"Hehe~ I even sleep cuddling with my little Eevee!"
The tall and graceful Li Xiaoyu affectionately rubbed her cheek against Umbreon, grinning ear to ear.
"This is my little Eevee's reward for all that love, right? Isn't that right, Umbreon?"
"Umbree~on!!"
Though Umbreon normally looked aloof and elegant, in front of Li Xiaoyu it acted more like a spoiled kitten. It happily licked her cheek with its tongue, making her burst into laughter.
Su Bai smiled.
"Umbreon's one of the rare few Dark-types that still fall under the 'adorable' category."
"And among Dark-types, it's also one of the most well-rounded support Pokémon in the entire game."
Umbreon's power was undeniable.
In fact, its usage rate in competitive play was often higher than Sylveon, the Fairy-type evolution of Eevee.
It boasted excellent defensive stats and durability, paired with a wide variety of supportive moves.
Beyond the basics like Charm or Growl, which lower opponents' stats, Umbreon could use powerful utility moves like Confuse Ray, to disorient enemies, or Helping Hand, to boost allies in double battles.
It even had access to Baton Pass, allowing it to transfer status buffs to another Pokémon, and Moonlight, for self-healing.
In short: if there's a Pokémon most painfully restricted by the game's four-move limit, Umbreon is definitely one of them.
But this wasn't a game.
In the real world, Umbreon's versatility would be legendary.
Its massive movepool and utility would push it straight into Tier 0—the pinnacle of strength.
Although Li Xiaoyu's Eevee evolved a bit slower than her peers', the fact that it evolved into Umbreon instantly made her a core member in any team composition!
"Umbreon's that strong?!"
Li Xiaoyu's eyes sparkled as she soaked in Su Bai's explanation of Umbreon's potential.
This, after all, was one of the main reasons she came straight to Su Bai.
Whenever any of the regulars had questions about Pokémon training, Su Bai was the go-to expert. With the honorary title of Guest Professor of Pokémon Studies at Haicheng No.1 High, his credibility was beyond question.
"Oh! Right! There's one more thing~"
Li Xiaoyu suddenly picked up another unevolved Eevee and held it out to Su Bai, eyes gleaming.
"Thanks to Umbreon's evolution, I've finally earned enough training points to buy an evolution stone!"
"So I'd like our dearest shopkeeper to recommend an evolution path for this one—pleaseee~?"
She even leaned in with a playful, almost flirtatious pout, trying to coax him with some good old-fashioned charm.
Su Bai blinked, half amused, half speechless.
"I can definitely help. No need for the cutesy act."
A nearly 1.75-meter tall Amazon woman doing this routine… sheesh.
Still, Su Bai lowered his head and thought seriously for a moment.
"You already have Umbreon. It's a powerful defensive and support Pokémon, very well-rounded."
"But if we're being honest, its offensive power is somewhat lacking."
"Eevee has eight possible evolutions, and five of them require evolution stones."
"Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Glaceon, and Leafeon."
"Glaceon and Leafeon need special environments. Leafeon's evolution is doable nearby, since there are mossy forests around Haicheng. But Glaceon's frozen terrain? That's miles away. Not worth considering right now."
"Of the remaining options, Vaporeon is also more of a tank, with high endurance. Leafeon focuses more on physical defense."
"Neither of those suit your needs."
"What you're looking for now is a pure attacker."
"That leaves us with just two solid choices."
"Jolteon – a high-speed, high-special-attack Electric-type."
"Or Flareon – a high-attack, high-special-defense Fire-type."
"Both are great, but which one to choose depends on your own goals."
He paused a moment, then added with a wry smile:
"Jolteon's a well-rounded glass cannon. Flareon, though… has a bit of a reputation."
Indeed, Flareon had long carried the bittersweet nickname of "The One and Only King."
And no, that wasn't a compliment.
From Gen I to Gen V, Flareon was cursed with one of the most frustrating stat distributions: a massive 130 base Attack stat, but no decent physical Fire-type moves to use it with—nothing stronger than 80 base power.
And with a mere 65 Speed, Flareon was constantly outclassed by other fast Fire-types like Ninetales or Charizard.
To make matters worse, Fire-types themselves weren't favored in the metagame at the time, and Flareon quickly fell into obscurity.
This embarrassing lack of utility led to the nickname "唯一王" (The One and Only King), not because it ruled—but because nobody else would pick it.
But starting in Gen VI, things changed.
Flareon gained access to Flare Blitz, a powerful physical Fire-type move, finally letting it make full use of its massive Attack stat.
It had officially shed the curse of the "Only King."
That said… the stigma remained. Most players had gotten used to ignoring it.
Add to that its underwhelming Speed, and even now, it remained underused.
But again, games are games. Reality is different.
Speed was important, yes—but not to the same, turn-based extremes seen in the games.
In real life, with proper tactics, Flareon's power was nothing to scoff at.
Su Bai knew this, which is why he left the choice entirely up to Li Xiaoyu.
"After all, it's your Pokémon."
Li Xiaoyu hugged her Eevee tightly and thought for a long moment.
Finally, she looked up, eyes sharp with determination.
"I've decided! I'm going with Jolteon!"
Su Bai blinked in surprise.
She had no idea about the "Only King" meme surrounding Flareon.
And she should've known that Fire-types had broader type coverage than Electric-types.
So… why choose Jolteon?
"I want to use Jolteon to challenge Ding Yue's Fletchinder!"
Li Xiaoyu grinned mischievously.
"And I want it to be a double battle."
The group of veteran regulars at Su Bai's shop often sparred with one another privately.
Over time, informal rankings had naturally formed.
At the top were the fully evolved starters: Grotle, Monferno, and Prinplup.
Pei Jingguo's Pawniard was strong, but still not fully evaluated in battle, so it was considered just below the top three.
Zhang Qun's Gible hadn't evolved yet, but his careful training meant its base strength was respectable.
Ding Yue and Li Xiaoyu, though?
They'd always been at the bottom of the food chain.
The most frustrating part?
Even Xiao Zhang had pulled off impressive results with his female Machop.
Originally, Ding Yue and Li Xiaoyu were like hidden tigers and phoenixes—promising but unproven.
But ever since Ding Yue's Fletchling evolved into Fletchinder, the tables turned completely.
Ding Yue even took down Liu Yunlan, and Wang Tao didn't dare challenge her afterward…
So of course—
Frenemies like them were destined for rivalry!
And today?
Li Xiaoyu was about to stab her bestie right in the back—with a thunderbolt!
Su Bai stared at her smug expression, speechless.
After a long pause, he silently reached under the counter and handed her a Thunder Stone.
People always said women's thoughts were complex, full of emotional twists and turns.
As a straightforward guy, Su Bai had never quite believed it.
But now?
"Yup… it's all true."
Watching Li Xiaoyu cheerfully take the Thunder Stone, one thought popped into Su Bai's mind:
"Women… are terrifying."