"Sentret..."
Ding Xue was stunned.
She had actually won.
Although it seemed a bit coincidental, Sentret appeared to believe in the victory.
At this moment, Sentret was looking at its own paws with a surprised expression.
Following that, Sentret turned towards Ding Xue and started to show off its victory.
"This works?" Ding Xue's worldview collapsed in an instant.
The president of the psychology club had merely played a trick in cooperation with Eevee to deceive Sentret, and Sentret began to revel in the joy brought by the victory.
At the same time.
Fang Yuan's expression changed abruptly; under Sentret's gaze, Fang Yuan ran to Eevee's side in a fluster and crouched down.
"Eevee, are you alright, Eevee."
"Bwoo..."
Eevee slowly opened its eyes and winked at Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan's expression was one of tragic heroism as he looked towards Ding Xue and Sentret and said, "Your Sentret is very strong, but we won't admit defeat. After school this afternoon, if you dare, don't leave. I'll wait for you at the school gate, and we'll battle again."
Ding Xue was taken aback and, before she could react, saw Sentret take the lead in shouting, then looked at Eevee with an inflated sense of pride.
"Sentret—"
The transformation from timid to inflated happened too fast, making it somewhat difficult for Ding Xue to accept.
...
After the battle ended, Ding Xue recalled Sentret, while Eevee leaped onto Fang Yuan's shoulder and yawned wearily.
By now, Lin Jing and Liu Le were both convinced.
Ding Xue still couldn't believe the transformation in Sentret and said, "Is that all it took?"
"No, not yet," Fang Yuan said. "This level is not enough. Sentret needs to experience more victories to build greater confidence!"
"Whether it's humans or Pokémon, after tasting the sweetness of victory, no one wants to fail. It's a simple psychological issue."
Fang Yuan said earnestly.
Especially for Pokémon, creatures with strong battle genes, every move is a combat skill honed for survival. Even the weakest Pokémon is no exception; this is the result of natural selection.
What they had to do next was to make Sentret enjoy battling from a psychological standpoint.
This was also what he learned from following several senior students and even Teacher Li.
Having learned this, he would avoid many mistakes in handling new Pokémon in the future.
Fang Yuan then asked,
"Ding Xue, does your Sentret like anything in particular?"
Ding Xue thought for a moment and said, "It likes fruit... Blueberries are its favorite."
"Then go buy some later, as a reward for its victory in battle tonight," Fang Yuan said.
As the words fell, Ding Xue and the others realized Fang Yuan's intentions, but there was one person... or rather, one Pokémon, that suddenly sensed something amiss.
Eevee cocked its head, sensing a strangely familiar pattern.
"Liu Le, Lin Jing, you two also come help tonight. You won't have to participate in the exercises in the afternoon; let Eevee train Little Kabigon and Growlithe a bit."
"Train what?"
"The self-cultivation of an actor," Fang Yuan said.
...
The psychology club's good deeds were not to be compensated for, but Ding Xue insisted on treating them to a meal out of gratitude.
Their hospitality was hard to decline.
After the meal, Fang Yuan also mentioned a few precautions to take, like how Ding Xue should interact with Sentret after today.
"After consecutive victories, Sentret should start to enjoy this feeling, so at this point, you need to strike while the iron is hot, move it with emotion, reason with it, lure it with benefits, and set a viable goal for it. That way, it will crave training, and subsequently, if it experiences setbacks, you needn't worry."
"Our Psychology Club offers follow-up services, and we have measures in place to deal with the various situations that might arise..."
Fang Yuan spoke incessantly.
Ding Xue was very grateful to Fang Yuan.
Without Fang Yuan and Eevee, who knows when her Sentret would have changed.
Lin Jing and Liu Le, following behind Fang Yuan, also learned a lot.
It can be summed up in two words: bluffing.
Bluffing Ding Xue's Sentret into not rejecting battles anymore.
But you can't deny... it really works...
Noon, during the exercise break.
The three of them didn't go but slipped away to the club classroom instead.
After a brief training session with Eevee, Little Kabigon and Growlithe started to understand what a qualified actor should be like.
They had a tough task that night too, which was to try to lose to that Sentret...
It sounds simple, but it's a skillful job.
The talents of the two Pokemon were clearly not as strong as Eevee's; their death scenes were always particularly exaggerated, especially Little Kabigon, who pretended to faint and then actually fell asleep...
"No matter how you look at it, Eevee is still pretty impressive."
Lin Jing said while coordinating with Growlithe.
Who would have thought that such a strong Eevee would fall over like a porcelain piece at the slightest touch from a newbie Sentret.
Fang Yuan said that all of this was basic operations.
Eevee is currently only at the student stage, not yet an outstanding actor.
The really impressive one is a certain Pikachu, who can sometimes destroy worlds and at other times is defeated in one blow. Battle is like a play, all depending on acting.
"Make the expression more natural, Growlithe."
"After the battle, put away that fierce expression of yours,"
Fang Yuan said.
"Liu Le, wake up your Little Kabigon and try again."
"Don't underestimate this training; even in battle, acting is very important. For example, pretending to be injured or exhausted during a battle, if realistic enough, can make the opponent careless. It's all a tactical application."
While Fang Yuan was speaking at length, Eevee shook its head.
Not every Pokemon is as talented as it is.
...
After school in the afternoon.
The four of them gathered together again.
This time, Sentret easily defeated Eevee for the second time.
It was clear that this time it was in a much better state; at least it dared to look directly at Eevee when using claw moves.
In addition, Growlithe and Little Kabigon both lost to Sentret without surprise.
However, due to their poor acting, Sentret had a tough time securing the victory.
This battle process had Fang Yuan and the others sweating bullets. If Growlithe and Little Kabigon hadn't controlled their strength well, that Sentret would have been in trouble.
Fortunately, though the three battles were fraught with twists, they ended successfully.
The mind of a newly born Pokemon is clearly not mature yet; after tasting sweetness and another round of bluffing by Ding Xue in collaboration with Fang Yuan, Sentret completely changed.
On the battlefield, Sentret stood on its tail, which was longer than its body, posing triumphantly, absolutely thrilled.
Fang Yuan stretched, all was going well, and now he could go home and continue working on his thesis.