Greatest Pokémon Trainer

Fang Yuan took Eevee downstairs and headed straight for the nearest public battle ground.

In the battle ground, there was a park for resting, but there weren't many people or Pokemon around; this place was exactly what Fang Yuan was looking for.

"This is the place."

Fang Yuan found an open space and said to Eevee, "Let's start experimenting here."

After taking a look around, Eevee was about to use the Splash Technique, but suddenly felt something was amiss...

"Bwoo?" It hadn't asked Fang Yuan how to use it.

"Just do it like we talked about earlier, spin while using Sand Splash," Fang Yuan said.

Eevee: "???"

Eevee lowered its head to look at the ground, then tried spinning a couple of times...

Slap!

Its paw patted the ground and Sand Splash was executed, but it didn't look any different from the usual.

"Spin and use at the same time," Fang Yuan repeated.

Obedient as ever, Eevee sat and spun... using the move, but there was still no change to the Sand Splash; eventually, Eevee stopped spinning, dizzy, and collapsed with stars in its eyes.

Fang Yuan: "..."

Seeing Eevee in this state, Fang Yuan pondered that this method of spinning and using moves simultaneously might not be suitable for Eevee.

It wasn't as simple as it looked in the cartoons.

First, he would have to continue training Eevee's sense of balance, and second, Sand Splash wasn't like Water Gun or Flamethrower attacks—it was dispersed and not easy to concentrate.

As a result, during the spinning process, it was difficult for Sand Splash to coalesce into a force that could synchronize with the rotation.

"Are you feeling better now?"

After a while, Little Eevee got up again and leaned weakly against a lamp post.

Eevee: (＠_＠）

"Alright, alright, we had to try it out anyway..." Fang Yuan handed Eevee a bottle of drink with a sheepish look.

"Bwoo!" Eevee told Fang Yuan.

It thought this method wouldn't work.

"It's not that it won't work; most of what the Sand Splash kicks up is dust, although sand is mixed in. Essentially, it's an unstable state..."

"If you could control Ground-based energy better, making the dust and sand less scattered and more concentrated, it would be easier to manipulate."

"Bwoo!"

Eevee said it was just a Normal type Pokémon, not a Ground type, and this was too much to ask.

"I know, I know..." Fang Yuan rubbed his head, also thinking that the method of rotating the body to spin moves for the Counter Shield had its limits.

"No worries, that's just one way to use the Counter Shield; there's no need to obsess over this single method."

Fang Yuan recalled.

Brock's Geodude's Gyro Ball Counter Shield basically relied on its own rotation to execute the move...

The only exception was Shinji's Slowbro, which pioneered a different Counter Shield mode.

In the Linglan Tournament, Shinji's Slowbro executed a spinning Muddy Water, but its body didn't spin dramatically; only its neck swayed slightly to the rhythm. This was clearly a different method compared to Xiaozhi's spirit, which coordinated a complete body rotation with Counter Shield.

From this point of view, Shinji seemed to be more adaptive than Xiaozhi.

"That Slowbro, with precise control of Water Series energy, allowed the Moves to rotate on their own, creating several spinning water flows that perfectly enveloped it. Can Eevee use this pattern...?"

Fang Yuan looked toward Eevee; with this pattern applied to Counter Shield, it eliminated the need for the body to rotate, so its movements could be more flexible.

However, as a Water-type Spirit, it wasn't difficult for Slowbro to get creative with Muddy Water. But how could Eevee achieve the same?

Without relying on its own rotation to make Sand Splash rotate on its own, forming a protective barrier similar to Quicksand Hell, was certainly not an easy feat.

If Eevee were a Ground type, Fang Yuan wouldn't be fretting so much. He'd just have it keep practicing, and with the right idea in mind, it would achieve the goal sooner or later.

But in reality, even though Eevee's control over Ground-based energy was exceptional, it wasn't to the point of being monstrous. The task of accomplishing a "rotating Sand Splash" was still incredibly difficult.

It would probably require rigorous special training.

"There is a special training method for controlling energy to spin at high speeds... but..."

Fang Yuan's mouth twitched, thinking his approach was a bit unconventional, yet maybe it could work... Should he give it a try?

"Bwoo?"

Eevee had been watching Fang Yuan as he zoned out, pondered, and smiled. It finished the last of its drink and then pushed the empty bottle to Fang Yuan's feet.

It couldn't reach the trash can yet, and it didn't know how to sort the waste either.

"Let's give it a try then. It's always better to have an established method than blindly practicing hard." Fang Yuan sighed, summoned Eevee over, and said, "Fill the empty bottle with sand, no, leave a little space."

Eevee looked at Fang Yuan, confused.

"I'll explain later, just help me for now." Fang Yuan picked up the empty bottle and began filling it with sand.

Three minutes later.

Fang Yuan held a bottle nearly full of sand that he placed on the ground.

"This sand was created by you. Listen closely, your task now is to steadily and continuously control this sand... You can also hold the bottle if you want, but whatever you do, the ultimate goal is to make the sand rotate at high speeds irregularly inside the bottle until the bottle expands and bursts open. Understand?"

"Bwoo..." Eevee nodded, only half understanding.

What kind of fancy trick was this?

But Eevee found Fang Yuan's request quite clear this time, which was more humane than having to release Sand Splash while simultaneously spinning its body.

Eevee gently touched the bottle and attempted to use Sand Splash, sensing the Ground-based energy within; however, the sand in the bottle merely trembled slightly, as if nothing had happened.

"Remember, you have to control the sand steadily and continuously. In other words, find a way to use Sand Splash continuously."

"And fast."

In truth, the sand didn't possess much destructive power. As Fang Yuan watched the sand roll slowly inside the bottle, he scratched his head and thought, why not just practice aimlessly for now?

He envisioned Eevee causing the sand in the bottle to rotate chaotically and rapidly through Sand Splash, then using the force of rotation to burst the bottle open.

Once that step was completed, Eevee should be able to grasp what a rotating Sand Splash felt like.

The second step would be to use that feeling to execute a rotating Sand Splash, forming a defense similar to Quicksand Hell to hide within. Although it wouldn't have the binding and destructive power of Quicksand Hell, the Moves' unique disorienting feature would surely become this technique's special characteristic.

The most important point was that all Eevee needed were sand and a bottle, which meant it could practice even at home...

Fang Yuan watched Eevee, who seemed quite happy playing with the bottle, with an expectant look. If successful, this revised version of Counter Shield might perform even better than he imagined.