Chapter 49: You woke up, the operation was successful
It was hard for Lu Ye to connect the dark, shadowy figure in front of him to the cute and gentle Eevee he had in mind. Who has ever seen an Eevee that bites people?!
Lu Ye's expression was odd, but the little one suddenly clawed at a handful of sand. Seizing the moment when Haunter dodged, it turned tail and tried to flee.
"Vee—!"
But it hadn't made it far before it collapsed painfully to the ground, letting out a hoarse, unwilling cry. Moonlight poured through the trees.
Blood trickled from Eevee's hind leg, staining the ground with crimson droplets.
"Come on, I'm not a bad guy."
As Lu Ye spoke, he stepped closer to Eevee. The filthy little creature trembled all over. When it realized it was cornered, it bared its teeth, a low growl escaping its throat.
"Vee!"
"Haun~?"
Haunter curiously examined Eevee, extending a hand to poke it, only to have Eevee bite down instantly.
Haunter yanked its hand back, face turning pale as it clutched its cheek, unable to utter a sound from the pain.
A famous painting: The Scream by Munch.JPG.
At that moment, Uncle finally caught up, bending over his knees and panting, "D-Did we catch it?"
"I'm not sure if it's this one…"
Looking at the battered Eevee, Lu Ye hesitated. Its filthy fur was tangled in clumps, the once-soft ruff around its neck charred black, and its hind leg was marred by a bloody wound. Its claws were jagged and uneven.
Only those dark eyes shone bright and vigilant in the night. They stirred a sense of pity.
Uncle swallowed and stammered, "Maybe it's not this one… This little guy—"
"Vee—!"
As if insulted, Eevee struggled furiously, its eyes blazing with anger. Uncle took a cautious step back.
Haunter floated in front of Eevee, its eyes glowing blue with Hypnosis.
"Vee… vee…"
Eevee fought to stay awake, shaking its head stubbornly before finally falling into a drowsy slumber.
Watching this hyper-alert Eevee, Lu Ye sighed.
"We can't just leave it like this… I'll take it home first."
Uncle exhaled in relief and nodded. "Thanks, Little Lu. If you need anything, just ask your Uncle, no need to be polite!"
"I have to get back and bandage this little one up."
Lu Ye picked it up by the scruff of its neck, surprised by how light it was. Looking at the peacefully sleeping Eevee, Lu Ye murmured with a pang of sympathy,
"You must've suffered a lot out here in the mountains…"
Eevee was a popular choice for a pet, but abandonment wasn't rare. First, Eevee varied in quality. Second, those with aggressive temperaments were often seen as defective and abandoned shortly after birth.
It was cruel, but that was the reality of many ornamental Pokémon.
"Haun?"
Haunter pointed at the Poké Ball on Lu Ye's belt, looking at him in confusion.
"Didn't you see how hard it resisted just now?" Lu Ye said helplessly.
"If I catch it now, it'll hate me forever!"
"Haun…"
Haunter scratched its head, then poked Eevee's sleeping face, snickering quietly.
It was almost 4 a.m. A pale light crept over the horizon at the village entrance, and a few Pidgeys percheed drowsily in the trees.
Carrying the Eevee home, Lu Ye sighed.
"Should I give it a bath first?" he asked Haunter.
"Haun?"
"Forget it, asking you is pointless."
Lu Ye pulled out his phone, instinctively wanting advice from the pros, but at this hour, they were probably still asleep.
Scratching his head, he muttered, "Red has an Espeon named Abu, but it doesn't have this bad of a temper…"
"Who else has an Eevee? Whatever, let's get to work!"
Rolling up his sleeves, he boiled some water and fetched alcohol and cotton from the cabinet.
"System, any medical skills you can recommend?"
[Spend 500 BP to purchase 'Emergency Treatment (One-Time Use)'?]
"One-time use? System, are you seriously price-gouging me?" Lu Ye gritted his teeth. "Fine, I'll buy it!"
[Ding—Purchase Successful]
[Remaining BP: 570]
Activating the skill, Lu Ye felt the instructions kick in and tore open the bandages.
"Hold it down for me. If it wakes up, hit it with Hypnosis again, got it?"
"Haun!" Haunter gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
Carefully parting the matted fur, Lu Ye winced as Eevee whimpered in its sleep, exposing the gruesome wound on its leg.
"And it still managed to run…"
He murmured, "This little one's tough."
He disinfected the wound, knowing it would need stitching at a Pokémon Center. The raw, exposed injury made Lu Ye suck in a breath.
"Vee…"
Eevee whimpered softly, fear and helplessness etched on its dirty face.
Lu Ye gently rubbed its head, trimmed away the bloody fur, and dabbed the wound with iodine-soaked cotton.
"VEE!!"
Eevee jolted awake, thrashing in pain.
"Haun!"
Haunter licked Eevee, its eyes glowing blue with Hypnosis.
Eevee froze and slumped back down.
"This isn't going to work."
Lu Ye wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Hold tight. Use Paralysis, Hypnosis—whatever it takes!"
"Haun!" Haunter nodded eagerly.
The sun began to rise.
Lu Ye and Haunter, drenched in sweat, let out a simultaneous sigh of relief. Eevee woke up 3 times during the operation, each time trying to bite them. If Lu Ye hadn't dodged in time, he'd have needed a trip to the hospital himself.
"Close call," Lu Ye muttered.
"Is this what they call a medical dispute? Too intense!"
The wound was finally bandaged. Lu Ye laid out a blanket, gently placed Eevee on it, and thoughtfully tied a bow with the bandage.
He flipped it over to check. Yep, female. The bow was justified!
By late morning, the filthy Eevee was still asleep. Uncle stopped by, marveling at it. "Who'd have thought this little thing had such strong teeth!"
"That's probably the Bite move," Lu Ye explained. "It has a few minor injuries, likely from fights in the mountains."
This wild Eevee had a high level, already knowing Bite and showing plenty of battle experience.
Lu Ye wondered what kind of environment could make an Eevee this fierce.
To be safe, he kept his parents away and took care of it with Haunter's help.
"Vee…"
After lunch, the starving Eevee opened its eyes weakly. The first thing it saw was two tilted heads—one human, one Haunter.
"Hey, you're awake." Lu Ye grinned.
"Haun-haun!" Haunter tried its best to smile friendly.
Eevee shrank back, growling warily.
"Vee?!"
Suddenly, it squeaked adorably and limped back a step.
In front of it was a bowl full of Pokéblocks, freshly made from berries.
"Try some?" Lu Ye coaxed.
"Haun-haun (¯﹃¯)."
Haunter nodded, drooling uncontrollably.
Eevee bared its teeth, ready to attack.
"Alright, alright, we're not looking." Lu Ye raised his hands.
"We're leaving, so don't you dare eat it!"
"Vee!"
Eevee turned its head, disdainful of charity food.
Haunter stared longingly at the Pokéblocks, tears streaming.
Just as they turned away, they heard munching.
Lu Ye's eyes lit up. He kicked the door open.
"Vee?!"
Eevee froze, berry juice staining its mouth, eyes full of shock and innocence.
It tried to protest but ended up diving under the blanket, hiding its head.
"Vee-vee! (〃＞皿＜)"