"Alright then—since I made it back alive, let's celebrate. I'll go take a shower, change clothes, and then we'll head out for a proper feast."
Seeing Oliver's carefree smile, Tian Xin found it hard to believe that this was the same person who had just escaped a life-and-death situation.
Her emotions stirred slightly—not because she had fallen for him, but because when a man risks his life to save you, it's impossible not to place him somewhere special in your heart.
And Oliver's calm, unpretentious attitude only deepened that impression.
In Tian Xin's eyes, he was undeniably… charming.
After calming herself, she said,
"Alright, this meal is on me. I'm the local here in Chang'an anyway, and we'll count it as celebrating your safe return."
Oliver grinned seriously.
"Deal. I'm ordering the good stuff."
Two hours later,
in a restaurant located in the heart of Chang'an City.
"This place is pretty rare—it allows Pokémon to come out and eat together with their trainers. The food is great too. It's always packed," Tian Xin explained with a smile.
"Does this count as a feast?"
Oliver glanced at the menu and noticed it was divided into two sections: one for humans, one for Pokémon.
And neither section was cheap.
He had heard of places like this before. Nutritionally, the food couldn't compare to energy blocks, but in terms of flavor, it was far superior—and far more diverse.
"Any recommendations?" Oliver asked honestly. "I have no idea what's good here."
Tian Xin thought for a moment.
"This one—Braised Psychic Shield. A lot of Psychic-type Pokémon love it. Your Kirlia should like it too."
"Then we'll get that. I also have a Water-type Pokémon—what would you recommend?"
Tian Xin raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"You already have two Pokémon? I didn't even catch my second one until university."
"For Water-types, I recommend this—Tidal Pearls. My Blastoise orders it every time."
She then ordered two dishes for humans and meals for each of her three Pokémon.
Since they were in a private room, Oliver wasn't worried about drawing attention and released his Pokémon.
Because Kirlia had helped so much in recovering her wallet earlier, Tian Xin was already quite fond of it. The moment Kirlia appeared, she immediately picked it up and hugged it affectionately.
But when Milotic emerged, her gaze froze in place.
"T-This… this is Milotic?" Tian Xin stammered. "It's… it's unbelievably beautiful…"
"Mil~"
Milotic lifted its head proudly, completely ignoring Tian Xin—until it saw Oliver, then affectionately rubbed its head against his cheek.
"That's just how it is," Oliver said with a laugh. "Don't take it personally."
Suddenly, Tian Xin realized something.
"Wait—you have Milotic, and your name is Oliver… Don't tell me—you're that researcher? The one who published the Milotic evolution paper?!"
"'Genius' might be a bit much," Oliver replied modestly. "I just stood on the shoulders of those before me."
"Oh my god… how did I not realize sooner!" Tian Xin was visibly excited.
It was understandable—after the paper went viral, Oliver never accepted interviews and rarely appeared in public. With time passing, most people wouldn't recognize him on sight.
"Can I… touch it?" she asked cautiously.
Oliver answered without hesitation.
"Of course."
Under Milotic's warning gaze, Tian Xin worked up her courage and gently touched its scales.
Smooth. Cool. Comforting.
She then released her own three Pokémon: Blastoise, Vanilluxe, and Eevee.
Oliver couldn't help but sigh internally—now these are Pokémon most girls like.
Unlike Jiang Shuyun… Aggron? Rhyperior?
Tian Xin's Blastoise had reached High Advanced, the same level as Oliver's Milotic.
Vanilluxe was Low Advanced, and Eevee—her most recent partner—was already Low Intermediate, standing at the crossroads of evolution.
Compared to Oliver, she was only slightly behind—but among university students, she was easily top-tier.
As expected, the moment her Pokémon appeared, all three were captivated by Milotic.
Blastoise, being a fellow Water-type, was completely mesmerized—Tian Xin had to call out several times before it snapped back to reality.
When the dishes arrived, even the server was briefly stunned by Milotic's presence—but thankfully, their professionalism prevented any commotion.
Tidal Pearls turned out to be a dish made by blending various Berries into juice, adding special ingredients, and凝aling it into pearl-like spheres with flavorful fillings. Each bite created the sensation of ocean waves crashing in the mouth.
Nutritionally, it couldn't compare to Oliver's top-tier energy blocks—but flavor-wise, it was excellent.
The fact that Milotic was willing to eat it at all was already high praise.
As Milotic slowly enjoyed its meal, Blastoise quietly shuffled over with its own plate.
Unfortunately, Milotic's pride ran deep—it turned around without even sparing Blastoise a glance.
A decent-tasting dish alone wasn't nearly enough to earn its attention.
Blastoise, undeterred, followed along cheerfully—an unmistakable picture of a devoted simp.
On the other side of the room, Kirlia played happily with Vanilluxe and Eevee while eating, their laughter echoing softly.
After watching for a moment, Tian Xin turned to Oliver.
"Junior Oliver, you're a top researcher. Do you think you could advise me—what evolution would be best for my Eevee?"
Currently, academia had confirmed five Eevee evolutions:
Flareon, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Umbreon, and Espeon.
Leafeon and Glaceon—requiring special environments—had yet to be discovered.
Oliver looked at Eevee. Its fur was smooth, its eyes lively—clearly very well trained.
Activating the system, he checked its data.
The Eevee's Ability was Run Away.
But more importantly, its skill list contained something special:
Baby-Doll Eyes.
A Fairy-type move.
And that changed everything.
This meant that once its affection reached a certain threshold, this Eevee could evolve into Sylveon—a Fairy-type evolution.
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