The birth of Umbreon

The cocoon of light pulsed ever more gently. Its moonlike radiance no longer spread outward, but slowly drew inward, merging bit by bit into the body transforming within.

An indescribably mysterious aura filled the air, tranquil yet brimming with power.

When the last wisp of light had completely faded, an entirely new Pokémon, one never recorded in any known Pokédex, stood quietly on the grass before Ye Li.

Its body was slightly larger than it had been as an Eevee, its limbs long and elegant, its bearing composed, like a born aristocrat of the night.

Its entire body was pitch-black, the deepest, purest shade of night, capable of swallowing light.

The skin covering its body no longer felt fluffy, but had become exceptionally smooth, its delicate sheen flowing like the finest silk beneath the artificial moonlight.

Most striking of all were the mysterious golden rings adorning its body.

One such golden ring marked the center of its forehead, the joints of its limbs, and its long ears and tail.

Beneath the tranquil moonlight, these golden rings seemed less like static markings than living things. Golden light appeared to flow slowly within them, giving off a faint glow with a mysterious rhythm.

Its eyes had completely shed the innocence and timidity of its Eevee days, becoming two rubies of the purest clarity.

That red was deep and beautiful, holding an innate composure and a barely perceptible hint of a predator's danger.

The transformation from a timid, fearful Eevee into this unknown Pokémon with its cool, noble bearing would have stunned anyone who witnessed it.

"Bree..."

It gave a low, melodious cry entirely at odds with its appearance.

Its voice was no longer childish, but carried a hint of steady resonance. With graceful steps, it walked to Ye Li's feet and gently rubbed its head against the back of his hand.

The old cowardice had vanished from those ruby eyes, replaced by overflowing attachment and trust, along with a resolve that said, "From now on, I'll protect you."

Ye Li's heart pounded. He reached out and gently stroked his partner's smooth head, warm and supple beneath his hand. He had succeeded.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded at the entrance to the Ecological Park.

After receiving an urgent notification from the monitoring room, a group of researchers in white lab coats rushed over as fast as they could.

They carried an assortment of precision detection instruments, their faces alight with fervor and excitement.

"Minister! Please allow us to collect data!" the lead researcher requested excitedly.

Ye Li nodded.

The researchers immediately set to work. Several invisible scanning beams shot out of their instruments, conducting comprehensive, contactless measurements of this new Pokémon form.

Vast streams of data poured into the tablets they carried. After rapid analysis and comparison, a preliminary report finally appeared on their screens.

When they saw the data displayed on the screens, every researcher present gasped, disbelief spreading across their faces.

"My god... th-this is impossible!" a young researcher exclaimed involuntarily. "According to our model's estimates, its base physical Defense and Special Defense stats far exceed those of the three conventional evolved forms, Flareon, Vaporeon, and Jolteon! It's practically a mobile fortress!"

Another, older expert stared fixedly at the energy analysis module on the screen, his fingers trembling slightly. "Look at this! We've detected an energy fluctuation of an extremely unusual nature inside its body... This energy is full of characteristics associated with negative emotions, with powerful corrosive and disruptive properties, yet it controls it perfectly. There isn't a single known type in our database that corresponds to it completely!"

Dark-type.

Looking at his partner, Ye Li silently recited the name of this type, which this world had yet to officially name.

He gazed at the ring-shaped markings giving off their golden glow beneath the moonlight, feeling the unprecedented depth of their bond, and a name naturally surfaced in his mind.

Born on a moonlit night, like a spirit beneath the moon. I'll call you Umbreon.

He gave it this name, destined to go down in history.

Umbreon.

In the monitoring room, Giovanni clearly saw the researchers' shock through the screen, and read Ye Li's lips to decipher the name in his mind.

The name was almost identical to the "Umbreon" he had heard before. This made Giovanni even more certain that Ye Li was not exploring the unknown, but reproducing a definite, unquestionable result he had long known.

Hidden in Ye Li's mind was an immense treasure capable of overturning the entire Pokémon world.

This treasure could not only bring Team Rocket immeasurable wealth and technology ahead of its time, but also reveal this world's most fundamental secrets concerning Pokémon evolution.

A profound smile curved Giovanni's lips.

The next day.

When Ye Li appeared with Umbreon at the Advanced Training Ground reserved for executives, he immediately drew everyone's attention.

Unlike the utterly unremarkable Eevee it had been before yesterday, Umbreon now radiated a powerful aura that warned strangers to keep their distance.

It followed calmly at Ye Li's side, its red eyes surveying its surroundings in silence. Any Pokémon that met its gaze would instinctively look away.

Apollo was in the middle of the grounds, directing his Houndoom through intense Flamethrower training.

When his gaze landed on Ye Li and Umbreon, his movements visibly paused.

As he looked at the pitch-black Umbreon, whose bearing had become composed and dangerous, not a trace of disdain remained in his eyes, replaced by intense surprise and curiosity.

He even took the initiative to stop training and strode over to Ye Li.

This surprised the other members nearby. Everyone knew Apollo was a battle maniac who thought little of anyone except Giovanni, especially Ye Li, whose "logistics" work he had always disliked.

"Ye Li." Apollo stopped before him, his tall frame exerting considerable pressure, but his attitude showed a rarely seen courtesy, even a hint of awkwardness. "You... what's the story with that Pokémon of yours? There's no record of this evolution in the Pokédex."

"And..." He seemed to find it difficult to say, pausing before he continued. "That tactic you used in our last battle... could you... give my Houndoom some 'Tactical Optimization Advice' too?"

Looking at this battle maniac whose attitude had taken a complete about-face, Ye Li almost thought he was hallucinating.

Holy shit! What's going on? Did the sun rise in the west? Turbulent waves surged through Ye Li's mind. Apollo, Team Rocket's Chief Enforcer, that arrogant bastard, is actually asking me for tactical advice? What kind of joke is this?!

What the hell do I know about tactics?! That last win was purely an information gap plus a gambler's mentality. A blind cat stumbling onto a dead mouse. Luck, nothing but luck!

How am I supposed to coach you?! I could give you eight movesets for your Houndoom with my eyes closed. A Sunny Day Eruption build, a Nasty Plot burst build, the Scarf Surprise Attack Strategy... but can I say any of that? Would you even understand if I did? How would I explain knowing all this?

Ye Li ranted furiously inside, the barrage of comments practically filling his entire brain, but his face retained its trademark unfathomable calm. Making a show of it, he turned his gaze toward the Houndoom behind Apollo and looked it up and down, like a grandmaster appraising an uncut gem.

Only after a moment did he pretend to finish considering it and speak, his tone level yet instructive. "Your Houndoom has tremendous power, and its flames are strong enough, but its problem is insufficient burst power. It lacks the decisive force to settle a battle in one strike."

Apollo's brow furrowed slightly at those words, which had clearly struck a sore spot. His Houndoom did indeed often get bogged down in difficult battles, unable to quickly finish opponents of the same level.

Maintaining his "expert" demeanor, Ye Li offered a suggestion plucked effortlessly from his knowledge of the games. "You could try having it learn the move 'Nasty Plot.' Find an opening to use it during battle to greatly boost its Special Attack.

"Then strike your opponent a lethal blow with overwhelming force. Catch them by surprise and attack when they're unprepared, and you might achieve remarkable results."

Nasty Plot? Boost Special Attack?

Apollo listened to these tactical terms he had never encountered before. Though he could not fully grasp their deeper meaning, phrases like "greatly boost" and "lethal blow" appealed precisely to his battle-crazed tastes. He felt as though he had pushed open the door to a new world.

"I understand!" As though he had gained a priceless treasure, he nodded firmly, eyes shining, then immediately turned and excitedly ran toward the Move Training Area with his Houndoom, eager to put this entirely new tactical approach into practice.

Once again, the ubiquitous surveillance presented all of this to Giovanni in full.

He watched Apollo's wildly excited expression on the screen, then looked at Ye Li, who remained perfectly calm, as though he had merely offered an offhand pointer. His gaze grew ever more profound.

He realized that Ye Li had already begun unconsciously using the knowledge from the "future" in his mind to subtly influence and fundamentally change Team Rocket's entire core fighting force.

From business-Pokéblocks-to technology-unknown evolutions-and now battle tactics.

This pawn he had casually picked up was revealing a brilliant value on his carefully arranged chessboard, far beyond his imagination, one that even he found somewhat impossible to measure. It was no longer merely a pawn. It was becoming a crucial hand capable of shifting the course of the entire game.