A day later, Xie Qingyi returned to Magic City University.
She set aside her work and rushed back overnight, just to take a look at Fang Yuan's Eevee.
After all... the news Fang Yuan told her was a bit too explosive.
...
Magic City University, in a private battle room.
Only two people were present, Fang Yuan and Xie Qingyi.
Eevee didn't count as a person.
Watching Eevee jump off Fang Yuan's shoulder and then shake its beautiful fur, Xie Qingyi spoke softly, "So... the only side effect of the R Medicine is the instability between the two forms, right?"
"Yes, a stroke of luck in misfortune," Fang Yuan nodded.
He had informed Xie Qingyi about Eevee's evolution due to Solar Energy, which naturally included its de-evolution due to the Destruction Gene.
The new evolutionary form... evolved through Solar Energy... Sister Xie was still somewhat in a daze.
"Eevee, evolve into the Solar Spirit form," Fang Yuan said to Eevee.
Talk is cheap but seeing is believing.
"Bwoo~" Hearing the command, Eevee immediately used Emotional Energy to harness the Solar Energy stored within the Destruction Gene; the fusion of both energies enshrouded its body with the light of evolution.
Xie Qingyi watched with a solemn expression until the appearance of the Solar Spirit fully emerged before her eyes, and she let out a long sigh of relief.
"Good, it's not as cute as the Fairy Spirit."
"???" Fang Yuan was speechless. Was that really the point to focus on?
Besides, the Solar Spirit wasn't going for a cute look... The noble and mysterious Solar Spirit was clearly aiming for a cool vibe, which matched perfectly with the cool Fang Yuan.
"It's fine, the Solar Spirit is quite handsome too..." Fang Yuan said.
"Mee~~"
The Solar Spirit and Fang Yuan were on the same wavelength, gently swaying its tail to show support for Fang Yuan's opinion.
But it didn't dare to contradict Xie Qingyi; this woman was rather formidable, and even together with the Trio Magnet Monsters and Chimchar, it wouldn't be able to win against her.
"That's true."
"By the way, did you name it Solar Spirit?" Xie Qingyi smiled gracefully. "The name is very apt."
Fang Yuan had actually hesitated for a long time between the names "Solar Spirit" and "Light Spirit." There was no official name for the Solar Spirit anyway, so it was up to him to decide.
But after much deliberation, Fang Yuan still felt that Solar Spirit was more fitting.
"Sister Xie, what should I do?" Fang Yuan asked.
"The conditions for Eevee's evolution into the Solar Spirit couldn't just be Solar Energy, right?" Xie Qingyi looked at Fang Yuan.
"Yes, there are other conditions besides Solar Energy."
Two conditions, one was Emotional Energy, and the other was the Space Magnetic Field.
Only the sunlight that had traveled through the Space Magnetic Field inside the Secret location could form Solar Energy that Eevee could absorb.
The environment in the secret location is even closer to the Pokémon World depicted in animation and games than Earth's ecological system.
That's also why the evolutionary conditions of Pokémon like the Solar Spirit and Moon Spirit haven't been fully understood yet.
Xie Qingyi had already grasped Fang Yuan's concerns. Fang Yuan had delayed revealing the Solar Spirit because he worried that Eevee's unstable form could lead to additional troubles.
As one of the few who knew what Eevee had gone through, now Fang Yuan could only consider her suggestions.
"Being able to evolve and devolve at will is indeed unheard of..."
"And it can't maintain its Solar Spirit form indefinitely?"
"There's no way around it. Even without fighting, maintaining the Solar Spirit form consumes energy, and after about twelve hours, it will devolve on its own," said Fang Yuan, who had already conducted many tests with Eevee.
If it engages in intense battle and becomes overly exhausted, that time span would even shorten—likely the work of the Destruction Gene.
However, with Emotional Energy alone, Eevee couldn't completely control the Destruction Gene. Perhaps only after mastering Life Energy could it potentially tame the Destruction Gene completely.
Dr. Chen once mentioned that the origin of R Medicine is a fossil containing a large number of Pokémon genes. Fang Yuan had actually conjectured the source of the fossil a while ago.
But he never dared to be sure.
The Phantom Pokémon, Mew.
If his guess is right, then the changes occurring in Eevee might have also occurred in another Pokémon.
Mewtwo.
In the original story, Team Rocket discovered Mew living in Guyana. A few years later, Team Rocket Boss Giovanni sent an expedition that found the fossil of Mew's eyelash. Later, Dr. Fuji assisted in researching the Mew fossil on New Island and created Mewtwo.
Mewtwo had a brutal nature, and in the game, wild Mewtwo even carries an item that affects battles, the Destruction Gene.
Yes, the name Fang Yuan gave to the new gene inside Eevee's body came from this game item.
However, unlike Mewtwo, Eevee couldn't completely master this gene inside its body; it could only suppress it.
Mewtwo, on the other hand, could manage the Destruction Gene without any issues.
After much thought, Fang Yuan almost figured out the problem: Eevee, as an ordinary Pokémon, lacked the potential and talent to control the Life Energy within its body.
But it's different for Legendary Pokémon like Mewtwo, Di Anxi, and the Water City Siblings. Their extraordinary talents allow them to easily control the Life Energy within them, thus completing Autologous Ultra-Evolution. Since Mewtwo could master such advanced energy, thoroughly understanding itself, then mastering the mere Destruction Gene would hardly be a challenge...
For now, Eevee could only suppress the Destruction Gene with Emotional Energy, but Fang Yuan felt that as Eevee gained a deeper understanding of itself, it would eventually be able to completely control the Destruction Gene; perhaps it might even transform further by then?
Of course, Fang Yuan, as a Trainer, would certainly make efforts to help Eevee master Life Energy sooner.
Currently, evolving and devolving repeatedly, feeling the changes of Life Energy through the process, is the only method they have to sense Life Energy. As for other shortcuts, Fang Yuan was also searching.
Following Fang Yuan's response, Xie Qingyi said, "I think I get it now; the key point is that Eevee's experiences aren't suitable to be made public."
Fang Yuan acknowledged her understanding.
"However, there are other solutions that won't cause unnecessary trouble," Xie Qingyi said with a slight smile. "What if I said... you caught both Eevee and the Solar Spirit as two Pokémon?"
"What do you mean?" Fang Yuan asked.
"If in the Spirit Center's Trainer System, you registered two Pokémon, respectively being Eevee and the Solar Spirit, Eevee would be seen as two separate entities. As long as you don't let Eevee evolve in public, you can carry Eevee without any pressure and use the Solar Spirit in battles," explained Xie Qingyi.
Fang Yuan realized what she meant—that is, to increase his quota for Pokémon he could catch and then fabricate the information, right!