Grey's POV
I have been continuing my training with my Pokémon, sticking to the schedule I planned, but the progress has been a bit of a mixed bag. The tricky Nature Power training has begun for Exeggcute, though progress on that front isn't going that well. Exeggcute is having a lot of trouble getting a real feel for nature itself to pull off the move. At least, that's what the veteran trainers on the Pokénet told me—that the Pokémon needs to get an idea of the elemental Type to be used from the surrounding environment and then channel the move through that. Right now, it's just not clicking.
For Shellder, we are trying out Protect. That seems to be working better; a faint green shield does pop up every now and then, but it's far from stable. It flickers and fades before it can take any real impact. Meanwhile, for Axew, work on Dragon Claw has started. There is some degree of progress, but Axew hasn't quite gotten the move down yet. Gathering the draconic energy and shaping it into a tangible claw is a massive problem. Specifically, it takes Axew too much time to gather that energy. While he's focusing, Persian punishes him quite easily with a Thunderbolt.
Speaking of Persian, he seems to have gotten the move down to a basic level. Now, we are trying to adjust the power of the move to create variations—like an Agile Thunderbolt for quick pressure or a Strong Thunderbolt for a finishing blow.
I have also started noticing quite a lot of people pouring into Vermilion for the tournament. It's become easy to recognize who is actually going and who isn't. You can see it in the confidence of the ones who already got their tickets, and the sheer fear and impatience in the ones still struggling to beat Surge.
It was around one of these days that I spotted Blue at the Pokémon Center. He didn't waste time, asking me straight out if I had beaten Surge yet. I didn't say a word; I just showed him the badge. He smirked, telling me he had assumed I would, and said he'd see me at the tournament. He left the center with his iconic dialogue: "Smell you later!"
I headed back to the woods to continue my training. I was deep into helping my Pokémon with their drills when a person approached me. He had a white lab coat, much like the professors usually wear, and looked to be on the older side. I was genuinely surprised to see someone who looked like a Professor out here in the wilds of Vermilion City.
Third Person POV
Researcher Cerise was currently exploring the natural habitats around Vermilion City, trying to find varied natures within similar Pokémon species for his latest research study. Normally, he saw plenty of trainers in the field, but rarely did he see those who actually trained with their Pokémon and worked alongside them so meticulously.
From what he could see, the kid had a remarkably rare team: a dragon-type in Axew, a Grass/Psychic-type in Exeggcute, a Water-type in Shellder, and a Normal-type in Persian. It was quite a diverse team. Maybe he's aiming for what I've learned from Oak as the 'Generalist Path,' Cerise thought. Still, those Pokémon seem exceptionally well-raised. I should research them up close.
The researcher approached Grey, who looked up from his training, wary but curious. Grey asked who he was and what he was doing out here. Cerise gave a disarming smile and explained that he was researching local Pokémon and exploring their natures when he spotted Grey's team and his unique training methods.
Cerise asked, "You seem to have a very good team, and I can tell they are raised well. What are you currently working on?"
Grey, feeling an odd sense of trust toward the man, decided to explain his plans. He talked about the upcoming S.S. Anne tournament, how he became a trainer, and his current badge progress. Normally, he wasn't keen on telling his plans to anyone, but it seemed the Professor-like figure wanted to give some advice, so Grey laid it all out.
Professor Cerise listened to it all and realized the kid had a great knack for Pokémon battles and training, but he lacked a deep, theoretical understanding of some mechanics. He adjusted his glasses and offered his perspective.
"Your Axew won't be learning Dragon Claw anytime soon," Cerise began honestly. "He either lacks the concentrated draconic energy to shape it, or he is learning it the wrong way. Advice and looking at move descriptions can only go so far; he needs to see the move live or fight against it to get an idea of the form. The truth is, while the line itself learns the move naturally, it's generally much later for an Axew—usually after evolving into Fraxure. While I commend your effort to raise him this strong so quickly, some things take time. Rushing it could have bad consequences."
He paused, looking at the small dragon. "Your Axew also looks like he could evolve maybe in a month, which is surprising for a dragon type. From what you said, you haven't had him long, meaning he's gained battle experience much faster than normal. Ideally, a Pokémon either grows naturally to evolve or battles a lot to evolve. Both ways have varied results, but the first is observed in the wild and the second in trained Pokémon. That said, while your Axew is strong, you should maybe focus on his current moves and train them well."
He then looked at the cluster of eggs. "For your Exeggcute, frankly, 'feeling nature' is too vague. It won't learn the move well that way. I could get you some videos of a case study on Nature Power; it's such a bizarre move. One of my colleagues from my institute years did research on it, and that could help you out. This Pokémon might be a great specimen of its species, but to learn stronger moves, it might have to evolve or simply take more time."
"Your Shellder, however, is definitely a King Gene Pokémon." Cerise started noting down a lot more in his notebook and even took a photo of Grey's entire team. "This gene is rare—even rarer than Shinies. It generally grants more brute power. Shellder is a great specimen and has tapped into a lot of its potential. It should be able to get Protect down naturally and quite well. You're doing a good job there, but using Shellder to teach Protect to the others might not work. It's a complicated move that requires natural instincts, while most pokemon can learn it, a TM is required as it is a complex move ."
He looked at the large cat. "Your Persian has quite a lush fur. It seems he recently evolved. Your approach to teaching him Thunderbolt is quite unique with these 'Agile' and 'Strong' variations. Now that you mention it, Professor Carolina was talking about such an approach she heard was used in the past in Sinnoh, though I don't remember much of the details.Well then you have a doubts?"
Grey spoke up, "I wanted to ask something. While fighting Surge, my Meowth managed to learn Power Gem right as he evolved. Normally his line needs a TM for that. How was he able to learn it?"
"Ah, that's a good question," Cerise replied. "Its Alolan counterpart learns it at evolution, so this version has the potential in its DNA. What occurred was likely Situation-Based Learning. A situation forced the Pokémon to learn a move its line could learn, but doesn't naturally. In Persian's case, he desperately wanted to defeat Electabuzz, and after being hit by electric attacks, he naturally sought a move to counter that typing. Between the evolution surge and the gem on his forehead, he adapted to the situation. However, I advise you not to use this knowledge to forcefully train moves by putting your Pokémon in dire situations. It is very luck-based, and the chances of crippling your Pokémon are high."
Cerise added firmly, "To be frank, I would also advise you not to push them too hard before the tournament. Fatigue and strain are real things. There is a limit to what even medical technology can do, and rest is something Pokémon need regardless of how advanced we become."
Grey took the advice to heart, realizing Cerise was incredibly knowledgeable.
"If I could sponsor you, I would," Cerise said warmly. "But I am not a Professor yet. I am a Researcher. I am working on my thesis, and once that is approved and I pass some tests, I could get a Professorship here in the Kanto region. Honestly, you should be a few years older than my daughter, and you remind me of a younger me. I was very curious about Pokémon in general, but you take that curiosity and apply it to battles."
Cerise gave his number to Grey, who accepted it gratefully. He asked Grey to keep in touch; while he couldn't offer a formal sponsorship yet, he could give expert advice on breeding and general Pokémon care.
Cerise then left the woods, and Grey continued training his team at a more balanced pace until dusk, finally heading back to the Pokémon Center to let his team get the rest they deserved, I was grateful for that encounter and took a lot of it to his mind.
Author's Note: Before you guys criticise Grey , there is always confusion and no one learns something in the first try or that easily and there are chances of failure for learning a move that , that said how did u guys like Cerise , now I may have deviated from canon a bit but this was his background for now.Either the next or the one after this would be the start of the tournament.