And also, the Eevee Pokémon egg with a white base and brown patterns, its markings as harmonious and soothing as clouds.

When making his choice, Ryan Ford originally thought he would be very rational, but he found that in the end, the biggest factor swaying his heart was actually appearance.

Whether it was the appearance of the Pokémon egg, or the looks of the Pokémon that would hatch from it, Eevee was the one that made Ryan Ford's heart flutter the most...

As expected, looks are justice...

Looking at the Eevee egg, Ryan Ford spoke his final decision:

"This is the one."

Chapter 6: Eevee's Pokémon Egg

As for Ryan Ford choosing Eevee, Mr. Ford and Mrs. Ford didn't say much, respecting his decision.

In fact, they rarely interfered with Ryan Ford's choices, unless he made a very serious mistake.

This is something many people would probably envy.

Back to the main point, Eevee itself isn't expensive, but the evolution stones are...

Together, the cost is even higher than some of those rare Pokémon that were reserved.

The breeding house employee Henry White wore a smile on his face. In his view, this was another big sale. Even though the commission wasn't much, he wouldn't complain about making money.

"Eevee it is, but I don't want to buy an evolution stone yet. I haven't decided what I want Eevee to evolve into," Ryan Ford suddenly said.

Looking at the smiling Henry White, Ryan Ford guessed what he was thinking.

Commission?

Sorry, not happening.

"Mm, that's true, it's something that needs careful consideration," Mr. Ford nodded. If they bought it now, they wouldn't be able to come up with that much money all at once.

Although he talked big just now, if they really bought it, they'd probably have to take out a bank loan. After the loan... the family would probably be strapped for cash for a long time.

But fortunately, although evolution stones are expensive, they're still cheaper than real estate.

In recent years, the country has made Pokémon-related items much more affordable to cultivate trainers. You have to know, in the last century, evolution stones were never even available on the market—there was a price but no supply...

"There's no need to worry about that. As long as you pay a deposit first, there will always be stock. You can pay the remaining balance according to the type of evolution stone you choose, and you'll still enjoy a 5% discount," Henry White said with an unchanged smile.

Hearing this, Mr. Ford and Mrs. Ford were instantly tempted. Sounds pretty good?

But... Ryan Ford was a bit stunned.

So many tricks in the city.

Now how was he supposed to explain to his parents that he didn't need an evolution stone...

A 5% discount could save a lot of money—most people wouldn't pass that up.

But if you paid the deposit and didn't buy the evolution stone in the end, the deposit definitely wouldn't be refunded.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Ryan Ford quickly tugged at his dad's sleeve.

"How about... you all think it over first? You can also go handle the paperwork," Henry White saw the three hesitating and stopped pushing, adding, "By the way, after you finish the paperwork and come back, you'll be given a guidebook. It will have information about Eevee and key points for hatching this kind of Pokémon. Be sure to keep it safe. If you run into any problems during hatching, you can come to this breeding house to find me or contact me by phone."

"No problem, no problem," Ryan Ford nodded.

...

After choosing Eevee, Henry White began to take Ryan Ford and his family to get the breeding certificate. This certificate is very important; you'll need it at the Pokémon Center for the next step, which is to register as a trainer and pay the fees. These fees include the cost of the Pokémon egg and the trainer's tax. Only after all this can you return to the breeding house to pick up the Pokémon egg.

On the way to the Pokémon Center, Mr. Ford asked in confusion, "Why did you tug at me just now? Let Mr. Henry White make out the deposit slip for the evolution stone, and we could just pay at the Friendly Store while we're at it."

"No need to buy it here. Don't forget, my psychology club advisor is also a breeder. He has his own connections and can get it cheaper," Ryan Ford lied through his teeth.

"Really?" Mr. Ford was surprised.

"Mr. Li and I have a good relationship, but don't tell anyone. When we get back to the breeding house, just turn down the offer," Ryan Ford said seriously.

"Hey, not bad, kid. Those connections paid off," Mr. Ford said, giving Ryan Ford a hard pat on the shoulder, satisfied.

Mrs. Ford also agreed.

"Heh..." Ryan Ford had a sweat drop on his forehead. If only that were true. Oh well, as long as he could stall for a day, that's good enough. Anyway, he wouldn't need an evolution stone anytime soon, and by then he could come up with a new excuse.

Paying a deposit? Not happening.

If buying a Pokémon egg and registering as a trainer means running back and forth between the Pokémon Center and the breeding house,

Then buying an evolution stone also requires running between two places—the Friendly Store and the breeding house.

Public breeding houses, Pokémon Centers, and Friendly Stores are all industries under the Trainer Association and have a cooperative relationship. When breeding houses sell related Pokémon items, you often have to pay at the Friendly Store and pick up the goods there.

It's worth mentioning that the Pokémon Center, which serves as both an administrative and medical institution, and the Friendly Store, a commercial institution, are both located in the same building.

Pingcheng Tower, the largest and tallest building in Pingcheng.

At the same time, it's also the office location of the Pingcheng branch of the Trainer Association.

Having these three important institutions together makes security work much easier. After all, with the existence of Pokémon, the crime rate in this world has always been high.