Under Giovanni's gaze, which brooked no refusal, Ye Li finally accepted the Eevee Egg.
Giovanni was very pleased with this.
Not only did he equip Ye Li with the Pokémon League's latest portable incubator, but he also gave him a large pile of Eevee care materials and nutrition plans compiled by the base's experts.
Finally, with a grand wave of his hand, he granted Ye Li a week of "hatching leave" so he could focus on raising his first Pokémon.
Holding the incubator containing the Eevee Egg, Ye Li returned to his dorm room in a daze.
It was still the same cramped single room, but now there was a little life he was responsible for.
He carefully placed the incubator on the desk and stared at the egg, at a complete loss.
In his previous life, he had only raised Pokémon in games.
A few clicks of the mouse and some Pokéblocks, and the Pokémon would level up and evolve.
But now, this was a living egg.
He had absolutely no practical experience raising one.
What if it died in his care?
Ye Li frantically began recalling all kinds of game knowledge and quick-start guides.
[Raising Eevee... I think you need to focus on friendship.]
[You need to play with it often, brush its fur, and feed it Poffins in its favorite flavors.]
[And its nature. Its nature affects how its stats grow...]
He opened the pile of materials Giovanni had given him and began cramming Pokémon care knowledge at the last minute.
Perhaps the incubator worked too well, or perhaps the egg itself was simply brimming with vitality.
After just three days, the incubator let out a series of beeps.
The egg was about to hatch.
Ye Li fumbled to open the incubator and saw cracks appearing across the shell.
Amid a crisp series of cracking sounds, a little furry head poked out of the shell.
It twitched its ears and curiously surveyed this unfamiliar world with large eyes as clear as obsidian.
Then its gaze settled on Ye Li's face.
"Vee?"
That soft little cry nearly melted Ye Li's heart.
This Eevee truly lived up to its status as a "Perfect Talent" test subject.
Its fur was glossier than an ordinary Eevee's, its limbs looked stronger, and its whole body radiated vigorous vitality.
Yet its personality was remarkably similar to Ye Li's.
Timid and afraid of trouble.
When the wind rattled the dorm room door, it immediately shuddered in fright and darted behind Ye Li like lightning, leaving only a pair of darting eyes exposed as it warily watched its surroundings.
Looking at the little creature that was exactly like him, Ye Li did not know whether to be annoyed or amused.
The human and his pet were truly a pair of cowards made for each other.
His leave soon ended.
Ye Li tried taking Eevee to the base's public training grounds for some simple physical training.
He wanted to build up Eevee's courage and stamina.
The result was a very awkward scene.
"Eevee, go on! Finish that obstacle course!"
Ye Li pointed at one of the simplest training facilities nearby and encouraged Eevee.
Eevee looked at the obstacles, then at Ye Li, shaking its head like a rattle as it clung tightly to his calf and refused to let go.
"Go on! I'll give you a snack when you finish!"
Ye Li brought out his trump card.
Eevee hesitated, then finally set off on its short little legs and slowly trotted over.
But at the very first hurdle, its legs were too short and it tripped, rolling several times across the ground and ending up covered in dirt.
It ran back to Ye Li, looking aggrieved, and rubbed its head against his trouser leg, refusing to go again no matter what.
Helpless, Ye Li could only take to the course himself to demonstrate for Eevee.
He ran clumsily around the training grounds, clearing obstacles, but his lack of exercise left him panting after just a few steps, his movements as comical as a clumsy duck's.
The spectacle of the human and his pet making fools of themselves on the training grounds soon drew the attention of the other Team Rocket members nearby.
Most were combat personnel, putting their own Pokémon through harsh training here.
Seeing Ye Li and Eevee's training methods, which could only be described as "playing house," they could not help bursting into laughter.
"Hahaha, look at that assistant! Is he training a Pokémon or walking a dog?"
"That Eevee's useless too. What a waste of such great talent."
"Sure enough, a clerk's just a clerk. He's not fit to be a Trainer."
Mocking laughter rose one wave after another, piercing like needles.
Just then, Apollo happened to pass by the edge of the training grounds with his Golbat.
When he saw Ye Li, whom everyone was treating as a joke, and the equally timid Eevee, the disdain and contempt on his face deepened.
To him, Boss Giovanni rewarding such a useless man with such a precious Pokémon Egg was simply a criminal waste.
A perfect test subject like this should have been entrusted to an ace combatant like him to bring out its greatest value.
Ye Li ignored all the mockery and contemptuous looks around him.
He was crouching on the ground, wiping the dust off Eevee while silently planning an entirely new way of fighting based on its timid, trouble-averse personality.
[Since it's timid, there's no need to force it into head-on clashes.]
[The core idea of combat comes down to one word: stall.]
[Take survival and harassment to their limits.]
[Use its speed advantage. Fight if it can win; run if it can't.]
[Use all kinds of little moves to annoy the opponent, disrupt their rhythm, and drain their stamina.]
[Once the opponent gets so irritated that they lose their composure and leave an opening, catch them off guard and hit them hard.]
A sneaky, shameless "underhanded" strategy that nonetheless seemed perfectly suited to him and Eevee was quietly taking shape in Ye Li's mind.
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