Owen took Eevee downstairs and headed straight for the nearest public battle arena. There was a park nearby where people often rested with their Pokémon; it wasn't too crowded, making it the perfect destination for Owen's plan.
"This is the spot."
Owen found a clearing and turned to Eevee. "Let's experiment here first."
Eevee looked around, ready to use Sand Attack, but suddenly felt something was off...
"Vee?" She hadn't actually been told how to do it yet.
"Just like I said before: spin while you use Sand Attack," Owen directed.
Eevee: "???"
She looked down at the ground, then tentatively tried to spin a couple of times...
Slap!
She struck the ground with her paw. The Sand Attack came out, but it looked exactly like her usual one.
"Spin and use it at the same time," Owen repeated.
Eevee was obedient. She sat on the ground and spun... and used it. However, the sand didn't change at all. Instead, Eevee ended up dizzy, saw stars, and tipped over.
Owen: "..."
Seeing her like this, Owen began to rethink. This "body-spinning" mode clearly didn't suit Eevee. It wasn't nearly as simple as the anime made it look.
First, Eevee needed a much better sense of balance. Second, Sand Attack wasn't like Hydro Pump or Flamethrower; it was dispersed and difficult to concentrate. This meant that when Eevee spun, the sand wouldn't naturally coalesce into a single force to rotate with her.
"Awake now?"
After a while, Eevee crawled back up, leaning exhaustedly against a lamp post.
Eevee: (＠_＠)
"Alright, alright, everything takes practice..." Owen said apologetically, handing her a bottle of juice.
"Vee!" Eevee barked. She was convinced this was impossible.
"It's not impossible. Sand Attack mostly kicks up dust. Even with sand mixed in, it's inherently unstable... If your control over Ground-type energy was stronger—if you could stop the dust and sand from scattering and instead condense them—it would be much easier to manipulate."
"Vee!"
Eevee argued that she was a Normal-type, not a Ground-type. He was asking for the moon.
"I know, I know..." Owen rubbed his head. He agreed that a Counter Shield relying on physical rotation had too many limitations.
"No matter. That's just one mode of the Counter Shield. We don't have to stick to that one usage."
Owen searched his memory. Brock's Geodude used Gyro Ball for its shield, which was fundamentally about physical rotation...
The only exception was Paul's Gastrodon. It had pioneered a different kind of Counter Shield.
During the Lily of the Valley Conference, Paul's Gastrodon performed a rotating Muddy Water, yet the Pokémon itself didn't spin much—it only swayed its neck slightly to the rhythm.
This was a completely different application from Ash's "full-body spin."
From this perspective, Paul was arguably more flexible than Ash.
The "Spiral" Inspiration
"That Gastrodon used precise control over Water-type energy to make the move itself rotate, forming several swirling streams of water that perfectly protected it. Can Eevee use that mode...?"
Owen looked at Eevee. This version of the Counter Shield removed the dizzying physical spin, allowing for much more flexible movement.
However, Gastrodon was a Water-type; playing around with Muddy Water was second nature to it. How could Eevee achieve the same thing? Making Sand Attack rotate on its own to form a shield—something like a Sand Tomb—definitely wouldn't be easy.
If Eevee were a Ground-type, Owen wouldn't be so conflicted; he'd just have her practice until it clicked.
But while Eevee's control over Ground energy was excellent, it wasn't legendary. Mastering "Spinning Sand" would require rigorous, specialized training.
"Actually, there is a training method for controlling high-speed energy rotation... but..."
Owen's mouth twitched. He felt his train of thought was getting a bit wild, but maybe it would actually work? Why not try it?
"Vee?"
Seeing Owen spacing out, contemplating, and then smiling to himself, Eevee finished the last drop of her drink and nudged the empty bottle toward Owen's feet.
She couldn't reach the trash can yet and had no idea how to sort recyclables anyway.
"Let's just try it. A proven method is better than practicing blindly." Owen took a breath and waved Eevee over. "Fill the empty bottle with sand. No, wait—leave a little bit of space at the top."
Eevee looked at Owen, completely bewildered.
"I'll explain in a second. Help me out first." Owen picked up the bottle and started scooping sand into it.
Three minutes later.
Owen placed the nearly full bottle of sand on the ground.
"This is the sand you created. Listen carefully. Your task is to steadily and continuously control this sand... You can hold the bottle if you want.
Your ultimate goal is to make the sand inside rotate at high speed in an irregular pattern until the pressure causes the bottle to expand and burst. Understand?"
"Vee..." Eevee nodded, only half-comprehending.
What kind of crazy operation is this?
However, Eevee found this request much more humane than spinning her own body while releasing sand.
She touched the bottle gently and tried to use Sand Attack, sensing the Ground-type energy within. But the sand inside only twitched slightly, as if nothing had happened.
"Remember, you need steady, continuous control. In other words, find the feeling of 'continuously' using Sand Attack. And it needs to be fast."
In reality, the sand had no killing power. Watching it roll slowly inside the bottle, Owen scratched his head. Well, let's just let her practice blindly for a bit.
The image in his mind was Eevee using her energy to make the sand inside the bottle rotate violently until the centrifugal force popped the plastic. Once she mastered that, she would understand the "feeling" of spinning sand.
The second step would be to manifest that feeling into a shield—a "Sand Counter Shield" that worked like a Sand Tomb, hiding her within.
While it wouldn't have the trapping power or destructive force of a real Sand Tomb, the unique, confusing properties of Sand Attack would make it a formidable defensive technique.
The best part? All she needed was sand and a bottle. Eevee could even practice at home...
Owen watched Eevee playing with the bottle, looking satisfied. If this worked, this "Modified Counter Shield" might just be even more effective than he had imagined.
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