July 29th, Thursday.
There were fewer than three days left before the new term at Naranja Academy.
Aside from farm duties and Miss Joy's teaching, most of Lucas's energy was spent on training the little younger Shuckle.
Compared to his older sister Shuckle who dislikes battling, little brother Shuckle isn't that resistant to fights, and from Lucas's observation, his move pool is nine out of ten parts complete.
Pretty much every move needed for the standard tactics of Shuckle species has been learned, and he uses them quite well.
He's dabbled in Guard Split, Power Split, Trick Room, Sticky Web, Stealth Rock, Toxic, Protect, Substitute—very proficient in use.
But the main problem, as expected, lies in the little Shuckle's timid and sensitive temperament.
It's a relief that real-world nature doesn't alter a Pokémon's physical stats, but in a sense that makes things trickier.
Battles test more than training and raw strength—trust between trainer and Pokémon is paramount.
Think of Ash's Charmeleon and early Charizard: how powerless a trainer can be in battle when the bond isn't there.
Little Shuckle's situation is somewhat similar.
He is sensitive, but very obedient.
However, once the opponent's pressure in battle gets too intense, he panics, instinctively ignores Lucas's commands, and just hides in his shell.
Like when, after a few days of basic drills, Lucas had him spar Arcanine: the heat and pressure Arcanine gave off made little Shuckle cower and get body-checked across the field.
Yet against Oranguru, little Shuckle could still follow orders.
Lucas could only conclude that Oranguru had been pulling its punches, so the pressure felt weaker.
According to several plans outlined in Pokémon Psychology, what little Shuckle lacks right now is self-confidence.
Self-confidence is a psychological trait reflecting one's belief in their ability to successfully complete a task or goal.
Like that episode where Ash's group reached Mossgreen Village and met a Paras with no confidence.
Its trainer Cassandra and her grandmother ran an herbal shop; Cassandra asked Ash to train Paras to evolve into Parasect so she could use its mushrooms to make medicine.
Paras was the archetype of a self-doubting Pokémon—just like little Shuckle.
It was so weak even Pikachu's 10,000-volt Tackle and Squirtle's ultra-weak Water Gun could KO it.
Yet by a twist of fate Paras defeated Ash's Charmeleon, regained confidence, and immediately evolved into Parasect.
That shows just how crucial confidence is to Pokémon—let alone that our little Shuckle isn't nearly as weak as that Paras.
To build little Shuckle's confidence, the best route is wins in real battles.
And the opponents he beats can't be too weak—nor so strong like Luxray or Swampert that there's no hope of victory.
After comparing options—with a hint from Oranguru—
Lucas locked onto a rising streamer-gym leader on a certain livestream site: Iono, whose peaks reached around a thousand viewers.
Iono had been streaming for a while.
She was at Levincia's central plaza taking on passerby trainers.
After watching her stream and gauging the level of her Pokémon, Lucas smiled.
Perfect. Strong enough to matter, not so strong as to crush hope.
With that, Lucas called over Dragonite—who was busy hugging Victini, Vulpix, Alcremie, and Mimikyu—picked up the Shuckle siblings in the Berry Grove, and headed for Levincia.
…
Levincia, central plaza.
A sizable crowd had gathered, eyes glued to the crackling battlefield, afraid to miss a moment.
Unlike Galar, where battling is commercialized, many in Paldea don't aim to be trainers—more a side gig than a career.
Thus battling isn't as ubiquitous as in Galar. When Nemona wanted to be a trainer, even her dad was baffled.
Why not just take an easy family company job? Other professions earn money without the grind.
Thankfully, after the new Top Champion and League Chairwoman Geeta took office, they pushed hard to promote the trainer profession, rolling out benefits.
Free starters, free Pokémon Center care and lodging, etc.
Iono, a popular streamer-gym leader, took on a mission from Chairwoman Geeta: via livestreams plus on-site battles, show Paldea citizens the unique appeal of battling and draw more to the trainer path.
"Pikachu, Sweet Kiss~"
Wearing the cute smile she practiced in the mirror and oversized streetwear, Iono blew a playful kiss to the camera and some of the crowd.
"Pika-pika~"
Her female Pikachu blew an angelic kiss at a Kricketune.
In an instant, hearts circling its head, the Kricketune staggered like a drunk.
"Here we go—Electroweb! Eyes on me, folks—who's coming to my show? Iono's here to ensnare your eyeballs with an Electroweb!"
"Pikachu, finish with Electroweb~!"
At her cue, Pikachu ensnared Kricketune, the whole field lit with crackling arcs.
Kricketune promptly fainted.
After cheerfully encouraging the challenger to try again, Iono—now on a ten-win streak—twirled and shot a sly look at the crowd.
"Anyone else want a battle? Iono's always open~!"
"But think it over first, okay? Because me, Iono, I'm super strong~!"
Silence fell over the plaza.
They'd just watched new trainers, salarymen, and students from Naranja all lose to Iono.
No one wanted a beating.
Iono feigned surprise: "Huh? No challengers? No way!"
Just as she thought the stream was done for the day, a hand with long, pretty fingers rose in the crowd.
"Um… can I join?"