Owen's grand delusions didn't quite materialize as he had hoped.
He was self-aware enough to know the truth: Eevee mastering Shadow Ball was the result of the resources he'd stacked recently and her long-term study.
It wasn't that the Haunted House was some magical shortcut that allowed Pokémon to learn moves without limit.
Just like Magnemite learning Reflect in the gravity room, both Pokémon had simply seized a rare opportunity to convert their accumulated training experience into a tangible result.
The Misdreavus and the Haunted House's role was merely providing a close-range sensory experience of Ghost energy and a unique environment that acted as the final "click." That was it.
It simply proved one thing: Eevee was incredibly smart.
For the rest of the path, Eevee and Magnemite moved at lightning speed, treating the Haunted House like their own backyard.
"This is crossing the line."
Ms. Ghost, the supervisor, had never seen such eccentric and arrogant rookie Pokémon. She was starting to get genuinely annoyed with the work ethic of her Ghost-type "staff."
Especially that Misdreavus—chatting with a challenger during work hours? Was that acceptable? Is that how you play a ghost?!
A moment later, when she saw Eevee successfully tricking a Haunter into acting as their personal tour guide, Ms. Ghost finally reached her limit.
She stood up abruptly. "Enough! Get them out of there. I've seen enough!"
"It's high time these Ghost-types had another round of professional training! They've been too comfortable—they've forgotten what they should and shouldn't be doing!"
"Uh..."
In the control room, the other rookies looked at the fuming Ms. Ghost and then at the innocent-looking Owen. They lapsed into a collective silence.
Honestly, they couldn't even blame the ghosts. That Eevee and Magnemite duo was just... broken. Aside from the initial prop corpse, they had collected a pile of scattered horror props along the way and fully "armored" themselves.
Under Eevee's miraculous talent for costume assembly, forget the resident ghosts—even the human observers felt they had "seen it all" for one lifetime.
"I'll go get them..." Owen said awkwardly. Seeing Eevee basically dismantling the house made him nervous. Those props cost Magic City University money; if Eevee kept destroying the "set," he was worried the university would hand him a bill.
Mastering Shadow Ball was already worth the trip. It was time to quit while they were ahead.
"Hehe..."
Besides Owen, the rookies who didn't know him were stunned, but Liden, the elite from the affiliated high school, had officially achieved "Nirvana." He vowed never to see Owen or Eevee again for the rest of his life. There's a limit to how much one person's ego can take.
Owen followed a staff member to pick up his team. Waiting outside, he felt a surge of excitement.
He hadn't been this thrilled even when Magnemite learned Reflect and Light Screen. Those were defensive moves; while useful, they didn't represent a leap in combat capability.
But Eevee's Shadow Ball was different. It marked the moment she finally mastered a long-range offensive move, drastically enriching her tactical options.
Furthermore, Ghost-type moves dealt significant damage to Psychic and Ghost types, ensuring Eevee wouldn't be so helpless when facing those two attributes.
"I can finally toss Bite aside," Owen mused. Trying to get close enough to bite a Psychic or Ghost type is too hard. Shadow Ball is much more reliable.
Shadow Ball was notoriously difficult to learn, on par with high-level Psychic moves. Eevee had spent more time on this than she had on Quick Attack and Iron Tail combined.
"The current issue is... learning difficulty is proportional to practice difficulty. Even though she's 'mastered' it, there's a long road between 'using' it and 'perfecting' it."
"I wonder if I can use a shortcut, like I did with Sand Attack, to rapidly increase her mastery?"
Owen began to think. One of the reasons a trainer exists is to use their wisdom to help Pokémon grow stronger, faster. After a bit of thought, Owen immediately thought of the principle behind the "Counter Shield."
Rotation.
If the Ghost energy of the Shadow Ball could be made to spin at high speed within a small radius... the massive tearing force generated by that energy would easily double the move's power.
A Spiral Shadow Ball didn't necessarily mean Eevee's mastery of the base move was higher, but the process of creating it would force her to become familiar with Ghost energy at an accelerated rate.
Eevee and Magnemite emerged from the house, radiant with joy. Eevee was thinking... Haunted houses aren't scary at all... the ghosts are actually super friendly...
"Vee??"
As soon as they came out, they saw Owen standing there, lost in thought. Magnemite was fine, but Eevee immediately scampered over, jumping onto Owen's shoulder like she was claiming a reward.
"Vee! Vee!"
She wanted to tell him: I learned the super-hard Shadow Ball inside!! Poor Eevee didn't realize Owen already knew... and was already drafting a training manual for it.
"Congratulations, Eevee..." Owen smiled down at her.
The moment their eyes met, Eevee froze. She had a very bad feeling.
"Ms. Ghost, you wanted to see me?"
After the experience ended, Owen didn't leave immediately because Ms. Ghost had requested a private meeting. Entering the staff break room, Owen's heart was drumming.
Is she actually going to make me pay? If so... I'll have to deduct it from Magnemite's supplements. I'm sure Eevee will be thrilled.
However, her first sentence dispelled his fears.
"Eevee's Shadow Ball... she learned it during the trial?"
"Yes." Owen nodded.
"I see... Student Owen, could you call Eevee out? I'd like to see her Shadow Ball," Ms. Ghost said.
"...In here?" Owen didn't know her motive, but he had no reason to refuse.
"Yes."
With a flash of red light, Eevee appeared on the floor.
Once out, Eevee's eyes didn't leave Ms. Ghost for a second. She stared warily; her instincts were screaming that this teacher was dangerous. It felt intense—as if the person standing before her wasn't human at all, but a Pokémon.
Finally, Eevee lowered her gaze to the floor, her fur slightly bristling...
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