[Bonus Chapter]
Hayden was a professional surgical Pokémon doctor. His life was a predictable cycle: work, study, and more work.
However, ever since the ultra-miniature Rift appeared in Nanwu Town, his workload had spiked significantly.
That afternoon, after finishing another surgery, Dr. Hayden took his usual short break. At 2:00 PM sharp, he pulled out his phone and opened the Dawn Live app.
"I really didn't expect him to make it to the Top 8. Impressive."
"The rate of improvement for him and that Eevee is terrifying. It seems old Yang Han really put in some work helping them."
Dr. Hayden was friends with Ethan, the professional trainer who had rescued Owen from the ultra-miniature Rift.
When Owen was training in Nanwu Town, Dr. Hayden—as a fellow local—had given Owen and Eevee plenty of useful advice and support. Because of this connection, he was well aware of Owen's entry into the Young Ho-Oh Cup.
He had been following the tournament closely. When the Top 16 interview videos were released on the official forum, he was delighted to see his young acquaintance had made the cut.
Since then, he hadn't missed a match; watching the livestream was far more convenient than traveling to the arena.
In the first match, when he saw Eevee one-shot the Misdreavus with Bite, He felt a sense of absurdity. Owen's Eevee had become strong far beyond his expectations.
Naturally, he had been looking forward to the Quarter-finals: Eevee vs. Scyther.
As an insider, he knew the inherent gap between the two species. This was not going to be an easy fight.
"Oh no, Eevee is falling behind."
Watching the stream as Owen and Eevee were backed into a corner, Hayden shook his head with regret. Still, making it this far was an achievement.
But then, the tide turned in an instant. The Sand Attack version of the Counter Shield appeared, Eevee secured a reversal, and the victory was hers.
The bullet chat exploded with "6666666" (meaning "slick" or "pro"). Even the usually composed Hayden couldn't help but blurt out a "Holy crap!"
What just happened?
He watched the replay of the rotating Sand Attack several times, feeling a bit dazed. Then, he immediately dialed Yang Han's number.
Ring... Ring...
Hayden: "Did you see the Young Ho-Oh Cup stream? I remember you saying you were going to give Owen a hand, right?"
Ethan: "Yeah."
Hayden: "So, you taught him that Sand Attack technique? Teaching a rookie-level trainer a high-level application like that... since when did you become so generous? Are you planning to take him as a disciple?"
Ethan: "Wait! It wasn't me. I've gotta go, I'll call you back."
The Mystery Deepens
After hanging up, Ethan sat in silence for a moment before dialing Uncle Sam at the Starry Sky Duel Club.
Owen reaching the Top 8 was already a surprise. Owen and Eevee had started from a much lower baseline than the children of professional trainers or dojo apprentices.
If the Top 16 win was a sign of hard work, the Quarter-final win—specifically the "Counter Shield"—was a shock.
When Uncle Sam answered, Ethan repeated Hayden's question.
Uncle Sam was even more confused. "I only expected him to hit the Top 16. The Top 8 was a surprise. As for that Sand Attack... I have no idea where it came from."
"You don't know either?" Ethan mused. "It wasn't me, and it wasn't you. Could he have researched it himself?"
"It's possible," Uncle Sam replied. "I told you before, he was always tinkering with his own ideas outside of my assignments.
But still, it's unbelievable. You rarely even see that level of technique among elite university team trainers, let alone a rookie."
The Social Media Storm
"The Semi-finals... Owen actually made it to the Top 4!"
"What was with that Sand Attack? President, can you explain it?"
"I... I have no idea. Is that even the same Eevee that was building sandcastles on the beach? Did he swap it for a different one?"
The Psychology Club group chat was drowning in questions. Meanwhile, Owen's high school class group was ten times more chaotic.
There were people in shock, people acting cool, and people joking about wanting to have his kids.
"@Lynnea, you're there! Tell us what's happening! Get Owen to say something! Did he lose his phone?"
"I want my Pidgey to learn that! If an Eevee can do it, my Pidgey should be fine, right?"
"Owen isn't replying? Fine, I'm using my ultimate move: [Exclusive Red Packet for Owen]."
"Meatballs"
At the arena, Lynnea frantically muted her phone and looked at Owen as he walked back from the stage.
"Here, Big Shot. Have an ice-cold Coke." She handed him the drink, looking at him as if he were a monster. "Seriously... what was with that Sand Attack?"
Gulp... Gulp... BUURP.
Owen let out a satisfied sigh. "It wasn't that hard. I just practiced by 'kneading meatballs.'"
"Kneading... meatballs? Like, Lion's Head meatballs?"
Owen took another sip of soda, leaning back. "It's... the Rasengan! Get it?"
Lynnea stared at him blankly.
Owen shrugged. He forgot that in this world, neither Pokémon nor Naruto existed. To her, he just looked a bit crazy.
The atmosphere in the stadium remained electric as the next three matches played out. In the second match, Hugo (Beedrill) faced Lana Shaw (Snorunt).
Hugo's father, a professional trainer named Sterling, watched from the guest seats. Despite Hugo's best efforts, Lana's Winter Dojo training was too much.
Lana Shaw advanced, officially becoming Owen's opponent for the Semi-finals.
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