Kanto Region, Pallet Town, Professor Oak's Laboratory.
In the living room, Joseph, Samuel Oak, and Gary were sitting neatly on the couch, staring unblinkingly at the live battle on TV.
"Gramps, Gramps! This Gre… something Ninja should be a Water-type, right? Why didn't Octillery's Charge Beam work on it?"
Gary tugged at Samuel Oak's lab coat, eyes full of confusion and curiosity.
Samuel Oak was clearly pleased with his grandson's eagerness to learn, but he didn't answer directly. Instead, he turned to look at Joseph.
"Greninja is a Pokémon from the Kalos region. Joseph knows it very well, maybe you can ask him?"
Gary didn't question why his grandfather wouldn't just answer himself. He immediately turned to look at Joseph, staring at him with big, watery, "innocent" eyes ⊙ ω ⊙.
Faced with such an "obedient" Gary, Joseph couldn't help but ruffle his little hedgehog head before speaking.
"Greninja is indeed a Water-type Pokémon, which makes it weak to Electric-types. But even among the same species, Pokémon can have entirely different special… eh, talents…? Abilities?
For example, some Squirtles get a huge power boost to their Water-type moves when their health/stamina is low. Others can't do that, but they can slowly recover stamina during rainy weather at all times..."
"So this Gren… ninja also has a 'special ability'!" Gary immediately raised his hand to answer ( `^)/, looking like he wanted to be praised.
"Yes, exactly! Sato's Greninja is a very special case. It can temporarily change its own type to match the move it's using. In other words, when it uses Aerial Ace, it becomes a Flying-type. When it uses Mud Sport, it becomes a Ground-type."
"Ground-types are immune to Electric-type moves!" Gary exclaimed, instantly thinking that the Greninja on TV was just crazy strong!
…The next second, Gary turned to Samuel Oak.
"GRAMPS, GRAMPS! I'VE DECIDED. I want Greninja as my Starter Pokémon. The one that can change types!"
"…"
Professor Oak twitched his lips. He rarely denied Gary's requests due to their close bond, but this time he was genuinely stumped.
Thankfully, Joseph came to the rescue. Smiling, he gently patted Gary's hedgehog hair and softly stepped in.
"Greninja's Starter form is Froakie, one of Kalos's starters. Whether it's combat power, rarity, or potential, they're on par."
Gary pouted a bit, still stubbornly wanting Froakie. But Joseph immediately added.
"Besides, the 'special' Greninja is already owned by Sato. But no one owns a special Squirtle yet. Don't you want to be the FIRST Trainer to have a special Squirtle…?"
Sure enough, the moment Gary heard the word "first," his eyes lit up!
And remembering that the special Greninja belonged to Sato, his desire for Greninja faded fast.
In fact, the innocent Gary even started imagining battling Sato with his own special Squirtle; just to see whose Pokémon was more unique!
"GRAMPS! GRAM…!"
"Alright, alright! I'll definitely find you a 'special' Squirtle!"
Gary hadn't even finished when Samuel Oak agreed on the spot.
Greninja wasn't even native to the Kanto Region, let alone a special one…
But Squirtle was a Kanto starter, and as a highly respected former Champion, it wouldn't be hard at all for him to find a "special Squirtle".
That said, the study of "special abilities" in Pokémon was a good research topic… It should be added to the schedule when time allowed!
With Gary pacified, the three turned their attention back to the television…
---◓---
At this point, Sato had also sent out his third Pokémon.
Absol!
Putting aside public misconceptions, Absol was actually an extremely cool Pokémon.
And after nearly two years of Sato's adj… ahem, training, Absol had become a reliable partner. Obedient and handsome!
As for the agreement they once made -that if Absol lost to Drapion, Sato would allow it to be replaced- neither Trainer nor Pokémon had brought it up again.
Even though Absol had recently overtaken Drapion through sheer talent.
On the other side, now calm and focused, Masaki had already sent out his fifth Pokémon.
Probopass!
Probopass looked like a colorful "🗿" statue. Its giant red nose took up nearly a third of its face, and under its nose was a mustache that looked like a ball of steel wool.
On both sides and its back, it had three Mini-Noses shaped like tiny birds made of metal.
Though extremely slow, Probopass could control those Mini-Noses through magnetism, unleashing various powerful attacks. A full-map ADC, no doubt!
Sure enough, as the battle started, Probopass commanded its three Mini-Noses in all sorts of flashy attacks toward Absol.
Magnet Bomb!
A move that launches magnetic bombs to attach and attack the opponent, tracking them based on movement, theoretically unavoidable.
"Rock Tomb."
"SOOOOOL~!"
Absol let out a roar, and large rocks suddenly rose from the ground around it, blocking the incoming Magnet Bombs!
BOOM! BOOM…
The violent explosions kicked up a massive cloud of smoke, completely obscuring Absol's position. But Masaki followed up immediately, ordering Probopass to launch attacks from above.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM…
Another three blasts sounded, but there was no sign of Absol screaming, or even a trace of it.
"Not good… USE EARTHQUAKE, NOW!"
Masaki seemed to realize something and quickly ordered Probopass to shake the entire battlefield.
Even so, Absol remained out of sight, while Sato stood calmly with arms folded, completely unbothered.
Masaki stared at the lingering smoke, increasingly uneasy. He bit his lip and gave the command for "Iron Defense!"
Probopass obediently followed, carrying out every order without hesitation.
And just as Probopass completed Iron Defense, a detached [Night Slash: Moonblade Form] shot out from the smoke, slamming straight into Probopass!
"IGNORE IT! LAUNCH MAGNET BOMBS IN THE DIRECTION OF THE ATTACK!"
Masaki shouted, completely disregarding Absol's strike.
Even though Absol's attack was strong, Probopass -after using Iron Defense- had nothing to fear except Fighting- and Ground-type moves.
With both Defenses incredibly high, type advantage was the only threat.
Very soon, the three Mini-Noses fired once more, whirring as they flew toward a point inside the lingering smoke.
But before they could make contact, a rainbow-colored light suddenly rained down from the sky, striking the 300+ kilogram Probopass and knocking it back several meters.
Future Sight!
Absol hadn't been hiding just to evade. It had used Future Sight early on and was waiting for the perfect moment to strike unexpectedly!
And at that very moment, Absol burst up from underground, a bit disheveled, with a blue water orb in its mouth…
Water Pulse!