After finishing dinner, Shane took Whimsicott to the backyard biome.
“Whimsicott, are you ready?
Tonight, we’re going to continue mastering the essence of Substitute.”
“Whimsi!” (Ready!)
Whimsicott’s round orange eyes sparkled with eagerness, his fluffy cotton slightly puffed up from excitement.
“Alright, here I come!” A smile tugged at the corners of Shane’s mouth.
With a flick of his wrist, two intermediate Pokéblocks—one made from a Salac Berry and the other from a Petaya Berry—arced through the air, shooting toward the left and right sides of the sky.
A flash of white light!
Whimsicott instantly split into two nearly identical cotton balls!
The main body and the Substitute leaped up lightly like two streaks of white lightning, each accurately catching a flying Pokéblock in their mouths.
“Excellent!
But I’m going to increase the difficulty now.
Next up, I might not be throwing good things, got it?”
Before his voice even faded, two more projectiles left his hands!
This time, one was a Petaya Berry Pokéblock, but the other was an inconspicuous pebble!
“Whimsi?” (Huh?) The real Whimsicott paused in surprise.
Almost as a conditioned reflex, he gathered Fairy-type energy and fired off a precise Moonblast, shattering the pebble flying toward him in mid-air!
Almost simultaneously, his Substitute nimbly twisted its body, opened its small mouth, and steadily caught the precious Petaya Berry Pokéblock.
“Beautiful!” Shane couldn’t help but cheer.
The little guy’s reaction speed and instinct to protect his main body pleasantly surprised him.
Whimsicott’s learning speed was incredibly fast.
However, training wouldn’t always be smooth sailing.
When Shane deliberately threw a few pebbles at tricky angles near the Substitute, the energy-composed cotton ball appeared somewhat clumsy and flustered, getting grazed by the stones several times.
“Don’t rush, take it slow.”
Shane patiently repeated the throwing motion, sometimes tossing Pokéblocks and sometimes pebbles, constantly switching targets between the Substitute and the main body.
Gradually, the movements of Whimsicott’s Substitute became more fluid.
It dodged just like the main body and even tried using Energy Ball to knock away the incoming pebbles.
Although its accuracy and power were still far off, the effort and progress were clearly visible.
“Great progress!
Now, here comes the real challenge!” Shane’s gaze sharpened as he grabbed a handful of pebbles.
“This time, it’s all bad stuff!”
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Pebbles rained down from different directions!
Both the real Whimsicott and the Substitute instantly tensed up!
“Whimsi!” (Left or right?)
The main body had just gathered a Moonblast to knock one away, but the Substitute got distracted and was struck on the shoulder by another.
Multitasking and coordinating different movements was still too difficult for Whimsicott at this stage.
Smack!
Eventually, failing to dodge in time, the Substitute took a pebble right to the chest.
The real Whimsicott was also exhausted, his small chest heaving slightly.
“It’s okay, your first attempt was already great.
Wasn’t the second time much better than the first?
Both the main body and the Substitute can use moves now; you’re just not proficient enough yet, and you’re still using the same move.”
He cupped Whimsicott’s little face, making the Pokémon look into his eyes, and spoke earnestly.
“We need to try making them do different things.
For example, the main body uses Energy Ball to attack the target on the left, while the Substitute uses Moonblast to hit the right.
This way, during a battle, we can catch the opponent off guard.
Understand?”
“Whimsi!” (Understood!) Whimsicott perked up again.
The training continued!
This time, the goal was clear.
The main body would eat the Pokéblocks, and the Substitute would be responsible for attacking the pebbles!
Shane threw again—one Pokéblock flew toward the main body, while two pebbles shot toward the main body and the Substitute respectively!
A focused light flickered in Whimsicott’s orange eyes.
The main body leaped gracefully, accurately eating the Pokéblock, while at the same time, his Substitute instantly glowed with a pink radiance.
A Moonblast shot out, precisely shattering the pebble aimed at the main body in mid-air.
And the moment the main body landed, he reflexively used his tail to sweep away the other pebble flying toward him!
“That’s it!
Again!”
The difficulty leveled up once more!
Shane threw nothing but pebbles, demanding that both the main body and the Substitute use different moves to defend or counterattack!
Once, twice…
failing, adjusting, and trying again.
Sweat beaded on Whimsicott’s forehead.
During yet another attempt—
When two pebbles struck from tricky angles simultaneously, a brilliant light flashed in Whimsicott’s eyes!
Grass-type energy surged around the main body as an emerald Energy Ball howled through the air, heading straight for the left pebble!
At almost the exact same moment, the Substitute beside him brought its hands together.
Pink moonlight gathered in its palms, and a slender yet swift Moonblast shot precisely toward the right pebble!
Bang!
Bang!
He succeeded!
The main body and the Substitute had executed different moves at the same time!
“Substitute Attack, mastered!” Shane practically shouted.
He rushed forward and tightly hugged the still slightly panting Whimsicott.
“Whimsi!” (We did it!)
Whimsicott wiggled happily in Shane’s arms, and the Substitute synchronously struck a victory pose.
After the excitement settled, Shane looked at the eager little guy and added with a smile.
“In future battles, we don’t necessarily have to use these two big moves at the same time.
For example, the main body could use Taunt to seal the opponent’s status moves while the Substitute scatters Leech Seed.
Or the main body could use Protect to defend while the Substitute takes the opportunity to use Cotton Spore…
There are so many combinations!
Once our control is more stable, we can even try creating a second Substitute.
That would give us an even bigger advantage!”
“Whimsi!”
‘So it can be used like that too.’
‘Splitting off one Substitute, then another, with each Substitute using a different move.’
‘Wouldn’t that just blast the opponent to oblivion!’
‘Let’s try it!’
Motivated by this prospect, Whimsicott immediately jumped out of Shane’s arms.
A glowing white halo rippled around him once more as he attempted to form a second Substitute.
However, the white light flickered violently a few times.
Not only did a new Substitute fail to appear, but the original one—already somewhat translucent from the recent exertion—completely dissipated with a soft pop.
“Whimsi…” (Aww…)
Looking at the empty space beside him, Whimsicott’s ears drooped again, feeling a little disappointed.
“It’s okay, don’t force it.
Being able to coordinate the main body and the Substitute to use different moves is already a massive breakthrough!
It’s just like when we first practiced the Substitute’s form.
It takes time to slowly polish it, to make your energy control more precise, and to turn multitasking into an instinct.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
What you did today is more than enough!”
“Whimsi!” (Yeah!
Shane is the best!)
Whimsicott nuzzled against Shane’s palm, his exhausted little face full of trust and contentment.
Under the moonlight, the shadows of the boy and his Pokémon stretched long across the grass.
The breathing of the forest gently enveloped them, as if whispering a soft melody to celebrate this small victory and their deep bond.
Night dew began to condense on the tips of Whimsicott’s twitching ears, shimmering with a faint, fragmented light.
The wind was celebrating their success, and so was the moon.