"Co on out, Drilbur!"
Basalt released his other Pokémon. Conveniently, both Drilbur and Bronzor knew Bulldoze, making it the perfect move to test the effects of Imprison.
"Chaa!" Drilbur chirped happily, waving its large claws in greeting. Hey, little Bronzor, you're finally awake!
Bronzor glanced at Drilbur but couldn't be bothered to respond.
"Alright, Drilbur, Bronzor has learned a new move, and I need your help to see how it works. Go ahead, use Bulldoze!" Basalt commanded with a wave of his hand.
"Chaa!" Drilbur nodded. Once Basalt had moved to a safe distance, it leaped into the air and slamd down hard, unleashing a wave of Ground-type energy.
At the sa instant, Bronzor's eyes began to glow. A wave of psychic power washed over Drilbur, enveloping it completely.
Rumble!
The ground began to shake. However, compared to the powerful, tide-like shockwaves of a normal Bulldoze, this attack had only thirty to forty percent of its usual power. It had been nerfed into the ground.
"Huh? It didn't work?" Basalt blinked, looking at Bronzor. "No, wait. It worked, but it didn't completely block it!"
He had spotted the problem.
"It must be because my mastery of Bulldoze and my control over Ground-type energy are far inferior to Drilbur's," Bronzor explained telepathically, a hint of embarrassnt in its tone. "That's why I couldn't completely disrupt it."
Its attempt to show off had failed.
"I see!" Basalt nodded, understanding now.
In the real world, a move's effectiveness was often a contest of strength between two Pokémon. It wasn't like in the gas, where a cold, hard number determined the outco with no exceptions. It was like how Bronzor's Gravity couldn't possibly drag a legendary like Ho-Oh out of the sky.
If Bronzor wasn't proficient with a move itself, its ability to use Imprison to block that move would naturally be weak. It all ca down to a clash of energy control between the two Pokémon.
Still, Imprison had the advantage. All it had to do was cause disruption, which was much simpler than executing a full-fledged attack.
Next, Basalt ran a few more tests on Bronzor. It seed the boost in its psychic power had caused a ripple effect, increasing the strength of all its other moves as well. The improvent was especially noticeable in its special attacks.
Bronzor could now hold a normal, un-boosted Drilbur in place with Confusion alone; Drilbur had to use one of its own moves just to break free.
But what surprised Basalt the most was the improvent in Bronzor's Gravity. The upper limit of its gravitational pull had now reached a 2.0x multiplier, putting it on par with a Nosepass.
"This ditation manual is insane," Basalt marveled.
The only downside was that the technique seed to be exclusive to the Bronzor line. Otherwise, Basalt wouldn't have minded catching a few more Pokémon capable of ditation just to ride this wave of progress.
"Of course. My spirit is my spear, my body is my shield. You didn't think that was just a saying, did you?" Bronzor's telepathic voice was brimming with pride. But then, it seed to sigh. "It's a sha there's no high-quality tal here to strengthen my body..."
"Uh..." Basalt was at a loss for words.
It was obvious: since joining him, Bronzor's diet had taken a nosedive. The various tals he'd bought for it couldn't even compare to the quality of the ore it had feasted on back in its Hidden Land.
"Bronzor, just hang in there for a little longer. As soon as this competition is over, I'll hit the road, do whatever it takes to earn so prize money. I swear, I won't let you suffer," Basalt said, a guilty look on his face.
Bronzor was deeply moved. "It's okay," it comforted him. "It's not like I can't get stronger without special tals. You've already been very good to ."
The mysterious tal chunk Basalt had given it was priceless, a fact Bronzor never forgot. Compared to that, a few dietary supplents to boost its defense were nothing. One was a treasure from the heavens, the other was just dirt.
In that mont, both trainer and Pokémon were touched by the other's sincerity. Their bond was strengthening by the second.
Still, ti at the training camp was precious, and Basalt's schedule was tight. After letting Bronzor rest for half a day, he imdiately arranged for it to learn Charge Beam. He had a Move Voucher ready, an on-site move tutor, and an Electric-type Gem to assist. Basalt just hoped Bronzor could master the skill quickly and broaden its offensive options.
Bronzor did not disappoint. It learned the new move in just two days, stunning not only Basalt but also the move tutor.
"Basalt, your Bronzor's talent is simply off the charts!" said the Electric-type specialist tutor, giving him a thumbs-up. "To master a non-native Electric-type move this quickly… it's faster than most Electric-type Pokémon! This is a one-in-a-million martial arts prodigy! It learns every technique instantly."
"You're too kind, sir, too kind!" Basalt said, his smile a bit stiff as his eye twitched.
As an A-Group mber, he could choose two Type Gems every week. His original plan was to give one to Drilbur for its tal Claw training and the other to Bronzor for learning a new move. The plan was perfect.
But at this rate, Bronzor could probably learn three new moves a week. How could he possibly afford that?
Most trainers worried about their Pokémon being too slow to learn. Basalt was the opposite; his Pokémon were so talented it was giving him a headache.
"Bronzor, how did you suddenly get so much faster at learning moves?" Basalt asked, looking at it with a helpless expression.
Once they left the tutor's room, Bronzor explained telepathically, "It's because my psychic power has reached a new level. A Pokémon's strength is rooted in its mind and body. A strong body can store more energy to amplify a move's power. A strong mind allows for precise energy control, higher energy efficiency, and a deeper perception of things. We can deduce, infer, and learn from a single example. That's why we learn everything so quickly."
Bronzor's tone was incredibly nonchalant, as if this was all standard procedure.
"If that's the case, could you learn a new move in a relatively short ti without a Type Gem? Say, in about a week?" Basalt asked, raising an eyebrow and pretending he didn't have a sche brewing.
"It depends," Bronzor's telepathic voice ca through as it ntally calculated. "I've never tried. But without a Type Gem to help, I'd guess the learning ti would be at least three tis longer. And that's just to learn the move. Mastering it and developing it further would take exponentially more ti..."
Bronzor tilted its body in thought, completely unaware of the trap being laid.
"We should test it out soti. We can see how long it takes you to learn a move on your own. It'll be good for to have a baseline," Basalt said, his mind already churning with plans.
His original idea was to teach Bronzor Rock Tomb next week. But now, it seed he might be able to save so resources. The real issue was that the Type Gems were distributed weekly; he didn't have the cash to buy them himself. The Move Vouchers, however, were less of a problem.
"Okay, let's try it without any external help," Bronzor agreed readily, not seeing anything wrong with the suggestion.
Back in its Hidden Land, Pokémon learned moves either through self-discovery or by carefully observing others and internalizing the process. This new way, with a tutor explaining the principles, training thods, and energy chanics, made learning a breeze.
While it often missed its old life, Bronzor had to admit that its current life was better. Its strength was growing so much faster. And anything it needed, it could get with money.
Of course, Basalt was a bit broke at the mont. But Bronor had faith that he wouldn't let it down.
After all, Basalt was a great person.
Leaving the tutor's room, Basalt headed back to his private training hall. Simply learning how to use a move was the bare minimum. To truly unleash its power and master it took countless hours of practice. It was a long-term project. There was always more to learn, more to practice, more to analyze.
Basalt's life had beco a simple triangle: dorm, classroom, training hall. He had almost zero ti for entertainnt. It was exhausting, but fulfilling.
"Basalt, you're finally back! I've been waiting for you for a long ti."
Just as he reached the door to his training hall, Basalt saw an unexpected visitor. It was a man of about fifty, tall and fair-skinned, with a round belly. He wore an almost fawning smile, his back bent low like a dog begging for scraps.
"Well, well. Supervisor Sheffield?" A smirk played on Basalt's lips. "What wind blew you all the way over here?"
The man standing before him was none other than Supervisor Sheffield, the very sa supervisor who had sneered at him and unjustly assigned him to the D-Group without a second thought.
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