Professor Oak lifted a whistle and blew sharply.
Moments later, a Dragonite descended from the sky, flapping its wings gently before landing with surprising softness for its size. Its big, round eyes blinked curiously at Oak.
Chen Shi's breath caught—his vision instinctively scanning the data.
Pokémon: Dragonite
Level: 99 (Legendary — Peak)
Potential: Legendary
Ability: Marvel Scale
Gender: Male
Moves: Leer, Dragon Tail, Thunder Wave, Fire Punch, Bind, Wing Attack, Dragon Pulse, Agility, Slam, Dragon Rush, Outrage, Rain Dance, Hyper Beam, Dragon Dance, Extreme Speed, Safeguard, Protect, Water Pulse…
Chen Shi almost choked on air.
A Level 99 Dragonite.
Legendary-tier strength. Legendary-tier potential.
A move list so long it looked like a Pokédex chapter.
This wasn't just strong—
This was absurd.
He had heard rumors that Oak's Dragonite was terrifying…
but he thought it was Champion-Peak, not this.
Dragonite turned toward Chen Shi—
And gave him the gentlest, goofiest smile.
Then scratched its head shyly.
Chen Shi's eyelid twitched.
A monster like you… please act like a monster.
Dragonite was truly the gentlest of the powerful dragons.
Oak chuckled.
"Old buddy, help us train these little ones for a while."
He pointed at Dragapult and the rest of Chen Shi's team.
Dragonite looked over—
Its gaze instantly locking onto Dragapult.
Talent.
Incredible talent.
Dragonite thumped its chest with a proud cry.
"Dra-uuuh!"
(Leave them to me!)
Chen Shi covered his face.
Why does something this strong sound so cute?
Oak smiled.
"Don't worry. My old partner is reliable. He'll train them properly."
"Thank you, Professor Oak."
"Think nothing of it. Dragonite will bring them home tonight."
Chen Shi nodded, then turned to his Pokémon.
"You all train with Dragonite for the next few days. Listen to him. No fooling around."
They all nodded quickly—
Every instinct in their bodies telling them Dragonite was extremely strong.
Chen Shi recalled them one by one and handed the Poké Balls to Dragonite.
Dragonite hugged the balls against its chest like precious treasure, waved at Oak, then launched into the sky with a powerful flap.
Chen Shi watched them disappear, a strange emptiness settling in his chest.
The first time he had sent his entire team away at once…
Oak patted his shoulder.
"They'll be fine. Come—we'll use the time for research."
Chen Shi inhaled deeply.
He would work hard too.
The Days of Research
Chen Shi and Oak began focusing entirely on Eevee.
Day 1
They found a Persian that knew Return and attempted to teach the move to Eevee.
Both worked to modify one of Oak's machines—trying to convert it into an affection-measuring device.
Day 2
They gathered multiple Pokémon proficient with Return, testing power outputs while subtracting level and stat bonuses to standardize raw affection values.
Day 3
Eevee learned Return.
Her power output was shockingly high for her small size.
But they still lacked a machine that could convert move power into affection numbers.
Day 6
Success.
They fully digitized Return's power output:
Maximum move power set as 102
Maximum affection value set as 255 (Chen Shi's suggestion)
They built a simplified Affinity Measurement Machine.
Eevee's test results:
Return Power: 87.2 → Affection: 218
Just 2 points short of evolving.
Chen Shi immediately told Gary:
"Spend time with her. Massage her. Feed her. Train with her. She's almost there."
Day 13
The breakthrough.
While training in the morning sunlight, Eevee suddenly glowing—
Then burst into a brilliant evolution light.
Oak, Gary, and Chen Shi all froze.
When the light faded, standing where Eevee once was—
Was a creature elegant as moonlight.
A sleek violet Pokémon.
Large, intelligent purple eyes.
A red gem glimmering on her forehead.
A graceful feline posture radiating psychic nobility.
Espeon.
A Pokémon that had never been recorded before.
Chen Shi gasped theatrically.
"Professor Oak! I was right—Affinity Evolution is real!"
"If Eevee reaches the required affection and levels up during the day, she evolves into Espeon!"
Professor Oak exhaled deeply.
"You're correct. Affinity Evolution truly exists."
Then he asked the question he had saved for last:
"Shi'er… you clearly seemed to know about Espeon beforehand.
And how it evolves.
How?"
Chen Shi froze.
Then spoke calmly:
"Professor… I have psychic abilities. Since I was young, I could understand Pokémon speech."
"During my travels, I saw a wild Pokémon evolve into Espeon mid-battle."
"I didn't understand why… until now."
Oak stared at him.
Then chuckled softly.
Whether he believed that or not—
he didn't question it further.
"Regardless… congratulations."
"You've not only discovered a new Eeveelution…"
"You've proven a brand-new evolution mechanic to the world."
"This is another major achievement."
Chen Shi shook his head firmly.
"It wasn't just me, Professor. Without your help… I couldn't have proven anything."
Oak smiled, eyes filled with unmistakable satisfaction.
This boy…
had endless potential.
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