"Such sharp senses. You smelled Sabrina's scent on me and got scared, didn't you?"
Ryuuske muttered under his breath, his gaze burning with intensity as he stared at the Eevee before him.
A Pokémon this rare—one that could be called truly unique—would be a shame to let go. In fact, this Eevee's rarity could be compared to that of legendary Pokémon, existing as the only one of its kind in the world. And yet, in terms of capture difficulty, this Eevee was undoubtedly far easier to obtain.
"Hmph, one day, I will command Arceus my banner. But for that day to come, I need to strengthen myself and devise an ambitious plan. Gods aren't so easily tamed."
"...For now, let's focus on this. Go, Gabite!"
With a flick of his wrist, Ryuuske tossed a Poké Ball. The moment Gabite emerged—its fierce appearance and savage aura filling the air—the Flareon in front of it bared its fangs, sensing danger from the dragon-type Pokémon.
Opening its mouth, Flareon unleashed a torrent of flames, the scorching heat instantly raising the surrounding temperature to hundreds of degrees. An ordinary person standing here would likely suffer searing pain in their lungs with just one breath. But for a trainer protected by the energy field generated by their Pokémon, while the heat still felt like a suffocating wave, it wouldn't actually harm their body.
Faced with the raging inferno, Gabite merely grinned ferociously. It didn't even bother dodging, simply taking a step forward and allowing the flames to wash over its body, leaving only faint traces of soot behind.
"Temperatures like these won't even scratch a dragon's hide."
Ryuuske chuckled, while Flareon panicked, retreating two steps. Its body seemed to emit an almost imperceptible glow—and in the next moment, it transformed into a Vaporeon.
"After all, it's a Pokémon without a trainer, fighting purely on instinct. When it realized fire was ineffective, it switched to water. But that won't work either. Still, something about this feels... off."
Ryuuske frowned as Vaporeon fired a high-pressure Hydro Pump at Gabite. The razor-sharp water blades, capable of slicing through rock, struck Gabite's body—yet aside from forcing it back two steps, they did nothing. Gabite's scales were harder than stone.
This was the absolute gap between them. After being trained by Ryuuske for so long and enduring numerous battles, Gabite had unknowingly grown strong enough that this little Eevee stood no chance.
No matter how special this Eevee was, Team Rocket had never trained it. Aside from its unique ability, it wasn't particularly powerful—which was precisely why Ryuuske feared it might be captured by someone else. At its current level, any battle-hardened trainer could easily catch it.
'Gabite should be close to evolving into Garchomp.'
As a competent trainer, Ryuuske could gauge his Pokémon's condition from every detail. Final evolution was just a new beginning for a Pokémon—its strength wasn't set in stone after reaching its ultimate form. Evolution was merely a rapid surge in power; true growth still required relentless training.
Realizing water was ineffective, Eevee transformed again—this time into Jolteon.
"Just as I thought. Something's definitely wrong. Every time you transform, your energy and stamina rapidly deplete, as if you're in pain..."
Ryuuske's frown deepened. This was a serious issue. Energy was essentially a Pokémon's life force. If every evolution drained its vitality, it wouldn't be suited for prolonged battles—it would need frequent rest.
"But there should be a solution... Normally, Eevee needs three different Evolution Stones to evolve into Jolteon, Flareon, or Vaporeon. Yet you don't rely on them—you use your own energy to catalyze the evolution. If we use Evolution Stones on you, this problem should disappear."
Ryuuske touched the thumb-sized Everstone Water Stone in his pocket. With a permanent stone, Eevee wouldn't suffer during these three evolutions. However, even though he'd found a solution, his frown remained.
It would be a waste if such a rare Eevee could only evolve into these three forms. Its true value lay in adapting to different opponents and environments by evolving into the most suitable form. While Fire, Water, and Electric could be fixed with stones, other evolutionary paths weren't so simple.
"Ha, I'm overcomplicating this..."
Ryuuske smacked his forehead, laughing at himself.
"...If your evolutions rely on your own energy, then all we need to do is train you until you're strong enough that this isn't even a problem."
It was simple logic. If this weak Eevee's total energy was, say, 10, and each evolution consumed 1, that would be a tenth of its reserves. But if trained to the point where its energy reached 100 or more, evolution would no longer be a burden.
"Team Rocket probably planned to solve it this way too—by having a trainer raise you. Too bad their lab was destroyed before they could try. Alright, Gabite, enough enjoying Jolteon's 'electric massage.' Finish this with Earthquake!"
Ryuuske snapped his fingers. Since Eevee was currently Electric-type, he ordered Gabite to end the battle with a Ground-type move.
Gabite raised its foot and stomped down violently. As Jolteon watched in horror, the earth trembled. The entire estate's buildings shook as terrifying energy gathered beneath the ground—then erupted like the wrath of Gaia itself, unleashing an invisible but palpable force from the depths!
"Gyaaa—!"
Jolteon shrieked as the overwhelming power, akin to molten lava bursting from the earth, distorted the air. The sheer force sent Jolteon flying, crashing through a wooden hut in the distance.
Facing Gabite's overwhelming strength, suffering a super-effective Earthquake, and having already exhausted itself from forced evolutions—Jolteon was left severely weakened after just one attack.
"Perfect. Now, be a good Eevee and become mine."
Ryuuske pulled out a blank Poké Ball and tossed it toward Jolteon.
"Crack—!"
A bolt of lightning struck mid-air, destroying the Poké Ball before it could reach its target.
"Oh? You've got spirit, little Eevee. Even now, you refuse to surrender."
Watching as Jolteon struggled to stand, its limbs trembling, Ryuuske couldn't help but admire it.
"...I like that unyielding will of yours. That desire for freedom can be turned into fighting spirit. But without a trainer, you don't know how to utilize your abilities properly. If you'd turned into Vaporeon before Earthquake hit, you wouldn't have taken such heavy damage."
Even as he spoke, Gabite understood its trainer's intent. The tremors of the earth had barely settled when another violent quake erupted. Grass and soil were flung into the air, fissures splitting the ground as another devastating shockwave launched Jolteon dozens of meters into the sky.
By the time Jolteon crashed back down, it had reverted to Eevee—barely conscious, on the verge of fainting.
Though the scene seemed brutal, this was how most trainers captured Pokémon. Unless one was a true capture specialist, weakening a Pokémon until it could no longer fight back was often necessary for a successful capture.
Ryuuske threw another Poké Ball. This time, Eevee offered no resistance—it was caught instantly.
The ball returned to Ryuuske's hand, and he shook his head slightly as he saw Eevee panting weakly inside. Digging through his pocket, he pulled out a healing Pokéblock and released Eevee once more.
The stubborn glint in Eevee's eyes remained, but its battered body refused to move.
"Such a disobedient Eevee. I'm not capturing you for experiments. I know you're scared, but I won't hurt you. Be good and eat this Pokéblock—it'll keep your injuries from worsening."
Ryuuske's tone softened as he picked Eevee up, stroking its smooth, cool fur. After ruffling its head affectionately, he brought the Pokéblock to its mouth.
Just then—
"Swish—!"
Four vines shot out from the nearby trees, binding Gabite's limbs. The moment Mewtwo's warning echoed in his mind, Ryuuske saw a flurry of leaves—sharp as blades—hurtling toward him with a piercing whistle.
Razor Leaf!
To be continued…
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