Ee-chan was growing fast almost unbelievably fast. Marie had taken her to the Pokémon Center countless times, worried enough to consult Nurse Joy repeatedly.
Yet every check-up came back with the same result: Ee-chan was perfectly healthy and developing exceptionally well.
To describe just how staggering her progress was despite being only about a year old, Ee-chan could already spar evenly with Marie's older brother's ace Pokémon. That was Piers, the current Dark-type Gym Leader. His team had undergone years of rigorous training in preparation for the annual Champion Cup.
But Marie's Umbreon had closed that gap in less than a year. Sure, she still lost most of the battles, but she fought hard, and the matches were getting closer every time.
Marie watched from the shore as Ee-chan stood at the edge of the lake, tail raised, head bowed slightly as she used her psychic power to wash the dishes. Further out on the calm surface, Sobble floated lazily, bobbing in the water.
"Marie-chan, what are you thinking about?"
"...Chan?"
Marie turned her head toward Yūri, who stood nearby with her hands clasped behind her back and a grin on her face.
"Hehe~"
"...Nothing much. Just spacing out."
Marie shook her head and didn't elaborate. As for Ee-chan's rapid growth, there was still too little data to draw any real conclusions. Since Ee-chan was her only Pokémon for now, she couldn't tell whether this was due to Ee-chan's natural talent or some unknown trait Marie herself possessed.
Just then, Ee-chan finished rinsing the last of the dishes and smoothly packed everything away into the container.
"Thanks."
"Eee~ (No problem...)"
Marie reached out to gently rub the Umbreon's head, then pulled out her Rotom Phone and stood up with a smile.
"Alright, today's training starts with more Iron Tail control drills."
"Eee! (Got it!)"
"Oh! Marie-chan, you're starting Pokémon training now?!"
Yūri looked intrigued and leaned in eagerly, clearly wanting to observe.
"Sure. You can watch if you want."
Marie didn't mind being observed. While some Trainers guarded their training methods like secrets, Marie had already reworked hers after modifying routines she'd found in Pokémon research journals. She didn't see any harm in sharing.
Right now, what Ee-chan lacked wasn't instinct or intuition but mastery over her move set. Unlike the games of Marie's previous life, Pokémon in this world didn't grow stronger just by battling.
Their strength came from day-by-day repetition endless, often dull training. Battles were merely an opportunity to practice real-world application of what they'd learned.
Unfortunately, many new Trainers misunderstood this and blindly copied what they saw in competitive matches online. They forced their Pokémon into a cycle of fighting, healing, and fighting again.
Although this world was kind Pokémon didn't suffer permanent injuries unless deliberately pushed past their limits too much combat could still cause emotional distress, especially for young Pokémon.
Marie would never subject Ee-chan to such misguided training.
Over the past year, Ee-chan had become quite skilled with a variety of support and tactical moves. However, her offensive options were limited. Besides Dark Pulse, Foul Play, and Quick Attack, she only had Confusion, and had recently learned Iron Tail and Toxic via Technical Machines. While she could use them, their power and activation speed still left much to be desired.
Marie led her to a nearby clearing, where the trees thinned out enough to give them space. From here, you could still see the tent.
Technically, they weren't learning new techniques anymore. This phase was about refining Iron Tail's execution, particularly using it in conjunction with Quick Attack.
That's also why Marie had been adding Steel-enhancing Pokéblocks to Ee-chan's meals.
The actual training was repetitive: Ee-chan had to activate Iron Tail again and again, cancel it, or attempt to strike randomly tossed objects while using Quick Attack.
Marie opened the camera on her Rotom Phone and aimed it at the Umbreon.
"Rotom, Ee-chan, ready?"
"Eee! (Of course!)"
Rotom didn't respond aloud, but a recording window popped up as the drone-like phone floated into the air and began tracking time.
Ee-chan tilted her head back with a determined cry, then started gathering Steel-type energy into her tail. The silvery glow wrapped smoothly around the limb, stable and restrained.
The moment the move formed, the Rotom Phone displayed the elapsed time.
"One point zero-five seconds. Same as yesterday. Let's try to push it under one second soon."
"Eee~ (I'll do my best.)"
Maintaining Iron Tail with ease, Ee-chan stood confidently, tail shimmering.
"Keep the move active. Let's test how long you can hold it while moving with Quick Attack."
Rotom continued to track the time, while Marie outlined the next step.
Iron Tail was a powerful technique its in-game rating was 100 base power, surpassing most other physical moves.
Thankfully, since it focused energy along a physical limb, it was easier to control than purely energetic moves like Shadow Ball or Electro Ball.
Power alone didn't make a move effective. If a Pokémon couldn't control the energy precisely, it was nothing but wasted effort in battle.
So Marie was meticulous, training Ee-chan to manipulate every ounce of energy with intention and finesse.
Given that Ee-chan didn't have outstanding natural speed, Marie had taught her Quick Attack to cover short bursts. She'd also drilled her in disruptive moves like Sand Attack and Screech.
To offset Ee-chan's lack of offensive power, Marie had even gone out of her way to ask her brother for a TM to teach Foul Play.
It was a clever move one that used the opponent's strength against them. To Marie, it was the perfect embodiment of the concept of "borrowing strength to overcome strength," the martial arts philosophy of redirecting an opponent's power.
Up until a few months ago, Ee-chan had focused mostly on techniques that would harass and survive. Only recently had she begun adding Iron Tail and Toxic as tools for more direct offense.