The two little ones chatting beside each other squatted on the creek rocks, one wiping its face while the other continued clumsily but earnestly smearing on Bubble.
The stream flowed past their feet, carrying the distinctive chill of early morning.
Once they had finished washing up, Xinhai smiled and waved at Eevee.
"Vee?"
Eevee happily ran over without the slightest guard up.
Holding the delighted Eevee in his arms, Xinhai revealed a faintly mischievous smile. Eevee seemed to realize something, but trapped in Xinhai's arms, it was already too late to run.
Xinhai said with a smile, "Eevee, when did I ever teach you to use Confusion like that?"
"Vee!" Eevee's tiny body visibly stiffened. Its big brown eyes blinked as it began looking around.
First it looked at the sky, then the ground, and finally Axew. In short, it looked anywhere but at Xinhai.
"Vee..." (Xinhai, look at that cloud over there... it looks like a Snorlax...)
Xinhai did not look up at the cloud.
His fingers had already precisely found the spot Eevee feared being tickled most—the small patch of softest, fluffiest fur on either side of its belly.
"Vee—!!"
Eevee sprang up like a furry spring, its four short legs flailing wildly in the air.
Laughter spilled from its mouth, sharp and thin, like a string of tiny bells scattered by the wind.
"Vee! Veevee!!" (So ticklish! It's so ticklish!!)
"Do you know what you did wrong now?" Xinhai's fingers moved like those of a tickling expert, circling that spot with precision and refusing to let it go. "You went and developed Confusion into an 'automatic washing mode' without permission. This is an 'honesty lesson.' Once you know what you did wrong, I'll stop."
"Vee—!" (This is reasonable innovation!!)
"Oh? Then innovators should be even more willing