"Eevee, use Shadow Ball!"
"Eevee!"
Gu Yuan's command and Eevee's cry sounded together.
The Shadow Ball shot out and, with Kadabra's Psybeam, finished the last Goldeen.
Now, only one wild Pokémon was still able to fight.
Golduck stood on the water using its psychic power. It panted heavily, its body marked by wounds that stung painfully.
Charizard flew above, wings spread wide. It didn't have a single scratch.
Fueled by its spirit, Charizard had forgotten its fatigue. It only wanted to defeat the Golduck in front of it.
"Go, Charizard! Use Dragon Rush to finish it!"
"Roar!"
Charizard roared and dove forward.
The boost from Flame Charge pushed its speed to the limit.
Dragon-type energy wrapped around its body, forming a massive dragon that charged at Golduck.
Standing steady on the water, Golduck used its final move, Hydro Pump.
A thick jet of water burst out, carrying all of Golduck's strength.
But the torrent could not stop Charizard's rush.
As Charizard closed in, Golduck's body weakened further, leaving it unable to dodge.
A loud crash shook the lake.
Water splashed high, hiding both Charizard and Golduck.
When it settled, Charizard returned to shore carrying the defeated Golduck. The fierce battle was over.
"Well done, everyone. After we rest, we'll head back to Cerulean City."
Gu Yuan praised them and gave out medicine and Pokéblocks to help them recover quickly.
Then he sent some of the captured wild Pokémon to Shadow through their Poké Balls.
Once Charizard and the others had recovered, Gu Yuan began the trip back to Cerulean City.
The way out was faster than entering, but it still took more than a full day to leave the Cerulean Cave.
"Sure enough, sunlight feels better. The Cerulean Cave was far too dark."
Stretching under the sun, Gu Yuan sighed with relief.
Eevee, Mankey, and Ditto stretched their bodies too.
"Let's go. Once we're back in Cerulean City, Eevee, you'll be ready to evolve."
He didn't stop long and kept moving.
Eevee, excited by the words, leapt onto Gu Yuan's chest.
"Eevee! Eevee!"
Evolve? What will I look like? Will I be beautiful?
"Don't worry. I've chosen a beautiful evolution for you. It'll be even lovelier than you are now."
Gu Yuan stroked Eevee's fur, speaking with warmth.
He quickly returned to the Cerulean City. After restocking food, he went to the Pokémon Center to pick up the Technical Machine Shadow had sent him. It was a key item for Eevee's evolution.
But Gu Yuan didn't evolve Eevee inside the Pokémon Center. Instead, he left the city.
The evolution he had chosen wasn't mainstream. If others noticed, Gu Yuan would draw too much attention, and anything could happen.
Even with Charizard now at Senior Rank, he didn't believe he could act without restraint in this world.
"Alright, this place is good."
"Kadabra, scan the area with your psychic power. Make sure no one comes close."
"Charizard, keep watch in the sky. If any Pokémon approaches, attack at once."
"Mankey, Ditto, stay by me. We'll protect Eevee during its evolution together."
On a grassy field, Gu Yuan prepared everything.
Seeing the others on guard, Eevee grew nervous.
"It's alright, Eevee. You'll succeed. Charizard and the others just want to keep you safe, like you've done for them before."
Gu Yuan stroked Eevee's fur gently. The warmth of his hand calmed it down.
"Okay, let's begin. First, learn this move. I'll handle the rest."
He took out the TM Shadow had sent and taught it to Eevee.
It was Dazzling Gleam, a Fairy-type move. For now, it was still considered a Psychic-type.
Eevee could learn it, but it wouldn't reach full power. That was fine; Gu Yuan only needed it to learn the move.
Under the TM's guidance, Eevee quickly understood how to use it.
The moment Eevee mastered the move, Gu Yuan opened the system panel and raised its strength by one level.
In the next second, light surrounded Eevee.
"It worked!"
Holding back his excitement, Gu Yuan stepped back, giving Eevee room to evolve.
In the white glow, Eevee's body began to change.
When the light faded, a Sylveon stood before him.
Sylveon, one of Eevee's evolutions. The condition was a strong bond and learning a Fairy-type move while leveling up.
Learning a Fairy-type move wasn't too hard. Charm was a common choice for Trainers.
The true difficulty was leveling up after learning it, but for Gu Yuan, with his points, it was simple.
Sylveon's fur was mostly white.
Its ears, tail, and lower legs were pink. The inside of its ears was blue, and its eyes were light blue.
It had bows on its ear and neck, with two flowing ribbons. The ribbons were pink, dark blue, and light blue at the tips.
These ribbons were Sylveon's feelers.
They released soothing waves that calmed hostility. When wrapped around a person's arm, they could sense emotions.
"Congratulations. You've evolved. You're a Sylveon now."
Gu Yuan stroked its head with a smile.
If Eevee had been cute before, Sylveon was now beautiful.
Looking at its reflection, Sylveon's eyes sparkled with joy.
It leapt at Gu Yuan as it used to, but this time its larger body knocked him down.
Sylveon had discovered the first drawback of its new form.