Encore

Until then, Qingyu had never quite figured out how Eevee's "Timid" nature manifested itself.

He simply had not noticed anything timid about Eevee.

Considering it could travel to other regions alone and interact with strangers, social anxiety was clearly out of the question.

Only now, when he noticed Eevee trembling at the battle between the two Pokémon on the screen, did Qingyu finally understand its nature.

So its timidity manifested as a fear of battling...

Qingyu could not help sighing.

This really was a headache. A Pokémon without the courage to battle would be difficult to work with.

If the compatibility between Pokémon Abilities and natures could be rated in real life, Timid plus Anticipation would definitely not score highly.

A Pokémon with that combination would probably start avoiding battles from an early age, making it poorly suited to being raised as a main battler.

Of course, that was not Eevee's fault.

There was no such thing as a perfect Pokémon. Figuring out how to bring out a Pokémon's full potential was the trainer's responsibility.

Otherwise, wouldn't he just be a freeloader of a trainer?

"Don't be nervous. It's okay even if you can't learn it."

Qingyu stroked the little Pokémon in his arms, which looked rather frustrated, offering it courage through his encouraging voice and gaze.

When he had felt lost and discouraged, Eevee had never complained. Instead, it had often comforted him in whatever ways it could.

He loved this Eevee. He even felt that having such an understanding Eevee as his starter Pokémon was an incredible stroke of luck.

So if Eevee truly had no desire to battle, he certainly would not force it.

After all, companions should respect each other and accept each other's shortcomings.

In that case, though, he might need to find one or two Pokémon capable of serving as his main battlers to keep the Sunshine Gym running.

If possible, he still felt it would be better to focus on raising his starter Pokémon.

At that thought, Qingyu let out a soft sigh.

The Eevee in his arms seemed to sense something too, looking up and noticing its trainer's furrowed brow.

"Vee?! Σ(;д)"

Perhaps because of its Anticipation Ability, its sixth sense kicked in, and an inexplicable sense of danger suddenly arose within it.

It did not know what was happening yet, but it had a feeling its trainer was thinking something terribly unfair!

You're not thinking of getting another Pokémon, are you?

No! You can't!

After thoroughly psyching itself up, Eevee finally mustered its courage. It stood on its hind legs on Qingyu's lap and reached out a little paw to smooth the creases beside his eyes.

Eevee could not speak human language, but its body language was easy to understand.

For its trainer, it was willing to try!

Feeling the warmth radiating from that soft little paw, Qingyu smiled fondly and lifted Eevee off his lap.

There really was a bond between him and Eevee after all!

"Then let's give it another try, Eevee."

"Vee!"

With determination in its eyes, Eevee stared fixedly at the Haunter demonstrating the move on the screen.

I see. All I have to do is gather the Ghost-type energy inside me to create a light that interferes with my opponent's mind.

But...

I don't think I have any Ghost-type energy?

A question mark seemed to slowly form over Eevee's head. It copied the movements of the Haunter on the screen several times, but still could not use the move.

Next, it tried Snarl and Skill Swap, with the same results.

"Vee..."

Eevee's soaring enthusiasm wilted, and its round little head drooped in defeat.

Seeing this, Qingyu could not help beginning to think.

Have I gotten something wrong?

According to the move lists he remembered, Eevee normally could not learn any of these moves.

But that was precisely why he had deliberately chosen them.

In theory, an Eevee that had mastered Sketch should be able to replicate the vast majority of moves.

Wait...

Sketch?!

He had a vague feeling he had hit upon the key.

If I treat sketching as Eevee's hobby rather than a move...

Could that spark some subtle chemistry?

"Let's try again, Eevee. This time, try drawing the move you see with your tail."

"Believe in yourself. You're the best Pokémon!"

With Qingyu's encouragement, Eevee quickly regained its fighting spirit, its big, fluffy tail dancing through the air.

This time, the move being demonstrated by the TM was Encore.

Encore was a Normal-type move, so it was already a good fit for Eevee.

Eevee watched especially closely this time, studying every movement of the Primarina demonstrating the move frame by frame, while keeping Qingyu's advice firmly in mind.

Rather than learning the move, I should "draw" it with my tail as a paintbrush, like the Smeargle I met at the art museum?

What would Master Smeargle do?

"Vee..."

Eevee focused on the screen, occasionally tracing a stroke through the air with its tail. It seemed to have entered a state of complete concentration.

Seeing this, Qingyu sat quietly beside it, keeping it company as it watched the demonstration, which lasted only a few minutes, over and over.

Time slowly passed.

Just as Qingyu's attention began to wander and a hint of drowsiness crept over him-

A subtle feeling suddenly arose within Eevee.

My trainer said I'm the best Pokémon.

I can tell he really means it.

So I have to work harder to live up to his expectations!

As Eevee thought this, an inexplicable emotion welled up inside it, making its tail instinctively move in time with its thoughts.

In that instant, Eevee felt as though it could do anything.

"Vee!"

Stroke by stroke.

The fluffy, heart-shaped tip of its tail traced graceful symbols in the air. As the final stroke fell into place, a speck of white energy appeared in midair and slowly shot in the direction Eevee was looking.

Finally, it struck the wall of the gym's training area and vanished.

Seeing this, Qingyu could not help smiling with relief.

Just as he had suspected, an Eevee that had learned Sketch could learn moves it would normally be unable to master.

Encore was only a starting point, but it was already a very practical move.

Encore, a Normal-type status move, forced any opponent it hit to keep repeating the last move they had used.

It also had considerable tactical value in an actual battle.

"That was amazing! I knew you could do it, Eevee."

Smiling, Qingyu picked Eevee up with both hands and lifted it high.

This was the first move Eevee had learned under his guidance, making it a truly memorable occasion.

He absolutely had to mark the moment properly!

"Vee~"

Hehe, I really am the best!

Enjoying being lifted high by its trainer, Eevee gradually got carried away by Qingyu's repeated praise, its eyes growing dreamy.

It would have to work even harder to live up to its trainer's expectations!

That evening.

Perhaps Qingyu had gone a little overboard with his motivational pep talk.

Even after dinner, Eevee remained completely absorbed in learning, repeatedly watching the instructional videos for the other three moves.

At first, he had thought it was a struggling student. Yet with just a little guidance, it had turned into an overachiever.

Could I actually be a master of motivational speeches?

"If you get tired, go back to the room and rest!"

"Vee!"

Seeing how focused Eevee was, Qingyu stopped interrupting its enthusiasm.

It was almost time for his livestream.

After nearly a full day of gaining traction, that single video had already pushed his follower count past twenty thousand, and its views had naturally climbed into the millions.

At a time like this, I should strike while the iron's hot and keep the momentum going as long as I can, right?

After considering it, Qingyu decisively started his livestream.

He had already announced the time and topic of today's stream, so quite a few viewers poured in the moment he went live.

"Hello, class! I'm sure plenty of you are new students who found your way here through the video."

"So, just as I announced in that video..."

"Today, we're going to give our opponents a little Spikes-induced shock!"

A Flop's Diary, April 19

I passed 300 bookmarks last night. Something worth celebrating!

Although I've already written one book, this new-book period still makes me nervous. Looking at the numbers every day leaves me inexplicably anxious...

Hopefully, I'll wake up to a few more readers following the updates. Agh, just dreaming out loud!