"Great job, Charmeleon!"
Gu Yuan pulled Charmeleon close and hugged him tightly.
Sensing his trainer's excitement, Charmeleon's grin grew wider and brighter.
Taking the chance, Gu Yuan opened Charmeleon's status panel to check his current data.
Pokémon: Charmeleon
Gender: Male
Ability: Blaze
Rank: Rookie
Level-Up Moves: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Breath, Fire Fang
TM Moves: None
Egg Moves: Bite, Dragon Rush
Charmeleon's moves and rank hadn't changed since his evolution.
But Gu Yuan could clearly feel it; Charmeleon was stronger than before.
At this rate, Charmeleon no longer needed system points to advance. With steady training, he'd soon break through to the Junior Rank.
That was one of the lessons every Trainer had to learn: evolving a Pokémon at the right moment, right before a breakthrough, allowed the evolution's surge of power to push it to even greater heights.
But that was advice for others. For Gu Yuan, if he managed to time an evolution, great; if not, it didn't matter. As long as he had enough system points, no obstacle was insurmountable.
While Gu Yuan was still holding Charmeleon, Shadow quietly pushed open the door and caught sight of the scene.
Shadow understood Gu Yuan's excitement at Charmeleon's evolution, but he still thought it might be safer if Gu Yuan focused on catching male Pokémon in the future. If he picked up too many females, Shadow worried about… certain cross-species romances.
When Gu Yuan noticed Shadow, he quickly calmed down, returning to his usual composed self as he awaited instructions.
"This is yours."
Shadow handed over an incubator containing a Pokémon Egg.
Gu Yuan studied the patterns on the shell but couldn't recognize the species. With his limited knowledge, guessing a Pokémon just from its markings was impossible.
Placing the incubator aside, he noticed Shadow had no intention of explaining further, so Gu Yuan wisely didn't ask.
It was like New Year's at home when food was frying, you just sat quietly and waited to eat. Open your mouth at the wrong time and you'd get scolded.
This was no different. All he needed to do was wait for the Egg to hatch.
When Gu Yuan was ready, Shadow began teaching.
Though he had no textbooks, Shadow spoke fluidly, sharing vast amounts of knowledge.
Gu Yuan knew Shadow was a Trainer, not a teacher or professor. Which only made it clearer: to be a competent Trainer, one needed more than commanding skill and strong Pokémon; knowledge was just as essential.
For Gu Yuan, whose memory was near perfect, absorbing it all was easy. It was one of the reasons Shadow valued him so highly.
For Gu Yuan, once an ordinary man in his past life, it felt like being a top student for the first time.
Immersed in the sea of knowledge, an afternoon passed in a blink.
As Shadow dismissed him, he realized he needed to carefully plan the next lessons. Gu Yuan's pace was too fast. Having such a talented student was both gratifying and daunting.
That evening, Gu Yuan assigned Charmeleon a few training exercises, then focused on self-study.
After Gu Yuan had beaten Shadow once, Shadow had given him a new tablet packed with battle recordings.
Rather than questioning why there was no live sparring, Gu Yuan devoted himself to the study. Whenever a strategy or move caught his eye, he carved it into his memory. Perhaps one day he could replicate it in his own battles.
"Good night, Charmeleon."
After washing up, Gu Yuan stroked Charmeleon's head as he lay in bed, ending a fulfilling day.
"Oh, right, you too. Good night."
He patted the incubator, smiling. It had become a new nightly habit.
Soon, he drifted into sleep, unaware that the Egg inside was beginning to crack.
"Mmm…"
"Stop it, Charmeleon, it's not time to get up yet. …Wait, since when did you have fur?"
Half-asleep, feeling something nuzzling against him, Gu Yuan murmured unconsciously.
He never slept in, but years of routine made his biological clock firm; suddenly waking early was never easy.
"Wait a second, Charmeleon doesn't have fur!"
Startled, Gu Yuan's eyes shot open.
A cute little face was right in front of him.
The moment it saw him awake, it broke into a bright, joyous smile.
"This is… Eevee!"
Gu Yuan sat up, hugging the small Eevee in his arms, excitement filling his voice.
Beside him, Charmeleon awoke too, disturbed by the commotion. His trainer was holding another Pokémon? After spending the night together yesterday, Charmeleon couldn't help but feel… betrayed.
One glance at the incubator explained it. This Eevee must have hatched from the Egg Shadow had given him.
Gu Yuan stroked Eevee's soft fur as he opened the system to check her stats.
Pokémon: Eevee
Gender: Female
Ability: Anticipation
Rank: Newborn
Level-Up Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Helping Hand, Covet, Growl
TM Moves: None
Egg Moves: Wish, Yawn
Gu Yuan was very satisfied, especially since this Eevee had a hidden ability.
Even if the world didn't yet know of all Eevee's evolutions, Gu Yuan did. That meant he could choose the one best suited for his team.
Closing the panel, he found Eevee already melting under his touch, while Charmeleon sulked jealously nearby.
"From now on, we're partners, Eevee. And this is Charmeleon, our other partner. You two need to get along."
Stretching out his arms, Gu Yuan pulled them both into a hug, smiling.
Once Eevee and Charmeleon were a bit more familiar, Gu Yuan pulled out the Poké Ball that Shadow had given him and returned Eevee to it.
Even after testing it many times, Gu Yuan still found it miraculous how such a small ball could hold a living Pokémon.
At that moment, the system's voice rang in his head.
Mission complete. +100 points.