What does it mean when a pet evolves incorrectly?

The training ground in the community was bathed in the morning sunlight. Unlike the quiet weekdays, it was already filled with groups of beast tamers with their pets for morning training.

Lin Chen led the Flameclaw Beast and the Pinedog to a relatively secluded corner.

Needless to say, Flameclaw Beast has already begun its daily routine of basic physical training—weighted sprints, claw strikes on wooden stakes, and obstacle avoidance, its orange figure leaping in the morning light.

Lin Chen's attention was focused on Songsong, the dog that followed closely behind him.

The little guy was curiously observing the training ground and the other pets in the distance.

"Songsong Dog"

Lin Chen crouched down to meet its gaze, his tone gentle, "Your body is still recovering, so don't rush into high-intensity training. I'd like to understand your current skill level, is that alright?"

The dog looked up at him, nodded seriously, then took two steps back to create some distance, assuming a posture ready to demonstrate.

Seeing that Songsong was ready, Lin Chen said, "Okay, let's begin."

The dog took a deep breath, its previously loose body suddenly tensed up, its limbs slightly bent, and its hind legs exerted force.

Its tiny body suddenly transformed into a blurry white afterimage, and with an explosive force far exceeding its usual walking speed, it rushed forward seven or eight meters before finally coming to a steady stop.

The movements were clean and swift, leaving only a few shallow claw marks on the grass.

Lin Chen's eyes flickered, and he nodded slightly: "A basic skill of the Normal type, Swift Shadow Strike."

This is a quick dash skill that allows you to attack your opponent at extremely high speed, often catching them off guard.

"Not bad!" Lin Chen praised, "Let's try another one."

When Songsong heard the praise, a barely perceptible glint flashed in his eyes.

Then, it turned to face Lin Chen, tilted its head slightly, stared at him with its round eyes, and made a very soft, subtle sound with a peculiar rhythm in its throat.

"Eek~"

Looking at the Summon dog in front of him, Lin Chen immediately felt a sense of comfort. His body began to relax from the inside out, and his mind began to unwind. He felt that the little guy in front of him was becoming more and more adorable, and he desperately wanted to pick him up and pet him hard.

This thought persisted until the sound stopped.

Lin Chen shook his head, recalling the feeling from just now, and suddenly realized: "A basic mental skill, Whisper of the Mind."

This is a relatively rare mental skill with a unique effect: it can influence the target's emotions through mental power, such as amplifying anger, sadness, pain, etc.

and many more.

Why do I find Satsuki dogs so cute after my emotions have been affected?

Could it be that...?

Lin Chen narrowed his eyes slightly and looked down at Songsong Dog, who quickly looked away and lowered his head.

Lin Chen withdrew his gaze and commented seriously, "Both skills are quite good."

The dog finally raised the two bags, its tail wagging unconsciously from side to side.

Lin Chen was lost in thought.

Judging solely from a combat power perspective, the current Squirrel and Flameclaw are not even in the same league.

After all, real combat will tell the whole story: Squirrel was seriously injured by Swift Sable, but Flameclaw was able to defeat Swift Sable relatively easily.

As for the two skills that the Squirrel possesses, Swift Strike is a standard offensive skill, while Whisper of the Heart may have a surprising effect in certain situations.

However, neither of these two skills can provide much help in combat.

Fortunately, he also had the [Puppy Roar] move learning machine, which was a reward from the mission.

This skill will undoubtedly enhance the immediate combat power of the Squirrel.

But Lin Chen doesn't plan to use it now.

The little guy's body is still weak, and mastering skills will consume his mental and physical energy. It should be more effective to use the skills when he has fully recovered and is in his best condition.

Moreover, he is not yet a novice beast tamer and does not have a second contract slot, so he is not in a hurry to improve the strength of the pineapple.

Lin Chen's thoughts returned to the Flame Claw Beast.

To obtain the Knowledge Badge, you must master three proficient-level skills.

Currently, Flameclaw Beast has only reached the proficiency level with Flame Breath, while Sharp Claw and Small Explosion still require some time to develop.

No, small-scale explosives are considered an intermediate skill. The difficulty and time required to break through to the proficient level will far exceed that of the beginner level.

"No, improving small-scale demolition proficiency should be prioritized after Sharp Claws."

Lin Chen's eyes flickered, and he pondered for a moment before saying:

"It would be better to let the Flameclaw Beast master a new basic skill and quickly upgrade it to the proficient level. This way, we can obtain Knowledge Badges as quickly as possible, expand the Flameclaw Beast's skill pool, and increase tactical options."

"In the long run, it is more efficient to wait until you obtain the Knowledge Badge before working on your proficiency in small-scale demolition and learning other skills."

With that thought in mind, he made a decision.

He let Flameclaw continue its training on its own, while he walked to a bench on the sidelines, sat down, and took out his phone.

The dog slowly followed, but kept a one-meter distance.

"Come here." Lin Chen beckoned.

The dog lowered its head and slowly approached Lin Chen.

Lin Chen suddenly reached out and scooped it up, placing it on his lap.

The little guy's body suddenly stiffened, and the tips of his ears turned a familiar pale pink. But this time, he didn't struggle to get away. He just remained stiffly in the position of being held, and slowly relaxed.

Until those familiar, warm hands began to stroke the soft, smooth fur on its back, the Satsuki's body was no longer stiff, but rather softened like grass being gently caressed by a breeze.

Lin Chen was unaware of what Songsong was thinking at that moment. While petting Songsong, he quickly swiped on his phone screen to search for beginner skills suitable for Flameclaw Beast to learn.

He was looking for a basic skill that could compensate for the Flameclaw Beast's current weaknesses, was cost-effective, and was relatively easy to learn and improve proficiency with.

Flameclaw Beasts are strong and have explosive power, but they lack effective means of quickly closing in and pursuing opponents who are highly mobile or skilled at kiting.

Soon, a skill came into his view: [Blazing Charge].

The effect of this skill is clear and straightforward: cover the entire body with fire energy, perform a short-distance explosive dash, and create a small-scale explosion at the point of impact.

"This is it!" Lin Chen's eyes lit up.

This skill perfectly suits his needs, effectively enhancing Flameclaw's dash and pursuit abilities.

Furthermore, as a basic skill, it's not too difficult to learn, making it perfect for quickly improving proficiency and acquiring knowledge badges.

He immediately clicked into the skill details page to check the most important information—the price.

"Official standard version of the 'Blazing Assault' video course price: 3000 yuan."

Three thousand.....

Lin Chen's finger, which was swiping the screen, paused, and he silently closed the page.

He thought about his current financial situation.

The 15,000 yuan he had left over from buying the Flameclaw Beast was all his start-up capital.

Working at the detention center, with meals provided and free energy drinks, definitely saved me a lot of money.

However, the energy blocks have been depleted and must be replenished, which is a considerable fixed expense.

These past two days, I've spent some more money on IV fluids for Songsong.

Now, with the need to raise two pets simultaneously, the expenses for daily food, training costs, and more have doubled.

The 3,000 yuan video course was like a precise scalpel, cutting a real slice off his already rapidly shrinking savings.

It hurts my heart, it hurts my wallet.

This is just the price of the video course; if you were to find other pets to personally teach and guide you, the price would be even higher.

But Lin Chen knew he absolutely had to buy this skill!

This is a necessary investment to enhance the strength of his pets and allow Lin Chen to quickly grow into a powerful beast tamer.

This money cannot be saved.

Without further hesitation, he clicked to purchase and entered his payment password.

Looking at the "Payment successful" message on the screen and the corresponding change in account balance, Lin Chen took several deep breaths.

"Alright, now we need to plan this out carefully."

He opened the calculator, his brow furrowing slightly.

Open source, cost reduction.

He has done everything he can to cut costs.

He freeloads meals and energy drinks at the company cafeteria, makes the most of public facilities during training, and is very frugal in his daily life.

However, the basic, unavoidable expenses for raising two pet animals cannot be avoided.

Therefore, open source becomes the top priority.

The temporary workers' wages and attendance allowances at the detention center provide a stable source of income, enough to cover daily expenses and basic training. However, it is difficult to save money or purchase slightly more expensive training resources.

"We need to find some other ways to make money..."

Lin Chen muttered to himself, his finger unconsciously tapping the head of the dog, but the little guy didn't move.

Just as Lin Chen was deep in thought, the Flameclaw Beast had just finished its training and was resting on the spot.

But when it looked up, it saw the Pineapple comfortably nestled in Lin Chen's arms, who was gently stroking its body: "Gagao..."

At this moment, Flameclaw Beast clearly felt a surge of violent fire energy within its body.