Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Theory
After breakfast, Ethan took Eevee for a walk to help with digestion. Once back home, he officially started the morning training session.
This was based on the training schedule Ethan revised late last night. Considering Eevee's exceptional foundational skills, he decided to introduce moves into the training regimen ahead of schedule.
Moves are the core of Pokémon battles.
The dynamics of type advantages, resistances, and immunities form the backbone of what makes Pokémon battles both strategic and exciting. These mechanics have kept the series popular for decades (even if Game Freak has been slacking off lately).
In this real-world setting, move interactions remain the most thrilling aspect of Pokémon battles for spectators.
For trainers and Pokémon alike, mastering moves is as vital as foundational skills, strategy, and adaptability during battles.
In the games, players don't worry about move training.
Leveling up, breeding moves, TM usage, or tutoring ensure that Pokémon can learn all viable moves from their pool. For instance, a newly hatched Bulbasaur could theoretically learn Leaf Storm immediately.
Reality, however, is different. Move acquisition depends on two methods: inheritance and training.
Inheritance needs no explanation—it's a natural gift granted by Arceus. Fair but harsh.
Learning moves post-birth, however, offers more flexibility.
If a Pokémon has enough affinity for a certain type of energy and the right aptitude, it can theoretically master any move within its type compatibility.
The power and effectiveness of these moves, however, vary from Pokémon to Pokémon.
Ethan had studied this in-depth over the past six months.
He already had a plan for Eevee's move-learning process. Beyond practical moves for combat, the most important ones were moves tied to Sylveon's evolution, such as Baby-Doll Eyes or Charm.
Of course, this evolution theory was still speculative.
In the games, Sylveon was introduced in Generation VI as the Fairy-type evolution for Eevee. Its evolution conditions were unique compared to the rest of the Eeveelution family.
The requirements were:
A high friendship level (158 or higher).
Learning at least one Fairy-type move.
Both conditions had to be met.
In this world, however, things were a little murky.
The timeline was jumbled. N, the "original protagonist" of Unova, was now 16 instead of 10. Alder was still the Unova Champion, with his fiery determination intact.
As of last year, the awakening of Xerneas in Kalos had triggered an energy burst, granting many Pokémon a new type of energy.
Preliminary research confirmed this as the discovery of a new type: Fairy.
For reasons unknown, Sylveon had yet to be officially documented in this world.
Ethan hypothesized that either the conditions for Sylveon's evolution were more specific in this reality or scholars had yet to connect the dots.
If the conditions were as simple as in the games, those skilled researchers should have already uncovered it.
Time was of the essence. Ethan didn't know how long this evolution could remain undiscovered. He had to secure this breakthrough for himself before it became public knowledge.
Despite lacking the funding or facilities of professional research teams, he held a crucial advantage: he already knew the end goal and approximate requirements. This allowed him to avoid wasting time on dead ends.
Returning to the move Baby-Doll Eyes, Fairy-type move research was still in its infancy.
Only a handful of Fairy-type moves had been discovered, and Baby-Doll Eyes was one of them.
Based on available research, only four or five Pokémon species were known to be capable of learning the move—Eevee wasn't one of them.
This was exactly why Ethan believed he had a chance to get ahead. The academic community didn't seem to take the possibility of a Fairy-type Eeveelution seriously.
To help Eevee learn Baby-Doll Eyes, Ethan had formulated a preliminary plan.
In this world, mastering moves requires a Pokémon to align its energy with the move's type.
The first step, therefore, was to cultivate Fairy-type energy within Eevee.
This could be achieved by feeding Eevee Fairy-type Pokéblocks, which he had ordered from Kalos as soon as he found her. They arrived yesterday and were already part of Eevee's meals.
Being imported and made from rare ingredients, Fairy-type Pokéblocks were ridiculously expensive.
Still, it was a necessary expense. Ethan gritted his teeth and ordered a two-month supply, leaving his bank account considerably lighter.
Since Eevee had only had two meals of the blocks so far, Ethan wasn't expecting immediate results. Today's session would mainly serve as an introduction.
"Eevee, have you noticed any changes in your energy these past couple of days?"
In the yard, Ethan sat cross-legged, speaking to Eevee, who was sitting obediently in front of him. "For example, does it feel like you've developed a new type of energy?"
As the first-ever Sylveon in her previous life, Eevee knew exactly what Ethan was getting at.
But she pretended to be puzzled, tilting her head with a questioning "Vee?"
Then, closing her eyes, she feigned concentrating. After a moment, she mimed discovering faint traces of Fairy energy within herself, reacting with equal parts excitement and uncertainty, nodding slightly.
Her performance was so convincing it brought a faint smile to Ethan's face.
Watching her trainer's subtle reaction, Eevee chuckled internally. It seemed that being reborn had significantly improved her acting skills.
As for Baby-Doll Eyes, she could learn it immediately if she wanted, given the Fairy energy already present in her body.
However, out of caution and to avoid alarming Ethan, Eevee decided it was better to take things slow.
Besides, evolving into Sylveon wasn't as simple as mastering Baby-Doll Eyes.
In her previous life, it had taken her and Ethan over two years of painstaking research before she finally evolved during his sophomore year of college.
Ironically, the very next day, a Kalos research institute published a paper on Sylveon's evolution, stealing most of the credit for the discovery.
Though Eevee had evolved first, the researchers beat them in publishing, claiming most of the benefits from the breakthrough.
This time, Eevee vowed, she would never let that happen again!
(Author's Note: In the games, Baby-Doll Eyes was introduced as a Normal-type move in Generation VI. It's been adjusted here to fit the story's needs.)
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone