ratio is the key, and it's not as difficult as it seems.
The first Grass-type energy cube was completed quickly and effortlessly. Once the cubes were made, Evan instructed Machamp to move them out of the workshop. He turned to the three assistants and said, "Alright, I don't need to say anything more. You can handle the rest yourselves—no problem at all."
With that, Evan left the room, entrusting the task entirely to the three of them. They nodded, their confidence bolstered, and began working on the other energy cubes.
As Evan stepped outside, Sophia's voice rang from the backyard.
"Evan! I'm back!"
Hearing her call, Evan promptly walked over. At that moment, Sophia was releasing her Pokémon from their Poké Balls. She waved to Evan with a grin and then pulled out several Poké Balls from her bag.
"These are the Ice-type Pokémon you wanted," she announced. "Honestly, I had to make a special trip to the ice field for these."
Sophia looked mildly annoyed as she spoke. The trip had delayed her return—she could have been back a day earlier.
Evan's eyes lit up with excitement. "Great! Did you manage to get everything I asked for?"
He wasn't just referring to the Pokémon—what truly interested him were the items he had requested, especially the Mega Stone.
Sophia nodded confidently. "I got everything. But let's deal with these Pokémon first."
With that, she opened the Poké Balls, releasing Vanillite, Vanillish, Froslass, Snorunt, Glalie, Delibird, and other Ice-type Pokémon.
"I caught these for you," she said with a playful smirk. "I considered catching some Jynx as well, but I figured you wouldn't appreciate it. Honestly, I wouldn't either."
Evan's expression twitched slightly. She was right—Jynx didn't appeal to him much. But the Pokémon Sophia had brought back were well within his preferences.
"Thank you," he said sincerely, his attention now on the Pokémon.
The newly released Pokémon looked around nervously, clearly uneasy in the unfamiliar environment. Some even attempted to flee, but they stopped dead in their tracks when Evan's gaze locked onto them. His Psychic created an invisible barrier, holding them in place.
"Hello, everyone," Evan greeted them with a bright smile. "Welcome to my breeding house. From now on, you'll live here. I'll provide food and a safe place to stay. In return, I'll just need a little help from you now and then. What do you think?"
The Ice-type Pokémon froze, metaphorically and literally. This man was terrifying! What else could they do but agree? Though still uneasy about their surroundings, they reluctantly nodded.
"Very good," Evan said with satisfaction. "Gardevoir, show them around the area and help them choose a place to rest. For those who need colder conditions, we'll build igloos for you soon."