In the end, Kai and Eevee had decided to participate in the Rising Star Cup.
Their ambition was great, though optimism was scarce.
After that, the five Psychology Club members continued their trip in Vermilion City for two more days, making it a four-day vacation.
The first day… they played normally.
The second day, Kai and Eevee were alone, and Eevee learned Sand Attack.
The next two days yielded no new breakthroughs, but they learned more about the city and spent relatively ordinary time together.
During this period, Kai and Eevee also visited the nearest Dojos, though they could only observe from outside—important venues were off-limits to non-members.
He had to admit, the atmosphere in Vermilion City was much better than in Viridian City. The Trainer culture here was clearly more vibrant.
As expected, winning the Rising Star Cup wouldn't be easy…
"Let's go home."
"Vee~"
On the afternoon of the fourth day, the group boarded the maglev train back to Viridian City. They talked and laughed the whole way, and Kai was repeatedly urged to keep the Psychology Club active.
Naturally, Kai didn't refuse. After returning, he could continue studying and club activities… it was a legitimate way to get out of non-exam subjects, something he'd done before.
"Kai, you should work hard and train with Eevee when you get back."
"If you make it to the final 16, we might even see you on the broadcast," Dawn joked.
"Right, if you don't understand something during training, remember to ask us. We've already told you about the school's training programs," Senior Sister Maya said.
Everyone smiled. They didn't have high expectations for Kai—unless Eevee evolved within a month.
That was the only possibility they could envision.
After all, in people's minds, Eevee wasn't suited for fighting, and it had just entered its growth stage.
"Alright… just wait to see my heroic performance."
He'd brag first—actual results would depend on the situation.
The group's relationship was quite good, with easy banter. Such bonds were common in high school. Once everyone scattered to different cities for university, the connections would gradually fade.
They arrived in Viridian City and parted ways. Little Eevee, perched on Kai's shoulder, watched the others leave.
Kai sighed, didn't linger outside, and went straight home. Though only gone for four days, home felt comfortable. Kai couldn't imagine how he'd handle university life.
"But thinking that Eevee will be with me makes it better."
Kai sighed. No matter how his environment changed, at least Eevee would always be with him.
He and Eevee soon arrived home—still empty, but Kai was used to it. After changing, he hurried to the bedroom.
As for Eevee… it stayed in the living room to watch TV.
Kai now had a major task: figuring out how far they could go in the Rising Star Cup.
In the last two days, Kai had outlined a training program. He combined his own understanding, knowledge from games and anime, and practical considerations to create a training template.
Everyone knew aimless training was inefficient, and Kai understood this clearly.
He'd noted the training ideas on his phone. Now, he needed to use his computer and notebook to detail them.
"With the Rising Star Cup as our goal, Eevee and I will face many types of opponents—maybe Rock, Ghost, or Psychic types. These are tricky to handle. For Eevee's small body to defeat them, we need comprehensive training…"
Kai thought.
A Pokémon's actual combat strength depended on its foundational qualities and mastery of moves.
This was Kai's careful analysis.
Foundational qualities included stamina, physical strength, speed, explosive power, coordination, etc. Some Pokémon also focused on mental training.
Stamina affected a Pokémon's endurance in battle.
Physical strength influenced its ability to withstand attacks and its own attack power. For example, physical strength greatly impacted the power of Tackle. Additionally, some Pokémon's body parts could store energy.
Speed was a broad concept. Reaction speed, movement speed, and energy-gathering speed all fell under this category.
Explosive power was also crucial, cultivated differently depending on the Pokémon. Coordination, Kai considered essential.
The anime had a profession called Pokémon Coordinators, which didn't exist in this world. They focused on enhancing a Pokémon's appearance, mental state, and practicing flashy, coordinated combat. Top Coordinators could combine a Pokémon's traits to flexibly use many moves—more intuitively, coordination could be described as control.
Control over body movement, energy, and move execution…
It was closely tied to the previous foundational qualities. Strong body control enabled greater explosive power; strong energy control resulted in faster moves!
"As described, if foundational qualities are the base, then a Pokémon's moves are the sublimation of those qualities and fundamental to deciding battle outcomes."
The principle was simple. Harden could enhance physical strength and defense. Agility could boost movement speed and mobility.
Moves decided battles because they were a Pokémon's primary means of attack!
Without attacking, you could never win—unless your opponent collapsed from exhaustion.
The mystical power Pokémon possessed usually involved energy, and moves were the embodiment of various energies.
Blizzard… Thunder… Fire Spin… Frenzy Plant…
Kai noted the key points. All foundational qualities needed attention, but moves had to be trained selectively—a Pokémon's energy was limited.
Understanding a move was difficult.
Mastering a move was more difficult.
Developing a move to its limit was even more difficult.
Eevee was newly born. Currently, its foundational qualities weren't up to par. To reach an ordinary level, it needed continued nutrition and natural growth. Some qualities would improve naturally; others would require training.
But time was short. Kai had to find a shortcut.
"There's a place where we could train all foundational qualities and help Eevee learn new moves simultaneously… but I don't know if we can go there now…"
"If we can, it would save a lot of time."
Kai took this training plan seriously. He planned to discuss it with his parents when they returned.