Early the next morning, Xinhai woke to the sound of birdsong.
The sky outside was already bright. Sunlight streamed through gaps in the canopy into the room, casting mottled patches of light across the floor.
That Pidgey was still incubating its eggs in the birdhouse outside the window, lying there lazily and occasionally using its beak to preen its feathers.
The moment Eevee woke up, it went to the windowsill and stared at the Pidgey through the glass.
"Eevee?" (Morning~)
Pidgey lazily glanced at it, then continued resting with its eyes closed.
"Eevee..." (Still ignoring me...)
Eevee scratched its head with a paw, then hopped down from the windowsill in disappointment and came to Xinhai's side.
"Eevee!" (Good morning, Xinhai!)
"Morning, Eevee."
Xinhai smiled and rubbed its little head with his right hand while his left hand kept moving.
He poured Pokéblocks and specially prepared Pokémon food into each small bowl in turn, then drizzled them with amber honey and a little Royal Jelly.
The scent of food quickly filled the room, followed by a series of soft growls—that was the protest of several hungry stomachs at once.
"Alright, time to eat."
The moment he spoke, Eevee was the first to reach its bowl. However, it did not immediately start eating. Instead, it sat properly and looked at Xinhai with its large brown eyes.
Axew copied Eevee's example and sat down before its own bowl, its purplish-red eyes sparkling.
Charmander followed suit. The flame on its tail swayed excitedly, though it tried hard to hold its pose.
The other partners—Blaziken, Gardevoir, Zigzagoon, Mightyena, and Krokorok—also quietly waited for Xinhai's command.
It was a habit the partners had formed at some point, as well as an unspoken understanding between them.
"Everyone, dig in."
"Eevee!" "Axew!" "Char!" "Gardevoir!"...
Cries rose one after