Lin Feng gently picked up the drenched Eevee.
"It caught a slight fever from the rain, but once its fur was dried and it was nursed back, it should be fine. By the way, bring over the other two missing Eevee. This little one feels guilty not seeing them around."
"Got it~"
Hearing that familiar tone, Charles Chen instinctively nodded and agreed. He then walked into the Eevee nursery, scooped up an Eevee with one arm, and headed back.
But halfway through, something struck him.
When he was younger, he always thought Lin Feng was incredible. Lin knew so much about Pokémon. Back when they watched battles together at the park, Lin Feng could always explain every move in detail.
And those were things only taught in high school.
Yet Lin Feng, still a kid at the time, already understood them so clearly.
Naturally, Charles admired him deeply back then.
But now things were different.
He had already completed high school courses, traveled through two regions, and competed in two official League tournaments.
In fact, in one of those official regional competitions, he had fought his way into the top sixteen. By any standard, he was an exceptionally strong trainer now.
And Lin Feng... was still just a freshly graduated high schooler.
So why did he still feel "intimidated" by him?
With that thought, Charles straightened his back proudly.
But before he could say anything, Lin Feng lifted the Eevee by the scruff and smiled. "See? Your two partners are just fine."
Charles cleared his throat and shifted his tone, trying to sound composed and mature. "So, little Lin, you've inherited Uncle Lin's nursery already? Officially a breeder now?"
"Hm?"
The change in how Charles addressed him made Lin Feng glance over. But he didn't dwell on it. He just nodded. "Yeah, that's right."
Charles's interest flared up immediately. His tone carried surprise and a hint of "disappointment."
"Little Lin, that doesn't sound like the fiery dreamer I knew. When you were a kid, you swore you'd claim the championship seat of the East League one day!"
"Look at me. I've traveled through both Kanto and Johto, and my achievements are nothing to scoff at. You don't know how intense the Indigo League battles were. Before the League even began, I faced a trainer named Red. Our fight shook the ground itself. My Flareon only lost by a single move…"
He went on and on, bragging about his glorious adventures, not noticing Lin Feng's expression growing more and more peculiar.
Trading blows with Red? Really?
That Flareon of his barely scraped into Elite level at best.
As expected… men and their hopeless need to show off.
"Oh, right. Lin, you asked why I came back this time? It's for the Grand Convergence Tournament. I heard Champion Wind will be competing, and my goal is to win the title and face him directly!"
Lin Feng clasped his hands together politely. "Wow, is that so? Then I wish you good luck."
The Convergence Tournament was held every three years, where challengers could face the current Champion. Sure enough, this year marked the third.
Charles, still riding high on his own stories, suddenly remembered something. His tone shifted.
"Alright, Lin, I'll leave it here. Since the Eevee's been found, I need to tell my dad so he stops searching outside. I'll come visit you when I've got time."
"Sure."
Lin Feng ended the call quickly, asking Rotom to cut the feed.
And in his heart, he muttered:
This guy… even as an adult, he still hasn't dropped his habit of bragging.
Shaking his head, Lin Feng looked back at the Eevee in his arms.
"Eevee?"
Seeing that its partners were safe, the little Eevee finally calmed down and began to carefully observe the human in front of it.
Back in the nursery, it had never liked humans.
Because whenever they appeared, one of its companions might be taken away.
Only later did it slowly realize…
Those Eevee chosen by humans weren't disappearing. They had found their own trainers.
"The rain won't stop for a while. No one's coming to pick you up tonight, so you'll be staying with me for now."
The thought made Lin Feng quietly happy.
This was something he had looked forward to since childhood.
Seeing the Eevee wasn't resisting, he lifted its little forepaws and, before it could react, buried his face into its soft belly.
"Ahh, so comfy!"
Now that autumn was here, Little Vulpix's chilly fur wasn't as pleasant to cuddle.
But an Eevee? Absolutely perfect.
Especially its fluffy mane around the neck, soft and warm, like a living pillow.
"Eevee…"
The Pokémon blinked. Normally it disliked even breeders coming close, but right now, in this human's arms, there was no rejection at all. Instead, for the first time, it felt at ease.
Could it be… humans weren't so bad?
This one hadn't only saved it, but also reassured it that its friends were unharmed.
And…
His scent was really comforting.
Eevee's heart skipped as it thought of hugging Lin Feng back
"Veeehhh!"
A sharp little cry broke the moment.
Lin Feng glanced down to find Little Vulpix, who had been lying quietly on the sofa. Its cheeks puffed up in a pout, eyes glaring at him jealously while its paw tugged insistently at his pant leg.
It looked utterly wronged. Even without words, it was clear as day: the little fox was jealous.
"Veeehh!?" (Why are you hugging that one and not me!?)
"Alright, alright, I'll hold both of you!"
With no choice, Lin Feng set Eevee on his left knee and scooped up Little Vulpix onto his right.
One hand stroked each Pokémon's back.
Little Vulpix closed its eyes contentedly, while Eevee squirmed, awkward and unsure.
And then
grrrrowl…
Eevee's belly rumbled.
The little one froze in embarrassment, burying its face into Lin Feng's knee.
Seeing that, Lin Feng burst into laughter.
"Haha! That'll teach you to run off like that. Sit tight, I'll make you something to eat!"
"Eevee…"
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