Serena was about to comfort Lillie, but to her surprise, Lillie wasn't discouraged at all. Instead, her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she analyzed, "Theoretically, it is feasible! Aura is composed of both physical and mental energy. If one could control the rate and direction of metabolism, converting food into bodily strength..."
Suddenly, she leaned in closer to Carl, her eyes eager as if she could see right through him. "What's the principle behind this?"
Carl felt a shiver down his spine. Wasn't this girl supposed to become a trainer? Why was she suddenly so interested in scientific research? Usually, people would say that the end of science is theology or mysticism.
Then Lillie asked, "Can this ability be taught to others?"
Carl was momentarily speechless. It could indeed be taught, which made it sound even more scientific.
"It can," he confirmed with a nod.
The four girls were instantly excited. Who wouldn't want the ability to eat without gaining weight? Yet, they were too embarrassed to directly ask him to teach them such a precious skill.
Lillie calmly analyzed, "So, this is actually a skill, right? Like cooking or sewing, something that can be taught?"
Carl was at a loss for words. He sighed helplessly and asked, "Do you think Pokémon using skills can be explained scientifically? If you say this isn't scientific, then Pokémon learning skills isn't either."
"Of course it's scientific!" Lillie nodded earnestly, "Even if we can't explain it now, we surely will in the future. Maybe Pokémon have miniature reactors inside them, and getting stronger is just an upgrade of those reactors."
Carl was completely speechless. He didn't expect Lillie to come up with such an example. He realized she had a logical and scientific mindset.
"You're impressive. I can't argue with you," Carl sighed, then suddenly asked, "But what makes you think I can't eat endlessly without gaining weight? Isn't science progressing all the time? Maybe one day, we really will have bottomless stomachs."
Lillie thought for a moment, then sincerely said, "You're right. That was presumptuous of me."
Seeing her admit her mistake so readily, Carl found it a bit boring.
Serena nearly burst into laughter, quickly covering her mouth. Watching Carl being outmaneuvered was just too amusing. She had expected Lillie to be stumped, but her straightforwardness left Carl with no comeback.
"Alright, enough of that," Carl said, waving his hand to change the subject. "Let's all get some rest early tonight. Tomorrow, we'll start learning a special training method from me. Once your physical fitness meets the standard, you might awaken the power of aura."
He explained that the power of aura requires a combination of physical and mental strength, with much lower mental power requirements than psychic abilities. As long as they persist in training, the willpower honed through it would be enough to meet the mental strength requirement. This training method was actually a way to awaken aura, and he knew it would cause a sensation if spread. After all, relying on Pokémon blessings or natural recognition was too difficult, so he only told the girls there was a chance of awakening.
Even so, the four girls were thrilled. The most excited was Caitlin, who already had a Pokémon with Elite Four-level strength. She couldn't care less about her usual elegant demeanor.
"Are you really going to teach us this method?" Caitlin asked incredulously. As the heir of a psychic family, she understood the value of special training methods better than anyone.
Her family had secret methods to increase the success rate of awakening psychic abilities in ordinary people, as well as meditation techniques to quickly enhance mental power. It was these traditions that filled her with hostility when she saw the naturally gifted Sabrina.
While psychics were rare, they weren't non-existent. For example, Aaron of the Sinnoh Elite Four was still at a high level at thirty. Caitlin remembered he once wanted to marry into the family to gain access to the meditation technique, only to be flatly refused.
And now, Carl was actually going to teach them the precious method of training aura. This generosity was even more admirable than the ability to maintain one's figure.
"My biggest virtue is honesty," Carl said breezily. "You're all my students, isn't it normal to teach you?"
"That's not normal," Caitlin explained seriously. Even for a personal disciple, such knowledge shouldn't be easily passed on. She told the other girls that even if the method only gave a one in ten thousand chance of awakening aura, it would still be worth a fortune to learn.
"If just any apprentice could learn this training method, the Summit Gym would have been bursting at the seams."
"This is a shortcut to becoming an Elite Four, a value beyond measure!"
Caitlin's serious tone made the gravity of her words clear. She wanted everyone to understand the weight of this gift and was also worried they might inadvertently spill the secret, causing trouble for Carl.
After hearing her explanation, Serena and the others looked at Carl with renewed respect and gratitude.
"Learning this now… doesn't seem right," Serena said hesitantly, biting her lip. If it were just a typical fitness technique, she would have jumped at the chance. But knowing it was a coveted opportunity for countless trainers made her feel pressured.
"I won't learn it either for now. It would be bad if I accidentally let it slip," Lillie said softly. As the daughter of the Aether Foundation, she understood that the less one knew about certain secrets, the better.
"I will learn it seriously," Sabrina said, looking Carl straight in the eye, her voice firm. "I swear on my life, I will never betray you." Her response was entirely different from the other two. She turned to Serena and Lillie, her tone resolute. "These worries don't exist. My future with Carl doesn't need to worry about such things."
Carl smiled to lighten the mood. "Don't be too tense. This training method can be learned by anyone, but it requires my personal guidance to get started. You can learn it with me, but it's impossible to pass it on, so you don't need to worry."
"As apprentices, just listen obediently to me," he added. This special training method from the World Tree wasn't something that could be easily imparted. Each person needed a specific seed to begin, and the moves would vary from person to person. Stealing or secretly teaching it was impossible.
Caitlin said confidently, "In that case, I won't hold back. After all, an apprentice like me isn't someone you come across every day."
Lillie also agreed readily, "If it can't be passed on, I want to learn too." Her connection with Carl through Cosmog meant that increasing her strength benefited both of them. If it weren't for the fear of leaking it, she would have wanted to learn long ago.
Only Serena was still hesitant, feeling unworthy of the gift. Carl said helplessly, "They have their reasons to hesitate, but what are you worried about? Have they contributed more to this household than you?"
"If you feel bad about it, just cook a few more meals," he added with a smile.
Serena understood he was trying to comfort her and finally made up her mind. "I'll learn!" she declared, thinking that mastering this skill would better help Carl, and she'd keep cooking for him until he grew tired of her meals.
"Then it's settled," Carl said, standing up and reminding them, "Let me be clear: this training method is tough and requires persistence. The effects won't be apparent at first, but if you stick with it, you'll improve over time. Don't let me down."