Dax erupted. He tightened his headlock immediately. "You little—you really are messing with me! Poison/Psychic is just Slowpoke! If it's not that, it's Fairy. Tell me—what Pokémon is in there?"
"Cough, cough." Auron looked at the man putting on his tough-guy act and patted Dax's arm, signaling him to let go.
Once Dax released him, Auron rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It's a Milcery. Honestly, I kind of want it for myself."
The moment Dax heard "Milcery," he snatched the egg into his arms. "What do you want a Milcery for?"
Auron fixed Dax with an exasperated stare—the man was guarding the egg like Auron was some kind of thief. "I'm a breeder. Obviously I'd have a use for it. Alcremie's cream is one of a kind—it replenishes rare nutrients for Pokémon, and the flavor and texture are unmatched. Of course I want one."
Dax blinked. "You? A breeder?"
Auron blinked back. "Yeah. Didn't I tell you? I'm on the Breeding track. I'm a breeder."
The corner of Dax's mouth twitched. "So you're telling me... your school's freshman tournament was won by a breeder?"
Tim, Simon, Lena, and Lucas—all Battle track—simultaneously slapped their foreheads. Only Serena, on the Coordinator track, was still happily watching the show.
"Yep."
Watching Auron answer like it was the most obvious thing in the world, Dax's brain short-circuited.
"What the—that's absurd! You're this strong and you chose Breeding?!"
"It's my dream."
Auron looked at Dax, mildly confused. "What, Uncle Dax—don't tell me you don't have a dream."
"Of course I do." Dax gave Auron a meaningful look, but he wasn't about to share it.
Was he supposed to admit that his dream was to be a man of leisure? Spend every day with his wife and future kids, sleep in, eat well, go out when he felt like it, or stay home and play video games? That didn't exactly befit his status as a Dragon Kingdom Elite.
"Whatever. This Milcery's mine. Something this cute obviously needs to be given to a girl."
Dax clutched the egg and strode forward.
"Hold on." Auron called after him. "I let you have it. Aren't you going to compensate me?"
Dax turned around. One look at Auron's scheming grin and he smiled right back. "I already gave you the Shiny Charm. You want more? Not a chance!"
"Come on, Uncle Dax, that's not fair. The Shiny Charm was payment for me finding you a good Fairy-type egg. We haven't actually found one yet."
Dax chuckled. "Nice try, kid. I'm not falling for it. If I think it's the right one, then it's the right one. This one's mine now."
He hugged the egg tighter and shot Auron a challenging look.
"Ugh, fine~"
Auron sighed theatrically and spread his hands. "I was going to tell you about a Fairy-type Pokémon that's absolutely stunning—gorgeous, even. But since you've already picked cute over beautiful, I guess that's that."
"Beautiful? Versus cute?"
Auron saw interest flash in Dax's eyes and suppressed a smirk. "Yeah. I recently discovered a new evolution. The evolved form is Fairy-type—drop-dead gorgeous. Here, let me show you—"
"Heh. Nice try. I'm sticking with this one." Dax grinned and refused to bite.
Auron sighed internally. That hadn't gone according to plan at all.
"Fine. Take the Milcery egg. But in exchange, I'll share the info about the new evolution. Deal?"
Dax's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing!" Auron threw his hands up. "Just a trade of information."
"Alright. You first."
"You first."
"I'm not saying anything until you do."
Auron scoffed. "Tch. Don't, then. You're not my only source. I can ask someone else. You just happen to be standing right here."
Dax studied Auron's face, weighed his options, then relented. "Fine. Ask. I'll see if I know the answer."
"How many fossil Pokémon does America have now?"
"Three. Omanyte, Kabuto, and Archen. Each was revived from a different fossil."
"Oh." Auron nodded. "Just those three?"
"For now, yeah. But America's been collecting fossils from all over the world. Current technology can't revive most of them—only certain special ones."
Auron nodded again. "So, can the Dragon Kingdom get access to the Fossil Restoration Machine?"
"Of course. It's America—throw enough money at them and they'll do anything."
"Got it."
"Alright, your turn." Dax locked eyes with Auron, watching him like a hawk to make sure he didn't weasel out.
Auron gave him a half-smile. "Eevee's eighth evolution is Fairy-type. I already have a working theory. No test results yet, though."
Dax nodded and forced a calm expression, stroking his chin. "Oh. I see."
"Yeah. So, Uncle Dax, want to stop by my mom's shop and buy an Eevee egg? Once the news breaks, Eevee eggs are going to be in high demand."
Dax fought to suppress the surge of interest and waved Auron off. "Grown-up business. Kids shouldn't worry about it."
"Tch. If I hadn't worried about it, you'd still be single." Auron looked at him with undisguised disdain. "Maybe I should've just minded my own business back then."
"Ahem!"
Dax cleared his throat with exaggerated gravity. "Well, my mission here is accomplished. I'll be taking my leave. You kids have fun."
With that, Dax hugged the Milcery egg and jogged off toward the checkout counter.
Auron watched him go with a smile, then pulled out his phone and texted his mom.
Auron: Mom, if Uncle Dax comes by to buy an Eevee egg, throw in a free Sitrus Berry with it. Tell him it's from me.
Mom: ?? Okay.
After Auron happily tucked his phone away, Serena sidled up to him. "So that incredibly pretty Pokémon you were telling me about—is it Eevee's new evolution?"
"Yep." Auron nodded. "I'll get you one. Absolutely gorgeous—on par with Alolan Ninetales, honestly. Oh, right—didn't you say you had an Alolan Vulpix egg? I haven't seen it around."
"The Alolan Vulpix?" Serena looked a bit sheepish. "Mom's Alolan Ninetales is still raising it."