Elf: Who told him to be an investigator!

That's right.

The Alolan Vulpix, also known as the Ice Vulpix.

This was the name that Zeki had blurted out without hesitation. In this way, his three Pokémon could barely form a very pure Snow Team, entirely composed of Ice-type Pokémon, which Zeki was currently good at raising.

Although Glaceon can also spontaneously produce snow.

But there's a wild claim—only a team with Alola Ninetales can be called a "snow team"!

Vulpix's Snowfall ability makes snowfall much faster and doesn't require additional energy. It can also create an Aurora Veil, providing coverage for both Psychic and Fairy types.

In other words, the intensity of the snowy weather is entirely supported by the "Aurora Curtain" skill.

Well, but most importantly, the Ice Six-Tail...

looks good.

Looking at the egg with its floral patterns, and feeling the cool texture of its shell, Ze Shu smiled. "I'm really looking forward to your birth..."

click-

But he hadn't expected it.

As he uttered those words, the eggshell suddenly emitted a dazzling white light. With a cracking sound, countless tiny cracks appeared all over the eggshell within the white light, and they spread rapidly.

"Huh?" Ze Shu exclaimed in surprise.

"Buee—" Ice Eevee's eyes widened.

"Yo-ki..." Yuki-warashi, nestled in Ze-ki's arms, didn't seem surprised. But she couldn't help blinking, curiously examining the egg that was hatching.

The egg radiated an ever-growing light of birth.

A ball of white, fluffy hair, like a futon, emerged from the light and gradually unfolded tenderly.

The adorable little white beast gradually raised its head and let out a clear but somewhat clumsy cry: "Woo..."

After calling out.

It noticed that Ze Shu's hand, which had been stroking the egg-shaped surface earlier, was still there. Its icy blue eyes narrowed slightly, and then it stretched its soft head forward, where it was covered by Ze Shu's palm.

With its tender and light breath, its snow-white down swayed gently on Ze Shu's skin, as if a breeze had brushed over the first snow, bringing an incredibly soft and delicate touch.

Ze Shu paused for a moment, then said softly, "Hello... Little Six-Tail."

The six-tailed fox narrowed its icy blue eyes slightly: "Ooh..."

Dr. Yamanashi smiled.

The device in his hand emitted a sound: "I didn't expect that just seeing Ze Shu would make 'Kao Kao' so eager to hatch... Hahaha, no problem, 'Kao Kao' looks very healthy and likes its trainer very much!"

Zeki and the Ice Six-Tails' attention were drawn to it, and he looked over.

On the screen of the device in Dr. Yamanashi's hand, a dark-skinned, middle-aged man with a hearty smile was displayed.

"Hello, Sawaki, my name is Oki Naruya." Seeing that Sawaki had noticed him, he introduced himself with a smile through the screen, "If you have any questions about 'Kaoo Kaoo' in the future, feel free to ask me!"

Koko Koko is the special name given to the Alola Vulpix by people in the Alola region.

And in front of him stood Professor Naruto Oki.

As an expert in regional Pokémon forms, his research on Vulpix must be equally in-depth. After exchanging pleasantries with Sawaki, Professor Oak enthusiastically shared some important points to note regarding newly hatched Koko.

—For example, observe the forked state of its tail to determine its growth stage, and note that the Ice-Six-Tails dislikes heat, so pay attention to the temperature, etc.

Ze Shu carefully noted everything down, and then exchanged contact information with Dr. Oki Naruya with gratitude.

"Alright, I won't bother you any longer. You and 'KooKoo' get along well!" Oki said. "If you ever have the chance to come to Alola, be sure to visit my lab!"

"Not at all, I should be thanking you, Doctor." Ze Shu shook his head and smiled. "Thank you. I will definitely visit you when I have the chance."

He felt the warmth and kindness of the people in the Alora region.

"Haha, goodbye!" Oki Seiya's screen went dark.

"Professor Naruya's appearance really is exactly the same as Professor Oak from the Kanto region," Investigator Yusei remarked. "I heard they're just cousins. But Professor Naruya's skin is rather dark; are all Alola people like that?"

At this time.

"Oh, right!" Oki Naruya's screen suddenly lit up again, but upon hearing Yuumasa's words, he burst out laughing, "People often say that, and some even say I'm Yukinari's Alolan form..."

Xiong Zheng gave an awkward laugh. He'd been caught gossiping about others behind their backs.

Oki Seiya didn't care at all, and instead looked at Sawaki.

"If possible, please take 'KaooKaoo' to the high mountains! The snow-covered mountains are their most comfortable place, and it will surely be very beneficial to their growth!"

"Oh?" Ze Shu was a little confused, but still said, "I'll remember that."

The screen went completely dark, and with a "beep" sound, the call was disconnected.

Zeshu first expressed his sincere gratitude to Dr. Yamanashi.

If it weren't for Dr. Yamanashi contacting Shigeya Oki, he wouldn't have known this information.

But Dr. Yamanashi simply waved his hand dismissively, as if it were nothing to mention: "After all, I don't know much about... 'Koo Koo'..."

"Huh?" The Ice Vulpix tilted its cute head curiously.

"Kaio? Is that me...?"

"Of course." Ze Shu rubbed it. "Please take good care of me from now on."

He then took out a pure white commemorative ball and handed it to Ice Six.

"Ooh..."

He hadn't explained yet. Vulpix curiously poked at the ball, its pale blue nose lightly touching it, and it was immediately captured. With a "ding," the Poké Ball made a sound indicating successful capture.

Ze Shu shook his head with amusement.

……

in the afternoon.

The research institute was bustling with activity, or rather, busy with activity.

Zeki originally wanted to consult Dr. Yamanashi about the strange behavior of Yuki-dōji, but he didn't expect that it would be difficult to even find Dr. Yamanashi.

Because of the large number of Pokémon hunters that Zeki had captured around Sandstone Town, some of their "docile" Pokémon were taken in and cared for at the Yamanashi Research Institute.

Dr. Yamanashi has been very busy lately.

Because these Pokémon all have some psychological issues to varying degrees.

For example, Ze Shu heard about a Tank Skunk that developed depression due to its trainer's inappropriate remarks. After being sent to the research institute, it spent its days holed up in a corner of the grassland, its rear end constantly emitting a foul odor in its frustration.

This caused great distress to the researchers at the institute.

But there was nothing they could do.

Holding the fair-skinned Six-Tails and the petite and adorable Snow Child in his arms, Ze Shu could only wish them good luck.

Before him, Dr. Yamanashi pondered for a moment: "Snow Child's special case...?"