[Ding! Master Dream Box activated. You may select special training methods or simulated battles from the training plan.
Cost: 10,000 Poké Dollars per hour.]
Peter:
"..."
As expected—
He'd celebrated too early.
This system was basically an evil in digital form.
Still, Peter had some savings left.
Two hours wouldn't bankrupt him… probably.
Sitting at the desk, he suddenly felt a strong sense of déjà vu—
like his old days scraping together pocket money, walking into an internet café, and saying:
"Hey boss, give me two hours."
…
Buneary was placed onto the gaming chair as well, staring curiously at the strange machine in front of her.
"Buneary, pay attention and learn carefully, okay?"
Peter adjusted her seat, rolled her up to the desk, selected League of Legends—
Launch!
The keyboard and mouse instantly transformed into Pokémon-friendly versions.
The keys were oversized, sensitivity lowered—
even clumsy little paws could manage them.
"Bune-ry~!"
Buneary's eyes lit up at the colorful screen.
"Let's start easy. Neeko first."
Under Peter's guidance, Buneary began controlling Neeko—
turning into minions, champions, jungle monsters…
though that was about the extent of her contribution.
Unsurprisingly, the match was lost.
"Damn it, what kind of trash Neeko is this?"
"I swear, if I sprinkled rice on my keyboard, even a Pidgey could play better!"
"Feels like an intentional feeder."
"Bro, it's matchmaking—where would an actor even come from?"
As the enemy Nexus exploded, teammates began the usual blame-fest.
Peter, however, laughed shamelessly.
Honestly, it was already impressive that Buneary could even understand his instructions.
Her skills were all random button presses—winning was impossible.
He cracked open a soda and took a long gulp.
"Man… teaching a Pokémon to play games is exhausting."
Just then—
[Ding! Training complete. Buneary's Copycat proficiency has increased to Mastered!]
"PFFT—!"
Peter sprayed cola everywhere.
"…WAIT. It actually worked?!"
He checked the time.
Only thirty minutes had passed.
That meant he'd spent 5,000 Poké Dollars
to raise a move's proficiency tier.
Just like that?!
"Wow… having a system really does mean you can do whatever you want."
Encouraged, Peter rewarded Buneary with a milk candy.
"Buner~ (Thank you, Trainer~!)"
Buneary didn't know why he was so happy, but candy was candy.
They played another round with Neeko.
Copycat proficiency increased again—but still short of Proficient.
Looks like it would take a few more matches.
Soon, the system chimed again.
[Ding! Host has remained in Dream Space for 1 hour. Remaining time today: 1 hour.]
"…There's a time limit too?"
Peter pouted.
This really did feel like getting kicked off a café PC for insufficient balance.
Scooping up Buneary, he walked into the next room.
….
Simulated Battle Arena
A massive open battlefield stretched before them.
"System, start simulated battle!"
[Ding! Simulated battle initiated.
Difficulty: Novice tier.
Opponent matched: Rattata lv14.
Battle start!]
A purple rat Pokémon appeared, with a shadowy Trainer figure behind it.
"Buneary, battle ready!"
"Mi!"
She straightened up immediately—
she hadn't forgotten her goal of becoming stronger.
"Rattata, Screech!" the opposing Trainer ordered.
Screech: Sharply lowers the target's Defense by two stages.
Rattata ground its teeth, unleashing a piercing shriek.
Peter frowned as he checked the opponent's move pool.
"Buneary—Copycat!"
"Mi!!"
Enduring the noise, Buneary mimicked the sound.
Her version of Screech was… oddly adorable.
Both Pokémon glowed as their Defense dropped.
Peter's tension rose—
the opponent had a very dangerous combo available.
"Buneary, Teeter Dance!"
Teeter Dance: A baffling dance that confuses all Pokémon around the user.
"Mii-choo~~!"
She wobbled through the dance with clumsy steps.
"Rattata, Quick Attack—interrupt!"
"Use Baby-Doll Eyes to disrupt it!"
Peter and the opponent issued commands almost simultaneously.
Quick Attack and Baby-Doll Eyes were both priority moves.
The difference was that one required physical movement—
the other only needed eye contact.
And according to Norman's teachings,
moves like Baby-Doll Eyes, Howl, and Screech could disrupt an opponent's rhythm in real battles.
Peter was gambling.
Unfortunately, Buneary's clumsiness betrayed her.
She stumbled mid-dance and fell.
Still—
she forced herself to follow Peter's command.
As Rattata dashed halfway through its Quick Attack,
Buneary shot it a trembling but earnest gaze.
Rattata's Attack dropped.
The Quick Attack still landed, knocking Buneary backward.
"Buneary—Copycat!"
"Rattata, Hone Claws!"
Hone Claws: Sharpens claws and fangs, guaranteeing the next hit will be a critical strike.
The shadow Trainer maintained relentless pressure.
But Peter had already moved.
This time, Copycat mimicked Quick Attack!
"Whoosh—!"
Boosted by priority and momentum,
Buneary interrupted Hone Claws completely.
"Then finish it—Last Resort!"
Last Resort: A Normal-type powerhouse with 140 base power, usable only after all other moves.
Peter smiled faintly.
"You're out of chances."
"Buneary—Circle Throw. Slam it into the ground!"
"Mi!!"
She clamped Rattata with her ears, flipped it overhead,
and smashed it down with a decisive blow.
Rattata collapsed.
[Ding! Challenge above level succeeded.
Physical Attack aptitude +1!]
The shadow Trainer stood frozen.
Peter added calmly:
"If I were you, I'd have gone Quick Attack into Bite—dragged it into a close-range brawl.
Your level advantage mattered."
"Hone Claws looks tempting, but it gave me room to breathe."
"…Honestly, skipping Quick Attack at the start might've worked better."
The shadow faded.
Peter exhaled.
Between esports, simulations, and real combat—
this system wasn't just training Pokémon.
It was forging true Trainers.