Nighttime.
Eevee had successfully reclaimed Owen's phone as she wished and was currently curled up in her Silk Scarf, engrossed in an anime.
Meanwhile, in the same room, Owen was quietly updating Eevee's basic attribute data, formulating a plan for the next phase of their special training.
Before they started, Eevee's stamina, physical strength, speed, explosiveness, and coordination were all below par, and her mastery over moves was mediocre at best. But now, she had made significant strides.
After a week of rigorous exercise, those basic attributes—stamina, physical strength, speed, explosiveness, and coordination—had reached what Owen considered a "passing" grade.
Although she might still appear average without any particularly flashy traits, Eevee finally possessed the fundamental capital to participate in battles; she was no longer that weak.
Regarding her moveset, Eevee now knew five moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Growl, Sand Attack, and Quick Attack.
Owen didn't plan on continuing training for Tackle, Tail Whip, or Growl. Eevee's energy was limited, and they had to maximize the utility of their remaining month and a half.
Since Quick Attack combined the power and explosive force of Tackle with speed that exceeded Eevee's normal limits, it was currently her strongest offensive tool.
For all intents and purposes, Quick Attack could completely replace Tackle.
For the next few days, Owen intended to focus on three aspects simultaneously: Quick Attack, Sand Attack, and Anticipation.
Eevee was still somewhat unfamiliar with the changes brought about by Quick Attack compared to her normal speed.
If she could learn to weave through the intricate, dense woods at full throttle without hesitation, using Quick Attack within this month, her movement speed, reaction time, coordination, stamina, and explosiveness would far surpass other Pokémon at the same stage.
Simultaneously, her mastery of Quick Attack would become exceptionally proficient.
Of course, improving basic attributes wasn't enough; she needed more tactical options.
Sand Attack held much higher tactical value than Growl or Tail Whip, and Owen didn't want Eevee to neglect the first move she had naturally realized.
If used correctly in battle, even a move like Sand Attack could play a decisive role.
Then, there was the Ability.
"Training the Ability is also closely linked to tempering physical strength," Owen thought.
As Eevee grew, the number of times she crashed into tree trunks had steadily decreased. The clever little Eevee had already figured out certain patterns.
While this was good, Owen wanted comprehensive, versatile training. Therefore, he planned to start practicing her Ability mastery now.
This would lead to Eevee "flipping over" more often, which in turn would further temper her physical strength and willpower.
"The Ability training will be integrated with the Quick Attack drills. The method: blindfold her and have her sprint at full power through the dense woods without using Quick Attack."
In this drill, the frequency of Eevee hitting tree trunks would skyrocket again. The key to evading them would lie in her Ability: Anticipation.
While hitting a tree wasn't a lethal danger, it still hurt. Doing it repeatedly was something even Eevee couldn't stand for long.
Owen's experiences had taught him that reality was entirely different from the games; Abilities and moves weren't as rigid or one-dimensional as their in-game descriptions suggested.
It's worth noting that at this point in time, Abilities had not been comprehensively cataloged. Average Trainers still had a very vague concept of what an Ability even was.
Only Professional Trainers had the energy to study special powers beyond a Pokémon's moves, simply because Abilities were more mysterious and far harder to research thoroughly than moves.
The Anticipation Ability was relatively easy to understand. Because of it, Eevee felt a deeper sense of danger compared to other Pokémon, which was exactly why she had been so hesitant during the early days of training.
Over the past few days, Eevee had consciously overcome the instinctive reactions caused by Anticipation and succeeded.
This proved she was qualified to start trying to master this special power. If Eevee could master her own Ability within a month, it would be equivalent to having a built-in "danger radar," which would be incredibly potent in battle.
For now, Owen only planned to go this far with the Ability training. He didn't even stop to consider if an Ability was something a rookie Trainer should be touching; after all, he simply had too many bold ideas in his head.
In the upcoming Young Ho-Oh Cup, Owen might be the first—and only—rookie Trainer to have already begun training a Pokémon's Ability.
The next day, Owen and Eevee headed out as usual. However, neither noticed a figure quietly following them toward the dense woods.
Once the special training began, it was clear that Eevee's mood had improved significantly because she had something to look forward to every night.
"Don't slack off! Everything is for victory in the Young Ho-Oh Cup. When the time comes, the 100,000 credit prize will be all yours.
There will be no shortage of delicious food and drinks... Oh, right, I can even buy you your own computer and phone. You can play however you want and watch whatever you like."
To ensure Eevee didn't become complacent after a bit of progress, Owen was really giving it his all, even coming up with the "wild" promise of buying her a computer and phone.
Crucially... Eevee actually fell for it. Hearing Owen's promised rewards, her eyes looked like they could almost fire a Hyper Beam.
"A Pokémon with an internet addiction... truly the most lethal kind," Owen thought, a bead of sweat on his brow.
While Owen and Eevee were training, the figure that had been following them finally revealed himself. He was a tall middle-aged man with a gentle expression, wearing a white coat that immediately brought to mind a specific profession: a doctor.
"So this is the student who's been going to the Pokémon Center every day lately."
The South Nanwu Town Pokémon Center had noticed a strange phenomenon over the past week: a very disheveled Eevee was brought in every single day.
While the center offered medical services, a rural center might not see a single Trainer for days.
Occasionally, someone would come in for administrative tasks, but it was rare to see someone coming in to treat injuries from battles or training—especially not every day like Owen. It was hard not to notice.
The intern nurse had even begun to suspect Owen was abusing the Pokémon under the guise of training.
Hayden, a Pokémon surgeon at the South Nanwu Town Pokémon Center, was also curious. Taking advantage of his day off, he had scouted the surrounding areas suitable for training and, sure enough, found Owen and Eevee early in the morning.
"Interesting... this student is actually making rational use of this terrain for special training."
"The physical indicators that improved across the board every day during the check-ups... so this is how they were forged."
As a Pokémon doctor, Hayden sighed with emotion while watching Owen and Eevee. He could naturally tell that Eevee had only recently been born, but that was exactly what piqued his curiosity.
In the countryside, there were too few interesting things to do; even a Pokémon doctor could get bored out of his mind.
After watching for a while, Hayden walked out, intending to have a chat with Owen.
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