Throw me some powerstone pweaseee.
The shift happened out of nowhere. One moment, the stale air of the tower still lingered faintly at the back of their throats, and the next, it was gone, replaced by something fresh with a faint trace of saltiness of the sea.
The ground beneath their feet also changed from cold stone to packed earth. And even though the darkness still lingered around them, it no longer suffocated them with walls and pillars as the space around them opened up.
No one spoke at first. What happened throughout the day after each teleportation repeated itself.
Rather than focusing on the scene he had grown bored with, Ludwig moved his hand towards the Poke Ball in his pocket before he clicked the single button on it.
At the next moment, the Gastly he had captured appeared in front of him.
The round Pokemon opened its eyes before scanning its surroundings. Thankfully, the outer edges of its form had already stabilized more than at the moment before Ludwig captured it. A proof that it had recovered some of its mana. Or maybe it stamina from the perspective of Pokemon World.
The second Pokemon to appear in Professor Oak's sanctuary was Claire's Abra. Just like before, it appeared while it was sitting on the ground, eyes closed. However, what happened next told him it was not simply a matter of appearing because it was told to.
Mana burst out from the yellow Pokemon, it shot around the sanctuary, not like waves, more like a breeze. But it was enough to tell that it was already scanning the environment. This kind of action was what Ludwig believed as why the Pokemon chose Claire. Both of them were so cautious it could be called a disease.
Next, the Shiny Dratini appeared. But not long after it landed on the ground, it quickly slithered into Rimuru and settled on his neck.
"Welcome back, I guess." Professor Oak said, voice still raspy due to how much he retched. But then he moved, he plopped down on the ground, and looked at the three Pokemon they had just captured.
"I must say, you guys chose a really good starter Pokemon." Oak chuckled. "If a new trainer has your kind of Pokemon, they would surely have a bright future."
Ludwig's first reaction after hearing those words was to look at the Dratini and Rimuru. Yeah, having the base form of the legendary dragon line would make anyone over-spec. And from what he knew, only one family could equip their young with that Pokemon.
However, were Abra and Gastly, as first Pokemon could also be said as extraordinary?
Ludwig decided to voice his doubt to Professor Oak.
Facing his question, the Pokemon Professor smiled. "Of course they are also rare. Even if it's not as rare as having a Dratini as your first Pokemon, both Gastly and Abra weren't Pokemon that a breeding house could breed easily and give out to new Trainer. Moreover, there's also the side effect of having Ghost-type and Psychic-type Pokemon to be considered."
"Side effect?" Claire asked.
Professor Oak considered her question for a moment before answering, his gaze shifting briefly between Abra and Gastly as if weighing how much to say.
"It's not a 'side effect' in the biological sense." He started. "But more of a pattern we've observed over time."
Claire tilted her head slightly. "A pattern?"
Oak nodded.
"Trainers who spend long periods working with specific types tend to… change alongside them."
Rimuru hummed before catching himself and asking a question. "Change? How?"
"That depends on the type." Oak replied. "Psychic-type trainers, for example, often become more reserved. More focused. Some develop a habit of thinking several steps ahead before acting."
Claire did not react outwardly, but her eyes flickered once.
"Ghost-type trainers." Oak continued, now glancing toward Ludwig. "Tend to grow more comfortable with uncertainty. They become less reactive to things that would normally unsettle others. Some even develop a tendency to… observe rather than intervene."
Rimuru let out a small breath. "…That sounds more like a personality rewrite."
Oak chuckled lightly. "It's not that extreme. And it doesn't happen to everyone. But when you spend enough time with a Pokemon—especially one that thinks differently from you—it's only natural that some of that perspective carries over."
He paused briefly before adding,
"In some cases, the opposite also happens. The Pokemon adapts to the trainer just as much."
Ludwig nodded his head slightly. To be honest, he knew about this. The easiest example would be Lance. The guy built a team of Dragon-type Pokemon. Or arguably, Dragon and Flying type. And just like how the dragon behaved, Lance became like one of them. Arrogant, forceful, and whimsical.
That was an example of one point. On the other side of the coin, there was Ash. The Pokemon under him always changed to resemble him. At least from what he knew. They became more positive and became more allergic to giving up. Always giving their 100% in everything, mimicking Ash's earnestness.
Well, to be honest, he didn't think something that happened to Lance would happen to him also. On the contrary, he felt that his Pokemon would start to resemble him. Moreover, it's not like he was going to build a team full of Ghost-type.
Kanto and Johto regions simply didn't have enough ghost-types to fill the team.
"By the way," Oak spoke again. "You guys should check what moves your Pokemon have."
Ludwig could see Rimuru's eyes flashing at the mention of moves. Well, from how excited he was throughout the day as well as his personality in general, it was clear that he had been raring to go through it ever since he caught the Dratini.
"Moves?" Thankfully, they had one person that still trying to learn about the world more amongst them.
Professor Oak did not answer immediately. He first shifted slightly where he sat and looked at the three Pokemon.
"Moves are simply what trainers call the techniques a Pokemon can perform reliably." He started.
Claire tilted his head. "Techniques?"
Oak nodded. "Every Pokemon is born with certain capabilities. Their bodies, their typing, even their instincts, all of that determines what they can do. A Fire-type can produce heat. A Psychic-type can interact with the world through its mind. A Ghost-type does not always follow the same physical rules as everything else."
He paused just long enough for the idea to settle before continuing.
"But having the capability is not the same as knowing how to use it properly. When your Pokemon can reliably perform it, we call it a move." He paused. "Take Ludwig's Gastly for example. All Gastly can move through air, bypass walls like it didn't exist, and short-teleport. But what it did back when Ludwig was about to capture it was a technique built on top of their natural abilities. That can be called moves."
"I see." Claire nodded. "If I must put it in my world terms, it was like learning a new skill, huh?"
Professor Oak couldn't answer that. Well, that's not surprising because he was Pokemon Professor not a combat Professot that knew Mana in-depth.
So, Ludwig took the reins. "I think that's correct."
Claire hummed as Rimuru nodded his head a few times.
"So, how can we determine what moves our Pokemon know?"
Professor Oak let out a small breath at the question, clearly pleased with the direction the discussion had taken. "There are two ways. One is the modern approach. The Pokedex."
Claire immediately raised the device in her hand a little higher.
"It can scan a Pokemon and compare it to existing data. From there, it will list the most stable and recognized techniques that Pokémon is capable of performing at its current stage."
Rimuru leaned slightly forward. "So basically, the safe answer."
Oak smiled faintly. "You could say that. It tells you what has already been observed and confirmed. It's reliable, but it doesn't always show everything."
Ludwig's eyes narrowed slightly at that, though he did not interrupt.
"The second way is the older method. Observation."
He shifted his attention toward Gastly first.
"You watch how your Pokemon move, how it reacts and the way it gathers energy, even when it's not actively trying to attack. Those patterns will tell you what it is capable of, even before it performs the technique fully."
Claire nodded. "So it's not so different from what I know. Just that I have Pokedex to help now."
At that moment, Rimuru decided to chime. "Well, that will only work if the Pokedex still functions when we return to our world."
Silent descend on the field at his words.
Yes, that point was probably not something they had thought about. Well, Ludwig certainly hadn't thought about it.
As the three of them, no, four with Looker, looked at Professor Oak, the old man in a white robe coughed before opening his mouth. "Well, to answer that question, I have to first explain in depth how Pokedex function."
Professor Oak shifted again in his seat, then his eyes landed on the device in Claire's hand. "The Pokedex is a device with lots of information stored inside a device. But at the same time, it is also connected to a much larger system. It works by scanning a Pokemon, then comparing what it observes to a database built from decades of accumulated research. That includes recorded behavior, biological structure, energy signatures, and known techniques."
"So…" Oak continued. "It should still work even after you brought it to your world. However, it will not send any feedback to our database about what it recorded while it was there. At least not until it connects back to the network."
Claire lowered the Pokédex slightly, her brows knitting together as she processed that.
"So it becomes… one-sided?" she asked.
"In a sense, yes," Oak replied. "It can still read and compare using what it already knows, but it cannot update itself with anything new it encounters while disconnected."
Rimuru let out a quiet hum. "So if we find something weird, it won't learn from it."
"Correct." Oak said. "Not until we, humans, research the topic at least. And more importantly, it may not understand it properly either."
Ludwig hummed. Well, that's a transfer of knowledge. Something he would avoid if he could. But at this point, without the Pokedex, they would be almost blind. Almost. They wouldn't be able to train their Pokemon in the most effective way.
Using their world's way could work. But again, even though they looked like the creatures from their world, the fundamentals were different. So what they could do right now was to accept it. Moreover, it's not like Oak would suddenly be able to manipulate mana just by learning about it.
After that, Oak continued to explain the important thing about having a Pokemon. Like what kind of food their pokemon liked, how to train them, and what they must watch. Their discussion continued while the night deepened. When he's done, he could feel his brain become heavier than before. The amount of information Professor Oak just poured into them was too much in such a small window of time.
Beside him, Rimuru stretched slightly, one hand moving behind his neck while the Dratini adjusted its position lazily across his shoulders. Claire remained still for a moment longer, her gaze lowered slightly as if organizing everything she had just heard into something usable.
No one spoke. They didn't need to. After all, the conversation had reached its natural end.
Eventually, Ludwig shifted his weight and stood up. The movement was enough to break the stillness. Rimuru followed a moment later, then Claire, each of them adjusting to the transition from listening to moving again.
"Thanks." Rimuru said, more casually than the moment probably deserved, though the sincerity in his voice was still there.
Professor Oak waved it off with a small motion of his hand.
"Just make sure you actually use what I told you."
Claire gave a short nod.
"We will."
Ludwig did not say anything, but he inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment before turning his body toward the edge of the sanctuary. Their next destination should be home. The restaurant.
After that info dump, he would need a beer or two to close the day.
The three of them began to move with their Pokemon in tow, except for the Dratini.
But then,
They could hear something was running towards them in heavy steps.
Ludwig stopped as he noticed the presence. Even though he had just met the identity of that presence twice now, he was already familiar with it.
Rimuru did the same the second later before turning back. Claire also did the same.
Now that their sight was directed at the sanctuary, they could see that something big was moving in the shadow of the deeper part of the sanctuary. However, it didn't stop on the edge like the first time it appeared before them. It crossed until the entrance before stopping in front of the three, eyes locked on Ludwig.
For a moment, no one spoke.
And then, the Arcanine took another step forward towards Ludwig.
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