Ash remembered seeing a similar scene in a short clip from the latest Pokémon anime before her transmigration.
One line from that clip had stuck with her: "Depending on a Pokémon's habits, it can use all kinds of things as bullets for Bullet Seed."
If stones and seeds could serve as bullets for Bullet Seed, then why couldn't they create a silk-based version using Larvanine's silk thread?
After all, the principles were the same, weren't they?
Ash stood up from the ground, glanced at the plastic bottles swaying gently in the breeze, and then turned her head toward Larvanine beside her. "Watch closely. I'll only demonstrate this once."
With that, she stuffed all the stones in her hand into her mouth.
Taking a deep breath and steadying herself, she aimed at the bottles hanging in the air and spat out the stones in one go.
Although not a single stone hit its target—an outcome that was embarrassingly obvious—the essence of the Bullet Seed move was showcased with flair.
Ash wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand and turned back to Larvanine on the ground. "That's the idea," she said, pausing briefly before explaining further. "You need to compress your silk, which is usually in a big clump, into small pellet-like forms before spitting it out."
"Larvanine~!"
Larvanine clenched the small pair of limbs near its chest in determination.
Mimicking Ash's earlier actions, it opened its mouth and spat out what it thought was a compressed version of its silk.
Unfortunately, no matter how much it tried to compress the silk before releasing it, the moment the silk left its mouth, it expanded back into a large, tangled clump.
Dejected, Larvanine drooped its antennae in frustration.
Ash crouched down and gently patted Larvanine's head in a comforting gesture.
"There's no need to rush. We still have plenty of time. Developing a new skill is always a challenging process, and expecting success on the first try is nearly impossible. So for today, let's start with learning how to compress your silk."
She paused, then added thoughtfully, "Of course, if compressing it into pebble-like shapes feels too difficult, you can try forming it into something thin and sharp, like needles. The main goal is for your silk to hit the opponent like a bullet. Its exact shape doesn't really matter."
"Larvanine~!"
Larvanine buzzed in determination, giving itself a little pep talk.
It focused again, summoning the spiritual energy within its small body, and began practicing compressing its silk as Ash had instructed.
Seeing the Larvavine fully engaged, Ash stepped aside to give it space to work.
This understanding had been their unspoken rule since the very first day of training.
While Ash always joined Larvanine for physical training, during skill development, she'd outline the day's goals and leave it to practice independently while she focused on her own responsibilities.
After all, Ash had her own burdens to bear.
Not only did she need to prepare for the cultural exams and the written portions of the practical tests, but she also had mountains of material to memorize and review.
Her workload was no less daunting than Larvanine's.
Inside the library.
The old man sitting behind the front desk set his teacup down as Ash walked in.
He greeted her with a warm smile.
"It looks like you've hit a bottleneck in your training."
"Don't even bring it up…" Ash sighed, waving him off as she walked over to sit across from him. "I didn't expect things to be so different in practice compared to how I imagined them."
"Haha, that's perfectly normal. You'll get used to it," the old man chuckled heartily. "Creating new skills isn't something that can be achieved overnight. Many professional Beast Master spend their entire lives without managing to invent even a single original technique. The fact that you've already come up with the idea and started taking action so early in your journey sets you apart from the ones who just mindlessly copy what others do."
"Why does it sound like you're subtly mocking me?" Ash replied with a wry smile.
If Ash had a reference to copy from, she wouldn't be stuck here fretting over this!
The whole reason she was painstakingly trying to create something new was because the path of learning from others wasn't available.
Ash let out a sigh, standing up as she addressed the elderly man. "I'll be imposing on you again today."
"Nonsense," the old man replied with a dismissive wave. "This place is meant for learning. It's just fallen into disrepair now. I'm more than happy to see someone come here to read—it brings me joy! Go ahead, take care of your business!"
Ash nodded in gratitude, bid the man farewell, and headed to the study area in the back.
Lately, she had spent most of her time at this library, trying to balance her studies with Larvanine's training.
The library's location was ideal—right behind it was an abandoned construction site.
It provided Larvanine with a place to train, while Ash had a quiet spot to study and access the resources she needed.
She could research and refine the series of training plans she'd crafted for Larvanine.
It was the perfect arrangement, a win-win situation.
Settling into her usual corner, Ash opened the books she hadn't finished yesterday.
They were texts on the origins and development of Venenum-type Spirit Beast, and she flipped back to where she'd left off.
She continued searching for methods to enhance the toxicity within a Spirit Beast's body—a crucial element in her training plans for Larvanineg.
All the training plans Ash had devised revolved around a strategy inspired by a classic battle tactic in Pokémon.
It was known as Substitute-Protect-Toxic is a cunning, attrition-based strategy that was both simple and highly effective.
Unlike other tactics, this strategy didn't rely on teammates for support.
Nor did it depend on the Pokémon's abilities or held items.
It only required three moves: Substitute, Protect, and Toxic.