Pokémon：Trainer's Gambit

Staring at the dark, shadowy mass, Natsume found it hard to connect it with the gentle and adorable Eevee he had in mind.

Who has ever seen an Eevee that bites people?!

Natsume's expression twisted oddly as he watched the little one frantically dig up some sand, taking advantage of Haunter's evasion to make a run for it.

"Eevee—!"

But before it could get far, the little one collapsed in pain, letting out a hoarse cry of frustration.

Moonlight poured through the trees.

Eevee's hind leg was bleeding profusely, droplets of blood staining the ground.

"Really, I'm not some bad guy," Natsume muttered as he cautiously approached Eevee.

The filthy little one trembled all over, baring its teeth and growling a low warning when it realized there was no escape.

"Eevee!"

"Haunter?"

Haunter curiously examined Eevee, reaching out a hand to poke it, only to get bitten immediately.

Yanking its hand back, Haunter's face turned pale as it clutched its cheeks, too pained to make a sound.

A world-famous painting, Munch's "The Scream".jpg

Uncle arrived just then, leaning on his knees, panting heavily. "Did... did you catch it?"

"Not sure if it's the right one..."

Natsume hesitated, looking at the battered Eevee.

Its fur was matted and dirty, the once smooth neck fur now charred black, its hind leg a bloody mess, and its sharp claws uneven.

Only those bulging white eyes stood out in the darkness, alert and bright.

It was pitiful.

Uncle swallowed hard, stammering, "It... it can't be this one, this little thing..."

"Eevee—!"

Eevee seemed offended, struggling wildly, its bulging white eyes filled with rage.

Uncle took half a step back.

Just then, Haunter floated in front of Eevee, its eyes glowing with a hypnotic blue light.

"Eevee..."

Eevee resisted fiercely, shaking its head repeatedly, but eventually slumped to the ground, drowsy.

Looking at the highly wary Eevee, Natsume sighed.

"Leaving it like this isn't right... I'll take it back with me."

Uncle breathed a sigh of relief, nodding. "Thanks, Natsume. If you need anything, just ask your Uncle, don't be shy!"

"I need to get back and bandage this little one up."

Natsume grabbed the scruff of Eevee's neck, surprised by how light it felt.

Looking at the emaciated Eevee with its peaceful sleeping face, Natsume murmured with emotion.

"You must have had a tough time up in the mountains..."

Eevee is a Pokémon well-suited for domestication, but abandonment is not uncommon.

Firstly, Eevee's appearance varies.

Secondly, many naturally aggressive Eevee are seen as defective products, abandoned at birth.

Though cruel, this is the reality for many ornamental Pokémon.

"Haunter?"

Haunter pointed at the Poké Ball on Natsume's waist, looking at him puzzled.

"Didn't you see how fiercely it resisted earlier?" Natsume said helplessly.

"If I catch it now, it'll hate me forever!"

"Haunter..."

Haunter scratched its head, then poked Eevee's sleeping face, chuckling mischievously.

It was nearly four in the morning, the faint glow of dawn rising in the east at the village entrance, a few Hoothoots perched lazily on the treetops.

Natsume carried the Eevee home, feeling a headache coming on.

"Should I give it a bath first?" Natsume tentatively asked Haunter.

"Haunter?"

"Never mind, asking you is pointless."

Natsume pulled out his mobile phone, instinctively wanting to seek help from the big shots, but they were probably still asleep at this hour.

Natsume scratched his head, muttering, "Red has an Espeon, but it's not nearly this aggressive..."

"Who else has an Eevee? Whatever, let's just get started!"

Natsume rolled up his sleeves, boiled some water, and fetched alcohol and cotton bandages from home.

"System, any medical skills you'd recommend?"

[Would you like to spend 500BP to purchase 'Emergency Medical Care (One-time Use)'?]

"One-time use? You're ripping me off!" Natsume gritted his teeth. "Fine, I'll buy it!"

[Ding—Purchase successful]

[Remaining BP Points: 570]

Using the skill immediately, Natsume felt a surge of knowledge, snapping the bandage with a crisp sound.

"Hold it down for me. If it wakes up, hit it with Hypnosis again, got it?"

"Haunter!" Haunter gave Natsume a thumbs-up.

Carefully parting the matted fur, Eevee whimpered in pain in its sleep, revealing a bloody wound on its leg.

"Even like this, it could still run..."

Natsume murmured, "Truly a master of the Run Away ability."

Natsume could only disinfect the wound for now; proper stitches would have to wait for a Pokémon Center.

Looking at the deep, bone-exposing wound, even Natsume couldn't help but gasp.

"Eevee..."

Eevee let out a soft whimper, its eyes closed, its dirty little face full of fear and helplessness.

Natsume rubbed its head, trimming away the bloodied fur and treating the wound with an iodine-soaked cotton swab.

"Eevee!!"

Eevee's eyes shot open as it struggled to get up in pain.

"Haunter!"

Haunter licked Eevee, its hypnotic blue eyes glowing.

The little one stiffened, then slumped back down.

"This isn't working," Natsume muttered, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.

"Hold it tight, use Paralysis, Hypnosis, whatever you've got!"

"Haunter!" Haunter nodded excitedly.

The sun gradually rose.

Natsume and Haunter, both drenched in sweat, let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

During the procedure, Eevee woke up three times, was hypnotized three times, and lunged to bite at every opportunity.

If Natsume hadn't dodged in time, he'd have been sent to the hospital.

"That was close," Natsume muttered.

"Is this what they call medical disputes? So dangerous!"

The wound was finally treated.

Natsume laid out a blanket on the ground, placing Eevee on it and even tying a cute bow with the bandages.

While it slept, Natsume flipped it over to check.

Yep, definitely female.

The bow's fine!

By midday, the dirty Eevee was still asleep.

Uncle came by, marveling at Eevee. "I can't believe this little thing has such sharp teeth!"

"That's probably the Bite move," Natsume replied. "It has some other small wounds too, probably from fights with other Pokémon in the mountains."

This wild Eevee was high-level, having mastered the Bite move, and had plenty of battle experience.

Natsume wondered what kind of environment could have made this Eevee so fierce.

To be safe, Natsume kept his parents away, only letting Haunter help care for Eevee.

"Eevee..."

It wasn't until after lunch that the hungry Eevee weakly opened its eyes.

What greeted it were two heads tilted sideways—a man and a Haunter.

"Hey, you're awake," Natsume said, his head resting against Haunter.

"Haunter!" Haunter did its best to offer a friendly smile.

Eevee shrank back, lying on the blanket, then bared its teeth and growled a warning.

"Eevee?!"

Suddenly, Eevee let out an adorable cry.

Balancing on its injured hind leg, Eevee quickly backed up half a meter.

In front of it was a full bowl of Pokéblocks, freshly made by Natsume using fresh Berries.

The Village Chief's house had a Berry mixer, and its quality was better than Natsume's.

This was also Natsume's first time making a Perfect Quality Oran Berry Block.

"Want to try it?" Natsume asked eagerly.

"Haunter (ˉ﹃ˉ)"

Haunter nodded while wiping drool, though it kept dripping.

Eevee still bared its teeth, crouching low, ready to attack.

"Alright, alright, we won't watch."

Natsume raised his hands.

"We're leaving, but don't you dare sneak a bite!"

"Eevee!"

Eevee turned its head away, showing disdain for the offered food.

Haunter stared longingly at the bowl of Pokéblocks, tears streaming.

If you're not eating it, give it to me...

Haunter wanted to say more, but Natsume had already dragged it away.

The two stood outside the brick wall, peeking through the cracks at Eevee.

"It's really not eating?"

Natsume was baffled. "This is master-level craftsmanship!"

"Haunter?(;′Д｀?)"

Haunter cried, wishing it could be the Eevee.

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound in the yard.

Crunch, crunch, like the sound of chewing.

Natsume's eyes lit up.

After waiting a while longer, Natsume kicked open the yard gate.

"Eevee?!"

Eevee jerked its head up from the bowl, its face full of shock and innocence, its mouth stained with red Berry juice.

As if trying to explain, Eevee opened its mouth, then quickly burrowed back under the blanket, hiding its head.

"Eevee! (〃＞皿＜)"

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