C010 - Using the TM for the first time

AN: Reminding you of the 3 pokeballs from the metal case again. If you have suggestions, name them now! You only have 0 chapters left before they are revealed. Remember they should be Gen V ideally, because the Solosis egg suggests the metal case comes from Unova same as the shipment - though that doesn't mean they can't be pokemon from the earlier regions.

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"So, Solosis. The professor and I found a psychic move TM called Reflect. It's an amazing defensive move that I would like for you to learn. Are you okay with that?"

Pete made himself comfortable on a cushioned office chair at the desk next to the bed while his three pokemon were looking around the room.

Solosis nodded immediately, eager to get stronger.

"Great! It'll be the first time we use this, so let's browse the manual together. Hey, Minccino sisters. I'm not sure if you can learn the move with the TM, but do you want to try anyway? Worst case scenario, we waste some electricity, I think," Pete offered as he pulled out a machine from the bag next to him with its manual.

The manual was only six pages, and that's because the booklet was only as big as his hand. There wasn't really a lot information, safe for a few disclaimers, so they were done reading it rather quickly.

"Okay, interrupt me if I'm wrong, Solosis. I turn on the machine, put you in your pokeball, slot in the TM, put your ball into that receptacle, with its button facing outward. Then I activate the TM by pressing the power button again for two seconds or until the button on the pokeball lights up and when the whole process is done, the button goes back to its normal non-shining state. The process depends on the pokemon and takes somewhere between a minute and ten minutes with stronger pokemon taking less time. Also, a pokemon shouldn't learn too many TMs at once. So we'll have to pace it a little before we try to have you learn Solar Beam or get a feeling for grass energy before that?"

Solosis listened intently and nodded at the end, giving him confirmation through their psychic link.

"Alright then. Are you ready?"

Pete powered on the machine upon getting another confirmation, and this machine too surprised him by spitting out a TM-CD. Excitedly pulling out, Pete read the inscription, "TM38 Fire Blast. Huh, another amazing move and yet another typing energy among my TMs. So far, I have psychic with Reflect, fire with Fire Blast, rock with Sand Storm, and grass with Solar Beam. Remind me to check the other machines after we're done, girls."

The Minccinos were by now sitting on the desk looking at the whole process with rapt attention.

Pete slotted in the TM-CD for Reflect and balled Solosis. He then took out the tablet-PC the professor gave him and opened up its timer function to see how long it will take. Once finished setting up, Pete slotted Solosis' ball into the TM with a perfect fit and pressed the button of the machine.

The pokeballs button immediately lit up in red, and the three remaining people and pokemon in the room looked on for a few moments before noticing nothing is going to happen.

"Huh, that's a little boring. Want to do a little Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament with each match being a best of three, you two?" Pete asked his two Minccino to play the game he taught them, and they eagerly agreed.

Roughly nine minutes later, with a resounding one win and fourteen losses, Pete declared himself bronze medallist and told his two Minccino that he was proud to even reach the top 3 in such a competitive environment. The two little ladies snickered and played a last match on their own.

When the tomboy-ish Minccino had just won the first set, Pete excitedly reached out to get Solosis out of the TM because the button on the pokeball had stopped glowing.

He released the pokemon a few moments later to ask, "how did it go? How did it feel? Are you alright?"

Solosis looked a little tired but still expressed her amusement at the rapid-fire interrogation. She expressed that it was very draining on the mind, that now that she knew what happens, it would be better the next time. The whole process felt like she was in the body of a different pokemon, likely the one who recorded the move, and was made to feel what it felt for the pokemon to use the move over and over.

It was in line with Pete's description of the process, so he was rest assured. This design is also what allowed pokemon to learn how to use a new typing energy possibly.

"That's pretty cool. Can you explain that to your pals, too, so that they know what to expect? Afterward, you can just chill on the bed. We'll likely join you soon," Pete suggested with a calm smile.

As the three pokemon had a mental conversation, Pete got to work looking at the other TMs to see if they had any TM-CDs inside like the rest.

"I didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't this..." Pete looked a little overwhelmed. The other two intact TMs had 'TM15 Hyper Beam' and 'TM17 Safeguard' inside.

Safeguard was an underrated move that could shield a pokemon from certain status effect like confusion to sleep, and even poison from certain moves. Certainly it could be wielded better and was more valuable in a more realistic setting and without a four move limit.

Hyper Beam was self-explanatory. A century-old, powerful Gyarados or Dragonite using the move could level a mountain. The attack was one of the most powerful normal type moves - scratch that, it was one of the most powerful moves, period. It's why the TM should be highly regulated.

He wasn't quite sure if he should teach it to his freshly hatched pokemon just yet because he was afraid using it would drain them too much - something to ask Professor Elm tomorrow. Though maybe he'll teach it to Rapidash first. Who knew, maybe, despite all the things the professor let slide so far, this would be a little over the top, even for the professor.

Lastly, he still had the TM-CD of the broken and dented machine that didn't quite survive the shipwreck. Sadly, the slot for the CD didn't work properly, so he couldn't get it out. All he knew was there was a CD inside. He could have probably gotten it out with a little more force, but he already promised the professor they would dismantle the machine together tomorrow.

"Okay, which one of you two wants to start?"

"Miiii~"

If Pete didn't know any better, it almost sounded like the tomboy-ish Minccino just said 'me'. With a chuckle, he balled the pokemon and started the process of teaching the pokemon Reflect.

The calmer of the two Minccino stared at the ball a little anxiously, so Pete picked her up and calmly began to pet the pokemon.

"Are you worried about your sister?"

"Miiin..." The pokemon drooped her head down and shook it.

"Oh, are you afraid she will learn it, and you won't? Is this about her knowing the egg move?"

Minccino turned her head away and nodded. Pete immediately picked her up and stroked the side of her face with a warm smile.

"No worries, little girl. Even if your sister learns all the moves in the world and becomes the most powerful Cinccino in the world, I'll still like you both the same," Pete said to reassure the pokemon. Minccino perked up a little but still looked down.

"And if that's not enough, I'll figure out a perfect training method for you so that you can catch up to your sister. How does that sound?"

At that, Minccino fully perked up and nodded heavily with tears in her eyes and a determined glint.

"Ugh, you're just too cute," Pete gushed as he pressed Minccino against his cheek to the protest of the little girl. It almost looked like she was embarrassed by his show of affection. Like a girl being embarrassed by her father when they are seen together at the mall with her friends from school nearby.

"Ah, don't grow up too fast," Pete sadly muttered as he made that connection in his mind.

Their little play was eventually interrupted ten minutes after Pete had activated the TM for the other Minccino.

"Hey, are you feeling okay, Minccino?"

Pete was a little concerned. Minccino looked even more tired than Solosis, almost falling asleep while up on her feet. With her eyes almost closed, Pete saw her nod and almost fall over.

He gently picked her up and looked to Solosis.

'Sorry girl, I promised you can relax. But can you check if she's alright?' Pete thought through their mental connection. Solosis agreed immediately as her eyes zeroed in on the exhausted Minccino.

A few moments later, Solosis made Pete picture a bed and a feeling of... good health? Sometimes, these images were hard to interpret.

"So she's okay, just sleepy?" Solosis confirmed his question with his a nod.

"Huh, that's good. You sure you want to go through that, too, Minccino?"

Pete asked the last pokemon in the room, who hadn't learned a TM yet.

"We could always wait until you're a little older," Pete offered with a worried half-smile.

"Mincciii," Minccino shook her had and pointed toward her pokeball.

"Haaa, if you say so. Just remember, I'll leave out a bowl of water and another bowl of Oran and Leppa berries for you guys if you feel peckish in the night," Pete advised as he reached out for her ball and repeated the process a third time.

The second Minccino was overwhelmed just like her sister before her, but Solosis gave Pete the allclear.

So he tucked in his pokemon and went to the bathroom on this floor. Vivian had left him a towel, some soap, and a toothbrush there. After a nice shower and good brush of his teeth, Pete finally felt human again. Apparently, Pecha berries were very beneficial for dental health, so none of Professor Elm's family members complained about his bad breath, but he still felt much better with brushed teeth.

He promised himself to go shopping tomorrow and buy at least a full fistful of backup toothbrushes for his journey.

Oh, and new underwear. Vivian hadn't left anything out for him because Pete was too afraid to ask, so he washed his shirt and underpants with soap in the sink and went back to his room with just a towel on. Back in his room, he pulled out a firestone again and placed his wet clothes near it over a lounge chair in the room that the incubators were close to. He also placed the remaining eggs that weren't in an incubator on the chair so they'd benefit from the stone's warmth.

Watching his three baby pokemon sleeping near the pillow of his bed, Pete was very much itching to join them. But first, he wanted to write down what he learned today from the professor and all the favors Pete now owed him and his wife.

He motivated himself by thinking that journaling should be a positive habit he should cultivate now that he had become an assistant professor.

A real assistant pokemon professor in the actual world of pokemon. What an exciting thought that was. Today was truly a good day.