To be honest, the Pokémon I'd tentatively chosen seemed to overlap with Xiao Mao's choices.
However, if possible, I really wanted to get an Eevee as a partner.
Li Qingfeng sighed, then replied, "Let's not talk about that for now. Pikachu seems to have found something."
Hearing Li Qingfeng say that, Xiao Zhi also came back to his senses. The hot air balloon had already reached the ground, and they were now in the forest, with the general outline of Shidun Town visible ahead.
Xiao Zhi saw Pikachu jump off the hot air balloon and run into the forest, and he immediately reacted, chasing after it as well.
"Xiao Zhi!" * 3
Seeing this, the three of them quickly chased after him, afraid that something might happen to Xiao Zhi.
Group pet (confirmed)
After running for a while, Xiao Zhi saw a tree stump with a hole dug in it, where an adorable Eevee was resting.
Eevee's neck was tied with a rope, and compared to the Charmander and Gengar from before, it had enough Pokémon food and water here.
It seemed its Trainer had tied Eevee here for some reason.
Xiao Zhi walked forward and picked up Eevee, revealing the name tag also on Eevee's neck.
Li Qingfeng also saw the name tag and read the words on it, "Yagami, no, Taiyi, lives at this location in Shidun Town."
Xiao Xia rushed over. When she saw the Eevee Xiao Zhi was holding, her maiden heart overflowed: "Xiao Zhi... Huh? Why is there an Eevee here? It's so cute!"
Xiao Gang walked forward, stroked Eevee's fur, and then released his own Eevee, letting them get acquainted. Xiao Gang's Eevee observed the Eevee in front of it with curiosity.
"Oh? An Eevee with a Trainer? Why would it be here?"
Xiao Mao looked at the Eevee Xiao Zhi was holding, feeling a bit curious. Pokémon like Eevee are known for being rare and able to evolve in different directions. Normally, they wouldn't be abandoned so easily.
However, knowing Xiao Zhi's situation, he now found the motives of Trainers who abandoned Pokémon to be strange.
After all, some people would even abandon a Pokémon like Gengar.
Xiao Zhi explained his discovery. Since they were heading to Shidun Town next, they could take this Eevee with them to find its Trainer.
And so, the four embarked on the road to Shidun Town. They passed through small paths in the forest and finally arrived at the entrance of Shidun Town.
A relatively magnificent archway stood before them, adorned with exquisite carvings, showcasing the town's unique charm.
Upon entering the town, they were immediately captivated by the luxurious buildings and bustling streets. Tall buildings were ornately decorated, colorful flags fluttered in the breeze, and dazzling shops emitted enticing aromas.
Walking down the streets, they saw all sorts of people and Pokémon. Some Trainers were strolling in front of shops with their partners, some were resting at outdoor cafes, and others were playing with their Pokémon in the square.
Xiao Mao saw the Pokémon Center and said to Xiao Zhi, "Xiao Zhi, let's go to the Pokémon Center first. I need to get my Eevee back."
Xiao Zhi nodded and then pulled Xiao Gang and Xiao Xia towards the Pokémon Center.
After entrusting their Pokémon to Nurse Joy, Xiao Zhi and Xiao Mao went to the public phone to talk to Professor Da Mu.
"Xiao Zhi, Xiao Mao, is there something you need?" Professor Da Mu said with a cheerful smile, his eyes sparkling.
Xiao Mao nodded: "Yes, Grandpa. Please transfer Eevee and Nidorina. Is the Everstone on Eevee?"
Professor Da Mu said, taking out a poké ball and recalling Eevee and Nidorina into it: "Of course. I'll transfer Eevee and Nidorina to you shortly."
"Boo-ee."
Just as Professor Da Mu was about to use the transfer device to send these two Pokémon to Xiao Mao, an Eevee suddenly appeared. Its face was pressed against the screen, staring intently at Xiao Zhi (?).
"Hello?"
Xiao Zhi tried waving to greet it, but Eevee ignored Xiao Zhi, yet continued to stare at him.
'A bit of a peculiar Eevee. Hello there?' Li Qingfeng smiled, tentatively greeting the Eevee.
(A certain Pokémon in a certain space: I'll help you this once.)
"Boo-ee!"
Eevee sensed something in the dark and suddenly became happy.
This left Professor Da Mu watching in stunned surprise.
Seeing this, Xiao Zhi waved at Eevee again, but it still didn't respond.
Professor Da Mu seemed to be deep in thought, and after a while, he said, "This is the first time I've seen this child so happy. Xiao Zhi, when you return to Masara Town, come and see this little Eevee."
"Okay, Professor Da Mu, I actually have something else to tell you, just for us to see."
Xiao Zhi asked the three to help block the view, then took out his pokémon index and displayed the photo he had taken at the time.
Professor Da Mu: !!!
Professor Da Mu coughed, trying to compose himself. His tone carried a hint of worry and concern: "Ahem, Xiao Zhi... How's your recent journey? Do you have enough funds?"
Xiao Zhi waved his hand and replied, "No need. Will it be possible to leave Eevee at the laboratory for now? And when Eevee meets a suitable Trainer, can it be given to them then?"
"Alright, but~ if you run out of funds, just ask Xiao Mao for some."
Professor Da Mu said a few more words, then hung up the phone after transferring the poké ball to Xiao Mao.
Li Qingfeng couldn't possibly misunderstand Xiao Zhi's intention. He was a little touched, not expecting Xiao Zhi to actually ask Professor Da Mu to keep that Eevee for him: 'Xiao Zhi...'
Xiao Zhi smiled honestly: 'I saw you had such a connection with that Eevee, so I asked Professor Da Mu to help keep it.'
'Thank you.'
Thousands of words condensed into a single thank you.
Hearing this, Xiao Zhi quickly waved his hands: 'It's nothing, Brother Qingfeng, you've helped me so much, this little thing is nothing.'
Xiao Mao, after hearing what Xiao Zhi said to Professor Da Mu, also pondered Xiao Zhi's intentions.
Xiao Zhi must have a deeper meaning in doing this, right?
Thinking of this, Xiao Mao nodded slightly.
After all, he is Xiao Zhi.
Xiao Xia had just overheard Xiao Mao's conversation with Professor Da Mu and was a little curious: "Xiao Mao, what light novels are you reading?"
Xiao Gang was also curious and asked, "Yeah, I saw you were a little... longing? when you were talking about light novels just now."
Xiao Mao rubbed his hair awkwardly and said, "It's nothing much, just a story about a fictional region, roughly about starting from scratch to become the strongest Fire-type Champion."
"Besides that, there are three other ones I think are good. I'll tell you about one of them first."
"The title... seems to be: 'Pokémon: Reforging the Glory of Fire, Our Duty.' It's just that the author of this book seems to have a certain condition."
Hearing Xiao Mao's words, Xiao Zhi and the other two were quite curious, and even Li Qingfeng wanted to know what the condition was: "What condition?"
Xiao Mao slowly uttered two words: "Lily disease."
Li Qingfeng: ?
——
Can't stop laughing