Uncle Sam was a practical man.
He decided to start mentoring Owen and Eevee that very day.
"Do you have anything else to take care of?"
"Nothing. I could even stay here if needed," Owen said, being thick-skinned.
"That won't do. Minors need to be home before dark," Uncle Sam replied. He thought for a moment and continued, "Tell you what, you and Eevee wander around for a bit. Once I'm ready, I'll notify you. It won't take long."
"No problem." Owen nodded.
With that, Uncle Sam left, presumably to prepare training equipment for them.
As a "VIP guest" of the Starry Battle Club, Owen didn't want to just sit idle, so he and Eevee began exploring.
"Vee!"
After a few steps, Eevee called out to him. Owen curiously picked her up from his shoulder. "What's up?"
"Vee..." Eevee stared at him intently. Then, she happily pointed toward the battlefields they had passed earlier.
"You want to battle more?" Owen asked.
"???" Eevee's smile slowly vanished, and she began to argue her case quite passionately.
After Eevee spent a long time "explaining," Owen finally understood. It went back to the battle with Leo.
Leo had promised Munchlax a deluxe feast if it won; Eevee was reminding Owen that she had won and therefore wanted her own reward.
"Oh, so it's that..." Owen felt mentally exhausted. "Here, eat this."
He pulled a pack of Choco Pies from his pocket. Eevee immediately took it with delight.
Looking at the happy Eevee, Owen felt a twinge of guilt. The problem was that Eevee was far too easy to fool. A spare snack he'd packed because he hadn't finished breakfast was enough to satisfy her... Who said Pokémon were hard to raise?
Owen looked solemn. Money is tight right now. Once I'm paid, I'll take her for a real feast. For now, snacks will have to do.
Sure enough, it didn't take long. Uncle Sam returned shortly. He waved over the wandering pair and announced they were starting the targeted training for Bite.
"Uncle Sam, how long will it take for Eevee to learn Bite?"
"Perhaps she can master it within a month."
"..." Owen was speechless. The Young Ho-Oh Cup was only three weeks away. A month was too long.
"If Eevee takes it seriously, cutting that time in half isn't impossible."
"I can't guarantee much else, but Eevee definitely won't slack off. Right, Eevee?" Owen said. Eevee puffed out her chest, validating Owen's words.
"Good..."
The Three Stages of Darkness
"Let me break it down for you first."
"Learning Bite is divided into three stages. Stage one: familiarizing with Dark-type energy. Stage two: accumulating Dark-type energy.
Stage three: utilizing Dark-type energy," Uncle Sam explained. "It's a bit tedious because Eevee hasn't used Dark moves before. Otherwise, we could jump straight to stage three."
Familiarize... Accumulate... Utilize...
While Owen and Eevee were mulling over those terms, Sam led them into a room. It was a private battle arena, but to Owen's surprise, it didn't have any flashy training equipment.
However, as he followed Sam to a glass platform, Owen's eyelids began to twitch. One... two... three... four. Four Poké Balls.
What is he planning?
Under Owen and Eevee's stunned gazes, Sam released all four. In a flash of light, four giant rat-like Pokémon appeared on the field.
Raticate.
As the evolved form of Rattata, Raticate was much larger. Their rapidly growing incisors were strong enough to bite through steel.
There had even been news reports of Raticate swarms gnawing through the foundations of reinforced concrete buildings. Their strength was on a completely different level compared to Rattata.
"These four Raticates belong to the club. Not only can they use Bite, but they've even mastered Crunch.
The so-called 'familiarization' stage means Eevee will battle these Raticates to learn from them. Don't worry, they'll hold back; you don't have to fear Eevee being bitten to death."
Are you a demon?! How can I not worry?!
Eevee looked at the four plump Raticates and their terrifying teeth, swallowing hard. This... this is the first stage of learning Bite?!
"They will prioritize using Bite to attack. What Eevee needs to do is feel the method of the attack when she gets hit. Perhaps 'experiencing it firsthand' is a more accurate description."
"Additionally, after each day's training, you can collect a Nanab Berry variant (Sept-Corner Fruit) from the club for Eevee.
It's a subspecies cultivated from the Nanab Berry; it's lost the spicy kick but contains Dark-type energy that is easier for Pokémon to absorb.
Consistent consumption should give Eevee a 'feel' for that energy."
"The final stage is the hardest, yet also the simplest—it depends on Eevee's intuition. Whether she can actually channel the energy to master Bite is up to her.
Finally, a warning: do not exceed one hour of Bite-specific training per day. Being too eager for success is bad for her development.
And if she gets seriously hurt, take her to the Pokémon Center immediately; don't rely solely on Potions."
"Got it... I'll see to it," Owen said.
"Then let's begin," Uncle Sam smiled.
Sam introduced Owen and Eevee to the four Raticates. From Eevee's perspective, she wanted nothing to do with these giant rats or this "demon training," but knowing it was necessary to get stronger, she gritted her teeth and bore it.
That day, under Sam's personal guidance, the first session began. These Raticates were professionally trained; their basic stats were far superior to Eevee's.
As sparring Pokémon for a high-end club, their foundations were incomparable to a rookie's Pokémon.
In the match, Eevee felt completely overwhelmed, feeling a sense of powerlessness against the onslaught.
The way she had teased the Munchlax earlier was now happening to her, but with the roles reversed.
However, during the fight, Owen and Eevee made a surprise discovery: this was the perfect environment to further hone her Anticipation ability.
Eevee was slower than the Raticates, and they loved to swarm. Attempting to dodge their attacks and find an opening for a counterattack was incredibly taxing.
This high-pressure environment was ideal for forcing Eevee to utilize her Ability to dance around more powerful foes.
This was a rare opportunity. Owen even thought it would be even better if I blindfolded her...
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