Elf: I'm Just a Commentator

"Uh...it's alright." Lin Xuan didn't know why the professor was asking this question.

Is he your starter spirit?

"You could say that. This thing just fell onto my balcony not long ago, so I just picked it up and used it as a mascot."

Although it turned out that the mascot was completely useless, Lin Xuan's words during the live broadcast became increasingly accurate, and accurate for both good and bad things.

"dawn!"

I'm just here to eat and drink for free!!

Lin Xuan couldn't understand why this guy could say such things about living off a woman with such arrogance. If it were in private, he might just punch him on the head.

Dr. Sun Siming nodded in satisfaction. He hadn't known before that Lin Xuan had a Pokémon, since Lin Xuan and his classmates mainly studied scientific research, so it wasn't unbelievable that they didn't have their own Pokémon.

Even he himself has only captured a handful of Pokémon, and some of them have even died, leaving only a few old ones by his side.

However, given the purpose of calling Lin Xuan over today, Dr. Sun Siming felt that it would be even better if Lin Xuan already had some experience in raising Pokémon beforehand.

Although Lin Xuan had only recently captured the Electabuzz, the bond between the two seemed quite strong, which was what pleased him most.

"Mainly after listening to what you said in class yesterday, I went back and pulled up some data and found that these two Eevee did have a very good relationship with their handlers before they evolved, which is a condition that other Eevee do not have."

Dr. Sun Siming said this, while Gu Yuan, who was standing to the side, didn't say much. He just quietly tidied up the beaker and glass rod that the doctor had just used, and he looked very skilled at it.

"So I suspect there might be some special factor between Pokémon and their trainers that can influence the evolution of Pokémon. Since this idea came from you, I wanted to ask if you have any other perspectives."

After Dr. Sun Siming finished speaking, Lin Xuan stood there stunned for a moment.

Just for this?

This matter may not seem difficult, since the evolution conditions for two Eevee mainly come from friendship level and the difference between day and night, which is something that anyone who has played a Pokémon game knows.

The difficulty lies in how Lin Xuan should express it. Should she directly bring up the concept of intimacy? That doesn't seem quite appropriate either.

After all, being one step ahead is a sign of genius, but Lin Xuan's actions are like someone who teleports directly to the finish line and takes the trophy while others are still preparing to start the race. Is that appropriate?

After thinking for a long time and organizing his thoughts, Lin Xuan finally spoke slowly.

"I don't know if you're familiar with these two skills, namely Misplaced Wrath and Return. These are two skills that almost all Pokémon can learn. Their explanation is very simple: the better the relationship between the Pokémon and its trainer, the stronger Return is, and the weaker Misplaced Wrath is."

"But if it's the other way around, and the relationship between the trainer and the Pokémon is like that of enemies, repaying kindness will hardly be effective, but the power of taking out one's anger will be exceptionally strong."

In Lin Xuan's vision, the most important point in explaining the reason for the evolution of these two elves is to figure out their affinity.

However, determining the level of intimacy is extremely difficult. In games, there is relatively accurate data, but where would we get it in reality? Moreover, can the relationship between a Pokémon and its trainer really be represented by such a number?

Lin Xuan felt that this was too hasty and disrespectful to Pokémon and trainers. No emotion can be quantified with precise numbers.

So how should we define the concept of intimacy?

Lin Xuan came up with a solution.

Regarding friendship, aside from some Pokémon that need to rely on friendship to evolve, the most important ones are undoubtedly two skills: Misplaced Anger and Gratitude.

The power of these two skills should have been determined by intimacy level. So, could we reverse this and use these two skills as the standard for defining intimacy level?

"Taking revenge? Repaying a debt of gratitude?"

Dr. Sun Siming was somewhat unfamiliar with these two skills, but he was not completely unaware of them.

The skill "Transferring Anger" is rarely seen in daily life because its use requires a very bad relationship with the Pokémon, which is extremely difficult for most ranged Pokémon trainers to achieve.

After all, reality isn't like putting a sprite in a ball and brainwashing it into obeying your every command.

To be able to unleash the full power of the rage-shifting skill and carry this kind of Pokémon around all the time... well, just thinking about it makes me feel pretty utterly defeated.

The Gratitude skill appears more frequently. High-powered skills without side effects are inherently popular, not to mention that this skill can also demonstrate the bond between oneself and the spirit, and often becomes a source of pride.

"I'm thinking, since the power of these two skills depends on the relationship between the Pokémon and the Trainer, and Eevee's evolution may also be related to some kind of special connection, is it possible to link them together? Or even say that what determines the two is actually a single factor?"

Lin Xuan tried her best to remind him that the feeling of knowing the answer but not being able to say it and only being able to give hints was really not pleasant.

Fortunately, Dr. Sun Siming was also very clever and immediately understood the meaning behind Lin Xuan's words. Gu Yuan, on the other hand, was also frowning, but he was actually considering the possibility of Lin Xuan's idea.

After thinking it over, the two of them both felt that Lin Xuan's guess was actually quite possible!

Then Dr. Sun Siming also assigned a task to Gu Yuan, who had been standing aside watching the show, asking him to collect as much information as possible about the skills of displaced anger and gratitude.

However, it's unlikely that many can be collected, mainly because the original people regarded them as two very ordinary skills. Although the power mechanism was a bit strange, there was nothing worth studying.

But now Dr. Sun Siming has realized that these two skills may contain many undiscovered secrets.

Dr. Sun Siming then exchanged some views with Lin Xuan on Eevee's evolution. As the conversation deepened, he felt more and more that calling Lin Xuan over today was a very wise choice.

The two chatted more and more enthusiastically, but in the end, Dr. Sun Siming slapped his forehead, as if somewhat annoyed, and said, "I almost forgot about another important thing."

Lin Xuan couldn't help but become curious. Something important? Could there be anything more important than what we were just talking about?

As for Xiaodian, she's already almost asleep on Lin Xuan's shoulder.

The conversation between the two of them was like gibberish to him, filled with descriptions of characteristics and abilities that made him sleepy.

He had originally planned to sneak downstairs to steal Lin Xuan's phone to play with, but he was caught and brought back. Now he's like he's been hit by a yawning spell and is about to lose consciousness.

Under Lin Xuan's curious gaze, Dr. Sun Siming took out a breeding device from a shelf on the side, inside which was a Pokémon egg.

Lin Xuan was confused. What did this mean? Did he feel that eating a bowl of instant noodles wasn't enough, or did he feel that the conversation was too enjoyable and wanted to eat a Pokémon egg?

Ahem, that's all just a joke. After all, while some Pokémon are edible, like Slowpoke's tail, you won't feel pain when you cut it off, and it will grow back after a while.

However, the vast majority of Pokémon are strictly forbidden to be eaten, including Pokémon eggs.

Aside from Pokémon like Farfetch'd, whose meat is extremely delicious and comes with its own seasoning, they generally don't get eaten to extinction.

"what is this?"

"A Pokémon egg, an Eevee Pokémon egg!"

Dr. Sun Siming placed the elf egg, still attached to the incubation device, on the experimental table in front of Lin Xuan. This was quite significant, as he was afraid of accidentally dropping it.

"Didn't I tell you before that the two Eevee's growth environment was quite special? Most of the other experimental Eevee were obtained from higher authorities. Although each Eevee is physically and mentally healthy, it still feels like something is missing."

"The two Eevee that successfully evolved were raised by a staff member from the research institute from the very beginning, starting from when they were eggs. I've started to wonder if that was part of the reason."

Dr. Sun Siming explained to Lin Xuan.

"So, you want to... hand this over to me?"

Lin Xuan stammered a little because he guessed that the professor seemed to want to give him the Eevee egg.

But this won't do!

Firstly, he had no experience whatsoever. Even his little one was just fed tree fruits and takeout food when he had nothing to do, barely keeping him alive.

More importantly, he doesn't have time. He has to attend classes and make live videos at the same time, so his time is really tight.

“Yes, but you don’t need to worry about breeding. We applied for more than one Pokémon egg, but…” Dr. Sun Siming’s face showed a troubled expression as he spoke.

“Our institute is a bit short-staffed, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to just find anyone to do this. You happen to know a lot about Ibrahimovic’s situation and you were the one who came up with this idea, so I think you’re perfect for the job.”

As he spoke, Dr. Sun Siming patted Lin Xuan on the shoulder with an expectant look, indicating that he had high hopes for him.

"but……"

"Before the evolution, all related expenses incurred during the breeding of Eevee were reimbursed by the research institute, and there was also a monthly salary of 10,000."

Upon hearing this number, the little boy's eyes lit up immediately. How many tree fruits could that amount of money buy?!

"..."

"During this period, you will be considered an intern researcher at our institute. I will apply to the school to increase your academic credits. Also, if your suggestions are really helpful, your name will be on the final list."

"...Doctor, you're too kind. It's just raising an Eevee, it's nothing at all. I just want to contribute to the future of our research institute. I'd do it even without pay!"

Lin Xuan spoke with righteous indignation.

"You'd do it even without pay? Really?"

A half-smile appeared on Dr. Sun Siming's face.

Lin Xuan: ...

Damn, is this old man really planning not to pay wages? Is he trying to become a lamppost ornament?

"Ahem, well... all the other employees get paid, it would be too much of a distinction if I didn't. Maybe I should just accept it, even if it's a bit of a sacrifice."

Lin Xuan said somewhat guiltily that he was just being polite, and wondered if the old man would take it seriously.

After all, as a content creator, he doesn't usually do any sponsored content or advertising; his entire income comes from live streaming, so this amount of money is quite substantial.

And that's not the most important thing. The key is that you're affiliated with Dr. Sun Siming's research institute, which is quite famous even nationwide, and countless students want to get in every year after graduation.

Lin Xuan is only a freshman and has such an opportunity. In the eyes of most people, this is not something that can be achieved by ancestral graves emitting auspicious smoke; it would be something that would happen directly, the kind where you have to call 119 for help but there is no signal.

"Hahaha, just kidding, we're not the kind of company that doesn't pay wages."

Dr. Sun Siming laughed heartily. He was just teasing Lin Xuan. Their research institute was very wealthy, practically rolling in money.

Lin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, and then exchanged a glance with Xiao Dian beside him. The eyes of the two of them were filled with the words "I'm rich!"

Especially the small dots; it even feels like the shape of money appears directly in your eyes.

Right now, all he wants to figure out is how many tree fruits he can buy with this much money!

"It's not very convenient for you to take this Pokémon egg back directly. Give me your address, and a staff member will deliver it to your home later."

"it is good!"