Yang Han's call made Father Fang and Mother Fang let out a sigh.
Parents always focus on the more peculiar concerns.
They didn't first consider whether Magic City or Peace City was more suitable for Fang Yuan now; instead, they felt apologetic for not being able to provide him with a better environment to grow up in. They couldn't refute Yang Han, believing that Fang Yuan couldn't compete fairly with new Trainers from big cities, primarily because of the family's financial situation—which was their responsibility.
Although Father Fang and Mother Fang hadn't done anything wrong, it must be said... parents still want to give their children the best.
"Dad, Mom."
Noticing the atmosphere had become somewhat strange after a sudden silence, Fang Yuan quickly interrupted the awkwardness with a laugh, "I think Pingcheng is better. I would definitely not be accustomed to Magic City. This new star project seems tailor-made for me. Let's just reject those two calls."
Yang Han smiled slightly, waiting for Father Fang and Mother Fang's decision.
"Hm."
Father Fang lifted his head and continued, "Mr. Yang makes sense. If they call again, I will reject them."
Fang Yuan nodded. When he heard the words "Evolutionary Stone," he had already abandoned the idea of going to study in Magic City.
If he could get that item for free, wouldn't his previous lies be justifiable?
Moreover, if Eevee ultimately couldn't evolve into Solar Spirit, Moon Spirit, or Fairy Spirit, he had also left a way out for himself.
Compared to the resources promised by the new star project, the sincerity of those two schools in Magic City seemed somewhat lacking.
Indeed, the schools in big cities have a broader vision and it's impossible for them to concentrate resources to cultivate just a few individuals.
For this, Fang Yuan had no regrets whatsoever. After all, it was just one year of high school, and after graduation, the world would be his oyster. College was a whole new beginning.
After the exchange, Yang Han didn't stay long, citing a busy work schedule, he left his phone number and departed, leaving Father Fang, Mother Fang, and Fang Yuan to continue the discussion.
Before lunch, Father Fang and Mother Fang were weighing the pros and cons, and finally, Father Fang made a call to the two high schools. After indirectly inquiring about additional benefits and getting no response, they finally breathed a sigh of relief and felt comfortable with their decision to stay in Pingcheng.
Fang Yuan didn't dwell too long on this matter either, his mind quickly wandering elsewhere.
"If they have the budget for a project like the new star program, how much benefit has that Sand Scale Fruit Tree brought to the Pingcheng Trainer Association?" Fang Yuan wondered aloud.
As for the generosity of the Pingcheng Trainer Association, he was very satisfied.
Tuition, Evolutionary Stone, plus other resources, the value was estimated to be over a million.
This kind of treatment he had only seen in news on the internet.
It was almost comparable to being gifted an "honor student house" for some regional valedictorians.
In any case, participating in the Little Phoenix King Cup was indeed the right move; it thoroughly showcased his and Eevee's value.
Without going through the Little Phoenix King Cup, he would have never received such an investment. One could say that this was an opportunity he and Eevee had fought for themselves.
Now looking back, the actual rewards from the Little Phoenix King Cup seemed not the main point.
…
With the pressure of the Little Phoenix King Cup gone, Fang Yuan no longer required Eevee to undergo the usual special training.
This made Eevee very happy.
"You have a holiday until school starts, but once school begins, we must take the school's organized training seriously," Fang Yuan said.
"Bwoo!" Eevee showed an expression of understanding.
Before Fang Yuan could afford a smartphone for it, Eevee would nod and nod again at whatever Fang Yuan said, aiming to please him.
And for things that he promised, Fang Yuan would definitely not break his word.
That day, he took Eevee to the specialty store and bought it two smartphones.
However.
There were no SIM cards.
Eevee could only use WIFI at home to play; if it wanted to go online outside, it still had to ask Fang Yuan.
The two phones cost Fang Yuan 6,000 yuan in total, which was only a small portion of the total prize money.
But this made Eevee incredibly happy. When Fang Yuan brought it home, Eevee couldn't wait to open the packaging boxes.
"Don't rush, let me download all those video apps for you first," Fang Yuan said.
"For the accounts... let's just use mine, that way you can watch VIP videos."
Eevee bowed.
With Eevee already familiar with some basic operations of the smartphone, Fang Yuan handed it the phones after setting them up. It wasn't long before Eevee, wrapped in a silk scarf and with the Soothing Bell next to it, started playing on the bed.
Fang Yuan looked at Eevee for a while before planning to leave. However, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked back at Eevee.
"Eevee, have you ever heard of mobile games?" Fang Yuan said.
"Bwoo?" Eevee turned its head, looking somewhat perplexed.
"You see, you now have two phones, but you can only play with one at a time, isn't that a pity?" Fang Yuan said.
Eevee glanced at the phone with the lit screen and then at the other phone with a dark screen, falling into thought.
Right, what's the point of having two phones then?
"Online games, this kind of thing, can easily help you solve this dilemma and make use of both phones at the same time," Fang Yuan said.
Eevee listened.
Fang Yuan took both of Eevee's phones and helped it download a classic game.
Snow Bros multiplayer edition.
A version that can't be played alone and requires two phones to connect for the game.
Snow Bros might not be a major game, but it is very classic, and there's a reason for something to become classic.
Moreover, the game is very simple to control, even Eevee could get the hang of it quickly. Fang Yuan explained the controls to it, and Eevee understood them.
"Listen up, each of us controls one snowman, and then together we beat those silly monsters!"
"Bwoo!" Eevee got serious.
For its first time playing such a game, Eevee was inevitably a little nervous.
But after all, it's a casual game, and Snow Bros is actually quite friendly to beginners. Just by playing with Fang Yuan for ten minutes, Eevee felt as though it had stepped through a new door.
Addiction to the internet is indeed a widespread thing; one can't escape either dramas or games.
Fang Yuan continued to play with Eevee.
Eevee became increasingly skilled, and as they progressed through more and more levels, the difficulty gradually increased...
In the end, due to a mistake by Eevee...
game over.
Eevee: Ｏ(≧口≦)Ｏ
It looked at Fang Yuan, requesting another round, and Fang Yuan did not refuse. After playing with Eevee for about an hour, Fang Yuan felt a bit tired, but Eevee still seemed to have plenty of energy.
Fang Yuan thought it was about time and smiled, saying,
"Let's call it a day."
"Bwoo?!" Eevee's eyes widened.
"I have other things to do next, and it's not necessary for me to accompany you for you to play; you can challenge the levels on your own."
Eevee was puzzled.
"Do you remember what I told you before, that once Shadow Clone is skilled enough, it can condense energy to create a more tangible clone, more real than a mere afterimage?"
Eevee nodded.
"However, even an energy clone is fake, not real enough to be mistaken for the real thing, and it has many limitations that make it easily destructible," Fang Yuan said.
"But, you can also learn another move, which, like Shadow Clone, creates a clone. This clone is almost indistinguishable from a real body, has plenty of physical strength, and won't disappear with just a light attack. Whatever your real body can do, the Substitute can also do, you could say it's a move that's even more practical than Shadow Clone," Fang Yuan said.
"Just think, if you learn the Substitute Technique, you'll be able to play that game by yourself."
Eevee showed an expression of realization.
Then, it frowned, feeling that something was not quite right.
But upon further thought, Eevee realized that mastering Substitute would allow it to play two phones at the same time—wasn't this the very real clone it had longed for?!
Fang Yuan smiled, "The Substitute move, as far as I remember, is about separating a quarter of your physical strength and energy to create the clone. I don't know the specifics, but it probably shares some ingenious techniques with the more advanced Shadow Clone. Perhaps it also involves multitasking."
"Anyway, I can't help you much with learning this move; you'll have to figure it out yourself."
Eevee stood up, looking at the two phones with a serious gaze, feeling it was time to ponder over this move.
Meanwhile,
Fang Yuan turned away, feeling emotional in his heart.
Being a Trainer is really simple.