"You want to go stay at the old house?"
That night, after his parents returned home, Owen voiced his intentions.
"That's fine. Your grandparents must miss you, too. With them cooking for you, it'll save you from ordering takeout every day. That stuff is unhealthy; nothing's as clean as a home-cooked meal," Owen's mother said.
"True," Owen agreed, though he felt a bit of a headache coming on.
Owen had moved from the countryside to the city when he started primary school. He had spent his childhood in South (Nanwu) Town under Fairview's jurisdiction and was very familiar with the area.
He remembered a particular forest near his old home where the trees grew incredibly close together and were unusually sturdy.
This was likely due to a Secret Realm merger in the past; the density of the woods was far higher than any typical forest in his memory.
This was the location Owen had meticulously selected for Eevee's special training.
His parents were happy to see him take the initiative to return to the countryside. The following day, Owen called his grandparents and finalized the plan.
South Nanwu Town wasn't far from Fairview. Driving took about an hour, but Owen and Eevee chose the bus. Although it took a bit longer, the journey was roughly the length of a single movie.
South Nanwu Town was one of the six towns under Fairview. Urbanization had begun last year but was incomplete; due to various factors, the project had been suspended shortly after it started.
At the old house, Owen's grandparents had already prepared a room for him and little Eevee. Though simple, it was the place where he had grown up, and Owen felt a sense of nostalgia.
Crucially, it wasn't lacking in modern comforts—there was internet and air conditioning, making it almost no different from the city.
After having a meal with his grandparents, Owen spent the afternoon setting up his laptop. As for his and Eevee's daily necessities, food, and supplements, he hadn't been able to bring everything in one trip because they were too heavy; he'd have to make another trip back later.
Thus, Owen planned to start the special training with Eevee the next day.
In the countryside, the elderly tend to wake up early. However, Owen declared that he and Eevee were determined to train hard, so they woke up even earlier. When they got out of bed the next day, the entire town of South was still silent.
Gurgle, gurgle...
Owen stood at the sink, brushing his teeth groggily, his eyes barely open. But nearby, perched on the washing machine, Eevee was chirping repeatedly, urging him to hurry up.
She definitely thinks "special training" is going to be as easy as watching movies, going to the amusement park, or building sandcastles.
Even with his eyes half-closed, Owen's mind was sharp. He knew Eevee was about to face a difficult hurdle.
Even for himself, there had been many times he had planned out a perfect future and imagined grand goals, but the effort required behind those beautiful targets was something most people couldn't sustain.
How do I do this... to make Eevee willing to persist on her own? I wonder if the interest I cultivated in her recently will be enough, Owen thought to himself.
The Black Woods
The "Black Woods" was an undeveloped forest near South Nanwu Town, named for its dark and gloomy interior. Local adults often used it to scare children: "If you don't behave, I'll throw you into the Black Woods to feed the bugs!"
Recently, there had been a plan to build high-rises there, part of a major project. Pokémon had long since ceased to inhabit the area.
Outside the forest was a large, open space that Owen felt was an excellent training ground. Perhaps because it was rural, such a prime spot didn't have a single Trainer—it was very quiet.
"I suppose most people prefer the lively atmosphere of public training grounds or gyms over a secluded, silent place like this."
Beyond that, the lack of people might be due to the upcoming logging. Since the construction crews hadn't started yet, Owen didn't mind putting the area to use. He would use it for as long as he could.
"No wonder no one wants to come here; the environment is quite oppressive."
"Vee..." Perched on Owen's shoulder, little Eevee started to feel nervous. The woods looked dark and eerie, clearly not a safe-looking place.
"It's fine. I scouted it while you were sleeping; there's no danger." Owen was quite brave. Despite the gloom, he had taken the time to walk through the outer perimeter. As rumored, there were no creatures living there anymore.
To facilitate the upcoming development, the interior had been treated with insect repellents. Bug-type Pokémon wouldn't live here, and without them, Flying-types wouldn't visit such a barren place either.
Furthermore, Pokémon permitted by the Trainer Association to live near human habitats were almost entirely non-aggressive.
So, until construction officially began, Owen intended to take advantage of the site. He wanted to use these trees to train Eevee's physical attributes.
Fortunately, the woods weren't far from the South Nanwu Town Pokémon Center. While the town lacked a Trainer Association branch, it did have a Pokémon Center, albeit one much simpler than its urban counterparts in terms of equipment and function.
Medically, it was like a small clinic, only capable of handling simple issues like colds, minor wounds, or fatigue. But for Owen and Eevee, it was enough.
The dense tree trunks were the reason Owen chose the Black Woods. Only such a high density of obstacles could properly train Eevee.
Owen dubbed this "The Tree Trunk Training Method." It was simple and blunt: have Eevee sprint back and forth at maximum speed.
Explosiveness: Training sudden bursts of speed.
Stamina: Sustained effort over long periods.
Speed & Reaction Time: Honing movement and reflex speed.
Coordination: Navigating the intricate, dense trunks as obstacles.
Physical Conditioning: At high speeds, hitting a tree is inevitable. The impact of the reaction force would also temper Eevee's willpower.
Owen had explained the "Shuttle Run Training" in detail to Eevee before coming. The little one had been quite dismissive of it, thinking it lacked any real challenge.
After Owen drew a starting line, she took her position behind it with her head held high. Inside the woods, Owen had tied a red string around a tree to mark the boundary.
Eevee just had to reach the string and return. The total distance was about 400 meters. Owen planned to increase the distance gradually.
Holding an old watch he'd found somewhere, Owen signaled the start. Eevee burst forward.
However...
As she approached the dense trunks, Owen could clearly see her hesitate. To avoid hitting a tree, she instinctively slowed down to give herself time to judge her path.
Once inside the woods, she became even slower. In these dense woods where trees were so close together, hitting one was inevitable if she truly accelerated.
This was the genius of Owen's training spot—if used correctly, it would be just as effective as expensive gym equipment.
After all, it trained multiple basic attributes simultaneously.
"This girl..." When Eevee returned, the 400-meter run—including the time she spent dodging obstacles—took a total of 133 seconds. Over two minutes.
"Fail," Owen announced as Eevee returned, looking a bit shaken.
"And that was without using a move. If you can't maintain speed throughout the course, you'll never be able to control the speed of Quick Attack. Rest for one minute, then we go again. This time, I'll run with you to supervise."
Owen wasn't in a rush. He wanted Eevee to get used to it for a few laps and build some stamina first.
However, the ultimate goal of this training method wasn't just stamina...
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