At night, Eevee took Kai's phone, curled up in its Silk Scarf, and watched anime.
Meanwhile, in the same room, Kai quietly updated Eevee's foundational quality data and planned the next phase of training.
Before training, Eevee was lacking in stamina, physical strength, speed, explosive power, and coordination, and hadn't mastered many moves.
Now, however, it had improved greatly.
Stamina, physical strength, speed, explosive power, coordination—after a week of training, Kai considered these foundational qualities "qualified." Though still ordinary, Eevee finally had the capital to battle—it was no longer extremely weak.
As for moves, Eevee had mastered five: Tackle, Tail Whip, Growl, Sand Attack, and Quick Attack.
Tackle, Tail Whip, Growl: Kai didn't intend to focus further on these three.
Eevee's energy was limited, and they had to maximize the little over a month they had.
Quick Attack contained Tackle's power and explosive force while surpassing Eevee's normal speed limit. It was now Eevee's strongest attack.
One could say Quick Attack had completely replaced Tackle.
In the coming days, Kai planned to focus on three aspects simultaneously:
Quick Attack, Sand Attack, and Anticipation!
Compared to its normal speed, Eevee was still unfamiliar with Quick Attack's heightened pace. If it could use Quick Attack speed to weave through the intricate forest without hesitation within the month, its movement speed, reaction time, coordination, and explosive power would surpass most Pokémon at its stage, alongside greater move mastery.
Of course, improved foundational qualities weren't enough—they needed more combat options.
The Sand Attack move held far more tactical value than Growl or Tail Whip. Kai didn't want Eevee to waste its first naturally learned move.
Used properly, Sand Attack could play a vital role in battle.
Then there was its Ability.
"Ability training is also linked to physical conditioning," Kai thought.
As Eevee progressed, collisions with tree trunks decreased. The clever little thing had already learned some patterns, which was good, but Kai wanted versatility.
So now, he planned to start training Eevee's Ability, which would also temper its physical fortitude and willpower.
"Ability training will overlap with Quick Attack. The method is to blindfold it, then have it use Quick Attack to sprint through the woods at full speed."
In this training, collisions would increase again. The key to avoidance lay in Eevee's Anticipation Ability.
Though hitting a tree wasn't fatal, it was painful. Even after multiple attempts, Eevee couldn't endure it easily. From prior experience, Kai realized reality and games were different. Abilities and moves weren't as rigid or monotonous as in games.
It was worth noting that Abilities hadn't been comprehensively categorized; for ordinary Trainers, the concept remained vague.
Only Professional Trainers had the resources to study Pokémon's special Abilities beyond moves—simply because Abilities were more mysterious and harder to understand.
The Anticipation Ability was relatively straightforward.
Because of it, Eevee sensed danger more acutely than other Pokémon, leading to earlier hesitation.
In recent days, Eevee had consciously tried overcoming the instinctive reactions from Anticipation and succeeded, showing it was ready to start mastering this special trait.
If Eevee could master its Ability within a month, it would have its own danger-detection radar—a frightening advantage in battle.
For now, Kai only planned this much for Ability training, never considering whether Abilities were something a new Trainer should tackle. He simply had too many bold ideas.
Kai might be the first and only new Trainer preparing for the Rising Star Cup by training a Pokémon's Ability.
The next day.
Kai and Eevee went out as usual, neither noticing a figure quietly following them toward the woods.
As training started, Eevee's mood was visibly better, thanks to the nightly reward…
"Don't slack off. Everything is for victory at the Rising Star Cup. With the 100,000 yuan prize, there'll be plenty of good food and drink… and we could even buy you your own computer and phone. You could play and watch as much as you want."
To keep Eevee from getting lazy over small successes, Kai offered the incentive of a personal computer and phone.
The catch was…
Eevee loved that idea.
Hearing Kai's promise, Eevee's eyes almost glowed with a Hyper Beam.
"An internet-addicted Pokémon is… a real handful," Kai thought, a mental sigh escaping him.
While Kai and Eevee trained, the figure who'd followed them finally stepped out.
It was a tall, easygoing middle-aged man wearing a white coat that easily brought "doctor" to mind.
"Is this the student who's been coming to the Pokémon Center every day lately?"
A strange situation had occurred at Lavender Town's Pokémon Center recently: every day, a badly bruised Eevee was brought in. While the Center offered medical services, rural areas often went days without seeing a Trainer—mostly for administrative matters. Battle injuries were rare, so someone like Kai, bringing an injured Eevee daily, was hard to miss.
Especially the trainee nurse, who'd even suspected Kai of abusing his Pokémon under the guise of training…
The Lavender Town Pokémon Center's surgeon, Dr. Hayden, was also curious. Taking a day off, he scouted local training spots and, as expected, found Kai and Eevee, who rose early.
"It's rather interesting how this student is using this place for training…"
"Eevee's improving physical indicators during each check-up must result from this regimen."
As a Pokémon Doctor, Dr. Hayden watched Kai and Eevee train and sighed thoughtfully. He could tell Eevee was recently born, which piqued his curiosity.
After all, the countryside offered few amusements, leaving even a Pokémon Doctor with ample free time.
After observing, Dr. Hayden stepped forward, thinking to chat with Kai.
PS :
Dr. Hayden: The Pokémon Doctor at the Lavender Town Pokémon Center.