Chapter 2
Before Zane could start preparing, he first needed to make sure his team was on board. Finding a bench at a nearby park, Zane sat down and sent out his Pokemon.
"Did you hear all that?" Zane asked his team.
If a Pokemon desires, they are capable of hearing and seeing what's going on outside their balls. However, they also have the ability to shut out what's going on outside if they want to sleep or relax instead.
Arty and Pory nod in the affirmative.
"I understand if you two chose not to battle, this isn't exactly what you signed up for."
Pory shook his hand angrily, as if offended Zane would assume that he wouldn't help him. Arty laughed at the mere notion that he would miss out on something so interesting.
"Alright, let's grab some stuff from the mart to prepare."
Even though he lacked Rowan's sponsorship, It's not as if Zane is exactly lacking funds. The main thing he wanted from Rowan was his information and a Pokedex.
Although Zane has done plenty of research on his own, the information network from a Professor who has sponsored dozens of successful trainers is not to be underestimated.
A Pokedex would have been nice as they would be able to identify stats and what moves his Pokemon would know. Instead, Zane would have to keep track manually.
Zane was able to get everything he needed from the mart. This was a lot more than he would have carried with him on this type of trip in his previous world, thanks to the existence of spatial compression backpacks.
Although not infinite or capable of sustaining life inside, the backpacks are capable of holding nearly anything a trainer might need.
Picking up his monstrosity of the Energy Signature reader from the lab. Zane is ready to head out.
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Walking on the relatively short route to Jubilife, Zane considers what his strategy should be for the first gym. Pory is at an immediate disadvantage due to his relative ineffectiveness against rock.
To remedy this, Zane felt it was best if he taught it iron tail. Checking online, the Porygon line is capable of learning it from a TM so he would check to see if they had it in Jubilife.
For Arty, Zane felt it would be best to find a ranged fighting-type move. Off the top of his head, he could only think of vacuum wave and aura sphere, which he doubted he would encounter before the first gym.
Getting an idea he decides to try something, "Arty, do you think it would be possible for you to recreate Aura Sphere." The beagle-like Pokemon cocks its head in thought considering the idea.
Through training at the lab, Arty has become very efficient at manipulating raw type energy. Zane believes that it may be possible for him to recreate a move from scratch even without sketching it.
Hesitantly, Arty nods his head in affirmation, "Smear."
"I think to begin, you should try to start it as if you're going to use a flamethrower but with Fighting energy - try creating a vortex to draw in the energy and condense. Only instead of letting the energy out gradually, try maintaining it somehow."
Arty pauses, considering how he would do that. Nodding his head the Smeargle faces a tree and closes his eyes focusing with his palm extended.
"SMEARGLE!" It cries out, a ball forming in its palm. It begins to launch forward… only to dissipate rapidly.
"I guess later we can keep trying until you can get it." Zane states.
They continue down the route, pausing occasionally for the Pokemon to attempt the move with no success.
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Jubilife City is a bustling metropolis that reminds Zane of his home in Rustburro.
"SHIT!," Zane cries out in the middle of the sidewalk, drawing eyes from passersby surprised by a young child talking like that.
In all his preparation, Zane forgot a very crucial step: Telling his parents. In his defense, he has a mental age of 24 + 10, so he's still not used to having to ask permission to do anything.
Going to a nearby Pokemon center to use the video phone, Zane gives his parents a call.
Explaining the situation, Zane can see the creases on his parent's faces scrunch up in concern.
"We understand that you want to publish it yourself, but can't you just wait until you go through university?"
He frowned at his mother's argument - she wasn't wrong. Going off on a journey like this was not only impulsive, but also selfish. After his mother was willing to stick her neck out with her brother to get him this opportunity, was it really fair for him to storm off just because he was impatient?
To his surprise, while he was considering this, Pory released himself from his ball before diving into the video phone.
Now on the other side of the screen, the Porygon floats up to look my mother in the eyes, "Pory." It states firmly.
The pair stares each other down for what feels like an eternity before my mother breaks the silence, "You're serious about this, aren't you."
Now looking at Zane in the eyes, the worry is gone from her face being replaced with a serious expression.
Zane nods, his determination evident in his eyes. "Yes, Mom. I am serious about this. I know it's impulsive, but I can't ignore this opportunity. I promise you, I will put my all into this journey."
His mother sighs, her expression softening. "Alright, Zane. If this is truly what you want, then we will support you. But remember, this isn't just a game. It's a real challenge, and it won't be easy. You need to give it everything you've got."
Zane takes a deep breath, understanding the weight of his mother's words.
The family says their goodbyes before ending the call.
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After taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Zane decides his next destination should be the local mart to see if they have any iron tail TMs for Porygon.
"Sorry Kid, we're sold out," The tired shopkeeper explained, "New trainers tend to buy them up to prepare for Roark."
Disappointed by the news that the mart was sold out of Iron Tail TMs, Zane decides to head towards the Pokemon Center to check in for the night
As he walks towards the gym, Zane notices a commotion up ahead. A pair of reporters, with cameras and microphones in hand, are interviewing trainers and spectators about their preparations for the start of this year's gym circuit.
Curiosity piqued, Zane approaches the reporters and listens in on the interviews. He overhears them mentioning that they are offering a special prize to any trainer who can defeat them in a battle. The prize? An iron tail TM.
Zane calls out from the crowd, "Is that challenge open for everyone?"
The reporter grins at his enthusiasm, "Sure is kid, what's your name?"
The reporter goes on to ask him several questions along those lines, undoubtedly for his coverage.
"Now let's get this battle started, Come out, Glameow!"
The luxurious feline appears in a flash of light.
Zane tosses his ball out in response, "Let's go Arty!"
A smirk became visible on the man's face as the Smeargle appeared from its ball. Although very versatile, due to their relative lack of power people look down on the species for anything but gimmicks.
"This should go fast, get in close with a Quick Attack!," The man calls out, arrogance visible on his face.
When Rowan said Zane wasn't necessarily a talented trainer - he wasn't exactly wrong. As a matter of fact, this is Zane's first battle, which is something that didn't dawn on him until this very moment.
Stammering for a moment, Zane calls out "P-Protect!"
Glameow merely zig-zags around the barrier slamming into Arty at high speeds. Zane winces as his Smeagle gets thrown back.
"Follow up with scratch!"
Snapping out of his daze, Zane orders "Power through with take down!"
The man's eyes go wide clearly not expecting a rookie trainer to have such a move. Arty takes the scratch and crashes into the cat, which struggles to stand up afterward.
"Fury Swipes!"
The cat digs into the Smeargle repeatedly. Not used to taking such hits, it's clear Arty doesn't have much left in him.
Knowing he needs a decisive move to finish this, Zane takes a risk, "USE AURA SPHERE!" Arty's eyes widened at the command, clearly surprised by the sudden request. He hesitates for a moment, unsure of how to proceed.
Zane can feel the tension in the air as the crowd watches with anticipation. He knows that this move could either make or break the battle for him.
Arty closes his eyes and begins to focus.
The reporter, understanding that this could be the final standoff of the battle, orders "Finish him - Fury Swipes again!"
The cat rushes in, with its claws primed at the ready.
The determination is clear on Smeargle's face, as a brown orb begins to spin in his palm before rushing into the Glameow.
The cat is thrown back by the successful attack. Trying to rise to its feet, it is unable and falls back to the ground.
Zane's eyes go wide, not actually expecting the attack to work.
The reporter, gracious in his defeat, approaches Zane with a smile. "Well, kid, I must say, you've certainly impressed me. Here's your prize, the iron tail TM."
Zane takes the TM, his heart pounding with excitement. He can't help but feel a sense of pride in himself and his Pokemon.
"Hope to see you later in the Gym Circuit, good luck!" The reporter says before he begins to pack up his things.
Returning Smeargle to his ball, Zane begins to take a breath to collect himself before he's interrupted.
"OHMYGODWASTHATAURASSPHEREHOWDIDITDOTHATCOULDYOUTEACHMYRIOLU?!?"
Before him stands a pink-haired girl, clearly out of breath from her stream of nonsense.
"Slow down, what did you say?"
"Sorry, I was just excited, was that Aura Sphere?"
Zane's hesitation to reveal knowledge to a future opponent is clear on his face. Seeing this, the girl starts over.
"Sorry, I should introduce myself first, I'm Maylene," Zane's eyes widened for a moment in recognition - Maylene was the Veilstone City gym leader in the games.
However, the girl standing in front of him looked a bit younger than her appearance in the games. While in the games she appeared to be in her mid-teens, the girl here appears to be around 12.
"My partner Riolu has been trying to learn the move for a while but has been struggling."
Zane takes a moment to consider his options. While he does have his schedule to keep, he also sees the value in building connections and helping others. Plus, having a gym leader-in-training as a traveling companion could prove to be beneficial in the long run.
After a moment of contemplation, Zane smiles at Maylene. "You know what? I'd be happy to help you teach Riolu Aura Sphere. And since we're both heading to Oreburgh, why don't you come with me? We can train together and learn from each other."
Maylene's eyes light up with excitement. "Really? That would be amazing! Thank you so much, Zane!"
Zane nods, feeling a sense of camaraderie forming between them. "Don't worry about it, let's meet up in front of the center tomorrow morning around 9."
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The next morning, Zane met up with Maylene before they headed out east of Jubilife. After making a little bit of distance on the route, Zane holds out a hand to stop.
"Can we hold up for a second? I need to make some measurements on Smeargle, and I didn't want to do it in town," Zane explained.
Maylene nodded, curious about the unusual device Zane pulled out of his bag.
"What's all this?" she asked, gesturing to the setup.
Zane plugged the four satellite-shaped devices into the large box and began to explain, "I'm actually trying to become a Pokemon Professor. My research is related to how moves function."
He continued, "Before that battle, Smeargle wasn't able to use Aura Sphere yet, and I want to see what changed."
Maylene watched with interest as Zane activated the device. The satellites emitted a soft hum, and a holographic display appeared, showing a graph with various energy signatures.
Used to the process, Arty, standing in the middle of the satellites, begins to use the move. Focus becomes evident on Pory's face as it begins to focus on the data streaming into him through the jumper cables on its legs.
After a few moments, Pory finishes his processing and pulls up the rendering on the screen for the group to see.
Watching the rendering, Riolu's eyes go wide, instantly understanding how this data could benefit his training.
While he begins to meditate off to the side on the revelation, Zane and Smeargle begin to analyze the data.
"So while the energy gathering and condensing process remained unchanged it looks like you added a spinning motion to it when you manifested it outside your body."
Smeargle begins to make a series of noises and motions that Zane somehow manages to understand, "So the idea just came to you in the heat of battle?"
Arty nods in the affirmative. It wasn't unheard of for Pokemon to undergo rapid growth or have realization during an intense struggle.
Maylene, who had been observing the whole process, chimed in with her thoughts. "This technology is incredible! Being able to analyze the energy signatures of moves like this could revolutionize training methods for both trainers and their Pokemon. It could help us understand the mechanics behind moves and how to optimize their usage."
Zane nodded, impressed by Maylene's insight.
The pair moved on, ready to continue.