```
Teacher Zhou Youyou provided Fang Yuan with a detailed explanation on how to fully fuse Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar with their shadows.
Including the Second Stage Shadow Control, Teacher Zhou Youyou explicitly told Fang Yuan that mastering the use of shadows and skilled control of Shadow Energy is related to the Sun and Moon Light.
Training with shadows created using specific times and special items can be twice as effective.
"Sun and Moon Light, what a coincidence…" mumbled Fang Yuan to himself.
The home turf of his Glutton, after all, was Sun and Moon Forest…
Teacher Zhou Youyou said, "The Shadow Contract is a technique that requires long-term training."
"Although the first and even the second stage sound impressive, these basic abilities don't enhance a Pokémon's strength."
"It's only when all three stages are completed that the value of a Shadow Contract truly becomes evident."
"After a successful Shadow Contract integration into the Trainer's shadow, the Gengar merged with it can instinctively provide automatic defense when the Trainer is in danger, propelled by an enhanced Sixth Sense to fend off crises. That is the ultimate goal of the Shadow Contract."
"Ultimately, this is a technique for preserving a Trainer's safety; you need to understand this clearly in your training," explained the Teacher.
"Understood!" Fang Yuan nodded in agreement.
Although it does not enhance strength, learning this skill to protect oneself is not a waste of time for the Glutton…
Moreover, Teacher Zhou also mentioned that the Shadow Contract could be further developed, and perhaps with my own talents, I might create abilities that can be utilized in battle!
If it comes to playing with shadows… Mashaduo should be more powerful than the Gastly clan, so maybe I could explore developing the Glutton's power around Mashaduo's abilities?
That was what Fang Yuan thought, but the Glutton didn't see it that way.
"Ghastly~~" Upon hearing that it couldn't be used to enhance strength, the Glutton's interest waned.
Especially after hearing that it involved consuming Fang Yuan's dreams… the Glutton was even less willing.
The Glutton was very picky; it wouldn't mind trying to consume Fang Yuan's Life Energy and soul as a side dish during the Dream Eating... But if it's just pure Dream Eating, the Glutton started getting cold feet.
It wasn't Munna or a Munna, but the Glutton, the Great Devil, who feasts on life! It didn't want to eat dreams from someone like Fang Yuan, who was always daydreaming.
"However, the Shadow Contract is really only suitable for protecting the Trainer and not meant for direct combat, which is just referring to its basic abilities,"
"Just like the two examples I told you about, as long as the Trainer has enough talent, they can help the Pokémon refine the use of the Shadow Contract in battle," Teacher Zhou Youyou parted her hair to reveal her eyes, seemingly catching onto Fang Yuan's thoughts, and added:
"But the difficulty of that is no less than concocting a High-level Moves Secret. When you want to research the Shadow Contract, be prepared to invest a lot of effort. I suggest, if possible, you follow the principle of 'equivalent exchange' to learn the skills that have already been developed by those Professional Trainers who share the Spirit Realm Inheritance."
"'Equivalent exchange'… refers to Moves Secret books or cultivation resources, right?"
"Well… I suppose they won't lack those. Forget it, why don't you just marry into the Spirit World? After all, you're a talent with potential, quite a match. After the marriage, not to mention Shadow Contracts, even top-tier Moves Secrets would be yours for the choosing."
Fang Yuan: "…"
It's a good idea, but why do I feel like I'd be living off someone else?
I, Fang Yuan, have achieved what I have today through my own efforts. Now to resort to living off someone else would not be right - not at all.
…
After an hour's lecture at the Ghost House, Fang Yuan took the Glutton back to his dormitory.
For the next few days, they needed to continue visiting the Ghost House for lectures, learning about the Shadow Contract until they completed the first two stages.
Fang Yuan could afford to spare that time… In fact, he didn't plan to do anything special for the next year, and even his research could be put on hold for the time being.
The thesis on the Life Orb should be enough to earn him the position of Advanced Researcher.
So, training Haunter and Milotic became Fang Yuan's main task.
Without much training, Haunter already possessed Professional level combat power, thanks to having a good origin and species.
```
But this still wasn't enough, Fang Yuan wanted to quickly have Glutton master Black Flame, and also evolve once again.
Only after Glutton evolved into Gengar would the Geng Ghost Super Stone in his hands and the Key Stone brought by his status as a high-level researcher be able to exhibit their greatest value.
MEGA Heterochromatic Ghost, just by reaching this stage, would exceed Eevee in strength with ease based on Glutton's foundations.
Unless Eevee could master Return 4.0, it really might not be more formidable than Gengar after Mega Evolution.
As for Milotic, Fang Yuan also planned to use this year to cultivate its Healing type moves, and in terms of strength, he would not demand too much; reaching Professional level would be considered passing.
However, for Pokémon like Eevee, Self-detonating Magnet Monster, Monferno, and Glutton, Fang Yuan's requirements would be stricter.
Let's set a modest goal, Master-level combat power in one year.
If his main Pokémon didn't reach Master level, he would not qualify to participate in the 2020 World Sprite Alliance championship, so Fang Yuan must hurry...
"Now it's September 2018, which means I have a little over a year to prepare, that should be enough..."
The five main members who will battle in the World Sprite Alliance championship, the Champion, and the Four Heavenly Kings, are all Master Level Trainers.
And for the five substitute members, the least one could expect is for 3 or 4 of the Pokémon in the team to be at Master level, right?
Fang Yuan rubbed his hands together, eager to fight on the same stage as people like Jiang Li and Xie Qingyi.
"I'm baaaack."
He pushed open the dormitory door with force and shouted.
Something wasn't quite right...
"Eevee?" Fang Yuan called out again.
Eevee, who was playing video games in the bedroom, didn't come out, but a familiar figure appeared in front of Fang Yuan...
Facing the beautiful woman dressed in palace garments, Fang Yuan exclaimed in surprise, "Luo Kuo?!"
During the summer holidays, Ninetales Luo Kuo didn't leave with Fang Yuan and the others but stayed in Magic City.
When Fang Yuan and his friends returned to school yesterday, they didn't see Luo Kuo; Fang Yuan thought Luo Kuo was still wandering the world, but he didn't expect her to return so soon.
"Long time no see," Luo Kuo spoke softly. "emmmmm, where is Glutton?"
"In the ball."
"Okay... During the holidays, I went back to the Sun and Moon Forest, talked to it about Glutton's growth during this period, and it was very happy about Glutton's evolution and mastery of Black Flame, and then... it asked me to bring you a gift."
It... probably referred to the Thousand-year Gengar, right?
"Gift??"
"It's both a gift and a task, some training methods, which I'll convey to you, and the task of training Glutton will be taught to you," Luo Kuo said.
Thousand-year Gengar, which was skilled in two powers, with Illusion Technique being one of them, Glutton inherited neither during its time in the Sun and Moon Forest, due to its playful nature, but it laid a solid foundation with its eating and strong bloodline.
Now, Fang Yuan had become Glutton's nanny, and it seemed he was doing quite well, so the task of training Glutton, a mess that Thousand-year Gengar planned to dump on Fang Yuan.
"What is it..." Fang Yuan asked.
Luo Kuo said, "The ability to fight and curse using the shadow."
Fang Yuan: "What???"
The ability to curse using shadows... wasn't this the extension of the Shadow Contract that Teacher Zhou Youyou talked about?
Fang Yuan almost forgot, the Thousand-year Gengar from the Sun and Moon Forest Secret Territory was above even Master Level Trainers in strength, apart from illusion techniques, it's hardly surprising it had other skills.
Training methods... one searches for so long without finding them, and they come without taking any effort when they do.