After watching Sylveon use Swift, Aiden wore an expression that said, "Of course."
Sylveon's ribbons were part of its body and could be used as flexibly as its limbs.
Thus, theoretically, it was possible to use moves through its ribbons.
For example, the Swift it was currently using worked by firing energy in the shape of stars from its body.
At this point, all Sylveon needed to do was split its focus and distribute the energy across its four ribbons. This allowed it to unleash a continuous barrage of attacks with incredible efficiency.
Though Machamp has four arms and no follow up attack ability, there are differences between Pokémon! (T/N: Referring to the Parental Bond Ability which allows single hit moves to hit twice instead)
So what if my Sylveon has a "Ribbon Bond" ability?
Since Nemona had actively requested to see Sylveon's full potential, Aiden decided to give it a try.
The results, as it turned out, were excellent.
Although Eevee hadn't been trained to multitask yet—meaning it couldn't simultaneously use four different moves—the fact that it could significantly boost the power of Swift was already impressive.
Moreover…
After evolving, Sylveon's ability had changed from Anticipation to Pixilate.
Due to being filled with Fairy-type energy, its Normal-type moves were not only "colored" into Fairy-type but also became easier to use and more powerful.
This was the noble category of abilities known as skin-type abilities!
As Blue's notes had stated, the difference in strength before and after Eevee's evolution could truly be described as a complete transformation.
Its long period of dormancy before evolving was precisely to shine with the brightest brilliance after evolving!
"Come back, Pawmot!"
Realizing that Pawmot might not withstand such a dense barrage of attacks, Nemona quickly reacted and recalled it to its Poké Ball.
With the target gone, Sylveon temporarily stopped unleashing its attacks.
"Go, Crocalor!"
Her second Pokémon soon appeared—one of Paldea's starter trio, the evolved form of Fuecoco.
Giving new trainers the starter trio was an old tradition in the Pokémon world.
This task was usually handled by the professors of each region, and raising the starter trio was often entrusted to their research institutes.
Basically, as long as one met the conditions for embarking on a journey, they could receive the starter trio prepared in advance by the regional professor.
In the Paldea region, however, things were slightly different—it was managed uniformly by Naranja Academy. In the game's storyline, it was even the Director, Clavell, who personally came to deliver the starters and let the protagonist choose one.
Thus, it was perfectly normal for Nemona, as an incoming student of Naranja Academy, to have received a starter and raised it for a while.
Although this generation's Fire starter looked a bit abstract after evolving (players jokingly called it "Muscle Mommy"), its abilities were actually quite solid and distinctive.
Especially since its Fire typing gave it some resistance to Sylveon's Fairy-type moves.
"Crocalor, use Yawn!"
Nemona didn't hesitate and immediately issued her command.
Arven, observing from the sidelines, couldn't help but twitch his lips.
No wonder trainers and breeders of the past placed great importance on concepts like "mentorship" and "lineage."
After witnessing Nemona and Big Brother Aiden's battle today, Arven finally understood:
You really can tell who someone's mentor is at a glance!
Starting with Nuzzle and Yawn… even if Nemona claimed she wasn't taught by Big Brother Aiden, no one would believe her…
It's just too obvious!
"Protect!"
Aiden smiled faintly, effortlessly neutralizing Crocalor's interference.
If Crocalor could evolve further into its final form, capable of using its signature move Torch Song to continuously strengthen itself, this battle might have posed some difficulty.
But against a clumsy little crocodile, the gap in strength was clear and significant.
Therefore, Aiden was relatively relaxed in his command, essentially entering a mode of countering moves as they came.
After blocking Yawn's interference, it was time for his next offensive turn.
"Sylveon, use Substitute, then Swift again!"
Following Aiden's command, Sylveon quickly gathered energy, forming a Substitute resembling itself, and another wave of Fairy-infused attacks surged forward.
"Crocalor, Hyper Voice!"
Nemona quickly reacted, intending to use the penetrating nature of sound-based moves to break the Substitute.
However, perhaps due to its Unaware ability, Crocalor's attack speed was slow. Before it could fully charge its roar, countless stars rained down upon it.
Unlike Pawmot, which could rely on its speed to forcibly create distance even when hit, Crocalor had no way to avoid the overwhelmingly dense Swift.
Soon, circles of dizzying eyes began to swirl around Crocalor.
"Crocalor is unable to battle!"
Lacey, standing beside the battlefield, paused for a moment before quickly announcing the verdict.
"Damn it, Teacher Aiden is still so strong!"
Nemona shook her head in frustration, but the smile on her lips and the pure, fiery determination burning in her eyes remained fixed on Aiden, who stood calmly on the other side.
"You've improved a lot, Nemona."
Aiden nodded with a smile, briefly praising her while waiting for Nemona to adjust.
"At this rate, it seems Paldea will produce another champion next year."
"If this were a Gym Challenge, I'd pass you without hesitation."
Aiden wasn't lying. Judging from Nemona's reaction speed and ability to adjust her commands, as long as her Pokémon grew a bit stronger, sweeping through all eight gyms wouldn't be a problem.
The reason she was struggling now was simple—
Even before the battle began, Aiden could sense that Nemona wasn't seeking just his approval—but something more.
A more concrete goal—one that would drive her forward.
That was why, when Nemona asked him to fight seriously, he had agreed without hesitation.
"No! Just passing the Gym Challenge isn't enough."
Nemona suddenly grinned, wiping away the sweat that had formed on her forehead from the intense tension and rapid commands.
"Now that I've seen Teacher Aiden's true strength, I need to work harder to become a trainer as strong as you!"
Taking a deep breath after speaking, Nemona declared confidently.
"Go, Dudunsparce!"
The evolved form of the Dunsparce Nemona had previously caught emerged onto the field—a serpentine Pokémon with a segmented body.
"Challenging stronger trainers and becoming stronger—that's my only goal as a trainer!"
"So, Teacher Aiden…"
Nemona raised the corner of her mouth, brushing aside her green-streaked bangs to reveal determined eyes.
"Let's have a real battle!"
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