The Chen incident caused a massive stir across both Magic City and Aurelia. Due to the intervention of the Trainer Association headquarters, the branches in both cities were working tirelessly to manage the aftermath.
In the hospital, Owen hadn't taken his eyes off Eevee. He felt mostly recovered after his own rest, but Eevee's condition left him far from optimistic.
Though only a few hours had passed, every second felt like a year as he prayed for her to wake up.
Representatives from the Fairview Trainer Association—including Ethan and Zoe—as well as officials from Fairview No. 1 High School and Owen's parents, had rushed to the hospital the moment they heard the news. Seeing that Owen was out of immediate danger, the crowd finally breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"The doctor says Eevee's mental activity is steadily rising. She should wake up within two days, though the exact timing is uncertain."
"Why don't you all head back first?" Owen spent a long time explaining to his parents that he was okay, but they refused to leave, insisting on staying to look after him.
After his parents, Ethan and Zoe, stepped forward. Ethan looked at the boy and the Pokémon in silence for a long moment. He wasn't one for long speeches, so he simply said, "We'll handle the rest later. For now, just focus on recovering."
Owen gave a bitter smile. Indeed, the only priority now was waiting for Eevee to open her eyes. Once he was cleared to move, Owen obtained permission from the staff to sit by Eevee's bed.
He intended to watch over her personally until she woke up. After everything that had happened, he felt a knot of anxiety if she was out of his sight for even a second.
Two days later, Cynthia returned to the Aurelia General Hospital after finishing her official reports. She met the doctor outside the ward to check on Owen's status.
"The trainer has fully recovered. The Pokémon hasn't woken up yet, but her mental state is showing gradual improvement."
"Why is he sleeping like that?" Cynthia asked, looking through the window. Owen was slumped over, his upper body resting on the edge of Eevee's bed, fast asleep in a chair.
"Well..." The doctor sighed helplessly. "The boy is incredibly stubborn. Aside from bathroom breaks, he hasn't moved from that spot.
He's waiting for her to wake up, and no one can convince him otherwise. He has a strong constitution, but the physical and mental double-strain eventually caught up to him. He's likely exhausted. Let him sleep."
Cynthia nodded slowly. "I'll wait for him to wake up, then."
Owen was indeed exhausted. He had spent nearly forty-eight hours glued to Eevee's side, counting down the minutes of the doctor's "two-day" estimate. In his sleep, he suddenly felt something wet on his face, as if he were drooling in his dreams.
That damp, ticklish sensation was what finally nudged him awake. But as he opened his eyes, he realized the moisture wasn't his own.
It was Eevee. She was awake, her small black nose twitching as she licked his cheek with her pink tongue.
"Vee-vui..."
Eevee looked at Owen with her deep brown eyes. She struggled to shift her position on the bed, reaching out a soft pink paw pad to nudge him. Owen froze for a heartbeat, then his face lit up with pure joy.
"Eevee! Do you feel sick anywhere? Does anything hurt?"
Facing Owen's frantic concern, Eevee gave a reassuring look.
(`· ω ·´) How could I be defeated by two cups of flavorless water?
"It's good that you're awake," Owen laughed, stroking her fur.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Cynthia peeked in. "I'm sorry to interrupt the reunion, but it would be best to call the doctor for another full check-up now that she's conscious. What do you think?"
After Eevee woke up, she underwent a second round of intensive physical exams. During a quiet moment, Cynthia pulled Owen aside. "You know the full story of the incident now, right?"
She was referring to Chen's illegal experiments and his status as a fugitive. Owen nodded. "I've gathered most of it over the last few days."
"The Association has collected samples of the drugs Chen was researching. They are extremely dangerous.
You understand what that implies, don't you?" Cynthia hesitated, not wanting to burden a high schooler, but she decided he needed to know the truth.
"But don't worry. Unless Eevee truly becomes uncontrollable or poses a threat to society, no one can infringe upon your rights or her freedom.
Fortunately, it seems she's already suppressed the side effects."
Owen remained silent, thinking of Chen's warning. Most Pokémon exposed to R became hyper-aggressive until they died.
Even though Eevee was called the "Perfect Subject," he didn't know if the suppressed side effects would stay suppressed. He didn't want to imagine a world where Eevee lost herself.
"Sigh..." Looking at Owen, who had been sleeping by the bed just moments ago, Cynthia sighed. She could tell their bond was incredibly deep.
According to the information she had, Owen and Eevee would need to stay in the hospital for a period of observation and testing. Once cleared, they could go home. It was the best possible outcome. She could only hope everything remained stable.
"I understand," Owen said firmly. "We'll cooperate with the tests. I don't want Eevee living with any hidden dangers either."
"I'm glad you understand," Cynthia replied. Being observed in a hospital was far better than Eevee being seized by a research facility for "containment."
Soon, the latest reports came back. Eevee had regained her vitality, hopping onto Owen's shoulder with her usual perkiness.
"Vee-vui! Vee-vui!!"
Eevee was actually quite excited. She could feel the changes within herself. While fighting the R drug, when the destructive urges tried to seize her brain, she had remembered a training concept Owen had brainstormed but never actually started:
Using the "Return" method to tap into latent brain potential.
Desperate and with no other options, Eevee had used her emotional energy to stimulate her own brain to counteract the poison.
Though it had caused a massive overload that knocked her out for three days, the results were staggering.
Her mental capacity had been expanded, and her mental power had grown by leaps and bounds. But there was one more change. After a quick mental test, Eevee realized she could now perform multitasking.
This meant she could finally control a Substitute to do her training for her while she spent her time slacking off and playing games.
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