"Eevee, use Double Team!"
At Silas's command, the little brown Pokémon on the grassy clearing shimmered,then split into two identical figures.
Another Eevee appeared beside the original, but a keen eye could spot the difference: the real one had that determined spark in her eyes, while the clone's expression was slightly… blank.
"The main focus when training Double Team has three parts," Silas explained patiently, crouching beside her. "First, how realistic the copies look. Second, how quickly you can form them. And third, how long they last."
He smiled, rubbing her head encouragingly. "For now, just focus on the first one. Make them look real. We'll worry about the rest later."
Eevee chirped softly, tail wagging, before refocusing with a bright, "Vee~!"
Silas leaned back, watching thoughtfully.
This—this was the difference between a trained Pokémon and a wild one.
Wild Pokémon rarely had any structured training.
Most only knew how to attack, not how to fight. You'd see one with high Attack power spamming special moves, or a tanky one charging headfirst without defense.
No strategy. No teamwork. No refinement.
Without a trainer's guidance, wild Pokémon were usually less than half as strong as those of the same level under human partnership.
Sure, some older wild Pokémon eventually developed fighting methods that suited them but those were rare cases. And once they did, they were notoriously difficult to retrain.
That's why many trainers avoided capturing mature wild Pokémon.
Years of instinctive habits and bad form were harder to fix than broken bones.
Better to raise a young one from scratch-build trust, loyalty, and proper technique from the start.
Still… there were always exceptions.
And today, Silas had stumbled upon one.
...
In the Forest
"Crawdaunt, use Scald!"
Silas sprinted between the trees, his black jacket brushing against the leaves. Crawdaunt followed close behind, his claws glowing red before launching a jet of steaming water ahead.
The target took the hit without flinching.
Silas's eyes widened. "Wait… that didn't hurt it?"
The creature shimmered, its watery body reforming.
"Don't tell me… it just switched to Water-type form again?"
He'd already seen it shift between Fire and Ice earlier.
Now Water, too?
"That's three forms," he muttered, astonished. "And the transitions are instantaneous. A multi-weather specialist… I can't just walk away from this!"
"Murkrow, let's set the pace–Tailwind!"
"Caw!"
The black bird swooped out from the canopy, wings slicing the air as a gust surged through the team, boosting everyone's speed.
Eevee leapt from branch to branch, eyes sparkling with excitement. This kind of fast-paced forest chase was new and she loved it.
"Veevee~!"
"Shadow Ball!" Silas called.
Eevee spun midair, conjuring a sphere of dark energy before firing it at the shimmering blue creature ahead–Castform, the Weather Pokémon.
The orb struck true, slamming it into a tree-only for the impact to bounce off harmlessly.
Silas groaned. "Right… gaseous body. Physical immunity. Great."
The Castform, now in its Rainy Form, dripped as it floated back up, droplets shimmering off its cloudy body.
Then it gathered light in its chest, the mist condensing into a sphere that shifted from white to sky-blue.
"Weather Ball!" Silas shouted.
The move burst forth, streaking like a comet. Normally, under the sunny sky, Weather Ball would've turned to fire but Castform's rain aura warped the conditions mid-cast.
The result: a Water-type Weather Ball.
And before Silas could counter, Castform's body flashed again-instantly turning to its Snowy Form.
Its attack changed type midair.
"Now it's Ice?!"
Silas couldn't help but grin. "A wild genius, huh?"
It wasn't just the transformations that caught his eye-it was how the Pokémon understood its environment.
Every switch was purposeful, tactical.
A perfect candidate.
Crawdaunt had struggled to master Rain Dance lately, and this Castform could manipulate three different weather modes by instinct.
It could be the ideal instructor for weather-based training.
"Alright," Silas muttered, eyes narrowing, "you're not getting away."
"Murkrow, keep pressure on it! Crawdaunt, circle left!"
"krow!" "Craaaw!"
Despite the Tailwind, Castform darted and weaved, its tiny body slipping between trees like mist. It fired another icy Weather Ball toward Murkrow, forcing it to dodge midair.
Even weakened, it fought smart.
"Persistent little cloud, aren't you?" Silas chuckled.
Finally, Castform reached a cliff's edge,no way out. It turned, bracing for one final stand, its aura flickering between frost and steam.
Silas didn't hesitate.
"Sharpedo, Aqua Jet!"
"Shaaa!"
From the nearby stream, Sharpedo burst out like a torpedo of water and light. The impact hit dead-on before Castform could react.
Silas flicked his wrist, an Ultra Ball already in hand.
"Go!"
The ball struck, opened, and swallowed the tiny Pokémon in a flash of red.
Click–click–ding!
Silas grinned. "Gotcha."
He picked up the ball, admiring it in the firelight. "Welcome aboard, little weather goddess."
He flipped open his Pokédex and scanned the capsule.
Pokédex Scan
______________________________________
Castform – The Weather Pokémon
Its appearance changes with the weather.
To protect its fragile body, it can draw upon the immense energy of nature itself.
Type: Normal
Gender: Female
Ability: Forecast
Height: 0.3 m
Weight: 0.8 kg
Talent: Exceptional Energy Control
Known Moves: Tackle, Headbutt, Ember, Water Gun, Powder Snow, Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Hail, Weather Ball
Egg Move: Lucky Chant
______________________________________
Silas whistled softly. "Exceptional energy control, huh…"
He looked toward Crawdaunt and smirked.
"Good news, buddy-you just got yourself the perfect weather coach."
"Craw!" the crustacean clicked proudly, as if it understood.
Silas chuckled, shrinking the Ultra Ball and clipping it to his belt.
"With talent like that, every weather-based move in the world's about to be ours."
He leaned back, stretching under the orange glow of sunset, a satisfied grin on his face.
"All the world's geniuses… and they all end up with me."
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(End of chapter)