You're Banned From Playing Pokémon

Sketch.

The signature move that made Smeargle infamous.

With this outrageously overpowered move, Smeargle—despite having the lowest base stats in the entire Pokédex—remained a perennial favorite in competitive battles.

The effect of Sketch was simple yet brutal: it copied the opponent's move and made it its own.

Even most Legendary-exclusive moves could be stolen.

It truly was the root of all evil.

How could there be such an evil Pokémon like Smeargle?!

But then again, if his Eevee learned Smeargle's signature move, Sketch…

Had they just found another "unique feature" for Sunshine Gym?

However, Aiden's understanding of Sketch was mostly limited to games from his past life.

Whether it could have such absurd effects in reality was still up for debate.

And Eevee learning Sketch—was that even legal?!

While Aiden was questioning the legality of his Eevee, the adventurous little Eevee had already returned to its loyal Sunshine Gym.

"Buii?"

Eevee felt dizzy, instinctively closing its eyes. When it opened them again, Aiden was already standing before it.

Upon reuniting with its Trainer, the little guy immediately became excited, repeatedly calling out "Buii Buii," seemingly eager to share its travel experiences.

Though Aiden couldn't understand Pokémon language, he could still feel Eevee's excitement.

"Looks like you really enjoyed your trip."

Aiden smiled.

Rewards and growth could wait—the fact that Eevee was happy meant more than anything else.

Those 50 Growth Points were well spent.

Next time he earned points from the system, he'd let Eevee visit other regions too.

"Buii~(≧≦)ゞ"

Eevee laughed cheerfully as well, but halfway through its laughter, its stomach suddenly growled loudly.

The little guy immediately curled up in embarrassment, staring at Aiden with irresistibly cute starry eyes.

"Going out to play must've been tiring, huh?"

Aiden patted its fluffy little head. He was actually feeling a bit hungry too while waiting for it to return.

At this point, why not indulge a little and grab a late-night snack?

…

Late at night, Aiden sat on his bed, gently stroking Eevee, who was curled up peacefully asleep at the bedside. His gaze focused on a few lines of text before him.

[For you, reborn into this world, training Pokémon is no longer a challenge thanks to your wife's influence in your past life.]

[Under your guidance, Eevee gained noticeable improvement during its travels.]

Yes, the improvement was indeed noticeable.

If it weren't for this Travel Training system, there's no way I'd believe Eevee could learn Sketch…

This is so imba!

Aiden mentally complained as he shifted his gaze downward.

[Task: Use the Travel Training function to accelerate Pokémon training. (Completed)]

[Reward: Blue's Comprehensive Guide to Pokémon Breeding]

Here comes the main event!

Aiden lightly tapped the screen, and soon a thick stack of notebooks appeared in his palm.

Blue, full name Blue Oak, was the rival of the protagonist in the first-generation Pokémon games and one of the main characters in the Pokémon Adventures manga.

In the manga, each Dex Holder (protagonist) had their own unique traits. Blue, referred to by Professor Oak as "the Trainer", naturally excelled in training Pokémon.

(T/N: Blue's official title on Bulbapedia is 'Trainer' but I found that a lot of times, the Japanese original text mixes the caretaking aspect of 'Trainer' and uses the term 'Breeder'. I might use 'Breeder' to refer to the raising and caretaking aspect of Trainers and use the term 'Trainer' for combat related aspects.)

It was said that he possessed terrifying breeding skills capable of significantly boosting a Pokémon's strength, quickly raising a team of mainstays after taking over Viridian Gym.

And this was exactly what Aiden needed most right now.

Looking at the slightly creased notebook, clearly well-used and frequently flipped through, Aiden nodded.

So this is the real deal? Blue's personal notes, 99% new?

"These are the insights of a master trainer—learning from them is like striking gold!"

Thinking this, Aiden flipped to the first page.

Just from the table of contents, he could already tell how meticulously crafted the content was.

Not only were the Pokémon carefully categorized, but detailed breeding guides—from diet to training—were provided for many species.

It was practically a work of art!

Of course, due to Blue being from Kanto, his notes only covered Pokémon from the Kanto Pokédex.

Fortunately, since Eevee was distributed across many regions, Blue's breeding notes happened to include a guide for Eevee.

On second thought, it made perfect sense.

After all, if the system gave him something useless right now, wouldn't it be completely pointless?

Flipping to the pages about Eevee, Aiden noticed something.

Blue had added a small note at the beginning: he hadn't personally bred an Eevee, so this section was based on observing Professor Oak and another friend's methods.

"Blue's friend? Could it be Red…?"

An image involuntarily surfaced in Aiden's mind—a figure wearing a cap with a Pikachu perched on his shoulder.

Red's Eevee—wasn't it even more illegal than mine?

I need to sit up and read this properly!

"Eevee is a very special Pokémon; its very existence is a miracle."

"Pokémon with branching evolution potential aren't uncommon, but none remain as underexplored in terms of evolutionary potential as Eevee. It's one of a kind."

In just a few words, Blue captured Eevee's defining characteristic:

Due to its unstable genes, Eevee has different evolutionary branches depending on its environment, and there may even be undiscovered evolutionary paths.

"Truly impressive, Blue. As reliable as ever."

Looking at the peacefully sleeping Eevee beside him, Aiden nodded and continued reading.

"For most Pokémon, battle instincts honed through countless battles during their youth are crucial and often determine their potential ceiling."

"But Eevee is an exception. Its combat ability isn't determined by raw power—it's more about a hard-to-describe state."

"From my observations, Eevee's strength doesn't improve much before evolving, but there are many cases of significant progress post-evolution."

"More importantly, the bond with its Trainer seems to be a key factor in strength improvement."

"Therefore, we can conclude:"

"For Eevee's Trainer, focusing on building a strong emotional connection is far better than forcing it into battles."

"Hiss—"

After finishing Blue's notes, Aiden couldn't help but take a sharp breath.

Good thing I didn't send Eevee into the wild for training on its first trip—I would've messed up big time!

Blue's reasoning was convincing, backed by detailed data—it was obviously a scientific perspective.

But…

Never would I have guessed that my instinctive choice aligned perfectly with Blue's thoughts.

Is the 'Trainer' actually myself?

After studying Blue's breeding techniques for Eevee, Aiden glanced at the little Eevee comfortably snoring by his bedside and quickly came up with a future plan:

Let nature take its course.

Since improving strength was difficult, they'd focus on the future goal of evolution.

Among Eevee's known evolutions, Espeon, Umbreon, and Sylveon were closely tied to friendship/affection levels.

If Blue's theory held true, building a deeper bond with Eevee early on was the best choice.

Before evolving, they could utilize its newly learned Sketch to experiment with unconventional dirty tricks—enough to handle ordinary gym challengers.

As for which form it would evolve into, they'd leave that decision to Eevee itself.

…

Early the next morning.

Releasing Eevee, who had somehow rolled into his arms during the night, Aiden woke up from his dream.

Out of habit, he reached for his phone on the bedside table and opened PokéTV, intending to scroll through some entertaining videos before getting up.

Though it wasn't the best habit, without rewarding his diligent self before starting the day, he always felt unmotivated.

However…

As soon as he opened the app, he froze.

What's going on?

Why does the top-right corner say 999+?

Don't tell me I got review bombed overnight?!

------------------------------------------------------

40+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow

There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)