Lopunny was willing to teach!
Upon receiving this confirmation, Owen was ecstatic. He immediately acted like a model student, scooping up Eevee and looking at the rabbit with a gaze full of academic hunger.
"Vee?"
Eevee, on the other hand, instantly wilted.
Lopunny had come out of the goodness of her heart to offer berries, and Eevee thought she was in for a feast. But with just a few sentences, Owen had changed everything, turning the scene into a move-tutoring session.
What an evil trainer.
Owen mused aloud, "Study hard! If you learn Return from this big sister Lopunny, I'll give you an extra thirty minutes of phone time every day."
Eevee felt her world spin. That move again.
However... she couldn't refuse.
After a moment of careful thought and rigorous analysis, Eevee leaped from Owen's arms and walked coolly over to Lopunny.
[Image: I_Love_Learning.jpg]
Lopunny: "???"
The sheer speed of Eevee's change in attitude caught her off guard.
Then, Lopunny began the lesson in earnest. During this time, Owen could only watch from the sidelines. For one, he couldn't understand Lopunny's language.
Secondly, Lopunny didn't possess Eevee's Oscar-worthy acting skills, so the teaching process sounded like gibberish to him.
Thank goodness Eevee is mature now... Owen thought to himself. A mature Eevee's learning ability has reached MAX; she doesn't even need her trainer anymore.
Both Pokémon were exceptionally serious during the session. Lopunny had never taught a move before—she might teach her young Buneary in the future—but for now, she could only do her best to describe the feeling of using Return to Eevee.
Whether it's Frustration or Return, there is a prerequisite: they must be used while harboring intense emotion.
For instance, when Lopunny used Frustration, she channeled anger. She had viewed Owen and Eevee as enemies who had harmed her child.
In contrast, the move Return was fueled by her desperate need to protect her offspring. She converted that maternal love into offensive power.
In terms of close relationships, the bond between mother and child is certainly strong enough to pass the test of the Return move.
When using these two moves, Lopunny noted a shared characteristic: one must first stir up the emotion, generate the feeling, and then sense the existence of that feeling!
Success depended on capturing that emotion and "energizing" it. In fact, some Ghost-type Pokémon feed on emotional energy; Misdreavus, for example, loves to consume the fear of those they startle.
"Mee-yee! Mee-yee?" "Vee..." "Mee-yee?" "Vee!"
After a deep exchange, Eevee gradually understood. To learn Return, she first had to learn how to mobilize her emotions and perceive emotional energy.
She recalled the little moments with Owen, the scenes of him taking care of her after she was first born...
But before she could reminisce for too long, Eevee suddenly got distracted!
I can't wait for the next episode of "Mareep and the Mightyena"...
"Mee-yee."
Watching Eevee's focused efforts, Lopunny nodded approvingly and moved to the next step.
Once the emotions are stirred, one must sense how they exist within the body. If they can be captured in the form of energy, the move is within reach.
As Lopunny explained, Eevee found herself stuck on this step. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't feel this so-called "emotional energy." Even with Lopunny's constant descriptions and techniques, it remained elusive.
Lopunny paused, then decided to skip that step for now and move to the end.
This emotional energy can effectively tap into a Pokémon's untapped physical potential. Every Pokémon has potential; it's simply a matter of whether it has been excavated or is still hidden.
A strong will and powerful emotions can force a Pokémon's potential to develop fully, allowing them to constantly surpass themselves.
This part was also a major hurdle. Learning to use emotional energy to unlock potential required a certain level of natural talent.
Finally, once all three steps are complete, the excavated potential erupts in its most primitive form. During this burst, it is difficult for a Pokémon to control other types of energy!
Take Lopunny, for example: whether using Frustration or Return, she always used her pride and joy—her ears—to strike.
Lopunny demonstrated Return for Eevee one last time. While it looked like a simple physical strike, the power was immense, and the impact felt far more resonant and shocking.
Mobilize emotion, capture emotional energy, excavate potential, and erupt with power...
This was the principle behind Return.
"Is it over?" Owen asked.
Lopunny and Eevee both nodded. Clearly, Eevee hadn't mastered it on the spot. However, she now understood the theory and had a clear direction for her training.
It wasn't a wasted effort. If she followed Lopunny's teachings, she might grasp it soon.
With the lesson over, Lopunny prepared to leave. Before she went, she pointed to the Oran Berries she had brought, indicating they were a gift.
Owen thought for a moment but decided to give them back. The berries on this mountain were transplanted by Rangers and were quite rare.
For him and Eevee, they were just snacks, but for Lopunny and Buneary, they could be life-saving food. Now that Lopunny was essentially Eevee's part-time mentor, he couldn't accept them.
"Vee!!" Eevee was hungry, but she was also sensible. She politely pushed the berries back. After all, the training would be over soon, and she could have a feast once they got home.
Lopunny eventually gave in to Owen and Eevee's firm refusal and took the berries back. Watching her leave, Owen finally felt at ease.
"Eevee, you'd better study Return diligently when we get back. The deal I mentioned still stands."
"Think of our bond! Think of our memories!"
"Vee..." Eevee looked troubled. Life was hard.
After this small interlude, they resumed their trek toward the summit. Compared to the Rift, the Pokémon on this mountain were much more scattered.
For Owen and Eevee, the challenge wasn't massive; they actively avoided most dangers before they became an issue.
Even when they ran into a group of Pokémon, they weren't particularly strong, and Eevee could resolve the battle in a few minutes.
Thus, they successfully reached the summit before 3:00 PM without any major incidents. However, to their absolute shock, Lynnea and Leo were already there.
And, to Owen's even greater surprise...
Both Lynnea and Leo were there because they had been eliminated early.
Just what on earth happened to them?
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