The situation was this: Xia Huanao encountered a problem while trying to shape a shuriken. He happened to notice Diancie nearby, who was building a sandcastle. What’s more, Diancie’s sandcastle skills were quite good; she had built a magnificent three-tiered structure, the kind that could win awards in a competition.
Xia Huanao didn't bother to think about where the sand came from, but building sandcastles gave him a mischievous idea.
If he couldn't condense a shuriken with water, he could surely mold one out of mud. Nothing makes learning a skill easier than getting hands-on. However, mixing mud with urine was too disgusting, and even using water felt awkward. If he messed up the secret base, cleaning it would be too troublesome. So, what to do?
Xia Huanao’s first thought was to use dough. Dough, being one of the most malleable materials in the world, would be perfect for shaping a shuriken. But Xia Huanao worried it would be too wasteful. If Tsuchigumo found out, he wouldn't be able to escape trouble.
The system also asked Xia Huanao, "Tsuchigumo? He only cares about harvests, not waste… and I think as long as you can handle these things, it shouldn't be considered waste, don't you think?"
Of course, Xia Huanao had ways to deal with it, but one couldn't just have Frogadier mold a bunch of them and then steam and sell them as "dough shurikens" in the cafeteria; that would be too absurd.
Ultimately, Huanao decided to use play-doh. It was good and cheap. He would let Frogadier mold it first, and when Frogadier got bored, he could let Rockruff and the others try it.
Huantao, being wealthy and generous, bought a lot of play-doh, enough to fill half his backpack. "Frogadier, you mold it. First, mold a shuriken and show me how it looks."
Frogadier wasn't shy and immediately started molding the shuriken. Although it was his first time doing such a thing, his movements looked quite skillful.
While Frogadier was molding a play-doh version of the Water Shuriken, Xia Huanao sat beside him, also engaged in his own creation. As the saying goes, it's better to share joy than to enjoy it alone; how could he let only Frogadier be happy?
Xia Huanao was quick. Although his artistic skills weren't great, if you compared his play-doh molding skills, he was confident he could outdo Frogadier by several "Ling Yao Stars." The reason was simple: Frogadier's hands were webbed, making it difficult for him to manipulate play-doh effectively.
Xia Huanao spent some effort molding a shiny, dark-colored Greninja. Holding this black Frogadier in his hand, Xia Huanao nodded, "Hmm, not bad, I think this is quite good."
Hearing Xia Huanao's words, the Pokémon nearby looked over, particularly interested in the little Frogadier in Xia Huanao's hand. Before Xia Huanao could say anything, Frogadier handed him the shuriken he had molded.
Xia Huanao asked him, "How was it? Did you get the feel for molding a shuriken? Let's try something else, how about molding a sword?"
As Frogadier was molding a proper sword, Xia Huanao decided to let everyone have a turn. However, unfortunately, only Princess Clefairy was interested. But that wasn't surprising, as Shedinja and Rockruff didn't have hands.
Although Xia Huanao was a bit impatient, he had to admit that molding play-doh was much simpler than shaping a Water Shuriken. Frogadier quickly produced a sword. While its appearance wasn't particularly attractive, it was recognizable as a sword, with a double-edged blade and a hilt.
Xia Huanao asked, "So, do you understand now?"
Frogadier shook his head. There was still a gap between molding play-doh and a water shuriken. The second time Xia Huanao asked him to try making a shuriken, Frogadier still failed before even getting started.
Regarding this outcome, Xia Huanao said, "Frogadier, why don't you go play with Diancie and the others for now? I'll find you again when I figure it out."
Although Xia Huanao sent Frogadier to play with Diancie and the others, Frogadier continued to mold play-doh on his own. Meanwhile, Xia Huanao turned on the video recorder and studied the process of Frogadier creating a Water Shuriken frame by frame.
Xia Huanao's eyes widened, bloodshot from staring, but the video on the screen still revealed nothing to him. Xia Huanao rubbed his eyes in frustration and decided to seek help from his Dora-a-System. "System, what do you think I should do?"
After delegating the difficult task to the system, Xia Huanao continued to watch Princess Clefairy, who had received a new toy. Princess Clefairy once again displayed her peak artistic talent, successfully molding a lifelike /
One had to say, the system's tech tree was beyond what Xia Huanao's tech tree on Ling Yao Star could compare to. Xia Huanao's frame-by-frame viewing was just a metaphor; the system could actually do it. After watching for a long time, the system frowned and said, "This is all your fault."
Xia Huanao was comforting a somewhat unhappy Diancie when he heard the system speak. First, he coaxed Diancie to mold the other two companions, and then he asked the system, "System, what did you just say?"
The system repeated itself, "I said, this is all your fault."
Xia Huanao blinked. How was this his fault?
The system pointed to the video playing in Xia Huanao's mind. "Look at the condensation process of this shuriken."
Xia Huanao was puzzled. "Is there anything strange about it?"
Hearing Xia Huanao's complete lack of understanding, the system finally realized that this kid had never studied what other Greninjas looked like when condensing a Water Shuriken. The system had no choice but to bring up another screen. "Look at this one. This is a normal, or rather, a normal Greninja condensing a Water Shuriken. Compare them and see what the difference is."
Xia Huanao stared at it for a while, then suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. They don't spin."
What Xia Huanao referred to as "not spinning" meant that when condensing a Water Shuriken, a normal Greninja would directly condense it in its hand, with water spreading from the center outwards in four directions to form the water shuriken. However, Frogadier's condensation involved the shuriken spinning as it formed. It was only after the condensation was successful that Frogadier stopped the rotation.
The system said, "It's because you taught Tai Chi, and Frogadier has mastered spinning techniques like 'Clear Water Movement.' Both Frogadier's Water Shuriken and Dark Pulse are thrown with a spin. I estimate that in a couple of days, Ice Beam will also be thrown with a spin."
Hearing this, Xia Huanao stood up excitedly, "You're right! If I can make Ice Beam spin, it will definitely increase our combat power by a large margin."
Xia Huanao's excitement startled Diancie, and with a shaky hand, she crushed the head of the Rockruff in her possession.
The system coughed unhappily, and Xia Huanao sat back down. "I'm sorry, I got a bit excited. Let's get back to the main topic. What's wrong with spinning? Didn't it create a beautiful Water Shuriken?"
Seeing Xia Huanao sit down again, Diancie continued to repair Rockruff's head under his resentful gaze.
Meanwhile, the system reminded Xia Huanao, "That's what you say, but there's a principle you need to understand."
"What principle?"
"Spinning creates rotational symmetry. And figures with rotational symmetry are generally easier to spin. Do you understand that these two things are complementary?"
Xia Huanao thought for a moment. Indeed, take the spinning handkerchief, for example. Although Xia Huanao didn't know the specific pattern, at first glance, one would think it was a rotationally symmetric figure. And as the system said, figures with rotational symmetry are indeed easier to spin. Consider a fidget spinner, or perhaps, a basketball?
However, the problem Xia Huanao was encountering lay precisely in this point. Because a sword, no matter what, could not become a rotationally symmetric figure. The shape of the hilt didn't matter, but what blacksmith would forge a blade as long as the hilt?
Seeing Xia Huanao's expression, the system understood what he was thinking. "So, even though Frogadier is skilled at spinning, you can't possibly create a non-rotational figure during the spinning process. Take a teapot, for example. We all know that the spout and handle are attached later. Why? Because they can't be attached while spinning."
Xia Huanao first nodded, then profusely praised his system in his mind, not sparing any compliments. "System, you're absolutely right. I've thought of a way. You are truly my great savior."
The system was stunned. "You're really going to have Frogadier condense an asymmetric figure during rotation? That's a bit far-fetched. Do you have enough PP to practice this technique?"
Xia Huanao gathered everyone around him. Frogadier and Rockruff arrived quickly, while Shedinja was a step behind. Diancie was about to mold Shedinja when Xia Huanao called them away.
"Alright, Shedinja, when we get back, Diancie will mold you a good one. We have something important to do now, understand?"
Hearing Xia Huanao's words, Shedinja joined the others and entered the Poké Ball. The system took a moment to ask Xia Huanao, "Host, what do you plan to do?"
Xia Huanao hung the Poké Ball on his waist. "Didn't you say it? Make a teapot."
With these few words, Xia Huanao ran out of the secret base. The system savored the meaning for a moment before realizing that making a teapot was, in a way, a form of pottery. And anyone who had done pottery knew that the turntable used to hold the clay would spin. And the system knew even better that thing spun faster than Frogadier's Water Shuriken.