In terms of food, Yun had thought through enough for now.
He knew he had been spending more lately, but the early developmental stage was critical for Pokémon. Nutrition had to keep up.
Only then could Eevee grow up healthy and strong.
Yun dawdled for a bit, then put down the recipe book and pulled out his summer homework.
"Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Simulated Tests."
Don't be fooled just because he's a trainer now—trainers still had to do homework.
The national college entrance exams—Chinese, Math, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology—were unavoidable. On top of that, students from top high schools had an additional written exam on Pokémon knowledge and battle skills.
Not all trainers would go on to live smoothly off Pokémon battles.
Most people simply didn't have the talent for combat. For them, this identity became a financial burden, and they usually switched careers after graduating from college.
However, being a trainer also had its advantages—those advantages came from having a Pokémon partner.
Jugglers... magicians... workers... journalists... actors... nurses... doctors... researchers... firefighters, and so on—the benefits applied across all fields.
Just think about it: when a fire breaks out somewhere, which is faster—using various fire extinguishers or using a Water-type Pokémon?
More importantly, a qualified firefighter with a Water-type Pokémon could directly enter the disaster area and rescue victims faster.
During rescues, moves like Sand Attack or Flame Lure could also come in handy. Or take doctors for example—those who heal people. If they had a partner Pokémon who could use Hypnosis or precision psychic powers, they could better comfort patients or perform surgeries more perfectly.
These professionals still needed knowledge in physics, chemistry, biology, and even math.
Though Yun aimed to become a more "pure" trainer, he understood that there was no escaping these studies.
Even though national policies in recent years heavily favored trainers, there was no reason to abandon traditional academic disciplines—other kinds of talent were just as important.
What made Yun a little happy, though, was that he felt he could score highly on the Pokémon written test without studying much.
That was way easier than breeder certification exams.
Name the Pokémon based on a picture.
Match the move with the Pokémon.
Write out type advantages from memory.
There were also law-based multiple-choice questions related to trainers and Pokémon.
If he couldn't score high on that, he might as well go bang his head against a wall.
…
By noon, since Eevee was still asleep, Yun ordered takeout for himself.
He didn't rush to tell his working parents about Eevee's hatching—he planned to surprise them tonight.
However, Yun foolishly forgot that they were on his friends list. The moment he shared a photo of the sleeping Eevee in his Moments, he was caught.
Dad: "It hatched? Did you feed it?"
Reply: "I did, I did."
Mom: "Just as cute as you were as a baby. Feels like we're raising another son."
Reply: "??? I'll just take that as a compliment… But, uh, Eevee seems to be female."
At the same time, Class 12's group chat (senior year) was especially lively—actually, it hadn't quieted down since yesterday.
Every time someone's Pokémon egg hatched, a crowd would bubble up, chatting for half a day.
Sure enough, after Yun finished lunch and posted another photo of Eevee, the group exploded.
Someone said: "Whoa! That's way too cute! I hope my Mankey turns out that adorable."
"You're dreaming. You don't know how fierce Mankey looks?"
"Hey! My Mankey will totally beat your Pokémon once it hatches!"
"Yeah right, my Poliwag's not afraid of your Mankey…"
This bunch of goofballs… water chatting really does make you guys happy.
Yun lurked for a while until enough people @'d him that he had to respond.
"Alright, I get it—my Eevee's adorable. No need to be jealous. Once school starts, I'll let you guys hug her—but only the girls."
He typed, then hit send!
The group chat fell silent.
Then it was flooded with messages like "Shameless!" "Disgusting!"
There were other reactions, too:
Lin Jing: "Really? Deal."
Wang Xueying: "Awesome!"
Zhang Jiale: "Respect."
Li Mu: "Kinda looking forward to it."
Wang Xueying: "Hey! Li Mu! You're a guy! What are you looking forward to?!"
The group kept talking about little Eevee for nearly an hour before shifting to other topics.
Suddenly, the class rep said: "Did everyone download the Pokémon Encyclopedia app?"
"My phone keeps freezing—crappy XX brand!"
The Pokémon Encyclopedia app was a mobile app that let users scan Pokémon with the camera to get basic info—a must-have for new trainers.
Huh…
If the class rep hadn't mentioned it, Yun would've forgotten about it entirely. He didn't think he'd need it.
He typed: "So quick to blame your phone instead of the app—you must've hated it for a while… Anyway, I'll take Eevee to the Pokémon Center once she wakes up to activate my Trainer ID. I think the app requires that to log in, right?"
"Yeah… ugh, my phone's too hot. I'm off to shop for a new one."
Yun: "…"
"Go ahead," he replied, speechless.
Suddenly—
Just then, Yun heard a strange sound. He turned his head toward it and saw little Eevee, lying in bed, starting to wake up.
She had groggily opened her eyes, but wasn't fully conscious yet. She kept rolling around on the bed and, in the process, managed to unravel the silk scarf she was wrapped in.
"Bui~"
Eevee still didn't seem to know what was going on, but after realizing something was missing from her body, she suddenly snapped awake and looked around, totally confused: Σ(°△°|||)︴
Click!
Yun quickly snapped a photo of the moment.
"Bui!"
The shutter sound helped Eevee pinpoint Yun's location. Once she spotted him, she ran over excitedly and leaped into his arms.
"How was your nap?" Yun poked her on the forehead.
Ah, my silly little Eevee…
"Bui! Bui~" Eevee nodded energetically.
Then…
Her stomach growled.
Yun laughed. As expected of a newly hatched Pokémon, she digested things quickly. After just one bottle of Moomoo Milk, his own stomach had been full for hours.
"Climb up here," he said, pointing to his shoulder. "I'll get you some more milk, and afterward, I'll take you out for a walk."
Little Eevee obediently climbed onto his shoulder, striking a pose just like Pikachu on Ash's shoulder in the anime.
Feeling the warmth at his neck, Yun let out a quiet sigh.
Quite comfy…
Not as tiring as he'd imagined.
So, he decided—unless necessary, he'd keep Eevee by his side at all times instead of putting her into a Poké Ball.
"Oh right… almost forgot. After I activate my Trainer ID, I'll need to buy a Poké Ball for Eevee."
Yun suddenly remembered—once the Trainer ID was activated, he'd be allowed to legally purchase Poké Balls. Then, at the Pokémon Center, he'd need to link the Poké Ball to Eevee's info.
Binding the Poké Ball and the Trainer ID—that would serve as Eevee's official identification.
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