"Vee?"

Soaring high in the sky, Eevee turned to look at Gary, as if asking whether it should attack. It tilted its head curiously, awaiting his command.

"No hurry," Gary replied calmly. "Let's wait and see. If Team Rocket attacks that boy, then you can move in."

"Vee!"

Eevee nodded obediently.

Down below—

"Vee!"

Eevee was deeply moved when it saw the boy using his own body to shield it. It darted between the boy's legs, standing protectively in front of him, facing off against Mightyena and Sableye.

"Eevee, run! This is a city—they won't dare do anything to me! I'll hold them off!" the boy shouted, his voice trembling with fear yet full of resolve.

"You talk too much!" Cassidy snapped. "Sableye, use Disable—restrain that boy!"

Sableye's gem-like eyes glowed a cold blue. A psychic force shot out and wrapped around the boy, binding him tightly.

Disable, when used on a human, could completely immobilize them.

"Wh-what's going on?! Why can't I move?" the boy cried out in panic.

"Vee!!"

Seeing the boy unable to move, Eevee cried out angrily and charged straight at Sableye, its small body glowing faintly with energy.

However, Sableye didn't even flinch. Eevee crashed into it head-on—

and went straight through.

Eevee stumbled forward in confusion, realizing it hadn't made contact at all. It turned sharply, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Vee?!"

Sableye's eerie grin never wavered as it continued to focus its power on maintaining Disable.

"Hahaha!" Cassidy laughed mockingly. "Didn't you know? Sableye's a Ghost-type Pokémon! Normal-type moves don't work on it!"

"Vee…"

Eevee's eyes widened in shock—but it refused to give up. It quickly leapt back and unleashed a flurry of glowing energy stars.

"Eevee, use Swift!" the boy shouted instinctively, still frozen in place.

Golden stars shot through the air toward Sableye—but each one passed harmlessly through its transparent body before fading into the dirt.

"Mightyena, use Tackle!" Butch ordered sharply.

"Raaah!"

Mightyena sprang forward with terrifying speed, crashing into Eevee and sending it flying across the park. The little Pokémon hit the ground hard and rolled several times before struggling to its feet.

Eevee winced, trembling, but refused to back down. Its entire body began to glow with a bright white light.

"Huh? Evolution?!"

Gary's eyes widened in surprise as he watched from above.

This Eevee and the boy had only known each other for a few days—yet their bond was already strong enough to trigger evolution. That kind of emotional resonance was extremely rare.

Eevee's silhouette began to shift and grow under the light. When it finally faded, standing there was a Pokémon with fiery orange and pale yellow fur.

"What? Flareon?!" Gary gasped. "Impossible—it evolved at night! It should've become an Umbreon… unless…!"

A shocking realization flashed through his mind, though he wasn't completely sure yet.

"E-Eevee…?" the boy whispered in disbelief. Even with his limited knowledge, he knew an Eevee could only evolve into Flareon with a Fire Stone. "But… how?"

"Flare!"

Now a Flareon, it let out a powerful cry and unleashed a blazing Flamethrower toward Sableye.

"Sab!!"

Caught off guard, Sableye screamed as flames engulfed its body, forcing it to release the Disable. The boy stumbled free, gasping for breath.

"Eevee—no, Flareon! Let's go to the Pokémon Center! We'll be safe there!" the boy cried.

"Flare!"

Flareon nodded firmly, standing beside him as they turned to flee.

But before they could escape—

"Grrr!"

Butch's Mightyena leapt in front of them, blocking their path.

"Trying to run? Not so fast!" Butch sneered. "Mightyena, Dark Pulse!"

Dark energy surged from Mightyena's jaws and raced toward the boy.

The cunning Pokémon knew that Flareon would never let the boy get hurt—forcing it to take the hit head-on.

"Flare!"

Flareon roared and countered with another Flamethrower.

Boom!

The two attacks collided violently, exploding in a burst of smoke and fire.

"Ahhh!"

The boy screamed as the shockwave knocked both him and Flareon to the ground. His ankle twisted painfully as he fell.

"Flare!!"

Flareon tried to rise and shield him, but its body suddenly flashed with white light again. The glow enveloped it briefly—

and when it faded, Eevee stood there once more.

"Eevee… devolved?!" the boy gasped.

"Just as I thought…" Gary murmured, watching intently. "It's the same phenomenon as the Red Abo incident. Team Rocket must have performed experiments on this Eevee—allowing it to shift between evolutions freely."

"Vee…"

The exhausted Eevee let out a weak cry before collapsing unconscious.

"Eevee!" the boy shouted, trying to crawl toward it—but his injured ankle left him helpless on the ground.

"Mightyena, bring that Eevee here," Butch commanded coldly.

"Raaah!"

Mightyena bounded forward—but suddenly, a shower of golden lights descended from above.

The dark wolf skidded to a halt, eyes narrowing as it sensed danger.

Pah! Pah! Pah!

Dozens of Swift stars rained down, pelting Mightyena relentlessly. With a pained howl, it crashed to the ground, its eyes swirling before fainting completely.

"What the—?!"

"Who's there?!" Cassidy and Butch spun around, startled.

"Vee!"

Another Eevee descended gracefully from the sky, landing protectively in front of the unconscious one.

"An… Eevee?!" Cassidy stammered. "Where did that one come from?!"

This new Eevee stood tall, its fur gleaming in the sunlight, its presence radiating strength. It had felled Mightyena in a single move.

From above, a mighty Charizard roared as it landed.

Gary leapt off its back, glaring coldly at the Team Rocket duo.

"Team Rocket—you've got some nerve," he said sharply. "Stealing Pokémon right here in the city."

"G… Gary Oak?!"

Cassidy and Butch paled instantly. They recognized him at once.

Gary's fame might not be officially broadcast by the Pokémon League, but within the underworld, his name carried serious weight. He had thwarted Team Rocket's operations countless times—and was firmly on their list of dangerous individuals.

Cassidy tried to recover her composure. "Don't twist the story! That Eevee belongs to Team Rocket! The real thief is that fat kid!"

Gary raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Heh. Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"Grraaa…"

Cassidy clenched her fists, furious yet speechless. Team Rocket's reputation was so bad that no one in their right mind would believe their side of the story.

"Big brother!" the boy cried desperately, looking up at Gary. "They're lying! Those bad guys were trying to take Eevee away—please, help us!"