"Can't you come to the capital early…? Well, that's fine. You're still young… it's good for young people to have drive."
"But remember to apply to a university in the capital, okay?"
"Mhm."
Lin Yu let out a quiet breath. He had held nothing back — showing his full breeding skill, answering every question perfectly.
The professor clearly approved of him.
Still, he made it clear his priority for now was to focus on being a Trainer.
"Chief Luo, here's the latest experiment data for this batch of Eevee. None evolved into Sylveon or Umbreon…"
Just as Lin Yu thought the conversation was ending, a report came from the other side.
"Is that so?"
Luo Qingfeng thought she'd already hung up. She stared at the data her assistant handed over, feeling frustrated.
She'd been researching Eevee's evolution for months,
but they still couldn't crack the key.
So far, only Evolution Stones had been confirmed to work.
Lin Yu's eyes flickered.
In this world,
Pokémon had only integrated into society for a bit over 200 years. Research was still incomplete in many areas —
Mega Evolution, hidden abilities, secret evolution paths, Z-Moves…
he hadn't heard a single mention of them.
If he became a researcher later, he could make huge breakthroughs here.
So Lin Yu spoke up: "Teacher, I have some thoughts."
"Huh? You're still on the line?"
She'd already accepted Lin Yu as her student.
His earlier insights had been sharp, so she was curious to hear what he thought about Eevee.
"Go on, let's hear it."
Lin Yu cleared his throat.
"From what we know so far, Eevee has six evolution paths: Vaporeon, Flareon, Jolteon, Leafeon, Espeon, and Umbreon.
The first three use Evolution Stones. The last two? We still don't know. But from what I've seen, every Espeon and Umbreon that evolved successfully had spent a long time with their Trainers. It's like a bond between human and Pokémon. Could that be the key to their evolution?"
"…What?!"
Luo Qingfeng felt like a bucket of cold water had woken her up.
All this time, they'd assumed Eevee needed another Evolution Stone.
They'd replaced test subjects batch after batch,
never bothering to build real affection.
Their entire research direction had been wrong from the start.
"Right… right! Bond… it's all about bond!"
She shot to her feet, repeating the word excitedly.
She was already turning to leave when she suddenly remembered the call.
"Lin Yu, your idea is extremely valuable. If this succeeds, you'll be credited as a co-author on Eevee's evolution research!"
She hung up immediately, clearly eager to rush back to the lab.
"Kirl~"
Kirlia floated to his shoulder and used Telepathy to gently massage his temples.
"Phew…
It's okay. Let's rest, Kirlia."
Snow fell heavier and heavier.
Most Secret Realms around Shuimu City closed temporarily. With no other choice, Lin Yu trained his three Pokémon in the Training House every day.
As New Year approached,
he slowly cut back on training.
After months of nonstop work, they all needed a break.
The school held its final exam,
which everyone had to attend — including a Pokémon battle round for rankings.
Lin Yu easily took first place among all first-years.
Few peers even dared to battle him.
As time passed, two more blue Entries refreshed.
The weekly drop rate for blue Entries really was rising.
[Blue Entry (Wind Rhythm):
Speed increased by 30% while in wind.]
[Blue Entry (Thunder Lord):
Upon equipping, grants the user the Electric-type. Fixed-type Entry — does not consume an Entry slot.]
Two powerful blue Entries.
The first was useless for now — he didn't have a Flying-type Pokémon.
But the second was game-changing.
Fire and lightning both symbolized overwhelming power.
He could have given it to Charmeleon…
but in the end, Lin Yu chose Frogadier.
Metal, wood, water, fire, earth — elements cycled and countered each other.
Electricity beats Water… but Water also conducts Electricity!
Together, their power would be far greater than 1+1.
And that's exactly what happened.
The moment [Thunder Lord] was equipped, Frogadier learned Thunder Shock and Electroweb instantly.
The ultimate Electric move, Thunderbolt, was only a matter of time.
Besides — who would expect a Water-type Frogadier to fight with Electric moves?
The element of surprise was everything.
For the next month's Entry,
Lin Yu "wished" for another gold-rarity one.
Time quickly raced to the end of the year.
January 4th.
The [Encounter] Entry didn't activate.
Upgrade progress remained at 5/10.
Gold Entries were rare and unpredictable.
Instead, he got a purple Entry:
[Purple Entry (Lightning Chidori):
Water-Electric dual-type move (Power: 120). Unleashes a lightning bird formed of Water and Electric energy. 30% chance to paralyze on hit.]
Another Entry for Frogadier —
and a Water-Electric dual-type move, no less.
With this, Frogadier mastered Thunderbolt naturally.
Lin Yu then hoped for more Entries suited for Kirlia.
Though Frogadier had joined later, it was slowly catching up.
Whether it had actually surpassed Kirlia?
The two had never fought seriously, so no one knew.
Spring Festival was coming.
As usual, the Shuimu City Pokémon League held its annual New Year Challenge Tournament.
After resting for so long,
Lin Yu decided to enter.