Steel training

"I suppose we should get started then, so how's this work? You just watch Leona use steel type moves and try to copy her or something else?" Byron asked curiously. "It's more along the lines of she uses steal type moves and I try and get a feel for the energy type and figure out how to convert my own energy into steel type energy. Ignore those stories that say aura masters can just use any move with ease, they are wrong. It's a slow and long process to learn to utilize even the weakest of any energy types move." I explained seriously.-

"If it's so difficult why even try and learn how to do it then?" he asked curiously after hearing my answer. I sighed "You are thinking about this all wrong, it's not just about the difficulty but the potential. The sheer fact that an aura master can replicate a move hints that it was possible to match and perhaps even surpass pokemon. That implication is more than enough for most aura masters to put in the work, I'm no exception." I said honestly.-

"Is it really possible for a human to match a pokemon?" he asked with a doubtful look that his Aggron shared. I understood what he meant even though he hadn't directly stated it. He wasn't doubting that a human could match a recently matured pokemon but rather he was having trouble wrapping his mind around a human possessing the power of a champion or beyond pokemon. In most cases I'd say his doubts were very justified as unless someone was a monstrous genius in the field of aura AND had a good teacher for the subject it was probably next to impossible.-

The reason for this was the sheer amount of time it took to reach both the quantity and skill of aura needed to even begin trying to learn how to use a move was easily on average between thirty and fifty years. The average aura master only had a lifespan of about a hundred and thirty years not including injuries and disease. Add those and that number dropped to ninety or a hundred. Using half that time to just barely qualify to try learning this advanced form of aura usage didn't exactly leave much room to grow to it's full potential.-

My situation was unique in that whether it was my race that lived much longer than that and was naturally highly attuned to aura or my aura itself that was qualitatively closer to that of a pokemons in amount and quality I was qualified to learn this so early in my life. For normal people it was probably next to impossible to match a pokemon but for me? Only a matter of time and effort. Not that I had any intention of explaining this to Byron mind you. "It can be done yes." I said calmly instead. He searched me for any sign of deception but after finding none chose to take my word for it and start the "lesson".-

"While I can't say I understand anything about aura what I do understand is the steel typing. By it's nature steel type is about firmness and efficiency. Steel moves don't waste time with fancy movements or gimmicks but use simple actions to their fullest impact. Metal claw for example as one of the simplest steel type moves works by simply slashing at the target with ones claws. The attack boost that might come about from it is a side effect caused by the metallic property of metal sharpening against metal." Byron said passionately.

As if to show off what he was talking about his Aggron demonstrated the move in question by swiping out with a glowing silver claw through the air. I picked up a clear impression of the steel type energy involved at that point and set to work trying to convert my aura to that type of energy. When I felt my impression of the energy grow hazy I asked for another demonstration though this time while in physical contact with the Aggron. -

Byron had no problem accommodating this process and thanks to the expertise and power of his pokemon it only took me till the end of the day to figure out how to transform a spark of aura to steel type energy. "Are you sure that is enough to figure out the rest?" he asked surprised at how weak and small that amount of steel type energy was. I nodded "Yes, the hardest part of this process is always figuring out how to produce an energy type and after that it becomes easier the more I practice with it. A bit like exercising really." I said with a smile.-

"What about using moves though?" he asked curiously. "That's a bit more complicated as I need to deconstruct the move and figure out how to use it myself. It's a similar process to how you'd go about creating a new move just with a general understanding of what endpoint you were looking for already." I explained honestly. Byron frowned "Wouldn't having a steel type help then?" he asked confused. "Indeed it would however I like everyone else have a limit on how many pokemon I can carry at once. Without the bond between trainer and pokemon directly learning from a pokemon simply doesn't work."-

"Thanks to the bond I share with my pokemon my aura can freely flow into their bodies and vice versa. But if I attempted to do something similar to an unbonded pokemon or worse one bonded to someone else my aura would get attacked by the pokemons own aura instinctively. So far I've been able to skirt about the carry limit rule because I technically only have six battle pokemon at the moment but even that was a little bit of a stretch." I said with a shrug. "I see, that is one of those rules that no exceptions beyond emergencies are allowed." he said with an understanding look.-

"Yep, unless I either retire or rotate my team composition these seven are what I am currently capable of bringing with me. It's not too bad though as once I raise my team to champion a few of these ones will break off from me to travel on their own so they can grow further with experiences they can't get by staying with me. Sort of like with Snow and Juan in Hoenn. She's still his pokemon but she has her own life away from him as well." I explained with a reassuring smile.-

He nodded "It's not that strange for champion level pokemon to leave their trainers or be placed somewhere else as a guardian or even as a breeder in retirement. The only person with pokemon beyond champion level that never left him is Oak but you likely already know why that is." he said and I nodded. Oak had more or less retired as a trainer and became a professor by the time his pokemon would have normally grown to to the point of difficulty growing further under him. They retired with him and eventually grew beyond champion level but much slower than the wandering pokemon would have.