After the battle with Apollo, in which nearly everything had been wagered, Ye Li's Eevee entered the most luxurious period of its life.
It was housed in the finest Rehabilitation Center at the Team Rocket Breeding Base, enjoying treatment it had never even dared to imagine before.
Every Pokéblock, custom-made by the base's Chief Breeding Experts Team according to its physical data, contained pure, gentle energy.
They were shaped like Eevee's favorite little fish and gave off a faint milky fragrance mixed with the sweet freshness of Berries. Not only could they efficiently repair the bodily damage sustained in battle, but they could also fundamentally improve its constitution.
Ye Li freed himself from his department's complicated affairs and devoted almost all his available time to keeping Eevee company.
In the mornings, he would take it on gentle recovery walks across the lawns inside the base, feeling the coolness of the morning dew;
In the afternoons, they would do low-intensity coordination and reflex exercises in a professional training room. Using a specially made cat teaser... no, a pet teaser, he guided it through pounces, leaps, and dodges to rebuild its confidence in battle.
Their days together were like a gently flowing stream, silently nourishing the bond between the man and his pet.
That invisible bond grew ever stronger with every gentle grooming, every encouraging stroke, and every warm moment spent sharing food.
Under this unique care, Eevee's temperament also began to change imperceptibly.
It was no longer the timid little thing he had first met, frightened into hiding behind Ye Li by a single glance from a stranger. Its back had straightened, and its eyes had gained a measure of liveliness and vigilance.
This change was most apparent when it faced other team members.
Once, a member of the Combat Department passed Ye Li in a corridor. Because of the earlier factional strife, he cast Ye Li a contemptuous glance and gave a disdainful snort.
In the past, Eevee might only have huddled up more tightly. But that time, it poked its head out of Ye Li's arms, bristled the fur at the back of its neck at the man, and let out a low growl full of warning from deep in its throat, baring its sharp little teeth without restraint. Taken aback by this sudden show of ferocity, the man quickened his pace in chagrin.
Ye Li stroked Eevee to soothe it, but a warm current welled up in his heart. His partner was protecting him in its own way, clumsily but firmly.
During the days he spent helping Eevee recover, one crucial question kept circling in Ye Li's mind-the direction of its evolution.
Flareon, Vaporeon, Jolteon. These three best-known forms, brought about through Evolution Stones, were firmly rejected almost as soon as they came to mind.
No, absolutely not, Ye Li repeatedly weighed it in his mind. The base stat distributions of these three forms are too extreme. Their strengths and weaknesses are far too obvious. Flareon has decent physical attack, but awkward Speed and frail Special Defense; Vaporeon has plenty of HP, but lacks offensive power; Jolteon is incredibly fast and has good Special Attack, but its body is as fragile as paper. Their growth potential might count as excellent in this era, but in the future I know, their ceilings are simply too low.
His thoughts went deeper.
More importantly, external catalysts like Evolution Stones involve too many uncertainties. The quality of the stone, the purity of its energy, its compatibility with the Pokémon itself... a mistake at any stage could cause evolution to fail, or even inflict permanent damage on the Pokémon. My Eevee is an outstanding specimen, one in ten thousand, from Dr. Matori's "Perfect Talent" project. Its genes hold limitless possibilities. How could I bury its talent with such a crude, commonplace method that requires no technical skill whatsoever?
Ye Li's vision seemed to pierce the barriers of space and time. Two elegant figures, still unsolved mysteries in this world, appeared clearly in the depths of his consciousness.
Espeon and Umbreon.
Espeon, an elegant seer of the future. A powerful Psychic-type with astonishing Special Attack and outstanding Speed. On the battlefield, it is a mobile Psychic artillery platform, capable of tearing through any opponent with Psychic.
Umbreon, a quiet wanderer beneath the moon. The perfect Dark-type bulwark, with outrageously high physical Defense and Special Defense stats. It is like an impassable black mountain range, capable of absorbing every barrage its opponent unleashes. Moreover, it is naturally proficient in all sorts of disruptive moves that shatter an opponent's composure, making it a tactical master's favorite.
Two completely different evolutionary paths represented two completely different fighting styles. Ye Li scarcely hesitated. His "dirty fighting style" tactical philosophy, already part of his blood and arguably etched into his soul, immediately settled his final choice.
An artillery platform is certainly powerful, and its damage output is certainly spectacular, but that also means it will become the enemy's primary target for concentrated fire. Once a fast physical attacker gets close, Espeon's frail defenses become a fatal weakness. That doesn't fit my combat philosophy.
My tactics have only ever had one core principle-"stay alive."
Only by remaining standing do you earn the right to talk about dealing damage. Only by making your opponent's attacks meaningless can you calmly set up your tactics, wear down their will, and ultimately win.
Umbreon can hit and take hits, combining offense and defense. It can use Toxic to wear down an opponent's stamina, Confuse Ray to disrupt their judgment, and Mean Look to trap them firmly on the field to face defeat in despair. This versatile, tenacious fighting style that can also crush enemies mentally... it is simply the perfect partner, tailor-made for my tactical system!
Once his goal was established, Ye Li began making meticulous preparations. To evolve Eevee into Umbreon, two extremely demanding conditions had to be met-conditions that could even be called somewhat idealistic.
First, its friendship with its Trainer had to reach an extremely high level. This friendship was not simply a matter of feeding it and keeping it company; the Pokémon had to develop unreserved trust and attachment toward its Trainer from the depths of its heart.
Second, only at night, when an Eevee whose friendship had reached the critical threshold bathed in the power of moonlight, could this unique evolution be triggered.
Thus, the members of the Team Rocket Base began frequently witnessing a baffling sight. Their head of the Strategic Development Department, Lord Ye Li, who usually kept to himself, rarely appeared in public areas, and exuded an air of mystery, changed his usual habits. Every day after nightfall, he would appear without fail in the base's Simulated Ecosystem Garden, holding that brown Eevee.
This Ecological Park was one of Team Rocket's proud achievements. Not only did it simulate all sorts of terrain and landforms, but its domed ceiling was also an enormous high-resolution display, capable of perfectly reproducing every kind of sky, from day to night and from clear weather to rain.
Beneath that brilliantly clear, incredibly lifelike moonlight built from data, Ye Li patiently kept his Eevee company. He would play the simplest games of fetch with it, watching it run back and forth tirelessly; he would use a specially made soft-bristled brush to groom the ring of soft fur around its neck again and again, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a priceless treasure; he would also sit cross-legged on the grass with Eevee in his arms and softly tell it stories that the people of this world could not understand, in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Moonlight poured down silently like water. Beneath the artificial moonlight, the man and his pet cast long shadows that intertwined, forming a tranquil picture filled with warmth.
Naturally, none of this escaped Giovanni's notice.
The base's surveillance system served as his omnipresent eyes. Ye Li's strange actions, which seemed somewhat like "neglecting his duties" to others, were transmitted to his office in exact detail by high-definition cameras. Through highly sensitive microphones, he could even pick up those astonishing monologues in Ye Li's mind about "Espeon" and "Umbreon" that overturned the existing framework of Pokémon knowledge.
So that's how it is... Evolution Stones aren't the only path for Eevee's evolution. Friendship, time... these seemingly intangible factors can actually serve as keys to opening the door to evolution.
Giovanni leaned back in his spacious chair, tapping his fingertips lightly against the desk. He had developed an unprecedentedly keen interest in these unknown evolutionary forms that required emotional bonds and specific environments to trigger. This went beyond simply obtaining a powerful Pokémon and touched upon the deeper laws of the Pokémon world.
He became increasingly certain that Ye Li, this seemingly ordinary young man, concealed an enormous treasure trove in his mind, far beyond this era's level of understanding. It held the ultimate secrets of Pokémon.
Giovanni did not disturb Ye Li, nor did he send anyone to question him. He chose a more sophisticated approach-to observe silently and wait patiently. He gave Ye Li ample freedom and the best resources, like the most professional gardener, quietly awaiting what astonishing flower might bloom from the miraculous seed he had planted himself.
Time passed in day after day of companionship. Finally, on a night simulated by the domed sky, with a full moon hanging high and its radiance at its strongest.
Under that gentle moonlight and endless companionship, the friendship between Ye Li and Eevee quietly climbed to a mysterious critical threshold.
As Ye Li held Eevee in his arms and gently groomed the fur around its neck with his fingers, just as he had on countless nights before, a sudden change occurred.
Without warning, Eevee's body began giving off a soft light. It was not dazzling, but clear and tranquil, as though condensed from the purest moonlight. The light grew visibly brighter and brighter, finally forming a cocoon that completely enveloped its small body.
Within the cocoon of light, the original outline of Eevee's body began to blur, then underwent drastic, rapid changes.
Ye Li instinctively held his breath, his hands tightening slightly, his eyes filled with irrepressible excitement and anticipation.
At the same time, in the surveillance room in the deepest part of the base, Giovanni pushed aside all the mountainous piles of documents before him, braced his elbows on the desk, and fixed his gaze firmly on the enormous main screen before him. On the screen was that brilliant cocoon of light in the Simulated Ecosystem Garden.
Evolution had begun.
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