"Gardevoir?"
Seeing her master staring at her in a daze, Gardevoir tilted her head in confusion.
This was another point that made Akira feel that Pokémon were not mere psychic beasts but living, individual beings.
The Pokémon's hum from psychic abilities could speak, albeit in Pokémon language, which Akira couldn't understand.
"I'm fine..."
As he spoke, Akira got up and walked over to a large round table. On the table was a glass of water with a vibrant green leaf floating on its surface.
Although he already had some guesses in his mind, Akira still wanted to test it out personally.
What he was about to use now was the Water Divination Method created by the Shingen School, a technique to determine the category of his psychic ability.
Standing in front of the round table, Akira's expression turned serious. He placed his hands on either side of the glass, as if preparing to lift it, but left a small gap between his palms and the glass.
Taking a deep breath, Akira slowly gathered his energy in his palms. Streams of pure, slightly transparent energy covered his hands, forming layers of white film.
Having just awakened his ability and not having trained much, this was the maximum amount of energy he could currently muster.
Suddenly, beads of sweat began to form on Akira forehead. Seeing this, Gardevoir quickly picked up a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat away, her beautiful eyes flashing with a hint of concern.
Gardevoir action seemed like a signal. As Akira released more and more energy, the water in the glass began to change.
The originally transparent water began to take on a hint of pastel color, starting with pink and gradually deepening into a purple liquid.
Just as Akira thought it was over, the leaf on the water's surface began to curl up and slowly sink until it stopped at the center.
By now, the leaf had transformed into a spherical shape, with a layer of crystals coating its surface and some patterns resembling a capital letter "M."
From Akira perspective, the spherical crystal in the water cup looked like a Poké Ball, and with the purple water, it resembled a Master Ball inside!
After confirming multiple times that the water cup had stopped changing, Akira ceased his aura output and moved his hands away.
Looking at the bizarre scene in the water, a flash of understanding crossed Akira eyes.
So... It's a Specialist type, after all.
Nen abilities are divided into six major categories, forming a hexagon:
Enhancer: Manifested by an increase in water volume.
Transmuter: The taste of the water changes, with the altered flavor varying from person to person.
Conjurer: Crystalline substances appear in the water.
Emitter: The color of the water changes.
Manipulator: The leaf on the water moves.
Specialist: Any phenomenon that differs from the other five categories falls under the Specialist type.
For example, in the original story, Kurapika ability was of the Specialist type, allowing him to utilize all five other categories at 100% efficiency.
Similarly, Chrollo ability to steal others' Nen and Pakunoda memory-reading ability both belong to the Specialist type.
Among the six categories, the Specialist type is the rarest and most uncommon.
It's worth noting that abilities from categories other than one own can also be used, but the further they are from one primary category, the weaker they become.
At first, Akira thought he might have misjudged, as he had assumed that the "Pokémon Master" ability should belong to the Specialist type.
The change in water color, however, is a hallmark of the Emitter type.
But the subsequent series of changes made it clear to Akira that he was indeed a Specialist.
If he had to define it, his Specialist type seemed to encompass characteristics of the Manipulator, Emitter, and Conjurer categories.
The Manipulator aspect refers to his ability to command Pokémon in battles, as well as the analytical capabilities of the Pokédex.
The Emitter aspect refers to the fact that Pokémon are released from within his body and can also attack outward from within him.
The Conjurer aspect refers to such Pokémon being an independent entity, materialized through aura, and visible even to ordinary people.
Could that rumor be true, then?
Akira remembered once seeing a claim somewhere that all natural Nen users are of the Specialist type.
Now that he had confirmed his category, the next step was to train in the four major principles of Nen:
Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu!
Ten: Focusing the mind, gazing inward to achieve calmness, and surrounding oneself with the life energy, or aura, that constantly emanates from the body. This is the foundation of using Nen.
Zetsu: Eliminating one aura, forcibly cutting off one presence to avoid detection by enemies.
Ren: Using Ten to focus the mind and unleash a powerful aura. If Ten is about accumulation, then Ren is about eruption!
Hatsu: Simply put, it's one Nen ability, developed after reaching a certain level of mastery over Nen.
This is closely tied to one personality, preferences, and other aspects. From a person Nen ability, one can roughly gauge their character and more.
The above are referred to as the Four Major Principles, collectively known as "Nen."
Although Akira felt that relying on the strength of his Pokémon would suffice, unlike combat, mastering some of the Four Major Principles was still necessary.
Among them, Akira believed that "Ren" was currently the most important for him, followed by "Ten."
As is well known, Nen cannot be seen with the naked eye, but by using "Gyo," it becomes visible. This was undeniably crucial!
After all, Akira saw himself as a Pokémon Trainer responsible for commanding his team. How could he effectively lead if he couldn't even see the opponent's attacks?
Akira considered "Ten" equally important for two reasons:
First, mastering "Ren" inevitably required proficiency in "Ten."
Second, "Ten" could lock the naturally dissipating Nen within the body, indirectly extending one lifespan and enhancing physical fitness.
Compared to regular Nen users, Akira already had it relatively easy.
He only needed to focus on "Ten" and "Ren," while others had to gradually master all Four Major Principles.
While training was important, however...
Akira glanced at the soft bed...
He decided to start his training tomorrow!