Kay felt that this was his golden chance to train his Pokémons as much as possible before the final game of the tournament.
With a safe place to stay and no threat from wild Pokémons or other players, he knew they could focus only on getting stronger.
For the rest of the day, Eevee and Growlithe trained hard on their moves, each one showing good progress.
Eevee sat with closed eyes, trying again and again to build up Calm Mind without breaking focus, while Growlithe kept running in circles, working on his Flame Charge.
Kay didn't just sit and watch; he also trained his own body, running through stretches, strength drills, and quick footwork exercises. From time to time, he gave Eevee a short tip or a small correction to help it improve.
Hours passed quickly, and soon there was only about half an hour before sunset. Kay was standing with his arms crossed, watching Eevee's calm and steady breathing, when suddenly, a notification from the System popped up in front of his eyes.
Ding!
"Congratulations, Eevee has learned Calm Mind."
Kay's eyes widened. He immediately turned to look at Eevee, wanting to see for himself. Eevee was still sitting in meditation, looking completely at peace.
After a few seconds, it slowly opened its eyes, stood up, and barked happily, "Eevwee! Eevwee!" Kay could tell from the sound and Eevee's expression that it was proudly telling him, I did it!
Excited, Kay opened the System to check the updated status of both Pokémon.
---
Eevee
Potential: Dark Orange
Stage: Superior Steel
Moveset:
Novice: Calm Mind
Proficient: Tackle, Sand Attack, Swift, Toxic
Expert: Wish, Dig, Quick Attack, Double Team
Elite: Helping Hand, Bite
Mastered: —
Modified: —
Growlithe
Potential: Dark Red
Stage: Superior Steel
Moveset:
Novice: Helping Hand
Proficient: Sunny Day, Double Team
Expert: Ember, Double Kick
Elite: —
Mastered: —
Modified: —
---
Kay felt proud. His Pokémons were so much stronger now compared to when he had first entered the tournament.
Still, he reminded himself that even this level of strength wouldn't be enough to win in the finals.
He had seen how powerful his possible opponents were, like the Scyther and the Cubone, if Player 27 was still alive.
While he was still thinking about the challenges ahead, the last bit of sunlight faded, and Espeon suddenly appeared in front of them.
Kay smiled and pointed toward Eevee. "We did it; Eevee learned Calm Mind successfully."
Espeon's eyes glowed faintly, its voice calm as it replied, "The first condition is complete. You now have two days to reach the Inferior Bronze stage," then it disappeared just as it appeared.
Since night had already fallen, Kay decided not to leave the cave; it was too risky to move around in the dark.
Instead, they would keep training for a while longer. Growlithe was making good progress too, almost perfecting the combination of spinning with running in his Flame Charge.
Kay knew that for Calm Mind to be truly useful in battle, Eevee would have to improve its mastery level.
A move that took too long to use could cost them the entire fight. So he crouched down and said, "Eevee, your task for tonight is to work on reducing the time it takes to use Calm Mind. If you can do that, it will also raise your mastery level."
Eevee nodded seriously, and they began another round of training. For three more hours, Kay pushed himself alongside his Pokémons, giving advice, encouraging them, and watching their growth.
By the time they finally stopped, the cave was quiet again except for the faint hum of the Auracite crystals.
Kay, Eevee, and Growlithe then went to sleep after this intense session of training.
The next day, Kay woke up earlier than he expected. It was hard to tell the exact time inside this part of the cave, since no sunlight could reach them here, but he had a feeling it was still early morning.
He slowly opened his eyes and saw Growlithe curled up and sleeping soundly beside him, its warm fur rising and falling with each breath.
But when Kay looked toward the entrance of their training area, he spotted Eevee already awake, standing completely still with its eyes closed, calmly meditating.
It was practicing Calm Mind on its own. The soft glow from the strange gems on the walls reflected faintly on Eevee's fur, making the moment feel calm and focused.
After a short while, Eevee finished its meditation and slowly opened its eyes. When it noticed that Kay was awake, it instantly dashed toward him, its small paws tapping lightly against the stone floor.
It stopped right in front of him and began barking happily, "Eevwee… Eevwee…" Its tail was wagging fast, and its bright eyes seemed to be telling him something important.
Kay understood right away that Eevee was telling him that it had managed to reduce the time it took to perform Calm Mind.
That was exactly what he had asked for the night before. Curious, Kay checked Eevee's status to confirm. Sure enough, Calm Mind had now moved up to the Proficient level.
---
Eevee
Potential: Dark Orange
Stage: Superior Steel
Moveset:
Novice: —
Proficient: Tackle, Sand Attack, Swift, Toxic, Calm Mind
Expert: Wish, Dig, Quick Attack, Double Team
Elite: Helping Hand, Bite
Mastered: —
Modified: —
---
Kay's chest filled with pride. Eevee had woken up even earlier than him to train on its own.
That kind of dedication was exactly what they needed, especially since Kay knew they didn't have much time left before the final game.
Every small improvement counted now. He gave Eevee an encouraging pat on the head, then turned toward Growlithe, who was still sleeping.
Not wanting to waste time, he returned Growlithe to its Pokéball, deciding they could start the day's training outside the cave.
The plan for today was to push Eevee toward breaking through to the Inferior Bronze stage.
For that, Kay knew they needed some real battles. He started walking toward the cave's exit, Eevee trotting at his side.
Strangely, unlike the first time he had passed through here, none of the other Eevees or Espeons inside the cave paid them any attention.
They simply went about their own business, as if Kay and Eevee were now a normal part of this place.
When Kay finally stepped outside, the first rays of sunrise were spilling across the land, painting the cave's entrance in warm light.
The air was fresh and cool, carrying the scents of the surrounding forest. Kay pulled out the map he had been drawing over the past days and carefully studied it, detecting the areas where stronger Pokémons had been drawn by Kay before.
He needed to avoid those zones for now; they were like a death sentence for his Pokémons' level.
After thinking it through, he decided that the forest would be their best bet. There, they might find some weaker Pokémons that Eevee could handle while still gaining valuable battle experience.
Kay adjusted his backpack and began running toward the forest, choosing a path through the open land that led straight to the forest.
It was risky, since the opening was completely exposed, but the timing was on his side. The rising sun meant most wild Pokémons were either still waking up or not actively patrolling yet.
Kay ran as fast as he could, his heart pounding and his feet barely slowing. By the time he reached the safety of the forest's shadows. Fortunately, Kay didn't attract the attention of any wild Pokémon.
See you in the next chapter...
Sorry for not sharing lately, I was super busy.
More chapters are coming soon.