-058- Evolution! Leaf Sprite! (3/3) (Please keep reading! Sincere thanks!)

“Hurry up and attack it, you useless bugs! Why are you just standing there?” Seeing the glowing light enveloping Eevee’s body, the man in brown cried out in alarm.

He knew that Pokémon cannot move while evolving, so he resolved to strike now, fearing that once Eevee evolved, it would become far more troublesome to deal with.

With a rustling sound, the two timid bugs scuttled quickly to Eevee’s side; one unleashed Sand Attack, the other used Bug Resistance.

But in the next instant, beneath the white light, several leaves flashed out and sliced the two bugs away.

A sharp cry rang out, and with radiance streaming in every direction, a Pokémon entirely covered in leaves appeared before Tong Si’s eyes.

“Leafeon!”

Tong Si whispered its name, his emotions surging. As he suspected, the grassy element infused in the mossy stone had enabled Eevee to evolve into Leafeon—his judgment was right!

Using his scanning eye, Tong Si checked Leafeon’s data panel:

Leafeon
Level: 17
Abilities: Adaptability, Electric Storage, Chlorophyll (new)
Quality: Excellent
Skills: Tackle, Tail Whip, Growl, Sand Attack, Weather Ball, Dig, Thunder Shock, Leaf Blade (new)
...

“Oh? It’s learned Leaf Blade!” Tong Si was thrilled; every time Eevee evolved into a new form, it acquired a skill matching its new element.

But this time, he hoped for more than just Leaf Blade. As Leafeon, he wanted it to master even more abilities.

Leafeon’s gaze was sharp, locked onto the two bugs before it, as if its mood had soured.

“Leafeon, use Leaf Blade!” Tong Si’s command rang out.

Leafeon sprang forth; in the sunlight, its speed was astonishing. The Chlorophyll ability boosts speed in sunny weather.

In the blink of an eye, Leafeon was before the two bugs, who now trembled in fear, already intimidated by the earlier leaf attack.

Again, several leaves appeared, and Leafeon’s blades sliced through the air, mercilessly slashing at the trembling bugs.

In an instant, the two bugs were left battered and scarred.

“Now, it’s your turn!” Tong Si pointed at the man in brown.

“Damn it…” The man’s jaw clenched tight. He took a step back and ran for the thicket, abandoning even the two bugs.

“Don’t let him escape! Leafeon—!” Tong Si shouted.

Leafeon launched another Leaf Blade, its sharp leaves cutting the shrubbery into heaps.

Suddenly, it darted ahead, intercepting the man’s path.

“You have nowhere left to run!” Tong Si emerged from the shredded thicket.

With a grass-type Pokémon at his side, there was no need to weave through tangled brush; Leafeon simply sliced a path straight through.

Leafeon unleashed a mild Thunder Shock, stunning the man.

Tong Si pulled a vine from the thicket and bound the man tightly.

As for the two battered bugs, they had fled somewhere unknown.

“A pity there’s no signal here, or I could contact Jiang Tao,” Tong Si muttered.

Guided by Leafeon, Tong Si retraced his steps. With Leaf Blade clearing the way, the once-complicated path was now much easier to traverse.

Soon, he returned to the place where the swarm of Beedrill had piled up.

Tong Si recalled Leafeon into its Pokéball, unwilling to reveal Eevee’s evolution just yet. After all, Leafeon would still appear as Eevee in the future; to avoid unnecessary trouble, he chose to keep it secret.

On the ground, the Beedrill lay unconscious, stunned by electricity.

Electabuzz, seeing Tong Si, rushed over instantly.

“Bzzt bzzt!” Electabuzz waved its arms, sparks flickering.

The earlier battle with the Beedrill swarm hadn’t harmed it in the slightest.

Moreover, Tong Si noticed its level had risen to twenty-one.

Indeed, real combat is the fastest way to gain experience!

“Electabuzz, you did very well!” Tong Si was thoroughly satisfied with its performance. Entrusting this battle to Electabuzz proved his deep trust in it.

“Tong Si—”

On the other side, Jiang Tao called out as soon as he spotted Tong Si returning.

The three rookie trainers breathed a sigh of relief, as if Tong Si were their guarantee of safety.

The crazed Beedrill attack had left them terrified, and they still hadn’t recovered from the shock.

“Where did you go just now? And who is this guy?” Jiang Tao pointed to the man Tong Si had dragged over.

The man in brown had regained consciousness, but Tong Si had stuffed an Orange Berry in his mouth.

Its size filled his mouth exactly; he couldn’t bite down or spit it out, making for an agonizing form of torment.

“A member of the Bristle Bronze Gang. You’ve heard of them, right?”

At Tong Si’s words, Jiang Tao and the three rookie trainers all jolted in surprise.

The Bristle Bronze Gang? Such a notorious group—they’d certainly heard of them.

Most outrageous was the fact that the organization had even set up an online encyclopedia, documenting some basic information about itself.

Of course, only the most public, general data was listed; nothing internal ever leaked. Otherwise, the League would have crushed them long ago.

The reason the Bristle Bronze Gang could act so brazenly and endure for so long without disbanding boiled down to three main points:

First, constant recruiting.

The Bristle Bronze Gang specifically targets delinquent trainers—those with poor records in the Pokémon League or who can’t obtain Pokémon. These social outcasts flock to the gang, eager to realize their dreams as trainers.

Second, no fixed base.

Across all twenty-one provinces of Hualong Country, their presence is scattered in every city. The League has never been able to locate their headquarters.

Third, flamboyant actions, discreet lives.

Whenever the Bristle Bronze Gang commits a crime, they make it public, boasting to all that it was their doing—openly challenging the League. Yet, after more than a decade, the League still hasn’t discovered who their true leader is. That’s why the organization endures.

Learning that the man in brown was actually a member of the Bristle Bronze Gang, the three rookie trainers were visibly fearful.

Jiang Tao, however, remained composed. As a member of the Jiang family of Jiahua City, he’d seen plenty and wouldn’t let one gang underling shake him.

“Tong Si, how did you catch this guy?”

Rather than fear, Jiang Tao was more curious.

Most Bristle Bronze Gang members aren’t particularly strong, but Tong Si himself was only a rookie trainer.

Jiang Tao knew Tong Si’s main Pokémon was Electabuzz, which had been busy fighting Beedrill.

Did he really defeat a gang member with just an Eevee?

Jiang Tao found it hard to believe!

... (To be continued)