Healing Eevee

Su Bai casually plucked a banana from Tropius's neck and ate it right in front of Tropius, then gave the Pokémon a little therapeutic treatment with his Viridian Force.

Tropius let out a contented cry and drew its neck back.

The intimidating presence of a Near-Elite Four Level Pokémon was too much and would frighten the little ones in the teaching area.

Su Bai said goodbye, divided up the remaining food, and headed for the Flower Garden deep inside the teaching area.

Even from far away, Su Bai could hear Pikachu calling.

He hurried over and found little Eevee covered in dirt, trembling inside a burrow it had dug with a move. The Flower Garden it had once loved most was no longer intact, having been torn into a complete mess.

Pikachu was trying to stop Growlithe from charging inside with Dig while also coaxing Eevee to come out. Its voice had gone hoarse from calling.

But no matter how much it called, Eevee refused to come out.

It seemed this ordeal had hit Eevee far too hard.

"Pikachu, thank you for your hard work."

Su Bai stroked Pikachu's head and handed it a Pecha Berry to soothe its throat.

"Thanks for all your effort, Pikachu."

Su Bai placed Pikachu on his shoulder, grabbed Growlithe by the scruff, and pulled it back, giving its head a vigorous rub.

Growlithe meant well, but charging straight inside was far too reckless.

Are you sure you're not a husky?

After calming Growlithe down and pouring it a box of Dog Food, Su Bai lay down on the ground.

"Eevee, it's me. Could you come out?"

"Vee!"

Eevee huddled in the burrow, trembling and shaking its little head like a rattle.

"Be good, Eevee. Listen to me. You know I won't hurt you, right? Come here and let me hold you."

Su Bai slowly lowered himself in front of the burrow, leaving plenty of space to help Eevee feel safe.

At the same time, he tried releasing his Viridian Force, hoping to ease Eevee's anxiety a little.

Eevee recognized Su Bai's scent and felt the Viridian Force he released, which eased some of its fear and tension.

Eevee cautiously took two steps forward, then shrank back again.

Although it did not dislike Su Bai, it was unwilling to trust the outside world anymore.

"All right. If you don't want to come out, you can stay in there. But we still need to eat, don't we?"

Su Bai set Eevee's food container at the entrance to the burrow.

"Come and eat when you're hungry. I'll be leaving tomorrow and won't be back for two days, though. Make sure you eat properly while I'm gone, too."

Su Bai sighed helplessly and began putting Pikachu and Growlithe through special training.

Pikachu's Speed Boost ability determined its potential. As long as Pikachu could get its speed up, it would be able to move second yet strike first, throwing its opponent off balance.

His Pikachu's durability also gave it the chance to build up its speed.

And with the Light Ball, Pikachu certainly did not lack damage output.

So Pikachu mainly practiced the accuracy of its moves, especially Thunder.

When experts faced off, a move's accuracy took priority over its power.

But if a single Thunder could knock the opponent out, that would save them the trouble.

After all, Volt Tackle was a finishing move that also inflicted considerable damage on Pikachu. Su Bai did not want to use it unless absolutely necessary.

As for Growlithe... it was simple. Take a beating!

Growlithe already had enough offensive coverage. Although the pup seemed as dim-witted as a husky, it had an extraordinary gift for battling.

Almost any move Growlithe was capable of learning, it could pick up after seeing it just once.

Growlithe's Intimidate ability paired with Pikachu's Volt Switch made an excellent disruption tactic, but that meant Growlithe would inevitably take some hits.

There was no harm in getting used to it beforehand.

The pup had Morning Sun anyway, so it could simply restore its stamina after taking a beating.

Eevee lay curled up inside the burrow, its little ears twitching as it listened to the training outside.

Night soon fell. Su Bai called a halt to training and glanced at the burrow entrance. Eevee still had not come out to eat, leaving him feeling helpless.

Even if he wanted to treat Eevee's injuries with his Viridian Force, Eevee would have to come out and cooperate.

After obtaining Viridian Force, Su Bai had studied it. Even though it could heal Pokémon, its effectiveness still depended on the exact nature of their injuries.

Viridian Force was not a regenerative power that could resurrect the dead or regrow flesh from bare bones. If little Eevee's eyes had merely been poisoned into blindness, there would be no problem.

But if the poison had destroyed little Eevee's eyes, there was nothing Su Bai could do.

"Old Ghost."

Su Bai gave Gengar a meaningful look. Grinning, Gengar nodded, emerged from the shadows, and cautiously floated over to the burrow entrance to use Hypnosis.

As Eevee trembled, an irresistible wave of drowsiness washed over it, and it soon fell asleep.

Su Bai carefully lifted Eevee out and examined it.

Fortunately, it was the former.

Eevee's eyes were intact, though the flow of Viridian Force became somewhat sluggish when it reached them.

Lifting its eyelids, he could still faintly make out the structures of Eevee's eyes, but they remained clouded with a hazy purple.

Su Bai focused and carefully began treating Eevee.

The eyes were unlike other parts of the body. He did not dare rush and could only proceed slowly, step by step.

That night, Eevee dreamed it was walking through a pitch-black tunnel with no light anywhere.

Eevee was terrified. It had no idea how long it had been running through that sunless darkness, but just as it could run no farther, a green light appeared ahead.

There seemed to be many voices within that green light.

Big Brother Pikachu, Big Brother Pup, Uncle Ghost.

And the one it felt closest to of all, the young human named Su Bai.

Eevee was delighted and used the last of its strength to hurry toward them.

When Eevee opened its eyes, it found that its once murky purple vision had become clear again. It could see both the burrow it was in and the lush green lawn beyond the entrance. In disbelief, Eevee slowly took a few steps forward.

As it emerged from the burrow, a dazzling light made Eevee squint. To its astonishment, it could see again!

With its sight restored, its spirits lifted too. Looking at the beautiful Flower Garden filled with colorful blossoms, Eevee happily bounded among the flowers.

Partway through its frolicking, its stomach began to rumble. Little Eevee stopped its dance, blushing.

I was scared all day yesterday and barely ate anything. I'm so hungry.

An early autumn breeze blew past, carrying a scent that made its mouth water.

Eevee looked up and saw a covered food bowl not far away, giving off an enticing aroma.

Eevee cautiously approached and sniffed carefully. Although it was still afraid, the scent brought it a little comfort.

The food container smelled not only of food, but also of Su Bai.

Eevee cautiously nudged the lid open and found it packed with Pokémon Food, topped with a simple drawing of Eevee made from Oran Berry jam.

He's actually pretty good at drawing.

Maybe I'll just have one bite?

So delicious! One more bite!

I can't stop!

At that moment, Su Bai was holding Pikachu in his arms as he sat on a train bound for L City.