Evening, at the end of the school day.
After a day of selection, the various classes had preliminary lists of candidates, but for Owen and Eevee, the dust had already settled.
On the way home, Owen was patiently explaining things to Eevee: "Mr. Lee said that movement requires a bit of force to stimulate energy circulation.
I'm just a bit unfamiliar with it; I haven't mastered the balance between tension and relaxation yet. Don't worry, after a few more tries, I'll definitely get the hang of the pressure."
Eevee glared at him.
A few more tries... Would she even be alive to enjoy it by then?
However... having experienced a professional massage, Eevee was feeling quite conflicted. On one hand, she longed for that daily bliss; on the other hand, facing Owen—the ultimate amateur—she was genuinely concerned for her physical safety.
"Vee..." Eevee gave a depressed sigh.
Back home.
Owen checked the status of his paper submission as usual... yep, perfect. Still incredibly slow. No news whatsoever.
Next, he looked at Eevee, who was already sprawled out on the bed. For Eevee, this time every evening was her happiest hour.
As long as she could lie comfortably on the bed, drink her milk, and browse her phone, life was good. She didn't have to worry about annoying things like training.
"Even a Magnemite would be jealous..."
"Wait, what?"
Owen blinked. Did he just say "Magnemite"? Why would he compare Eevee to a Magnemite instead of a person?!
Catching something out of the corner of his eye, Owen noticed the bedroom door wasn't fully closed. Through the crack, the Magnemite was secretly peeking inside, its single eye fixed on Eevee, unable to look away.
"Magnemite?" Owen called out.
The next instant, the Magnemite vanished from the crack, clattering back to its black charging station and pretending to stay put. Owen stood up, confused, opened the door, and looked at his dad, who was watching TV in the living room.
"Dad—"
"Ah?! What's wrong? Is the volume too high? I'll turn it down right now," his father said awkwardly.
"No." Owen shook his head. To avoid disturbing his studies, his dad usually kept the TV on nearly mute. "It's about..."
Owen turned his head and saw the Magnemite looking at him nervously, as if worried its peeping had been discovered.
"I mean, Dad, if you're going to raise a Magnemite, you should at least play with it. Look how bored it is over there by itself."
Owen sighed. It was definitely the Magnemite peeking at Eevee just now! As for the reason... Owen guessed it was mostly out of loneliness.
"Play with it?" His dad scratched his head, looking bewildered. How was an electrician supposed to play with a pair of magnets?
The truth was, while his dad had a big heart, he was notoriously bad at taking care of others. Owen had been the victim of his "unintentional parenting fails" more than once growing up.
If Owen hadn't developed a calm, unshakable personality, he might not have made it to adulthood in one piece.
"Yes, play with it."
"But I don't see you playing with Eevee much. She's either watching TV or looking at her phone... I thought maybe Magnemite might like soccer?" His dad pointed at the TV with a serious face.
On the charging station, the Magnemite shook its body violently.
Soccer? Are you a demon? Trying to get a Magnemite into soccer?
"Ahem, okay, looks like it doesn't like that." Seeing the head-shaking, his dad looked troubled. At the power plant, the Electric-types didn't need humans to play with them; they just sat there quietly. He really didn't know how to entertain a Pokémon.
His dad looked at the Magnemite in the corner and fell into deep thought. If it just sat there, how was this any different from being at the plant? This wouldn't do!
"Say... why don't you let Eevee play with it for a while?"
"Let Eevee play with it..." Owen felt something was off. Eevee was already exhausted from a day of training. Her precious free time was limited, and now he was asking her to be a nanny?
As Eevee's trainer, Owen's last shred of conscience flickered.
"Yes, let Eevee play with it. It's not good for her to stare at that phone all day anyway. I've never heard of a Pokémon obsessed with a piece of junk like that.
She'll end up nearsighted. Letting her interact with other Pokémon is better for her social development."
"And you know what the internet is like these days. All that bad information... one of these days, Eevee's going to turn into a delinquent."
Under his father's relentless logic, Owen paused. Wait... that actually makes some sense.
If Eevee got nearsighted, it would be a disaster. People say e-sports don't need eyesight, but Pokémon battling definitely does.
An Eevee with glasses?
Wait, there actually ARE Pokémon with glasses! Owen thought of Pikachu Libre, or the "Doctor Pikachu" from the cosplay series. Would his Eevee eventually become that eccentric?
"I'll go get her!" Under his father's encouraging gaze, Owen went back into the room.
Moments later, a soul-less Eevee was carried out.
"Vee..." Eevee stared at the Magnemite with dead-fish eyes, completely devoid of energy.
"Ah, haha..." Owen rubbed Eevee's head. "Just play with Magnemite for a bit. It's lonely. Tell you what—play for 30 minutes, and I'll give you double time back tomorrow at school. How about that?"
The classic "double rebate" trap from mobile games. Would she take the bait?
Eevee's eyes lit up. 30 minutes for 60? This wasn't just a fair trade; it was a profit.
Seeing Eevee nod, Owen breathed a sigh of relief. Sometimes, the predatory tactics of gacha games really were useful.
The Explosion
"Vee..." Eevee strutted over to the Magnemite. Looking at the clumsy gray sphere, she shook her head and began "lecturing" it. She took on the air of a boss immediately, and surprisingly, the Magnemite listened intently.
Seeing the two Pokémon getting along "harmoniously," Owen and his dad nodded in satisfaction. Everything seemed normal. Owen went back to his room to tackle his homework.
The problems were brutal.
"According to relevant data, the upper limit of the state-space complexity of Go (M) is approximately 3^{361}, while the total number of atoms of ordinary matter in the observable universe (N) is approximately 10^{80}. Which value is M closest to in terms of N...?"
Owen wanted to make his math paper explode.
BANG!
A sudden explosion made Owen bolt upright. Not just him—his parents were startled too. It couldn't actually be the paper, right? Was it a gas leak?
No... the sound was smaller than that.
Owen rushed out and found the noise came from the balcony—exactly where Eevee and Magnemite were playing.
When he got there, he saw the Magnemite looking at Eevee with an innocent, bewildered expression. Eevee, however, was shaking with pure rage. The Soothe Bell on her chest was jingling frantically, but even its calming tones couldn't suppress her fury.
Beside them, one of Eevee's precious phones had burst open. The cause was unknown.
Owen slapped his forehead. Did this brat try to play mobile games with a Magnemite?!
"Wait... holy crap..." Owen suddenly realized something. Eevee was so angry that her entire body was radiating a peculiar aura. This was... Anger Energy?!
Something was very wrong.
Why... why didn't you learn Return, but you mastered Frustration instead?!
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