In the end, Minato and Eevee confirmed their participation in the Little Ho-Oh Cup.
And their ambition was extremely high.
Though they weren't favored to win.
After this, the Psychology Club's five members continued their trip to Metropolis for two more days, making it a total of four days of travel.
Day one... was normal sightseeing fun.
Day two, Minato and Eevee spent alone, and Eevee learned the move Sand Attack.
The last two days, they didn't have any particularly novel gains. They mostly learned about the city of Metropolis and spent the time relatively ordinarily.
During this period, Minato and Eevee also visited the exterior of the dojo closest to them, but that was it—important venues refused entry to outsiders.
However, it had to be said that the atmosphere in Metropolis was much better than in Heiwa City. The Trainer culture here was clearly more flourishing.
The championship of the Little Ho-Oh Cup really wouldn't be that easy to win...
"Heading home."
"Eevee~"
On the afternoon of the fourth day, the five boarded the maglev train back to Heiwa City, chatting and laughing along the way. Minato was repeatedly reminded to keep the Psychology Club running.
Minato certainly wouldn't refuse this. After all, after returning to Heiwa City, he still had to continue school, and club activities... were one of the very legitimate reasons to skip non-exam subjects. He had done this kind of thing plenty of times before.
"Minato, work hard training with Eevee when you get back."
"If you make it into the top sixteen, we'll be able to see you on the livestream," Ai teased.
"Right, right. If you don't understand anything during training, remember to ask us. We've already told you about all the training programs at school," Yukari said.
Everyone laughed together. They didn't really favor Minato to achieve good results, unless... Eevee could evolve within this month or so.
This was also the only possibility the group had discussed.
No matter what was said, Eevee was still perceived as unsuitable for battling, and it was an Eevee that had just entered the growth stage.
"Sure, sure... just wait and see my heroic display. I'll definitely remind you when the time comes," Minato said helplessly.
Say nothing else for now, just boast first and see about the actual results later.
The group's relationship was quite good, and they could joke around. However, this kind of relationship was normal in high school. After they each went to different cities for university, they would probably slowly grow distant.
Heiwa City arrived, and it was time to part. Little Eevee lay on Minato's shoulder, watching the others leave with him.
Minato exhaled and didn't linger outside long, heading straight home. Although he had only been out for four days, he still felt more comfortable staying at home. Minato couldn't imagine how he would get through university.
"However, thinking about having Eevee accompanying me makes me feel much better."
Minato sighed. No matter how the environment around him changed, at least Eevee was always by his side.
He and Eevee quickly arrived home. No one was home, but Minato was used to it. After changing clothes, he immediately hurried to his bedroom.
As for Eevee, he left it in the living room watching TV.
Minato was about to do something major—something that would determine how far he could go in the Little Ho-Oh Cup.
Over the last two days, Minato had summarized a special training plan. He also combined his own understanding, the knowledge systems from games and anime, and some real-world circumstances to organize a breeding template.
Training without purpose was inefficient. This truth should be known to everyone, and Minato certainly understood it better.
Those breeding plans had been jotted down here and there by Minato on his phone. Now, what he needed to do was use the computer and handwritten methods to organize them in detail.
"If we're aiming for the Little Ho-Oh Cup, Eevee and I will face many types of opponents next. They might be Rock-type, Ghost-type, or Psychic-type. These types are all very troublesome. With Eevee's small frame, if it wants to defeat those thorny Pokémon, it must undergo comprehensive training..."
Minato believed...
The strength of a Pokémon in actual combat depends on the level of its basic qualities and its mastery of moves.
This was the result of Minato's careful deliberation.
So-called basic qualities included stamina, body strength, speed, explosive power, coordination ability, etc. Some Pokémon would also focus on training mental power.
Stamina affected a Pokémon's ability to sustain combat.
Body strength affected a Pokémon's resistance to attacks and its own attack power. For example, for the move Tackle, the level of body strength had a considerable impact on its power. In addition, some parts of certain Pokémon's bodies had the function of storing energy, which will not be discussed here for now.
As for speed, it was a very broad concept. A Pokémon's reaction speed, movement speed, and energy condensation speed were all speed.
Explosive power was also important, depending on different Pokémon and different breeding methods, and coordination ability, Minato believed, was also indispensable.
In the anime, there was a profession called Pokémon Coordinator. This world didn't have it. This profession was different from traditional Trainers. They focused on improving a Pokémon's appearance and mental state, and also practiced gorgeous battles. This led to the fact that a few top Coordinators could use their Pokémon's characteristics and a large number of moves flexibly and freely, combining them. Or to put it more intuitively, coordination ability could also be said to be control ability.
Control over body movements, control over energy, control over move forms...
It was closely related to the previous basic qualities. Strong control over the body might bring stronger explosive power. Strong control over energy could allow faster condensation of moves!
"If basic qualities are, as their description suggests, the foundation and root, then a Pokémon's moves are the unidirectional or multidimensional sublimation of basic qualities, and the fundamental factor that determines victory or defeat."
This principle was also very simple. Harden could strengthen a Pokémon's body strength, bringing powerful defense. Agility could strengthen a Pokémon's movement speed, bringing powerful mobility.
As for why moves determined victory or defeat, it was because they were the Pokémon's main means of attack!
Without attacking, you would never achieve victory unless the opponent collapsed from exhaustion.
The miraculous abilities Pokémon mastered were usually the application of energy, and moves were the manifestation methods of various energies.
Blizzard... Thunder... Fire Spin... Frenzy Plant...
Minato marked these in his notebook with emphasis. None of the basic qualities could be neglected, but moves could be selectively trained, after all, a Pokémon's energy was limited.
Comprehending a move was difficult.
Mastering a move was even more difficult.
Developing a move to its limit was difficult upon difficult.
Eevee had just been born. Currently, all its basic qualities waresubpar. To reach an ordinary level, it still needed to continue absorbing nutrients and slowly grow. By then, some of its basic qualities would naturally improve, and some that still didn't meet the standard would have no problem with a bit of training.
But now there wasn't much time left. Minato could only take a shortcut.
"That place can train all basic qualities simultaneously and can also help Eevee comprehend new moves. I just don't know if we can still enter now..."
"If possible, it would greatly save time."
Minato valued that special training plan very much. He planned to wait for his parents to return and discuss this matter with them...