"Why is this Eevee rubbing against my leg?!"
Li Xiaoyu stared in disbelief at the fluffy creature circling her feet.
She had initially assumed it was her own Eevee showing affection.
But when she looked down at the one she was holding in her arms, her brain finally caught up—
She was already carrying her Eevee!
Which meant… the Eevee rubbing her leg was one from the Pokémon House!
"Huh? Do you have some kind of special charm for Eevees?"
Even Su Bai was momentarily stunned, watching the scene in astonishment.
Sure, Eevee was known to be friendly and affectionate…
But this affectionate? Walking up to rub against someone on its own?
That was a first.
"Looks like this Eevee really likes you. What do you think—want to take it home?"
Su Bai crouched down and gently played with the Pokémon House's Eevee.
The Pokémon House respected both the choices of Pokémon and of people.
If a customer wasn't interested—even if the Pokémon was throwing itself at them—Su Bai would never pressure anyone into buying.
Because a true bond between a trainer and their Pokémon was absolutely essential.
And personally, Su Bai was a huge fan of Eevee.
Its immense popularity was more than justified.
With its cute, puppy-like appearance and fluffy, pointed tail…
And especially that thick mane of fur around its neck—touching it was a sensory delight.
Soft. Silky. Satisfying.
Sure, it might not beat the little swirl on top of Wigglytuff's head…
But it was enough to make someone completely obsessed.
"But… I already have an Eevee…"
Li Xiaoyu looked down at the fluffy companion in her arms, then at the one gazing up at her with big sparkling eyes.
Her heart was melting.
She did love Eevee, no question.
But today, she had actually come intending to buy something different—a partner that could support her current team and strategy.
Still, faced with this overly adorable Eevee, she just couldn't bring herself to say no.
"Worried about having a team that's too uniform?"
Su Bai caught onto her dilemma at a glance and chuckled.
"If it were any other Pokémon, I'd completely agree with you."
"After all, with so many different environments and challenges out there, a team with too many of the same type can be a real disadvantage."
"That's even why the Pokémon House was created—to give people more flexibility when forming their teams."
"But…"
"That logic doesn't apply to Eevee."
"Eevee has eight unique evolutions, each with its own distinct strengths and role in battle."
"Vaporeon has incredible endurance—it's perfect as a frontline tank that can soak up hits."
"Jolteon is lightning-fast, while Flareon leans toward strong physical attacks."
"Umbreon has outstanding dual defenses and is a top-tier support Pokémon thanks to its utility skills."
"Each evolution is distinct."
"If there's any single Pokémon species that can form an entire, well-rounded team on its own, it's Eevee."
Su Bai wasn't exaggerating.
In fact, in every generation of competitive Pokémon battling he'd participated in—right up to the highest competitive tiers—
You'd still occasionally see teams made up entirely of Eeveelutions.
So no, it wasn't just a novelty or joke strategy.
And this wasn't a game, either.
In real life, where moves weren't restricted to just four and strategies were much more flexible, Eevee's evolution lines could truly shine.
As for Li Xiaoyu's strange but undeniable "Eevee affinity"…
Well, that was the kind of once-in-a-lifetime blessing many could only dream of.
Already emotionally attached to Eevee, Li Xiaoyu couldn't hold back anymore after hearing Su Bai's explanation.
She lit up with joy and scooped the new Eevee into her arms.
Cha-ching!
Another million yuan in the bank!
Su Bai nodded in satisfaction.
Today's earnings were quite impressive.
Though many trainers had been rejected by potential Pokémon partners, just as many had found perfect matches.
Besides returning customers, over twenty new Pokédex entries had been registered today!
From Caterpie, Pidgey, Rattata, Oddish, Diglett, to Paras…
Many Pokémon Su Bai had long been familiar with had now found new homes.
And for the trainers who couldn't find a good match?
They'd opted to try their luck with the original Pokedex random draw system, letting fate decide their starter.
The only slight regret?
No particularly rare Pokémon had been pulled today.
But as Su Bai often said—
Rarity wasn't everything.
Yes, rare Pokémon were strong.
But even something as common as Oddish, if properly trained, could evolve into a Vileplume, a truly formidable force.
Let's not forget—in the anime, Erika's Vileplume gave Pikachu serious trouble.
And that was no ordinary Pikachu.
That was Ash's Pikachu. The legendary type-defying powerhouse!
"Hey… come to think of it, I haven't seen Pei Jingguo in a while. Where'd that guy go?"
Su Bai glanced around while continuing to pair Pokémon with trainers.
But Pei Jingguo was nowhere to be seen.
Off to the side, Wang Tao, who still hadn't found a good match, grumbled, "He's over there, locked in a staring contest with a Pokémon."
Wang Tao had been hoping to find a Pokémon with decent offensive capabilities and complementary typing.
He had his eye on a Squirtle playing by the pool.
But when he approached, the little water turtle gave him a disdainful glance…
And promptly sprayed him in the face.
He'd been in a sour mood ever since.
Liu Yunlan, equally disheartened, muttered, "Seriously… even though Pawniard is already so strong, that guy's still being greedy…"
Among the veteran customers, this round of Pokémon selections hadn't yielded great results.
Only Ding Yue had successfully bonded with a Nidoran.
The rest had come up empty-handed.
Su Bai glanced at the Growlithe and Monferno beside Liu Yunlan…
And his mouth twitched slightly.
"You're calling him greedy?"
You've got a starter Pokémon and a Growlithe. That's a dream start most people would kill for!
This overly dramatic girl…
Su Bai shook his head and, curiosity piqued, headed toward Pei Jingguo.
So Pei Jingguo was about to get his second Pokémon?
That would mean nearly all of the first batch of customers—except for Ji Wei and Liu Yunshuang—now had two Pokémon.
Though in their case, it was understandable.
After all, this world was still under the looming threat of Void Beasts.
Compared to the students at Haicheng No. 1 High School, who had more time to train…
Ji Wei and Liu Yunshuang had to spend their time completing missions, with Liu Yunshuang also juggling her concert schedule.
Getting a new Pokémon without the time to properly train it wouldn't be fair to the Pokémon itself.
With those thoughts in mind, Su Bai approached Pei Jingguo—
And saw the Pokémon locked in a deep stare-down with him…