"It's worth it—absolutely worth it," the girl's father said, voice filled with relief. "I like this kind of guidance that tells me exactly how long the training will take. It's efficient, and the results are fast."
He had spent money on instruction before, but it was always the same: vague promises, inconsistent methods, and excuses about either his Pokémon lacking talent or him not being dedicated enough. Each failure felt like throwing money into the wind.
But Ethan's system was different. It told him outright whether a move was possible, and if so, how many repetitions it would take. No waiting in uncertainty. No wasting weeks on doomed training.
Of course, the best method would be sending his Pokémon directly to Ethan for hands-on training. But the cost for that was several times higher than remote instruction.
The man hesitated, then asked cautiously, "Sir, I have a Marill I'd like to train in the move Aqua Ring. Can you tell me if it's possible?"
He unclipped a Poké Ball from his belt. With a flash of light, a Marill appeared before the camera.
"Marill, come here. Let Ethan take a look at you."
"Luri~!" the Water Mouse Pokémon chirped.
Ethan leaned forward, brows furrowing slightly.
The father immediately caught his look of hesitation and rushed to add, "Don't worry, this counts as my second session—I'll pay you for it."
Ethan's frown eased into a smile. At least he understands how this works.
"Your Marill won't be able to master Aqua Ring right now," Ethan said calmly.
The man's face darkened with disappointment.
"But…" Ethan's eyes glinted. "It can learn Ice Beam."
The father's mood flipped instantly, from despair to hope. "Truly? Marill can learn Ice Beam?"
"Of course," Ethan replied. "Prepare five portions of Never-Melt Ice, three pearls from Shellder, and three packages of Delibird's food satchels. Place them in front of Marill. Once it touches them, it will begin practicing. After eighty-seven attempts, it will succeed."
As Ethan relayed the instructions from his system, Cynthia stood off to the side, watching in silence. Her delicate brows remained furrowed.
First, Ethan had commanded Metronome in battle, summoning Palkia's Spacial Rend. Then, the very next day, Dialga's Roar of Time. If it had happened once, she could chalk it up to luck. Twice in two days? Impossible. And now this—predicting a Pokémon's move-learning process down to the exact attempt?
What are you, really? Cynthia thought darkly. The chosen child of Arceus himself?
When the consultation ended, Ethan closed the call. He turned with a sly grin. "What do you think? Care to bet again—whether Marill will master Ice Beam?"
Cynthia's competitive spirit flared. "Fine. Let's bet. I, Cynthia, have never backed down from anyone. How much this time?"
"The same. Three thousand Alliance Coins," Ethan said. "But settle your previous loss first."
Grinding her teeth, Cynthia paid the first debt, then declared coldly, "I bet no girl will ever like you in your life."
With that, she stormed off with her Garchomp, her long hair swaying in frustration.
Ethan chuckled to himself as he watched her go. "That's not necessarily true."
Still humming, he pulled out his phone and updated the description of his online instructor profile. He left only six bold words:
No success, no fee.
Satisfied, he made another call—this time to Silph Co. The day before, he'd used Cynthia's phone to contact them, asking if they could customize a set of clothing designed to withstand Fighting-type Pokémon attacks. They had agreed, requiring a thirty-thousand credit deposit. Now he needed to finalize the transfer.