"One more time," Kai said.
Eevee nodded with a slightly hopeless expression.
Seeing this, Kai immediately adopted a serious tone:
"Don't use that expression."
"Bring out the same energy you had when building sandcastles."
"Just like then, I'll stay with you until we finish the training."
This was serious training; Kai couldn't maintain his usual casual attitude.
Ten years of practice for one minute on stage.
If Eevee feared hardship and fatigue now, it would also resist the school's organized training later.
And in an actual battle, unless you surrendered, the opponent wouldn't pity or show mercy.
The pain then would be many times greater than now.
"Vee." Eevee gave a firm cry.
It also wanted to become stronger, so it had to overcome these difficulties!
Remembering Kai's company while building sandcastles and their shared joy upon success, Eevee felt a little ashamed. It walked over and rubbed against Kai to show its determination.
"Good, keep going. Yesterday your best time was 117 seconds. This morning, you need to complete the round trip sprint in under 110 seconds. If you fail, no lunch and no shows for a week."
Eevee was suddenly alarmed and quickly ran back to the white line.
These punishments were almost fatal. Since birth, it had never faced major setbacks—always eating well, drinking well, and watching its favorite shows daily. Losing these would be devastating.
So it had to stare seriously at the dense forest…
"Start!"
For the first round, because Kai had spoken firmly, Eevee reflected a little. Just as adults teach children—not spoiling them endlessly—Pokémon also needed appropriate guidance. However, driven by instinct, Eevee's actions sometimes turned timid. This time, Kai didn't urge it; he let Eevee work hard.
He wasn't idle either, exercising his own body. Since parts of Secret Realms merged with Earth, the elements in the air had changed, slightly improving human physical quality. But after training with Eevee yesterday, Kai's body was still sore—not the result he wanted.
By midday, bruises had clearly accumulated on Eevee's body. Though Kai treated them constantly, Eevee still bore the pain. Unfortunately, it still couldn't finish under 110 seconds, missing by a small margin.
Kai checked his stopwatch and didn't say much. He returned home with a dejected Eevee.
Lunch is gone…
No shows…
After half a day's training, Eevee was starving, its stomach growling. It felt desperate, knowing it had to run under 110 seconds. With Tackle's acceleration, the start was faster, but its own instincts hindered efficiency.
"Here's lunch and an Oran Berry."
Back home, Kai busied himself briefly, then gave Eevee its food.
"Skipping lunch is my punishment. No shows is your punishment. Eat quickly. After eating, take a nap. Training continues this afternoon, and it'll be stricter," Kai said.
After placing the food before Eevee, Kai sat on the sofa, closed his eyes, and recalled the morning's training.
He was satisfied with Eevee's change. As for canceling Eevee's lunch, he'd never planned that. With such intense training, cutting food would deprive its body of necessary nutrition, halting progress.
But for Eevee to understand, punishment was needed.
"Vee…." Eevee looked at the food, then at Kai's tired face. It quickly reacted, pushing the Oran Berry toward Kai and crying out.
Learning that Kai was skipping lunch, not itself, made Eevee even more upset.
"Eat quickly."
Seeing Eevee's gesture, Kai opened his eyes and shook his head. "Once we've made up our minds, we must be stricter with ourselves. It's just lunch—no big deal. Eevee, remember, I'm your Trainer. We'll be together a long time. Only by working together will we have a better future."
Truthfully… Kai's finances couldn't sustain Eevee's current consumption much longer.
Resources were scarce. If he and Eevee wasted them, Kai would feel sorry not only for Eevee but also for his parents. That's why he was strict.
It was also for himself. From start to finish, Kai never considered idleness. Trainer and Pokémon shared fortune and loss—their futures were tied together.
Hearing Kai's stomach growl at noon, Eevee began to understand. It wasn't just a pet cared for unilaterally, but a partner. It also needed to contribute.
That day, Eevee trained more seriously. Training was boring, but shortcuts to strength were few—at least, Kai and Eevee hadn't found one yet.
During afternoon training, Eevee completed a round in under 100 seconds. Letting itself go completely, despite the pain, brought rapid progress. However, the cost was injuries beyond quick fixes with medicine. For the first time, Kai returned it to its Poké Ball and took it to the Pokémon Center.
Being a rural area, the Pokémon Center here was as simple as a small clinic from the anime, nothing like the towering centers in Viridian or Vermilion City.
Few Trainers lived in Lavender Town, so the Center was often deserted. Doctors and nurses were usually idle. Kai used his Trainer ID, handed over the Poké Ball, and waited.
About half an hour later, a trainee nurse pushed a small cart from the ward. Eevee had recovered and immediately tried to jump toward Kai.
"How's Eevee?" Kai took Eevee into his arms.
"It's fine. Here's your Poké Ball," the nurse said.
Kai breathed a sigh of relief. Though only surface wounds treated with medicine beforehand, he'd feared unexpected complications.
Though small, this Pokémon Center's efficiency satisfied Kai.
He'd be back again.
Eevee: ???