CH_9.3 (25)

Caelan sat hunched over at a desk in the Trainer Association, his eyes glued to the computer screen in front of him.

They hadn't managed to gather nearly as many Bugworts as he'd hoped, the hours spent combing through the forest yielding only a fraction of what they needed. He wasn't impatient though, so they'd be back at it tomorrow.

He didn't think the F-Grade archive would be extensive, but it was well worth the effort.

"Once we have the knowledge of those moves, I'm gonna have to spend a few days teaching Rattata," he muttered to himself, his gaze lowering to Rattata sleeping soundly under the desk.

Slowly, his attention shifted back to the screen, his eyes narrowing as he scanned through an extensive list of potential Pokemon recruits. While his memory was decent, his team-building methodology would have to be refined because of the nature of this world.. The 'meta' was completely flipped on its head because of how Aura worked.

Some Pokemon, like Raticate, now had a chance to actually do something. While others, like Tauros, took a huge hit in viability.

And while he wasn't intent on forcefully capturing Pokemon, he couldn't rely on stumbling his way to the top like Ash. If he was gonna have any chance of becoming an exceptional trainer, he'd have to find and convince whatever Pokemon was necessary to join him.

'While I don't want to admit it… Rattata is holding back my future team's synergy.'

Even evolved, Raticate was a relatively weak Pokemon without much viability. Sure, with enough elbow grease and clever thinking, it could even fill the role of speedster on the team. But no matter how much effort they put in, other Pokemon were faster and had insane levels of strength behind their mach speed attacks.

Not to mention the biggest flaw with Rattata. She had one evolution and didn't gain any other types upon evolving. Unless he managed to pull some Ash levels of bullshit, she'd always only have three type energies to pull from—Normal, Dark, and whatever else he decided on.

Despite all that, he didn't really care.

Keeping her on the team might be a massive limitation to his potential as a trainer, but this was the one thing he wouldn't compromise on. 

She'd been with him ever since he was a toddler, faithfully watching over him with no reward in sight. To betray that unconditional trust and throw her away when he had a leg up wasn't just sleazy, it was downright evil, in his mind.

Just because their promise to take this world on together wasn't verbal, doesn't mean it was any less impactful.

He was going to have to find a different solution, whatever it was.

"Caelan? You're still up?"

Caelan jumped slightly, his hand slipping off the mouse. He turned to see Fiona approach with a hesitant smile. 

"Yeah," Caelan muttered, dragging his hand back to the mouse and bringing up the time. It was almost midnight. "Just doing a bit of research."

He expected some kind of comment about their battle, but she stayed quiet for a second, then glanced at the screen. 

Fiona shifted her weight, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You thinking about adding another Pokémon?" she asked, sounding hesitant. She didn't seem as overconfident as she had in their previous interactions, more subdued this time.

Caelan nodded but kept his eyes on the screen. "Need something that covers Rattata's weaknesses while having its own weaknesses patched by her. A perfect synergy, y'know?"

She stood there for a moment, then moved a bit closer, peering at the screen. "That's… not a bad idea," she said, her voice thoughtful. "But, uh, have you thought about focusing more on a specific type?"

Caelan raised an eyebrow and finally glanced up at her. "A specific type?"

Fiona nodded, her gaze moving from the computer to him. "Yeah. I mean, I know variety gives you options, but when you specialize, you can really hone in on certain strengths. Like, look at the top trainers in the world—most of them build their teams around a single type. They get really good at making that one strength into their strategy."

A part of him didn't really like that she was giving him unsolicited advice all of a sudden. A larger part of him though, felt sort of socially starved. Even if it didn't lead anywhere, it was a rare opportunity to talk about his problems with someone who could truly empathize with his position.

Plus, it was a nice change of pace from tying his brain into knots trying to figure stuff out on his own.

"And limit myself?" Caelan indulged her, leaning back in his chair. "It would probably be less complicated if they were all one type, but I wouldn't want to sacrifice strength for convenience." 

"It's less a limitation and more of a…" Fiona said quickly, shaking her head. "Focus, I guess. When you specialize, it's easier to think about your team's moves and strategies when they all work for one goal. Like, you remember how Delibird benefited from the move Snowscape, right? That wasn't just random—I thought about what conditions ice type Pokemon would thrive in and chose that. The more I specialize, the easier it becomes to control the flow of the battle."

Caelan crossed his arms, considering her words. It did make sense—he'd seen trainers who could dominate with just one or two types, using their expertise to push their advantage in battle. It was even something people did in Nolan's world. But…

"I get the logic," Caelan replied, his tone cautious. "But then what happens when you face someone who knows your type inside and out? What if I build a team that's all Normal-types and then face a Fighting-type specialist? Or if you go all Ice and someone shows up with all Steel?"

Fiona shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "That's the risk. But the payoff is that when it works, it works really well. You get this synergy with your Pokémon, and you know exactly how to react in different situations. You can still balance your team, of course, but focusing on one strength means you always have that fallback—a surefire strategy you can fall back on if things go wrong."

Caelan was quiet for a moment, his gaze drifting back to the computer screen. A part of him didn't want to give her idea too much credit, but there was a reason so many top-tier trainers followed that model.

"Specializing... could make things simpler," he admitted reluctantly, though his expression remained thoughtful. "But I don't know if that's the route I want to take. I want my team to adapt to anything."

"Adaptation's good, but you can lose direction if you're trying to cover too many bases," Fiona said, leaning against the side of the desk. "It's like—if you're good at everything, but not great at one thing, you might not have an edge when it counts."

'Jack of all trades, and all that. Right.'

Caelan glanced at her, still feeling a bit conflicted. He hated that her argument was making sense. There was a balance to be struck somewhere between variety and specialization, but finding it was trickier than he'd thought.

"Are you thinking about focusing on Ice-types?" he asked, trying to shift the conversation away from his own strategy.

Fiona grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, kind of. I don't want to say I'm only doing Ice, but I do like how tricky they are. There's a lot of potential for disruption—Snowscape, Hail, moves that create terrain advantages. Plus, they're unpredictable. People expect Ice-types to be fragile, but I've been working on ways to make them more durable."

He nodded slightly, his mind drifting back to the battle. Despite his loss, she had shown how specialized strategies could force opponents to react to her terms rather than the other way around. There were a ton of factors he hadn't anticipated and it cost him the battle.

"Yeah I get it," Caelan said finally, though he still wasn't sure which direction he would take his team. "I mean, seriously. With Hail alone you can…"

Caelan's words slowed as he spoke, his mind suddenly catching on an idea mid-sentence. "…you can get a ton of different… Poke…mon…"

His eyes widened slightly, and he sat back in his chair, his thoughts racing. He'd been so focused on finding the right matchup, thinking about the gaps he needed to fill, that he hadn't considered this approach before. Building a team around a malleable effect rather than a type or a weather condition.

His thoughts snapped to Rattata and her Guts ability—the way it amplified her power when she had a status condition. He had always seen it as a hidden trump card, but what if he built a team that leaned into it?

Pokemon that benefited from status conditions or thrived in whatever chaotic environment would support such a strategy, just like Fiona had done with her Ice-types.

It was even a principle he was familiar with. A common example being when he'd frequently use Scizor on Rain Dance teams, even though it wasn't a water type. The rain weakened its only weakness—Fire—and allowed it to shine in an unintended role.

He didn't need to build a full team of Normal-types to support Rattata; he could build around her specific advantages instead.

A slow grin spread across Caelan's face. He didn't need to specialize by type. He could specialize by strategy. 

"Caelan?" Fiona's voice broke through his thoughts, a bit concerned at his sudden silence.

He glanced over at Fiona, who was still watching him with a curious look, waiting for him to finish his thought. Instead, he gave her a soft smile, something lighter than his usual stoic expression.

"Sorry, It's just," Caelan said, a sunny smile on his face. "I think you helped me figure something amazing out. Thanks, Fiona."

Fiona blinked, her cheeks turning a faint pink as she fumbled for words. "Oh—uh, I mean, I'm glad! That's… cool." She laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I wasn't really trying to do anything, just talking, you know?"

"Still," Caelan said as he stood up from the chair, stretching his arms above his head. "It really helped."

She smiled back, her blush deepening, though she tried to hide it by looking away. "Well… anytime, I guess."

Caelan lowered his arms, glancing down at Rattata, who was still peacefully sleeping under the desk. Reaching down, he gently tapped her Pokeball's button, recalling her to give her some rest for the night. Unlike a certain Pikachu, she didn't resent the ball, she just preferred fresh air over the sterilized environment within the ball.

And she was overly paranoid, always looking over his shoulder warily.

Straightening up, he noticed Fiona was still standing there, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other.

He raised an eyebrow as he began gathering his things. She hadn't moved, just watching him, as if unsure what to do next. For a moment, Fiona caught his eye again and seemed to realize he was getting ready to leave.

"Oh! Uh—good night, Caelan," she mumbled, her voice a little rushed as she turned and made her way toward the exit. "See you, uhm, whenever!" She gave a quick wave over her shoulder, not really waiting for a response.

Caelan blinked, watching her retreat from the Association building. Tilting his head slightly, he frowned. 

'What was that all about?'

His thoughts circled for a moment, trying to piece it together. Did she… like him, or something? He wasn't dense enough to not notice the obvious anime-esque signs, but it didn't really make sense. They barely knew each other, and their relationship was only barely scraping its way out of neutral.

Maybe she just wasn't used to him smiling? Admittedly, he wasn't exactly the most expressive person, so it wouldn't be too surprising if it caught her off guard.

'Huh... maybe I should smile more,' he mused, the thought lingering as he pushed his chair back into the desk. 

He grabbed his bag and headed toward the door, feeling quite a bit lighter than usual.