Saying he was torn was an exaggeration—there really wasn’t much of a choice to begin with.

  First, Pikachu was out.

  Sure, whether in his past life or this one, Pikachu was an undeniable fan favorite.

  But not every Pikachu was Pikachu.

  Most Pikachu were just… electric rodents. With a base stat total of 320, it wasn’t exactly the strongest. The only thing it really had going for it was its cuteness.

  Evolving into Raichu would improve its strength, but that would defeat the purpose of choosing Pikachu in the first pce.

  Clefairy was also ruled out.

  Sure, Clefable had both cuteness and power, but if August really wanted a Clefairy, he could just head to Mt. Moon with some Pokéblocks and easily befriend a whole herd of them. There was no need to waste a system reward on it.

  That left Eevee.

  Adorable and rare—so rare, in fact, that even during his time as a ranger, August had only encountered a handful of them.

  And with eight different evolution options, there was bound to be one that suited him.

  So, without hesitation, August chose Eevee.

  I just hope the Eevee from the system isn’t disobedient…

  If it refused to listen, that would be a problem.

  A Level 50 Eevee with Elite Four-level potential—if it started acting out, even handling it would be a challenge.

  At worst, Gardevoir would have to step in.

  After recalling Pidgey to its Poké Ball, August made up an excuse to leave Blue and returned to his hotel room.

  "Keep an eye on things," he told Gardevoir before sitting on his bed and summoning Eevee’s Poké Ball from the system.

  With a fsh of red and white, a Poké Ball appeared in his hand.

  Opening it—

  A streak of white light materialized into a small, fox-like creature with fluffy brown fur.

  Its rge eyes blinked curiously as it swayed its bushy tail—one with a heart-shaped pattern at the tip—before eagerly scanning its surroundings.

  Then, its gaze nded on August.

  In an instant, the little Pokémon cheered and leaped at him.

  "Bui~!"

  Eevee rubbed its head against his face, making his nose ticklish.

  This level of affection was not what August had expected.

  He quickly opened the system panel.

  [Pokémon: Eevee (♀)]

  Type: Normal

  Ability: Anticipation

  Friendship: Trust

  Level: 50

  Moves: …

  Held Item: None

  A female Eevee with a Hidden Ability.

  And she was just at the threshold of Elite Four-level strength.

  August was more than satisfied.

  "Bui?"

  Eevee tilted her head, watching him curiously.

  She had no idea why her trainer suddenly looked so happy, but seeing him smile, she squinted her own eyes in delight.

  Chuckling, August reached out and patted her head before handing her a Pokéblock.

  Eevee took a small bite, then—

  Her eyes instantly curved into crescent moons, her fluffy tail wagging excitedly.

  A small notification popped up.

  [Friendship increased from Trust → Close Bond.]

  "...One Pokéblock was all it took? That’s way too easy," August muttered.

  Even the Clefairy in Mt. Moon weren’t this easy to bribe.

  But he wasn’t compining.

  If all his Pokémon were as easygoing as Eevee, his life would be a lot less stressful.

  "Welcome to the team, Eevee!"

  "Bui~!"

  Eevee bounced around the room happily.

  August rexed, smiling at her antics—

  Until he suddenly felt a gaze on him.

  Turning his head, he saw Gardevoir sitting calmly in the corner, flipping through her book as if nothing had happened.

  But August knew what he had felt.

  He gnced at Gardevoir.

  Then at Eevee.

  ...Wait. Don’t tell me…

  Was Gardevoir… jealous?

  The thought barely had time to settle before Gardevoir looked straight at him.

  Right.

  They were still connected via telepathy.

  "…"

  For a moment, neither of them said a word.

  Then, simultaneously, they both looked away.

  Awkward.

  Eevee blinked, tilting her head at the strange interaction.

  "Bui?"

  She had so many questions.

  ---

  Lt. Surge sat at the center of the gym, arms crossed.

  Two Magneton hovered around him, and a belt lined with small Electrode grenades rested across his chest.

  In his hand, he clenched a single Cedon Game Corner token—the one he had found pinned to his door that morning.

  According to reports, about a week ago, the Cedon Game Corner had been attacked by an unknown group called the "Masked Corp."

  And now, this token had deliberately been used in a challenge against him.

  Which meant…

  "The bastards who left this must be from that so-called ‘Masked Corp,’" Lt. Surge muttered darkly.

  But that wasn’t what really pissed him off.

  No, what enraged him the most was—

  "How the hell did they find out about my Rocket affiliation?!"

  His position as a Rocket Executive was highly cssified.

  Aside from his direct subordinates, very few within the organization even knew about it.

  Yet somehow, these outsiders had figured it out.

  That made things personal.

  The only silver lining was that they hadn’t reported him to the League.

  "If they didn’t go to the League, that means they either want a fight or they want to negotiate. Either way, that’s an opportunity."

  Taking a deep breath, Lt. Surge calmed himself.

  Then, turning to one of his grunts, he asked, "Are the traps set?"

  "All in pce, sir! The moment they step inside Vermilion Gym, they won’t be leaving in one piece!"

  Lt. Surge smirked. "Good."

  He leaned back in his chair, absently stroking the fur of the Electabuzz beside him.

  Now, all he had to do was wait for the "Masked Corp" to walk straight into his hands.

  ---

  August had no idea that Lt. Surge was already ying a trap for him.

  Not that it would have mattered.

  If there was one thing his Gardevoir excelled at, it was detecting and dismantling every single trap in a given area.

  Besides, August wasn’t pnning on making a move just yet.

  Not until Lance’s operation in Cedon was underway.

  For now, he had other priorities.

  Like dinner.

  Taking Eevee with him, he headed to the hotel restaurant.

  Just as he sat down, he noticed Blue staring at him in shock.

  "Eevee? Since when did you have an Eevee?"

  She eyed the little fox curled up on August’s shoulder, drowsily blinking its rge eyes.

  Blue had already seen all of his Pokémon, but this was a new addition.

  "Oh, this one? She’s been with me for a while. I just had her in training elsewhere," August said with a straight face.

  It wasn’t technically a lie.

  After all, Eevee had been "kept somewhere else"—

  In the system.

  ---

  T/N: NOOOOOOOOO but i understand... this pikachu isnt the one chosen by arceus... maybe if it said legendary potential...