Chapter 30- Revelation.

Nexon’s journal: Evolution moves.

Moves learned when a Pokemon evolves is one of the things I simply could not wrap my head around. Leaving aside the evolution, how is it that every member of the species learns the exact same move as soon as they evolve? In particular, when it is from Type Energy they never even used before. A good example is Flaaffy learning thunder punch when they evolve into Amphaross. It is reasonable since it’s an electric Pokemon learning an electric move.

But what about cases like Nike? She doesn’t have any Dark type moves nor does she learn any as far as I know. Yet when she evolves she is supposed to learn how to channel Dark type energy and use a move as soon as she does? It’s hard to make sense of it even considering the nonsensical nature of this world compared to Earth. (I just found out she could learn Dark Pulse but the point still stands.)

It was at this moment that I was glad for the existence of a centralized source of knowledge which is the Internet. I was also glad for the existence of brilliant minds like Professor Rowan in Sinnoh. One of his research papers had more than enough answers on the topic I was looking for. Being the premier researcher worldwide in terms of Pokemon evolution as of yet, it made sense that the question ended up being explored by him.

To make a long paper short the answer is in the genes of the Pokemon. Some sort of inherited knowledge that is triggered upon evolution. It was also similar to egg moves from what I understood. An egg move is also a form of inherited knowledge after all. It also explains why unlike in the game a Pokemon can learn the egg move, since they have the possibility and just need the know-how. Interesting read overall, if far from public-friendly.

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Nike collapsing as soon as the battle ended must have been the ultimate salt in the wound of my opponent given his slightly sour smile. Not that I could blame him honestly. Having been on the opposite side when I faced Cheren, I completely understood the frustration. Yet it was so sweet when it happened to you. I quickly returned the unconscious Hattrem to her capsule and stood up.

“Congratulations.” The guy finally spoke up after returning his own Pokemon. “We should probably get them checked out.”

“Yeah the sooner the better.” I agreed.

After thanking the clerk who helped us we made a beeline for the Pokemon Center section. My other two Pokemon followed closely behind as we walked and were discussing something excitedly. Or rather Skoll was talking while Tia answered occasionally. The only reason he wasn’t sulking right now is probably because of seeing a team member evolve otherwise I knew for a fact that he would be salty at missing an occasion to fight.

“Hello, how can I help you?” the nurse at the front desk asked.

“We just had a battle and our Pokemon are unconscious.” The boy answered while sliding his two Pokeballs on the counter.

“And mine evolved mid-battle so I would like a full check-up if possible,” I added while sliding my own premier ball.

“Oh my, congratulations then! Audino, can you take care of the two while I take this one to Nurse Joy?”

“Audii!”

I was a bit surprised that the Nurse Joy of this center would be handling Nike’s check-up but I wouldn't complain. Once we both handed in our respective charges, we went looking for a place to sit while waiting.

“Shoot! Before I forget, the prize money.” The boy, who I realized I forgot the name exclaimed before fishing for his phone.

Seconds later my vibrated and it was a notification of the transfer. The 1k that we agreed was safely in my account now. Thankfully, it also showed the name of the sender, which was funnily enough the same as Pops: George.

I chuckled and then had to explain why to the confused George. His sense of humor was immaculate as he started talking like an old man without missing a beat.

“So… generalist?” he asked while looking at the now-sulking Skoll and Tiamat.

“Yeah, I couldn't bring myself to choose.” I laughed while petting him causing his ears to twitch. “What about you? Poison?”

“Nailed in one.” He answered with a goofy smile.

“That a tricky one isn’t it?”

“True but we have a poison type specialist here. I’m on my way there to see if I can be a gym trainer for a while.”

He spoke with reverence, but it also brought another question to mind. “ You are not aiming for the conference?”

His eyes shot up. “What? No, this is only my first year!”

Well, that was awkward.

“Don’t tell me…” he trailed off.

“Yeah, it’s also my first year. I am aiming for at least the qualifier rounds though.” I quickly added.

“Still impressive.” He whistled. “Good luck with that. I could at least say that one of your Pokemon evolved against me when you make it.”

We both laughed at his comment. Although, it showed how strong I would need to get to reach that point. Which is exactly what my team and I want. Defy the statistics. Our conversation was momentarily interrupted when his Pokemon were returned to him. Nike would ultimately take longer but we also had more to discuss.

“So she comes from Galar. You really went out of your way to get a rare Pokemon.”

“Nah she is the one who reacted. Can you imagine an egg trying to move?” I laughed a bit at the memory.

“Since when do you wake up early?” Mathew’s voice sounded from behind me.

“Oh, hi… I… woke up earlier than I wanted to. Also, this is George. George, this is Mathew and the one behind him is Seraphina. We travel together.” I said.

“Nice to meet you.” He said

“Yo!” Mathew answered while Seraphina answered with a muted “Same”

“So, what were you guys doing?” Mathew asked.

“We are waiting for his Pokemon. We had a more intense bout than we had expected. His Pokemon actually-”

“Nike is still getting checked on. Shouldn’t be long from now.” I cut him while giving him a light kick out of view. There was no way I was wasting this opportunity.

He thankfully got what I was going for and nodded pretty convincingly. By now the storm had let up slightly, but I was not risking getting out once more until the coast was completely clear. The conversation ended going back to the travel and George was once again surprised that Sera was going for as many badges as she could. Mathew for his part seemed to regard him with more respect when he learned that he was going for Gym Trainer first before attempting the circuit for real.

“It's just as viable. I for one did the same when I was starting. Studying under a Fighting type specialist for a while with only my Mienfoo.” He said with a reminiscing expression.

“I just hope that I can pass the criteria. I know that Roxie has some openings but she is also known to be excentric when recruiting her Gym Trainers. Even if that is also why she still has so many openings when the circuit is already on the way.”

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“I am curious, how does it work? I didn’t consider the option so I have no research on it.” I asked.

“Well, normally you help run things in the gym, take care of the gym Pokemon, and sometimes fight trainers who want a taste of the gym. Oh and also the Gym Challenges.”

I half forgot that Gym Challenges were even a thing, to be honest. They are the least popular way to get the badges. If you opted for the gym challenge you didn’t fight the Gym Leader but instead had to pass whatever challenge they designed. It was a sore spot because many considered that it was not a ‘real badge’ but at the same time, it was recognized by the league as a valid way to acquire the badge.

I completely forgot that challenges existed but I don’t think I would have taken them in Aspertia or Virbank either way. I Castelia I remembered their existence but had no interest in it. If I take one it would probably be for the experience and not the badge. Although that method is very popular for those who don’t aim for a career in training. It is also why you can’t qualify for the conference by having 8 badges from the challenge. At least 4 had to be from actual gym battles.

“Yes, and in exchange you get to learn from a specialist. In addition to the salary of course. It’s a good way to save starting funds for those who didn’t save money before.” George added.

“That's neat,” I said simply.

While we were discussing we also took the opportunity to eat breakfast. With the… encounters earlier today, I didn’t even eat. Skoll and Tia were also more than happy for the breakfast. The only one missing is the star of the show, which judging by what I am seeing is about done.

“Nexon!” the Nurse Joy with her pink dyed hair called out.

I quickly left the table and went to the counter.

“Everything is in order. She is fully healed and the results from the checkup are also good. Her energy levels after the evolution are stable although they are higher than the average from what I saw. Other than that, she is in perfect health.” She explained.

“Thank you, Nurse Joy!” I answered, excitement bubbling up once more.

With the capsule in hand, I quickly moved back to the table before she got impatient. Once I got there, a few individuals turned to look at me. Skoll and Tia were as excited as me, while George tried to school his expression. Sera and Mathew were the only oblivious ones as they kept eating. Which is exactly why I quickly released the psychic type in front of them.

A brilliant flash of light revealed Nike’s new form and now that we weren’t in battle I had the time to take a closer look at her. The previously pink tip of her hat now covered the base of it while the tip turned white and pointy. She had more hair that she expertly braided into two almost fist-looking extremities. Said braids were what she used to support her weight and move around. Then came the biggest change, the torso that replaced the preciously stubby feet. She was still completely pink with only a white part around the belly. Now that looked closer, she also had white spots on her hair.

“Hattrem!” she exclaimed. She even struck a pose with one arm to her eye while winking.

“Pfftt!”

“Cough! Cough!”

Both Mathew and Sera almost died but it was worth it! I lost my composure and started laughing, shortly followed by the others in the know. Nike continued her show by spinning around on herself. She quite literally preened under the shocked gazes of our traveling companion and their team.

“Wait, she evolved?!” Sera was the first to recover.

Mathew was still coughing the mouthful of water he had been drinking. When she was done basking in the attention, she finally jumped on my neck, giving me a face hug.

“Yep! During the battle and that’s why she took longer for a full checkup”

Now that I got an even closer look, the eyes of Nike were something different. The black sclera and white pupils seemed to have two smaller pupils that gave her almost heart-shaped eyes. Truly something that you would expect from a fairy.

“Damn, looks like she outgrew her VIP seat.” Sera laughed a bit.

That sentence however froze Nike in place. She looked distressed as she fumbled and tried to go back on my head. Sadly, she was too big now. I mean in terms of height she was just under Skoll, so halfway between hip and knee-height. Or so I thought until she laid her body on my head, with her two braids on my shoulder for stability.

“Thanks for that,” I grumble to a renewing of laughter.

Once she made sure that she still had her spot secured, Nike jumped off and went to the other Pokemon. In particular, most of Sera’s team and Lilligant were very interested. Then a mechanized voice sounded.

[ Hattrem: The Serene Pokemon.

To this Pokémon, strong emotions apparently feel like incredibly loud noises—even if the emotions are happy ones. The moment this Pokemon finds someone who’s emitting strong emotions, it will pummel them senseless with its braids to silence them. One blow from those braids would knock out a professional boxer.]

There was a silent stretch as everyone considered the information and looked at Nike much more warily. it was comical to see their shift in expression, but I also understood that just from the Pokedex entry the species sounded quite violent. Which, to be fair, probably are.

I cleared my throat. “Take it with a pinch of salt. We trained for a while to have her block outside emotions.”

“Still, that’s one hell of a transformation. If I remember Hatenna hides from high emotions. Going from hiding to pummeling mercilessly is a big leap.” Sera commented.

“You should see the one from her evolution” Mathew cackled after he regained his composure.

“What doe it say?” George asked hesitantly.

“Trust me, don’t,” I said.

He gulped and nodded. He would probably look for it afterward but that was on him. With the reveal of Nike’s evolution, the conversation devolved back to different topics before George excused himself.

“So what had you so shaken during the night?” Mathew asked out of nowhere. I froze and he continued. “Please, I could hear tossing and turning all night before you left.” He scoffed.

“Sorry about that. It was just… a weird dream. Nothing more.” I answered.

By now I was fairly certain that was just that, a dream. Because nothing in what I saw made sense. But there was something I wanted their opinion on.

“Mathew, is the storm natural? I mean were there signs of the storm beforehand?” I clarified once he looked puzzled.

“I don’t know” he shrugged. “we were together all day so if I knew something you would have too.”

“Right…”

“Why do you ask?” Sera interjected.

“It’s just… it might sounds crazy but…”

how could I even say this without sounding, crazy, delusional, or both.

While I was hesitating, I felt a mental presence and a rush of feeling of comfort.

Team. Together.

Nike’s crystal-like voice sounded through my mind, serving as an anchor. I noted that her control was much better since I didn’t even have a headache compared to the other times she spoke to me. That was a topic for later, but for now, I needed to explain to at least Mathew. I steeled myself and continued.

“When I woke and exited the room. I went outside to breathe a bit because the storm calmed down. But after a while, the storm intensified out of nowhere, and the Absols all came out and surrounded me growling in the air. I am not sure because of the storm but …I think I saw a Pokemon inside the storm.”

“A Pokemon?” he frowned. “I would ask you if you were sure but since the Absols also reacted you couldn’t have been wrong. But if a Pokemon is strong enough to create a storm of that size and magnitude we should have known them at least.”

“I am not sure of this but the Pokemon had a humanoid torso at the very least.”

I didn’t know how much was known about the different legendary Pokemon of the region and I didn’t want to take a risk by name-dropping Landorus on his head. I did wonder if I should just come out and tell them what knew, but there was still the sinking fear of catching the wrong kind of attention. But I also knew that I would eventually have to at least tell someone if only to avoid people getting caught up in whatever Plasma planned.

Maybe I could talk to Caitlin? She proved that she at least cared a bit even if just because I’m a psychic. Plus she would know that I am at least telling the truth. But what should I do if I ask how I know this? Should I come clean? But what if she decides that I am just possessing a body instead of being one and the same?

My thoughts went on a tangent while Mathew was also silent. Yet both our thoughts were interrupted by the one we didn’t expect. Sera stood up hurriedly and went through her bag before pulling a notebook and flipping through the page hurriedly.

“Did it look like this?” she asked with an excited expression.

She pointed to one of the pages while asking me. it held a sketch that was roughly similar to the Forces of Nature I knew. A cloud with a muscular torso sticking out of it. it was a rough sketch with nothing to identify it, only the outlines of the body and the head. It lacked their characteristic tails and the horns to differentiate them, but it was definitely one of the forces.

“Something similar,” I answered taken aback.

She grew even more excited before running for the door.

“Sera, wait!”

She was already out the doors by the time Mathew reacted. I quickly followed after them, with some confused Pokemon following. Outside, she shielded her eyes the best she could while looking at the sky. Once she noticed that it was a lost cause she dashed past us while pulling us back inside.

“What was that?” Mathew asked irritated by her outburst.

Sera for her part didn’t seem to notice. “You have to tell me what you saw! Did it have anything different from my drawing?”

“Sera, calm down. Do you know the Pokemon?” I asked while dodging the question.

“Do I know it?” she actually squealed before calming down. “You know the legends of the Forces of Nature?”

I nodded after Mathew.

“I can’t say much because the research is still underway, but the Genesis Society thinks that this was one of the forces. So please if you have any information please. I told you I want to search for the myths of the region.”

I hesitated but seeing her so desperate while I had the answer caused a small knot in my stomach. “As I said I couldn't see clearly-”

“It doesn’t matter. Anything helps” she cut me off while taking out her pen.

I sighed. “Fine. I saw what looked like three bumps on its head here, here, and here, and almost shining orange eyes.”

She quickly added to the drawing she had while thanking me. “Thank you it might not be much to you but it is very useful. Professor Michael is going to go nuts when he learns that you saw one”

The smile that was forming on my face quickly fell off as she mentioned the name. Mathew must have noticed because he spoke up next.

“Professor Michael?”

“Oh, yes, he is one of the researchers. He was also with us when we were at the expedition.”

“Please don’t mention my name,” I said but my tone wasn’t pleading.

“What? Why? Please, you know it means a lot to me. I’m sure he will want to pick your brain for that.”

I refused to budge. “Sure, I don’t mind helping but as far as I am concerned the further I am from him the better. I don’t trust him.”

“What? Why?” she repeated herself.

“Alright calm down, both of you. Nexon why don’t you trust the man?” Mathew intervened since Sera was getting a bit too animated.

“Sorry, Sera, I told you all I saw today, and if by some miracle I get more on any myth I’ll tell you, but I don’t want to interact with him.” I continued.

“You still didn’t answer the question. Why?” she asked, clearly upset.

After sighing for, what felt like the hundredth time today I explained what happened when Skoll first met the man. I also explained that I didn’t have any other proof other than Skoll which is why I stayed silent.

“That’s Tauros shit and you know it!” Sera spoke, now clearly angry. “If he was untrustworthy someone else would have noticed! Hell, even Nike was there and didn’t react apart from the noise when we arrived.”

I kept my cool as I answered her and shook my head. “It doesn’t work like that. Some people simply can't be read with psychic type. A good example is if a Dark type interferes” I explained pointing to Mathew and Mandibuzz. “But Aura is different. There is no masking or hiding it.”

“Still doesn’t mean anything. Skoll could have simply been wrong.”

That did not go over well with the Pokemon in question. A low growl started to emit from Skoll’s throat as he glared at Sera. This prompted Luxio and Litleo to answer with their own growls while Rufflet feathers stood up. Then my two other team members stepped in. The whole situation turned into a powder keg way too fast.

“Ok, let's cool things off” Mathew stepped in between the Pokemon while Lilligant released a puff of Sweet Scent, forcibly calming the Pokemon. She received a nod from Mathew before he continued. “If he doesn’t want to be involved you should respect that. He still told you what he got, so can just say that it was anonymous right?”

Sera hesitated for a while with a conflicted expression. “Fine! I am going back to my room.” She stormed off after returning Tirtouga, the rest of her team following after her.

I sighed again. this type of reaction is the exact reason I didn’t tell her back then. Honestly, if it was another researcher I would have been fine talking with them as well. If not for the fact that she would have told him that it was from me I would have kept quiet as well. Even if someone has a bad aura it doesn’t mean they are criminals, after all. And clearly, she had some respect for the guy.

“And you, why didn't you tell me when you talked about what happened during the expedition.” Mathew turned to me.

I felt my temper flared because it sounded accusatory, but when I looked up, I noticed that it was more from concern and consideration.

“At first it slipped my mind and I didn’t think there was a need to bring it up afterward,” I explained my reasoning to him

“Well you are not wrong either,” he admitted with a nod. “He could have had a bad day for all we know. Or maybe his wife made him sleep on the couch.”

“Would that even affect his aura?” I laughed, gladly continuing the joke.

“Oh yes, the guy I talked about earlier had a Lucario, and when I came from a fight with my sister and tried to act normal, the guy was immediately on my case because of the snitch.”

I let his mock indignation guide the conversation as we tried to continue as if all was normal. Well in the end it did help since I forgot about anything else. For now, I would simply enjoy the calm before training in the afternoon, or until the storm settled completely, whichever came first.