The Five Stages of a Trainer

The next day.

Fang Yuan found Uncle Shan and showed off Eevee's progress in speed training—Double Team.

Uncle Shan had not been at the club yesterday, so Fang Yuan and Eevee had not known who to show off to. Today was different.

"You learned Double Team?"

"Sand Attack, Quick Attack, Double Team, Bite—with these four moves working together, you'll have many more tactical options," Uncle Shan said.

"That's right. With this, the Little Phoenix King Cup is even more secure," Fang Yuan said.

But Eevee did not see it that way.

What had happened the last time Fang Yuan said things were "secure"?

They had been chased down by a Pidgeot...

Realizing that Fang Yuan was recklessly raising flags again, Eevee, lying on his shoulder, could not help feeling uneasy.

"Don't get complacent. You and Eevee may be working hard, but if you want to climb higher on the path of a Trainer, hard work is only the most basic requirement. You should know that there are many places like the Star Glory Battle Club in Magic City. Can you guarantee that others haven't hired even more professional private coaches?"

"Besides, Magic City also has several Trainer dojos with long-standing traditions. If you are unlucky enough to encounter an apprentice who trained there, you won't come out ahead."

Fang Yuan pulled a bitter face. Why was Uncle Shan dampening his enthusiasm again? Couldn't he say something Fang Yuan wanted to hear for once?

"Eevee!" Eevee nodded, seeming to agree wholeheartedly with Uncle Shan.

Uncle Shan said, "Haha, I was only trying to scare you. After all, the contestants in the Little Phoenix King Cup are Rookie Trainers just like you, so you don't need to worry too much. It wouldn't do to make yourselves sick from holding it in."

"Keep training from here on out. You won't be worse than anyone else."

Fang Yuan and Eevee sighed. After all that, it still came down to being fed motivational talk...

What Uncle Shan did not know was that, aside from the training tasks he had arranged for Fang Yuan and Eevee, they had also prepared hidden trump cards of their own.

Their Ability: Anticipation.

A tactical technique for Sand Attack: Counter Shield.

In half a month, as long as Eevee could master either one, its practical combat ability would see a huge improvement.

The four Raticate at the Star Glory Battle Club were excellent teachers for Eevee. Letting it experience Dark-type Energy was one aspect of it.

Another was that, through its difficult battles with them, Eevee had become more accustomed to its own Ability.

It could be said that it had already touched the threshold of the Anticipation Ability. Its instinctive, passive ability to sense danger could soon become a divine skill that allowed it to actively predict danger.

Fang Yuan had always felt that Eevee's Ability was incredibly powerful. Why had no one explored it in depth?

Now, Eevee was only one step away from mastering this Ability. When that happened, its reaction speed would definitely become even sharper.

Therefore, to speed up its mastery of the Ability, Fang Yuan had already discussed it with Eevee. During the final week before the Little Phoenix King Cup, they planned to try battling Raticate without relying on sight, using only its Ability.

"Wait a moment."

Just as Fang Yuan and Eevee were about to begin today's special training, Uncle Shan called Fang Yuan over.

As the person in charge of the club, he was busy every day.

Naturally, he had hardly ever supervised Fang Yuan and Eevee while they trained. All he could do was provide them with some resources and assistance. However, what surprised Shan Mi was that Fang Yuan and Eevee possessed great self-discipline and rarely showed the impatience common among teenagers. He could see this from the extent of Eevee's improvement.

There were not many Rookie Trainers he appreciated, and Fang Yuan was one of them.

So Uncle Shan wanted to tell Fang Yuan a few extra things. It had nothing to do with Yang Han; he simply wanted to say them to Fang Yuan himself.

"Do you know why I've always been discouraging you?"

"You didn't want us to aim too high..." Fang Yuan replied instinctively.

"That's exactly it. Rookies ought to keep their feet on the ground. You've only just started down the path of a Trainer. I simply didn't want you to become arrogant and conceited over a little achievement."

"But you two probably aren't like that."

Fang Yuan and Eevee exchanged a look. No, they were.

"Do you want to know how those of us who have been Trainers for many years divide the stages of a Trainer?" Uncle Shan asked.

There was a story here.

Fang Yuan and Eevee nodded rapidly.

"You truly are among the best Rookie Trainers of your generation. I won't deny that."

"But the range of Rookie Trainers is quite broad. Put simply, it refers to those who have registered as Trainers and have been Trainers for less than a year. You know that, right?"

"Because of the country's new policy, the vast majority of Rookie Trainers are now students about to enter their final year of high school. Your main competitors are also people like them, and your starting lines are not too far apart."

"After that come Ordinary Trainers, those who have raised Pokémon for a certain number of years. Pick any one of these Trainers at random, and their Pokémon's basic qualities probably won't be inferior to your Eevee's. At the same time, this type of Trainer is also the most numerous."

"Then there are the outstanding students cultivated by major universities. They are an important stratum in the Trainer field. For example, the members of Provincial University's school team often represent their school in competitions in various cities. It would not be an exaggeration to call them the elites among Trainers."

"There is also a group of people who have already come close to becoming Professional Trainers, yet failed to pass the Professional Assessment for one reason or another."

"Some of them are still striving for a Professional License, while others have given up completely. However, most have already integrated into various professions in society to make a living—forest rangers, police officers, bodyguards, referees... and my former profession, professional coaches at major Battle Clubs who plan training programs for other Trainers."

"Lastly, there are Professional Trainers. They fight on the front lines and enjoy the resources within Secret Realms, but they must also fulfill duties such as guarding them, opening up Secret Realms, and protecting ordinary people from Secret Realm disasters. Do you know why Yang Han couldn't personally teach you and entrusted you to me instead? Because every Professional Trainer is very busy. Their lives are nowhere near as glamorous as ordinary people imagine. Among Professional Trainers, the death rate is extremely high."

"That's why I say you need to keep your feet on the ground. The road ahead is still very long."

It really is a long road... Fang Yuan silently took notes.

Rookie Trainer, Ordinary Trainer, Elite Trainer, Veteran Trainer, Professional Trainer...

The five stages of a Trainer were laid out by Uncle Shan, an experienced Veteran Trainer, in a way far richer and more vivid than anything Fang Yuan had learned on his own.

"Thank you, Uncle Shan. I understand what you mean. Eevee and I will go train now."

"Alright, go on," Uncle Shan said.