"Alright, Eevee, for now, just sit here quietly and watch me train with Charmeleon. Don't run off, okay?"
In the training room, Gu Yuan gently set the Eevee he was holding down to the side.
Watching this scene, Shadow felt that what he feared most was about to happen.
Before he even had the chance to act, Gu Yuan had already hatched a female Pokémon on his own.
But since Charmeleon and Eevee were in different egg groups, nothing too extreme should happen, right?
Eevee obediently nodded at Gu Yuan's instruction, which made Gu Yuan, who in his past life was a cat person, completely unable to resist.
If Shadow hadn't been there, Gu Yuan would have surely picked it up and given it a good, affectionate squeeze several times.
Once Eevee was settled, Gu Yuan turned to start training with Charmeleon.
Thanks to its evolution, Charmeleon's physical stats had improved noticeably, so Gu Yuan felt the need to make adjustments to its training plan.
Although this was the first time following the new regimen, Charmeleon was completing it perfectly.
From time to time, it would look in Eevee's direction and roar proudly.
Is it showing off in front of the newbie? Showing who's boss?
Gu Yuan smiled upon discovering a new side of his partner. In the future, he should pay attention to the relationships between his Pokémons.
His gaze then fell upon Eevee. Gu Yuan thought that even if Eevee did nothing, simply providing a passive "buff" to his Pokémon would make it worthwhile.
Of course, points could also apply to a Child Ranked Eevee, but Gu Yuan felt it wasn't necessary.
The beginner stage is an important period in a Pokémon's growth. Proper nurturing allows a Pokémon's unique physical traits to help it quickly reach the Rookie Rank, and from there, training and battling would be possible.
If one tried to force it, it could damage the Pokémon's potential.
Previously, Shadow had stopped supervising since Gu Yuan could complete the training plan reliably on his own.
But today, seeing Gu Yuan with the freshly hatched Eevee, Shadow felt it necessary to stay a bit longer.
By noon, Shadow finally left.
Once Shadow was gone, Gu Yuan picked up the obedient Eevee, who had been waiting all morning, and gave it a few affectionate squeezes to relieve the fatigue from training, all while ignoring Charmeleon's jealous gaze.
In the afternoon, Gu Yuan returned Eevee, still half-asleep, to its Poké Ball and focused on learning under Shadow's guidance.
A short distance away, Charmeleon continued practicing Ember on targets, a habit it had developed over the past few days.
To complete the quests quickly, Gu Yuan didn't want to waste a single moment, and Shadow had no objections; it didn't interfere with his teaching.
How far Gu Yuan could advance was up to him.
Thus, Gu Yuan fell into a tedious routine, training and learning every day.
Perhaps noticing this, Shadow deliberately added battle sessions in the evening to deepen Gu Yuan's understanding of combat.
Amidst the grueling training, Gu Yuan's only real joy was playing with Eevee and Charmeleon.
Eevee was like a fluffy cat, irradiating cuteness and joy whenever she was out of the Poké Ball.
Charmeleon was more like a dog, full of energy and strength. Playing with him was both tiring and gratifying.
Time flew by, and nearly twenty days of this uneventful routine passed.
In the training room, Charmeleon once again focused on a target and released Ember.
After over a month of practice, Charmeleon's control over Ember had improved significantly.
The fiery projectile shot forward, and a familiar sound rang in Gu Yuan's mind. Without even needing to check the result, he knew Charmeleon had reached Advanced proficiency with Ember.
At this point, Gu Yuan's accumulated points reached 275.
Fifteen of those points came from Eevee.
At Eevee's current growth rate, it would likely reach Rookie Rank within a couple of days.
Before Gu Yuan could even fully celebrate, another sound echoed.
After Charmeleon reached Advanced proficiency with Ember, it seemed to have broken through a mental barrier as well, advancing its rank from Rookie to Junior.
Through this process, Gu Yuan truly realized how difficult it is for a Pokémon to surpass its limits, and he cherished his points even more.
Next, he would only need Eevee to begin training so that both it and Charmeleon could raise their skill proficiency, completing the remaining quests and refreshing the quest list.
Meanwhile, Gu Yuan noticed that after Charmeleon reached Junior Rank, leveling up again would require 20 points.
Compared to Rookie Rank, that's a fourfold increase!
At this rate, Gu Yuan dared not imagine how many points would be needed as Charmeleon grew even stronger.
Relying solely on quests from the system might not be enough to both improve the Pokémon's rank and skill proficiency. Gu Yuan doubted this, since he had no intention of stopping at only two Pokémon.
Soon, Gu Yuan adjusted his mindset and continued letting Charmeleon practice Ember, stabilizing his progress rather than seeking short-lived gains.
"I wasn't mistaken, you really do have some kind of special ability."
After Charmeleon released Ember again, Shadow entered through the door, smiling at Gu Yuan.
"Special ability?"
Although he understood Shadow's meaning, Gu Yuan had to play the part of the clueless protagonist.
"A special ability is a natural power some people are born with," Shadow explained.
"The most common are psychic powers, but there are also mediums and aura masters throughout the region."
"There are also many rare abilities, each having its unique strength. Their common trait is that they have a greater effect when interacting with Pokémon."
"From my observation, you seem to have such a special ability, and it helps your Pokémon quickly improve both their strength and skill proficiency."
"Otherwise, Charmeleon wouldn't have advanced to Junior Rank so fast, nor reached advanced proficiency with Ember so quickly!"
Watching Gu Yuan, Shadow continued explaining.
What could Gu Yuan say? He had been wondering how to justify the system's changes, but Shadow had filled in all the details perfectly.
Refusing now would be impossible.
"Is that so?"
Looking at his hands, Gu Yuan showed a spark of excitement.
"Don't get too happy yet. Even with your special ability, you must grow stronger to make it fully effective. Right now, you're still too weak; think carefully about how to survive."
Seeing this, Shadow cooled Gu Yuan down with a dose of realism.
"I understand."
Nodding in satisfaction, Shadow finally began his teaching session.