Pidgeot and Miltank had no strength left to dodge, suffering heavy injuries. Mei cried out in pain…
Graveler, though unable to dodge either, wore a smug grin. Hah, my Rock Head makes me tougher than steel. A few baseballs? That's nothing but a tickle!
"Stop."Master Tyron's voice cut through, and Yozora finally breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled off the black cloth covering his eyes just in time to see his teacher walking over, folding fan in hand.
Smack!The fan came down squarely on Gengar's head.
Yozora's eyes widened. Not only did Master Tyron's blow actually land on Gengar, but the Ghost-type even fell to the ground, clutching its head and bawling in pain.
"So… Master can pinpoint Gengar's true body? Is this the power of the Mind's Eye?" Yozora whispered in awe. His respect for his master, the great Taige's disciple, deepened yet again.
"Don't rely on abilities. Expose your true form. Only by dodging those baseballs with your own body will you truly improve—understand?" Tyron rapped Gengar's head once lightly, then hard, his fan tapping like a metronome.
Gengar looked pitiful, casting a desperate glance at Yozora for help.
Yozora chuckled. "Gengar, this is my master, Master Tyron. Even I have to listen when he speaks."
Terror filled Gengar's eyes. It realized there was no way out and reluctantly yielded under Tyron's intimidating presence.
Next, Tyron turned to Graveler.
The weight of a mountain seemed to press down. Cold sweat poured from Graveler's rocky body.
That same folding fan tapped against its head, light then heavy. Graveler froze, pressing its hands together over its belly, standing stiff and obedient like a child caught misbehaving.
"Baseballs may not hurt you," Tyron said calmly, "but my fan will."
Graveler nodded frantically.
With the problem children, Gengar and Graveler, subdued, Tyron moved on to Machop.
Unlike the others, Machop crossed its arms and lifted its chin proudly, completely unafraid.
Yozora panicked. "Master! This Machop is… different. It's unbelievably stubborn—he'll never dodge, no matter what. It's not just his personality—it's something deeper, in his blood, in his genes. He has the No Guard ability. That can't be changed!"
Yozora pleaded on his Pokémon's behalf.
Gengar and Graveler might've been lazy and cheeky, and they deserved a scolding.
But Machop… his refusal wasn't defiance—it was his innate ability, something beyond personality. It simply couldn't be altered.
"I know." Tyron nodded calmly.
Yozora blinked, then realized.
Of course. Tyron was the Gym Leader of Taige Town, a master of Fighting-types. He must have raised countless Machop lines, and among them, surely many bore the No Guard ability.
After all, for the Machop family, No Guard wasn't even a hidden ability. Nearly half of them had it naturally.
"It's fine if you won't dodge," Tyron said, resting his hand on Machop's head. "Instead, use your hand strikes to split the incoming baseballs. That training will serve just as well."
Machop froze. He had braced himself, expecting the same punishment Gengar and Graveler had received. Instead, this old master spoke so gently. His face flushed red, embarrassed.
…
With that, Gengar, Machop, and Graveler were all handled with ease.
Charmeleon, Pidgeot, and Mei the Miltank were all already training seriously—Tyron didn't need to intervene.
As for Dratini, it had fainted earlier and still hadn't regained consciousness…
That left only Beedrill.
In the earlier sessions, Beedrill had performed exceptionally well, dodging flawlessly and emerging without a single scratch.
Tyron studied it carefully. "You're using echolocation. For beginners, it's a fine method. But you've already mastered it. From now on, you must learn to block out sound entirely."
"Bzzz…!" Beedrill buzzed, struggling to nod.
Blindfolded and deafened… was it even possible to dodge in such a state? The thought seemed impossible.
But this—this was training.
…
With his guidance, Tyron corrected Beedrill's path, altered Machop's training method, and disciplined Gengar and Graveler, shattering their careless attitudes.
And so, the harsh training continued.
Worried Dratini might get hurt again, Tyron held it gently in his arms for the rest of the session. In his eyes, the little one was far too young to endure such hardship.
The entire day dragged on.
By sunset, aside from the tough-skinned Graveler, Yozora and all his partners were battered and bruised. Even Beedrill, once flawless, now sported wounds.
Once it blocked its hearing, it could no longer dodge at all. Out of a hundred balls, it was hit a hundred times.
The weakest, Mei the Miltank, even fainted midway through, collapsing from the pain.
Graveler may have had no visible wounds, but his breathing was ragged and labored—his body had taken damage regardless.
By the end, Yozora and his team were covered in scrapes, exhausted both in body and spirit. Worst of all, after a full day of suffering, they hadn't even touched the edges of the Mind's Eye.
"What's this? After only one day, you thought you could awaken the Mind's Eye?"
Tyron chuckled. "I've trained over a hundred disciples in my life. Fewer than five ever opened it. That fool Bruno—it took him three years of relentless, day-and-night practice before he finally awakened it."
That fool Bruno…
Yozora's mouth twitched.
Master Bruno of the Kanto Elite Four—though not quite Champion level, he stood at the absolute peak of the Elite Four. A man like that was undoubtedly a rare genius. No one in their right mind would call him a fool.
Bruno spent his life training in the mountains, living close to nature, his spirit attuned with the world. A man like him was certainly extraordinary.
Yet even he required three long years of ceaseless training before unlocking the Mind's Eye.
The thought made Yozora shudder. He finally understood—he had severely underestimated the difficulty of this path.
He had thought that with his Aura, with his deep foundation and advanced perception, he could grasp the Mind's Eye instantly.
But reality proved otherwise.
Aura might far surpass the Mind's Eye in power, but it was an entirely different discipline.
"All right, that's enough for today." Tyron folded his fan. "Don't rush. The Mind's Eye is about taming the demons within your own heart. That can never be achieved overnight. But the day you finally succeed—you'll find your growth soaring a thousandfold."
With those words, Master Tyron slowly walked away.
As soon as he left, Ahao and the others hurried over. The four of them gazed at Yozora with awe.
Back then, they too had tried this training—but gave up within the hour.
Yet Yozora, along with all his Pokémon, had endured for an entire day. That kind of willpower… was terrifying.
(End of Chapter)