Chapter 33 Counter Shield_1

Noon, after the special training was over, Fang Yuan was already sitting inside the Pokemon Center.

Without any surprises... the special training ended with Eevee losing its ability to move, the little guy was truly exhausted by the half-day ordeal.

"Number 18, Fang Yuan."

Upon hearing the announcement over the intercom, Fang Yuan stood up to welcome Eevee.

The Spirit Center truly was a magical place, seeing Eevee lively and energetic again, Fang Yuan took it in his arms.

Following that, Eevee climbed onto his shoulder along Fang Yuan's arm and then stretched out its paw, seemingly wanting to open Fang Yuan's backpack.

"Not now."

"Bwoo..." Eevee's paw pads halted, and it pouted.

"Don't rush, eat after dinner."

When leaving the Starshine Battle Club, Uncle Shan had taken Fang Yuan and the others to collect today's share of Seven-Pointed Fruits. Although Eevee didn't know what they tasted like, they were still edible, and it was looking forward to them.

If it's after dinner, then it's after dinner.

Hearing Fang Yuan say this, Little Eevee began to look forward to lunch and started to urge Fang Yuan.

"That's nice..."

Looking at the carefree Eevee, Fang Yuan also sighed, wishing he could have the same mindset.

After every intense training session, even if it was eating the cheapest snacks and watching the least nutritious dramas, Eevee could be very happy and quickly forget the day's troubles.

But it was different for him; there was always a lot of pressure to prepare for the Little Phoenix King Cup.

"Could it be because I've been single for too long, maybe Dad was right?" Holding this doubt, Fang Yuan finished lunch and finally returned home with Eevee.

There probably wasn't anything left to do at the Starshine Battle Club today, so the afternoon was for Fang Yuan and Eevee to plan by themselves.

Even though the morning training was already tough, time is money. Little Eevee, having just eaten its Seven-Pointed Fruit, was pulled by Fang Yuan to have a talk.

Or perhaps a "Soul" interrogation would be more appropriate.

"Bwoo?"

Looking at the drawing that Fang Yuan picked up, Eevee widened its eyes in confusion.

It was a piece of paper, and on it were two fairytale-like Pokemon.

Eevee's paws trembled as it pointed at the Pokemon below, asking Fang Yuan if that was itself.

"That's right, the Pokemon standing on the ground is you, and the Pokemon flying in the sky can represent all Flying-type Pokemon."

"I thought about it, after you learned Bite, with your speed and characteristics, you won't have to fear Ghost-type Pokemon. However, besides that, have you noticed that if the opponent is a Flying-type Pokemon, being without long-range attack moves also puts you at a disadvantage?"

Eevee nodded thoughtfully.

"Also, regarding this morning's special training, I summarized that if your opponent is faster than you, you also lack good counterattack moves."

Eevee nodded again.

```

And doubted that Fang Yuan was targeting it.

Fang Yuan took a deep breath and said, "So, to face these two problems, I think it's necessary to undertake additional special training. That way, having an extra ace up our sleeve will increase our chances of victory in battle."

"Bwoo~" Eevee cried out, which meant it was asking what exactly he planned to do.

"Speaking of which, I was inspired while doing problems..." Fang Yuan pulled over a physics workbook on the table and flipped open the first page.

It was a problem about centrifugal force.

Centrifugal force is a fictitious force, an inertial force, that causes a rotating object to move away from its center of rotation. In other words, it's an effect that comes with rotation.

Fang Yuan thought of a tactic from an animation because of it.

Counter Shield, also translated as Counter Punch Shield or Double Return Shield.

This was a tactic developed by Xiaozhi, the protagonist of the animation, in the Diamond & Pearl series. The tactic successfully prevented a top coordinator and Gym Leader, Melissa's Ghost-type Pokemon, from using hypnotism. It became key to Xiaozhi's victory. Even Melissa, who was his opponent, greatly admired the tactic and named it.

The Counter Shield can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes. Essentially, it's a utilization of rotation.

It involves the Pokemon spinning in place, spreading its moves not just in one direction but covering a large area, transforming damaging moves into those that are equally defensive and offensive.

Xiaozhi's inspiration for this tactic came from his partner Xiao Guang's splendid contest performance. A simple show, from another perspective, was a move that completely wrapped around the Pokemon's body, leaving no blind spots. And so, this small idea became the source of Xiaozhi's inspiration.

After that, the tactic shone brightly at the Belladonnium Conference and was learned by Xiaozhi's rivals Shinji and his companion Brock, spawning numerous applications. It was one of the few tactical techniques showcased in the animation.

Perhaps this technique isn't remarkable for some experts, but it can definitely help the current Fang Yuan and Eevee become their new trump card.

"If you can also master this tactical technique, then even when facing opponents faster than you or those flying in the air, you'll have a great counter-measure."

After Fang Yuan explained the principle of the Counter Shield to Eevee, Eevee looked baffled.

What move should be used to complete the Counter Shield?

It surely couldn't be Quick Attack.

"Of course, the best would be to use emission-type attack moves, but you can't learn those fancy moves. Let me think... Swift Star could work, but even if you could learn Swift Star in the short term, I doubt you could use it skillfully..."

"The main thing is you still need to learn Bite. Forget about Swift Star; give it up."

"I think, Sand Splash is not bad at all. After all, you've already mastered the Splash Technique quite skillfully. Although Sand Splash doesn't have killing power, it has a very strong interference effect on Pokemon. Think about the previous battles; Little Kabigon lost its rhythm because of your Sand Splash, allowing you to win easily."

"This kind of interference... combined with the inertial force granted by rotation, may well be used for attacking or defense. If used well, it could be an excellent counter-move."

"And the enemy will certainly not expect that Sand Splash can be used in this way!"

The more Fang Yuan thought about it, the more he felt it was worth a try. Little Eevee's control over Ground-based energy was quite good; this could be seen from how it learned to Understand Splashing Sand.

However, there was another difficulty: Sand Splash is a Variable Type Technique, and there's a big difference between it and emission-type attack moves like the Flamethrower attack and Thunderbolt. How to use Sand Splash to complete the Counter Shield tactic required further thought.

"Bwoo..."

Listened for a while, Eevee tapped the ground with its tail and yawned, indicating it did not want to think too hard.

Everything's fine with you making the arrangements!

"That's decided then, happily. Come on, let's go downstairs and give it a try," Fang Yuan said excitedly.