After unleashing the Spiral Shadow Ball, Eevee was completely drained. The move's destructive power was matched only by its terrifying energy consumption; simply maintaining the Substitute was taxing enough for Eevee.
She currently lay flat on the ground, looking like a "salted fish" (slacker) drying in the sun.
"Impressive."
Summarizing Owen's progress, Ethan and Zoe were more than satisfied. This had far exceeded their expectations. It seemed Fairview No. 1 High School's streak of being at the bottom of the rankings was finally about to end.
"Are we done for today?" Owen asked, picking up Eevee with a pained expression. Well, at least she won't have the energy to play on her phone when we get home, hehe.
Eevee had almost no physical injuries, but her stamina was bottomed out. She looked up at Owen with watery, pleading eyes, making him decide to make a quick stop at the Pokémon Center just in case.
"We're done. Go home and rest. As for school—should I contact them, or will you?" Zoe asked, then waved a hand. "Never mind, I'll handle the paperwork. Take today off and report to class tomorrow."
Owen nodded. Zoe was being considerate; he wasn't exactly itching to jump back into a classroom the second he crossed the city limits.
Back home, Owen found his parents waiting with a feast. They had heard he was coming back and wanted to celebrate his and Eevee's recovery.
His mother began nagging the moment they walked in, serving up half a dozen types of fruit and checking his temperature every five minutes.
"A mother's love," Owen chuckled, peeling a tangerine while Eevee munched on a Berry, and Magnemite happily drifted back to its charging station.
After a few minutes of "yes, Mom" and "I'm fine, Mom," Owen turned to his father.
"Dad, has it rained in Fairview lately?"
"I don't think so. Why?" His father looked up from the TV.
"When do we usually get thunderstorms?"
His father shook his head. "How should I know? I'm not the weatherman. But summer is still a month away; thunderstorms are more common then."
"A month... that's so far away," Owen scratched his head.
He had a new plan: he wanted Magnemite to challenge the power of nature. A thunderstorm, born from cumulonimbus clouds, carries immense electrical energy. If Magnemite could intercept and absorb natural lightning, its potential would skyrocket.
In some specialized regions, "Lightning Pasturing" for Magnemite was a known—though rare—technique. Owen believed that lightning-bred Magnemite had a higher ceiling than those raised in sterile charging rooms.
"You want to feed Magnemite lightning??" His father wasn't a trainer, but he was smart enough to know that sounded dangerous. "Magnemite, you're actually going to listen to him?"
"Ku-ee, ku-ee!" Magnemite buzzed enthusiastically.
"Too dangerous!" his father scolded. "We gave you money for resources, didn't we? Why take risks? What if you get hit?"
"Ok, ok, ok!!" Owen retreated as the nagging shifted gears. His father had a point; he wasn't a "Super Human" like some protagonists. If he got clipped by a stray bolt, it was game over. He would need to find a remote area and prepare professional grounding equipment before attempting it.
Owen retreated to his room and opened his laptop. He began organizing his paper on the Rattled ability and pondered when to submit it.
According to Cynthia, his previous paper on Anticipation was already enough to secure him a spot at Magic City University (MDU) in the Pokémon Research department. With another paper on the way, he could likely pick any university in the country.
I'm done with standard test prep, he thought. No more late-night cramming for me.
Besides, high performers in the Provincial League also received massive score deductions for admissions.
"I'll go with Magic City. It's close to home," Owen decided.
He looked at Cynthia's profile picture. Her status read: "Taking the Professional Trainer Exam, currently offline."
Cynthia had left a deep impression on him. But more importantly, there was the "R" incident. Eevee's genes had been permanently altered.
Dr.Qing at MDU was the nation's leading authority on Pokémon genetics. If Owen wanted to ensure Eevee's long-term safety and solve the "evolution risk" dilemma, he needed to be where the best experts were.
"Wait... if Cynthia becomes a Professional Trainer at twenty, she'll be eligible for the Four Heavenly Kings Tournament, won't she?"
Owen recalled that while the National University Games were the biggest competition, the Heavenly Kings Tournament was the most prestigious.
To enter, you had to be under thirty and hold a Professional License. The winners formed the national team for the World Pokémon League—the "Olympics" of the Pokémon world.
"I wonder how our country's Elite Four compares to the ones in the games," Owen mused, looking at Eevee, who was currently distracted by a mobile game. "I'm getting ahead of myself again. Let's just focus on crushing this rookie league first."
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