Eevee had resigned herself to her fate.
Seeing her look like she was walking toward her doom, Owen let out a hearty laugh. Little Eevee was simply too cute—cute yet pitiful, pitiful yet helpless, helpless yet weak.
Her internet addiction was so strong that she had essentially scammed herself into a training camp.
"The training tasks are actually quite simple. I mainly want you to learn two new moves," Owen explained.
Moves are the lifeblood of a Pokémon's combat effectiveness. Every time a Pokémon learns a new move, their strength sees a massive spike—far more immediate than the results of basic physical conditioning.
Take Quick Attack, for example. Once Eevee learned it, her speed took a qualitative leap. How long would it take to reach that same speed through normal sprinting drills? Months? Years?
Currently, Eevee's core move set consists of: Quick Attack, Double Team, Bite, and Sand Attack.
Quick Attack: Thanks to the Salac Berry, she is quite proficient and has excellent speed.
Double Team: Also bolstered by the Salac Berry. This move is a priority for continued practice.
Substitute: Owen's goal for Eevee to master Substitute is built upon her understanding of Double Team. In a sense, the two moves are fundamentally linked.
Sand Attack: Because of the Counter Shield training, she has already reached "Mastery." There's little room for immediate improvement here.
Bite: Owen plans to put this on the back burner. Eevee's energy is limited, and learning a new move is more valuable than perfecting Bite, which has limited utility. Owen's ideal plan is to eventually replace Bite with Shadow Ball.
Whether Eevee can learn Shadow Ball will depend on how effective the resources provided by the Rising Star Project turn out to be!
So, Eevee's first indoor training task: using Double Team as a springboard to figure out Substitute.
The second new move: Iron Tail.
As another signature move of the legendary Pikachu, Iron Tail has many creative applications. More importantly, the training method was shown in detail in the anime.
First: weight-bearing exercises for the tail. Second: striking drills.
The strength and durability of the tail are the prerequisites for learning the move. For Eevee, achieving this will take time.
Her tail currently has almost no power—when Owen holds it, it feels as soft as a ball of cotton. Even if she tries to whip it with all her might, she barely leaves a dent in a pillow.
For this, Owen was prepared. He had already selected suitable tail weights and a training sandbag from the Aurora Group's online mall.
Once they were set up in the club room, Eevee could alternate between weight training and striking drills.
With a solid foundation, mastering the move is just a matter of time. Whether it takes six months or a year, she will learn it.
The cost? Less than 1,000 yen for decent quality gear—a very budget-friendly price that Owen could easily afford. Between Substitute and Iron Tail, Owen would be thrilled if Eevee could master even one before graduation.
"Eevee is only two months old. She's still in the foundation-building stage, including her work on Iron Tail..."
"These are things other trainers will be doing too. Even if Eevee learns them, she won't necessarily have a decisive edge."
"Therefore, it's time to start conceptualizing a Move Manual unique to Eevee."
What truly defines a trainer's strength? Cool-headed judgment? Decisive reactions? Precise commands? Deep knowledge? Visionary thinking? A strong psyche?
All of those are important, but they aren't the core. Those traits can be honed and, at best, they make one an excellent "Conductor." For a truly powerful trainer, Training Methods and Move Manuals are the keys.
It is common knowledge that to become a Professional Trainer, one must possess a unique "Training Insight"—specifically, an original Advanced Move Manual.
A Move Manual is a systematic collection of a trainer's experience, including teaching methodologies and specialized training drills.
An Advanced manual's basic requirement is the ability to help a Pokémon quickly learn and master a move while deriving at least two unique applications from it.
Move Manuals are the foundation of a great trainer's career. They are the crystallization of their wisdom and the proof of their true power.
The famous Winter Dojo and Heavenly Heart Dojo mentioned before are essentially institutions built around one or more inherited Move Manuals.
Why do people pay fortunes to send their children to these dojos as apprentices? To learn "commanding"? No, they pay to learn the secret cultivation methods and move techniques passed down through generations!
The fact that students like Blue and Sophie could be so much stronger than their peers just by learning the "scratched surface" of these techniques proved the manuals' value.
In fact, the Sand Attack Counter Shield Owen taught Eevee could be considered a partial Move Manual. Even a zero-damage move like Sand Attack, when modified by a trainer's ingenuity, could become a trump card that allowed Eevee to dominate the Young Ho-Oh Cup.
Furthermore, the most valuable part of a Move Manual is its scalability; it can be applied to an entire species or type of Pokémon, providing a shortcut to strength.
This is why some trainers specialize in one type—they've already developed a system. Instead of venturing into the unknown, they perfect their existing domain.
Quick Attack, Bite, Double Team, Iron Tail...
On their own, these moves make Eevee no different from any other talented rookie. They aren't "win conditions."
Owen refused to be an "average" trainer. Before Eevee finishes her foundation—meaning before high school ends—he needs to formulate his own Move Manual. He is aiming for the Professional path early.
He wants more things that belong solely to him. Only then can he stand out from the sea of ordinary trainers.
Of course, for a rookie, this is an immense challenge. Right now, Owen's only reliance is the "forbidden knowledge" from his previous life—the secrets and lore of a world that has already explored Pokémon to their limits.
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