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<>[Warhammer 40K: A Multiverse Saga] <>
<>[Warhammer 40K: They Said I Have No Soul] <>
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Sure enough, when you head out to look for things, you always run into something interesting.
With three shakes of the Poké Ball, Bouffalant was successfully caught, and the trio jumped up in excitement before bowing to Hikaru in slight embarrassment.
"Sorry for the trouble we caused you!"
The three introduced themselves one by one, though Hikaru already knew.
"Not being familiar with items, and not really understanding moves and status conditions… so that's why kids are forbidden from traveling."
After all, not everyone is a Pallet Town superman like Ash; while humans here are generally sturdy, running into a powerful wild Pokémon is still dangerous.
At the same time, Hikaru understood the importance of Pokémon schools.
For many people, even though Pokémon live right beside them, these wondrous beings still hold many unsolved mysteries.
Abilities, natures, ways of life, species differences, typings, moves—things that players take for granted are actually deep knowledge for people living in this real world.
That's why Professors must "research," and teachers at schools must "teach."
"Every so often, I learn something new too," Hikaru thought.
The trio then explained:
Nate: "Hugh said he wants to work hard to become a Pokémon Trainer and prepare for the future, so we came out together."
Rosa: "But yeah, we also came wanting to catch a Pokémon… ehehe, everyone's super fired up."
Hugh was embarrassed: "It was my fault we got into danger this time; I'll reflect on it when we get back—everyone, I'm very sorry."
Hikaru knew what Hugh was thinking.
Of the three, only Hugh clearly had a Pokémon since he was small, and he's been training by seeking wild Pokémon and roadside Trainers so he can take back his sister's Purrloin that Team Plasma stole.
"By the way… so you're a Pokémon Trainer! But I've never seen that Pokémon before, and it looks… really strong."
Nate exhaled in relief, then tensed again at Genesect's presence.
Seeing his face, Hikaru felt oddly fond.
After all, the movie-world Professor has this same handsome face.
Hikaru: "It was originally modified by a certain organization; now it travels as my partner."
"We came here to search for a rare plant; according to the info I got, it's somewhere in these mountains and woods."
"Do you know Meloetta and the Melody Tree?"
"Meloetta? Sounds like a mythical Pokémon," Nate answered first. "Before we moved to Aspertia City from the next town over, Mom told me a story."
"They say once a year, a mythical Pokémon called Meloetta holds a grand concert for Pokémon at a place no one knows… where there are rocks as big as Moon Stones, in those mountains in that direction."
Nate pointed northwest to the towering range, then shook his head.
"But I think that's impossible, right."
"Like some Pokémon would hold a concert, haha."
Hikaru: "They do—watch the Virbank City Musical broadcast when you get home."
"Eh?! It's real?!" the three chorused in surprise.
"Wait… I think you're—" Hugh finally seemed to remember, slapped his forehead, and his eyes lit with excitement.
"It's you, the TV celebrity!"
"Celebrity?" Seeing Rosa and Nate's puzzled looks, Hugh pointed at Hikaru and blurted, "He's the guy who showed up on TV fighting that Team Plasma religious group!"
Rosa's eyes sparkled: "Ah! I remember—my mom said she saw him; so it was you!"
Nate also recalled it: "That did happen—he's supposed to be a really strong Trainer!"
The trio chirped like sparrows for quite a while before settling down, and after exchanging a look, they seemed to make up their minds.
"Please—we're begging you—teach us how to train!"
"?"
Hikaru blinked.
How did this turn into a Baki plotline!
"Ya-ha-ha~" Rosa felt awkward and hurried to explain.
"We came out to catch Pokémon, but we've only caught this one Bouffalant so far."
"We want to ask you how to capture Pokémon."
Hikaru understood.
So he was the "capture instructor" now.
Huh? If I run a "capture seminar" now, what happens to Bianca's work three years from now?
Hikaru: "Where do you usually learn battle knowledge from?"
"From TV!" Rosa was lively. "There are battle lessons on TV—it gets me hyped every time! And school teaches too!"
Nate: "Yeah, the Trainer School teaches special topics; we attend classes there. It's a Pokémon Association–recognized special training school for Trainers; only 150 excellent students are admitted each year, and we're not at entry age yet."
Hugh: "But real practice helps you improve faster! So when the entrance exams come, we can clear them easy."
"Right, big bro, you're a strong Trainer—want to come teach in Aspertia City?"
Hugh had a sudden idea, but Hikaru chuckled and waved it off.
"No, that's not in my plans for now. But you should be getting a very strong new teacher soon."
That teacher, of course, would be Cheren!
In the future he even flips an Elite Four car; serving as a Gym Leader here is more than fitting, and looking at Rosa now, Hikaru involuntarily recalled the trailer.
Serperior versus a fully evolved Stoutland, Frenzy Plant vs. Hyper Beam, Ten-Li-Slope Swordmaster Rosa challenging Elite-level Gym Leader Cheren.
That's the first Gym's power level? A bit over the top—might as well be Kanto opening against a Mega Steelix or Gyarados.
Protagonists starting in the big city hit different.
"To thank you for the important info you gave me, I'll give you a little guidance."
"So, do you have preferred targets? I mean types, species."
Rosa shot up her hand: "Yes, -sensei! I want to catch a Grass type!"
Nate pondered: "Me? I like Fighting types."
Hugh: "I—I don't have a favorite type in particular, is that a problem?"
Hikaru: "Then you're a mixed-type guy; many Champions don't specialize but blend multiple types, so you've got the bearing of a Champion."
The praise made Hugh bashful, but he quickly straightened. "Mm, I have a different goal; being Champion isn't my final aim."
Right—Hugh's that rare rival who won't challenge the Elite Four; his goal is just to smash Team Plasma.
"There are suitable Pokémon around here already, so let's try now."
"Mm, this Pidove has a powerful move; have it battle in a bit."
The Durant in Rosa's arms had woken up; Nate used Potions on both Pokémon, playing logistics healer and making thorough preparations for the outing.
There were lots of Bug Pokémon in the forest too, so he'd brought Antidotes and Paralyze Heals.
"Got one."
Hikaru spotted a Pokémon spinning merrily in the shadow of a large rock, and before the trio's surprise could burst out, he stilled them with a hand.
The Pokémon sensed a mental link, turned its "face" with a wary, puzzled look toward Hikaru, and after a brief exchange, shot the trio a rather scornful glance.
"It's agreed—if you can beat it, it's willing to go with you."
"Eh? -sensei, what were you doing just now? Can you understand Pokémon speech?"
"That's right." Hikaru's reply stunned them again, but he added that many people in the world had similar gifts, so they needn't be so shocked in the future.
Hugh marveled: "Amazing! Is that the legendary psychic power?"
Rosa felt it was incredible.
"Reading a Pokémon's memories, opening your heart to them, understanding their actions—that sounds like fantasy."
For the first time, the trio felt their "world" was a little unreal.
At the same time, they felt a keen curiosity for faraway places, also for the first time.
"My mom works at the Pokémon Center in Seaway City; she used to work in Raven City, and she's told me stories from distant towns and about strange people she's met, but they're still not as strange as what -sensei just did."
Rosa ticked off memories on her fingers, then flicked her twin-tails and focused up.
"This one's a Grass-type Pokémon—you can tell at a glance! I'll battle it."
Hikaru: "Grass's weaknesses are…?"
"Uh—Fire! And Flying?" Rosa thought a moment.
"Bug, Poison, and Ice also hit Grass super-effectively," Hikaru nodded. "But if it's dual-typed, its weaknesses and resistances change."
He took out a Pokédex; the three didn't recognize the device and didn't yet know what it was.
When its display lit up, the detailed entry drew fresh gasps, and Hikaru's quick intro earned three pairs of sparkling eyes.
"This machine is so convenient—so it's called a Pokédex!"
[Ferroseed, the Thorn Seed Pokémon. It drives its spikes into cave walls and absorbs components from rocks and moss.]
But the entry was a tad incomplete.
So Hikaru added:
"Ferroseed favors mossy caverns—the enzymes in moss make its spikes grow bigger and tougher."
"It anchors its spikes into rock to draw out minerals; when it senses danger, it fires spikes to counterattack, then uses the chance to roll away."
"These Pokémon live where magnetism and moss abound; seeing one here is rare."
"Its secondary type is Steel."
"Question—what's the fatal weakness of a Grass/Steel dual type?"
"Fire." This time Rosa answered without hesitation.
Steel is weak to Fire and so is Grass—no way a Grass+Steel shows up with some 'not afraid of Fire' Ability!
Ferroseed spun and taunted Rosa.
"Mm, but Pidove doesn't know a Fire move… then we'll try a Flying move!"
"Use Peck!"
"Pii-dove~" Pidove whirled like a tiny cyclone and pecked Ferroseed with a pop.
Pidove instantly cried out in pain, wings flapping as it hopped into the air, eyes brimming like it might cry.
Ferroseed only spun faster and let out a weird chitter.
"Oh, Ferroseed is laughing at you—it says it's not afraid of Flying types."
"Eh?" Rosa knit her brows.
Nate, calculating at the side, spoke up: "Because Steel's in the mix, Flying loses its edge over Grass—is that it."
"Pidove attacked, but Pidove got hurt; it must be those metal spikes."
"Correct," Hikaru nodded. "Ability: Iron Barbs—when struck by a contact move, the attacker takes damage."
"Contact move… got it! Pidove, use Gust!"
An idea flashed through Rosa's mind.
If we can't fight up close, then we use a ranged move!
But Ferroseed's gaze flickered.
You think I won't respond?
Zzzap—a fine electric pulse jumped out and tagged the flapping Pidove, who shuddered all over and nearly fell out of the air.
"Thunder Wave—Ferroseed absorbs magnetic force, so naturally it learns Electric moves."
"Next question: would this Ferroseed know Thunderbolt?"
Hikaru's prompt made Rosa nervous, and Ferroseed pulled a scary face to intimidate… then, after a long beat, its gaze slid off to the side.
Sorry, I actually don't.
But I'm not going down easy!
Gust kept buffeting, but Ferroseed didn't budge, and Pidove was paralyzed—Rosa was a little flustered.
"W-why isn't it doing much?"
"See there?" Hikaru pointed under Ferroseed. "Those spikes turned into roots—that's Ingrain."
"When a Pokémon uses Ingrain, it slowly draws power from the ground and restores itself—that's a special strategy many Grass-types use."
"So even against tricky foes, they can stall, build up, and turn the tables in one breath—that's how they survive."
"But Pidove doesn't have Fire, and it can't close out in one shot—so is it over?" Rosa's eyes twinkled. "I get it—-sensei must have another way!"
And her heart raced with excitement.
Ferroseed—what a strong Pokémon! Knowledge about Grass types is surprisingly captivating!
She formed a finger-gun, propped her delicate chin, and made an "eh~ so that's it" face.
Sensing her staring, Ferroseed shook its body in warning.
Come on—if you want to catch me, fight me head-on!
If you don't dare take Iron Barbs, don't claim you like me!
"Ferroseed relies on sharp iron spikes to protect itself; Steel gives it a hard shell; and usually, capturing means you wear a Pokémon down in battle so it's easier to catch—but there's another crucial thing during captures."
"And that's status conditions."
Hikaru called the paralyzed Pidove to alight on his hand; it was tired, and Gust wasn't doing much, so it tilted its head and cooed in disappointment.
Hugh: "I know—confusion, burn, paralysis, poison!"
Nate: "Not just that—there's toxic poison and freeze."
Hikaru nodded: "One mistake—confusion isn't a standard status condition."
"Swap out confusion for sleep, and those are the standard ones; there are non-standard ones too—confusion among them—but that's not today's lesson."
"Now—sleep."
"Know the move Rest?"
"I do!" Rosa nodded, then thought of something funny.
"Rest lets a Pokémon quickly recover HP and stamina! But lots of Pokémon training Rest just end up actually falling asleep."
"That's probably not the move."
Nate: "A sleeping Pokémon can't use any moves—at least that's what TV says."
Hugh: "So we're gonna make Ferroseed sleep… but how?"
"Hypnosis, of course." Hikaru raised his arm. "Hugh, your Pidove has a powerful move—and that's the one I meant."
"Rosa, give the order; a Ferroseed rooted to the ground can't move."
Rosa understood at once, her twin-tails springing.
"That's it! Pidove—use Hypnosis!"
Pidove cocked its head, then straightened; it was like a little light bulb lit above its brow.
Ding-dong!
Pidove heard the command, its eyes gleamed, and the rooted Ferroseed, defenseless, got popped by Hypnosis.
Hey, no honor!
Ferroseed tried to fight off the drowsiness… and couldn't.
ZZZ.
Ferroseed fell asleep!
"Next I'll tell you… another property of sleep."
Hikaru pointed to the Poké Ball in Rosa's hand.
"Catching a sleeping Pokémon is easier than catching under other status conditions!"
Sleep and freeze set the catch rate to ×2.5!
Clack!
The ball hit the ground, wobbled, and the red light winked out.
Rosa stood dumbfounded for a moment, then leapt up with joy.
"Yay, -sensei—I did it! The capture worked!"
She trotted over and scooped up the ball; Ferroseed was still sawing logs inside, but she was delighted.
"Please take care of me from now on, Ferroseed!"
All three were buzzing now; what began as a day full of danger had flipped completely.
Not only did they unexpectedly capture Bouffalant, but Rosa also obtained her first Pokémon.
"I'll start traveling with this kid too, and maybe I'll get another partner from the Professor."
"But wow, Pokémon really are fascinating—there's so much I didn't know! I can't wait to enter the Trainer School."
"A new door just opened… if I travel later, making use of statuses and special Abilities will definitely hit opponents where they don't expect—using statuses, I can suppress enemies that would've been tough!"
Rosa thought so.
"Sleep, toxic, burn, paralysis… mm, which Pokémon learn moves like those—"
Hikaru keenly sensed the girl's mindset shift.
Hmm?
Wait, am I about to raise a dirty-strats master!
Then, a surge of new knowledge flowed into his mind:
[Catcher's Insight: Tips from a certain capture expert; your capture chance and move accuracy rise by 80%, and you've grasped the knack of 'Critical Captures' and 'Status Captures'!]
(End of Chapter)
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