In this world, there is no shortage of genius Trainers, nor of Pokémon with extraordinary talent.
Take Professor Oak, for example. Back in his youth, he had reached the level of Champion. Naturally, the Pokémon under his command were anything but weak.
Moreover, to Yozora, Professor Oak was a figure of seniority, someone he trusted completely. There was nothing to worry about at all.
The moment he ended the call, the sky outside had already darkened.
The Pokémon Center was nearly empty at this hour. Yozora stepped outside and released Beedrill, Psyduck, Pidgeotto, Machop, and Geodude.
"Chaap!"
"Geo!"
Machop and Geodude lit up with joy when they saw Yozora, their crescent-shaped eyes curving happily as they called out.
"Machop, Geodude—it's good to see you again. From now on, we'll be traveling together."
Yozora crouched down. One hand clapped Machop on the shoulder, the other gently patted Geodude's rocky head. The bond between them was already smooth and easy.
Meanwhile, Psyduck quacked softly, glancing around in confusion, as though searching for someone.
"Looking for Charmeleon, Kangaskhan, and Nidorino, are you?" Yozora chuckled.
"Psy~duck." Psyduck nodded rapidly.
"They're off training elsewhere right now. Don't worry, you'll meet them again later."
Hearing this, Psyduck finally calmed down.
Yozora then turned back toward Machop and Geodude, smiling. "Let's see just how much training you've done under Professor Oak's care."
Pokémon: Machop
Type: Fighting
Ability 1: No Guard
Ability 2: —
Ability 3: —
Level: Advanced
Potential: Gym Leader-tier
Moves: Focus Energy, Taunt, Scary Face, Brick Break, Bulk Up
Description: Enthusiastic, loves to fight for justice, shows signs of leadership.
Pokémon: Geodude
Type: Rock/Ground
Ability 1: Rock Head (ignores recoil damage from headlong collision moves)
Ability 2: —
Ability 3: —
Level: Advanced
Potential: Elite Four-tier
Moves: Defense Curl, Rollout, Sand Attack, Rock Throw, Endure, Stealth Rock, Take Down
Description: A gifted Geodude— the rounder it polishes its body, the closer it comes to evolution.
Yozora not only examined their status screens, but also checked their Aura.
He found that while Machop was still within the Advanced tier, its Aura had clearly grown stronger. That meant it had trained diligently at Oak's lab. Its power had increased significantly—Elite tier wasn't far away.
Geodude had also improved markedly, rising from Intermediate to Advanced tier. Its body had grown larger and more rounded.
When Yozora rubbed its golden, polished body, the smoothness gave a strangely satisfying feeling.
Now came the matter of abilities.
Ever since completing the "Rookie Debut" achievement quest, all of Yozora's Pokémon gained access to three Ability slots.
But Machop and Geodude still only had their starting Abilities—the other two slots were empty.
"Machop's initial Ability is No Guard—purely reckless. In battle, it fights head-on, never dodging, never retreating until it faints."
"That means speed isn't particularly meaningful for it… Strength and defense should be prioritized." Yozora stroked his chin thoughtfully.
And when it came to strength, the Ability that first came to mind was Huge Power.
Yozora knew just how terrifying Huge Power could be. He had used his Beedrill to defeat countless Azumarill over the years, and had stockpiled plenty of Ability essences.
Thus, he added Huge Power as Machop's second Ability. Immediately, its potential leapt to Elite Four-tier!
"Machop can learn many moves. Its wide coverage makes it a prime candidate for Adaptability or Protean."
Indeed, a Pokémon's typing was crucial—not only for resistances and weaknesses, but because its natural typing made its attacks strongest.
From a game perspective, there was a term for this: STAB—Same-Type Attack Bonus.
Whenever a Pokémon used a move matching its own type, the move's power was boosted by 50%!
Take Charmeleon for instance. It can learn both Fire Punch and Thunder Punch.
On paper, both moves were of similar power. One was Fire-type, the other Electric-type.
But when Charmeleon used Fire Punch, the damage was far greater—because it was a Fire-type Pokémon, receiving STAB.
If it were Electabuzz instead? Then Thunder Punch would hit harder, since Electabuzz was an Electric-type.
Ability: Protean – Changes the Pokémon's type to match the move it uses.
Ability: Libero – Changes the Pokémon's type to match the move it uses.
Protean and Libero were functionally identical.
With these Abilities, every move became STAB, every move gained the 50% power boost.
No doubt, these were among the strongest—and rarest—Abilities in existence.
Currently, only four Pokémon could have Protean: Kecleon of Hoenn, and the Froakie line of Kalos.
And even then, only as Hidden Abilities.
As for Ash's Greninja, it was even more unique, possessing its one-of-a-kind Bond Phenomenon.
That transformation was similar to Mega Evolution, Dragon Ascent, or Primal Reversion—an evolution beyond evolution, unlocking greater strength and form for a short time.
However, while Bond Phenomenon was powerful, it left Greninja without a boosting Ability.
For instance, Charizard X could have Tough Claws. Greninja, in its special form, essentially had no Ability at all.
In that sense, it wasn't perfect.
But since Greninja had no Mega Evolution to fall back on, Bond Phenomenon still made it far stronger than any other Greninja of its species.
As for Libero, it was even rarer—exclusive to the Scorbunny line of Galar: Scorbunny, Raboot, and Cinderace.
Again, only as a Hidden Ability. Most of them simply had Blaze.
Because Protean and Libero were so rare, Yozora didn't have any on hand. Acquiring one would be extremely difficult.
(End of Chapter)