Pokémon：Trainer's Gambit

The forest was silent, bathed in the pale glow of the moonlight.

Natsume picked up the Poké Ball lying quietly on the ground, feeling a mix of relief and exasperation.

"Tsunderes are such a hassle... If you'd just turned around earlier, I would've known!"

He had gone out of his way to consider Eevee's feelings.

Turns out, he'd been overthinking it all along.

Inside the Poké Ball, the grimy Eevee looked around nervously.

It sniffed the air, catching a familiar, comforting scent.

Through the Poké Ball, it could see the outside world.

It glanced up at Natsume, then quickly looked away, feigning indifference as it lay down and closed its eyes.

I'm just a little tired.

I'll take a nap now... and pretend I didn't see anything.

Eevee thought to itself, exhaustion washing over it as its eyelids grew heavy.

Natsume and Haunter exchanged a look, both scratching their heads in unison.

"What should I say now?"

"Haunter?"

"Eevee, I choose you!"

Uncle stepped forward, kicking the Raticate that was playing dead, and scratched his head.

"So we wronged Eevee last time... But why did Eevee show up here again?"

Natsume smiled. "Maybe it wanted to prove itself."

Eevee couldn't explain itself, so driving away the Raticate was its way of repaying Natsume.

What it didn't expect was running into Natsume here again.

The little one had almost lost its composure, barely managing to bare its teeth. Thankfully, Natsume didn't see it cry.

"I'll take this Raticate to the Pokémon Center."

Uncle pulled out a Poké Ball, muttering, "Living the easy life, way better than being up in the mountains!"

A beam of red light engulfed the Raticate, and the Poké Ball shook three times before falling still.

With that, the matter was settled.

Natsume's biggest gain was this slightly tsundere Eevee.

The sky was dark, and Eevee had just been through a tough battle. Natsume decided to let it rest a bit longer.

While Eevee slept, Natsume scanned its moves with his Pokédex.

[Eevee – Normal Type

Ability: Anticipation

Moves: Growl, Sand Attack, Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Swift, Bite]

This Eevee seemed to be a loner, not part of any herd, and its move list didn't include "Helping Hand."

Still, aside from the Fairy-type move "Baby-Doll Eyes," it had mastered everything else quite well.

This Eevee had plenty of battle experience, as even Haunter had nearly been outsmarted during their first encounter.

It was clear the little one had been through a lot on the mountain.

"You've been through a lot," Natsume murmured with a smile. "From now on, I'll take care of you."

The Poké Ball shook slightly.

As the review week came to an end, Natsume had to return to school for his final exams.

Before the exams, there was also a fan tournament to attend, making his schedule quite packed.

After breakfast at home, Natsume bid his parents farewell and boarded the bullet train back to Tokyo.

...

On the train, Natsume scrolled through his phone, surprised.

"Wow, made it to the top of the Lifestyle category!"

"Natsume-sensei's Night Kitchen" had defeated "Professor Samuel Oak's Backyard" to claim the top spot in the Lifestyle category, drawing a flood of attention.

"No way, no way, is Natsume-sensei really a jack-of-all-trades content creator?"

"Legit binge-worthy content."

"I thought Natsume-sensei's gameplay was entertaining, but who knew he was actually a chef?!"

"Wait, who's this handsome guy? Give us back Natsume-sensei!"

In less than a week, the new program had surpassed a million views, and the system's task was marked as complete.

[Task: 'I'm Not a Jack-of-All-Trades Content Creator'

Objective: Reach the top of any video category (excluding Gaming)

Reward: 2000 BP Points, Programming Lv3, Silk Scarf *1

Note: This task can be repeated.]

[Programming Lv3: Proficient in various common algorithms and programming languages; increases the probability of code running successfully by 40% when errors occur.

(You see that old man jogging? He's actually a 25-year-old programmer who loves sports.)]

Natsume's eye twitched.

"Are you sure... this skill won't make me go bald?"

[Ding—All skills provided by this system are free of side effects. Please use them with confidence.]

Natsume sighed in relief but remained cautious.

"I can't use this skill too often..."

"If the probability fails, it'll be a disaster!"

The other reward was the [Silk Scarf].

[Silk Scarf: A smooth, luxurious scarf that slightly increases the power of Normal-type moves. (A limited-edition collaboration piece. You deserve it.)]

Natsume stroked his chin.

"I'm starting to think this system has some kind of inventory check function."

He had just caught Eevee, and the random reward happened to be an item perfect for it.

While it might be pseudo-random, in this era of big data, even systems had to keep up with the times.

...

Back at his Rented apartment.

Before Natsume could even pull out his keys, Haunter reached its hand through the door.

Click—

It turned the handle from the inside and grinned at Natsume.

Haunter: (o???)

Natsume's mouth twitched. "You're an outlaw now?!"

Breaking and entering had never been so convenient!

Once inside, Natsume released Eevee from its Poké Ball with a flicker of red light.

The sleepy Eevee yawned, rubbing its eyes with its dirty paws.

"Eevee?"

Suddenly, its ears perked up. Seeing it was Natsume, its stiff tail slowly lowered.

It wagged once, twice, then stopped.

Natsume smiled. "This is your new home now!"

"Eevee."

Eevee half-opened its eyes, glancing around unimpressed before letting out a yawn.

"Haunter!"

Haunter chuckled, stepping forward with a boxer's pose to greet Eevee, only to get bitten immediately.

"Haunter?!"

Haunter stared in shock at its bitten hand, tears welling up in its eyes.

"This feels oddly familiar..." Natsume muttered, rubbing his chin.

The little one was still wary, pacing nervously around the living room as if planning an escape route.

Natsume pulled out the Silk Scarf and held it out to Eevee. "Here, a gift for you."

"Eevee?"

The little one tilted its head, its big, round eyes looking up at Natsume with confusion, utterly adorable.

"It's a present, just for you," Natsume said with a smile.

Eevee paused, then quickly turned its head away, leaping onto the windowsill with an air of disdain.

Natsume wasn't deterred. He easily grabbed the scruff of Eevee's neck.

"Eevee! o(≧口≦)o"

The little one struggled, but it was more for show.

Natsume gently tied the soft Silk Scarf around its neck, finishing it off with a cute bow.

Seeing that resistance was futile, Eevee pouted but reluctantly accepted.

Eevee: （○｀ 3′○）

Natsume let go, and Eevee gracefully jumped down, shaking its head.

Noticing the pristine white scarf getting dirty, a flicker of regret crossed Eevee's eyes.

It bit down on the scarf, carefully placing it to the side before retreating to a corner.

"You don't like it?"

"Eevee."

Eevee shook its head, then licked its dirty fur, lifting its head with a stubborn expression.

Natsume thought for a moment, stroking his chin.

"How about a bath?"

Eevee's face turned red as it struggled to hold back, finally letting out a low purr.

"Eevee..."

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