Alex continued his new routine for the next ten months. Every day, he attended classes while leaving all his Pokémon—except Rotom—at the mansion to train their proficiencies. In the afternoon, he spent four hours at the Fighting Dojo with Clarissa for battleground training.
At night, he either studied for classes in advance, researched more about Pokémon, or read about the training regimen at the Police Academy.
Classes were mostly boring, as he was often ahead in his studies. Clarissa made them slightly less dull, and Alex didn't miss the change in her attitude.
She was much more open to him now—kinder and more respectful.
She also had a habit of asking the most random questions:
"What should I do if someone grabs me from behind?"
"What's your opinion on the League's new reserve for docile Pokémon?"
"How does wealth inequality impact social mobility in different economic systems?"
Alex had to have a long conversation with Rotom about that last one.
Most boys would misinterpret her curiosity as romantic interest, but Alex knew better. He had been through this song and dance. He understood that she had elevated him to the role of a sage of life.
It was annoying, yet oddly entertaining, making classes bearable. He even learned more about himself and the world around him. Basically, he was an asshole, and so was everyone else.
When it came to Pokémon studies, it was an endless black hole of research papers multiplying faster than he could read. So, he narrowed his focus to move proficiency—something he had been pondering ever since Clarissa claimed that attaining Master rank in all moves was impossible. Alex begged to differ, considering his Raticate's progress.
Advanced Moves: Quick Attack (50% Damage), Swords Dance (Priority +1), Thunder Wave (Priority +1), Shadow Ball (50% Damage), Sucker Punch (50% Damage)
It took Raticate about a year to upgrade Shadow Ball, but only half that time to upgrade Sucker Punch. This suggested that move proficiency upgrades could shorten the time needed for future upgrades.
Alex had been in this world for exactly three years and three months. Quick Attack had upgraded in the heat of battle, a known phenomenon. Swords Dance and Shadow Ball each took a year. Thunder Wave and Sucker Punch took six months.
This led Alex to hypothesize that physical, special, and status moves had different upgrade methods. However, physical attacks that increased damage seemed to share similar upgrade mechanics, which explained why Sucker Punch took less time after Shadow Ball. Swords Dance and Thunder Wave appeared to have a similar relationship.
If this was true, then achieving Master rank in all moves wasn't impossible—it depended on the categories of moves and how upgrades stacked.
Alex planned to write a research paper on this premise and submit it once Raticate reached Advanced in all his known moves. In total, there were 43 moves left:
Screech (Egg Move), Fury Swipes (Egg Move), Scary Face, Tackle, Tail Whip, Focus Energy, Bite, Laser Focus, Take Down, Assurance, Crunch, Super Fang, Double-Edge, Endeavor, Taunt, Thief, Thunderbolt, Thunder, Shock Wave, Charge Beam, Rock Smash, Sunny Day, Pluck, Grass Knot, Dig, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Roar, Work Up, Hyper Beam, Protect, Double Team, Facade, Attract, Endure, Giga Impact, Sleep Talk, Swagger, Substitute, Cut, Strength, Sludge Bomb, Rest, Iron Tail, Rain Dance.
If mainstream research was correct, Raticate would need 43 years to complete this feat. Reaching Expert would take 144 years, and reaching Master would take 240. Raticate would be long dead before achieving it.
But if Alex's hypothesis was right, it would take roughly six years to complete Advanced, another 20 years to reach Expert, and around 30 to 40 years to reach Master. By then, Alex and Raticate would be middle-aged at best.
That was assuming Pokémon at Master rank even aged. There were documented cases of ancient Pokémon living for millennia.
If Alex's theory was proven correct, it would make waves in the academic world. He hoped the League would reward him with increased security clearance—or maybe even a research grant.
It was just the right combination of overturning established knowledge while requiring enough time to gather evidence. In six years, he might be able to rely on that grant to live in peace. If not, there was always bounty hunting.
Then again, someone else might already be working on this and simply delaying publication until it was complete.
Alex dropped the subject as a cacophony of noise erupted from the audience stands.
He was midway through his graduation ceremony, and Jenny, acting as the proud mom, was watching from the stands.
The source of the disturbance, however, was most likely Clarissa's family—and Alex was right. At the center of the commotion stood a man with spiky red hair, wearing a cape, right next to a red-haired woman in glasses and a business suit.
"Your mother is Lorelei, the current Kanto Champion—the Snow Queen?" Alex asked, glancing at Clarissa, who sat beside him with her hands covering her face in embarrassment.
"I told him not to wear the cape…" Clarissa muttered, lost in her own world.
"He's waving… I think you should wave back," Alex commented.
"Hide me," she begged, gripping Alex's clothes.
"And take a Draco Meteor to the face? No thanks," Alex started to say before noticing the look on Lance's face. His expression suddenly shifted. "Too late. He thinks I'm your boyfriend now. You're going to have to answer some awkward questions."
"No… please… make it stop…"
"Do you want my Altaria to Sing for you?" Alex asked, recalling her evolution.
Name: Altaria, Expert
Type: Dragon Flying, Female
Ability: Cloud Nine
Moves:
Basic: Roost (Egg Move), Mist, Safeguard, Dragon Cheer, Tailwind…
Advanced: Defog (Priority +1)
Description: Altaria, the Humming Pokémon, is a Dragon/Flying-type known for its cloud-like wings and melodic singing. It soars gracefully through the sky, wrapping itself around trainers it trusts.
Swablu had finally evolved into Altaria and had even reached Expert rank. On top of that, she had advanced Defog to Advanced rank, increasing its priority. Now, she could immediately clear any terrain hazards as they appeared, ensuring a clear path for the attacking team.
"Yes, please. Anything."
"Too bad. So sad. Deal with it, princess."
She suddenly started hitting him while he simply smiled.
'Teenagers have so much energy. So much youth,' Alex thought.
A sudden pressure bore down on him—an Elite-rank Froslass, Clarissa's bodyguard since she left home. Every time he teased Clarissa, Froslass would exert this pressure on him, and Alex had come to consider it part of his training. Naturally, he made sure to tease Clarissa whenever the opportunity arose.
In response to the mounting pressure, Alex felt a weaker yet familiar presence pushing back from within his own shadow. Though it was only Adept rank, the effort was appreciated. It was Aegislash, who had also evolved not too long ago.
Name: Aegislash, Adept
Type: Steel Ghost, Male
Ability: Stance Change
Moves:
Basic: Block(Egg Move), Wide Guard(Egg Move), King's Shield, Aerial Ace, Iron Defense, Iron Head, Swords Dance, Sacred Sword, Shadow Sneak…
Advanced: Night Slash(+50% Damage)
Description: Aegislash, the Royal Sword Pokémon. It can detect the true nature of people and will only serve a worthy trainer. It wields its blade autonomously, using its shield for defense.
Alex was proud of Aegislash's progress, especially considering he didn't have the same training environment as Altaria, who had already reached Expert rank. Since Aegislash primarily sparred with the others rather than undergoing specialized training, his slower progress was understandable.
He had managed to reach Advanced rank in Night Slash, increasing its damage by 50%. Alex preferred this upgrade over Priority +1, as Aegislash's fighting style was counter-based rather than preemptive like Raticate's. Aegislash relied on his opponents attacking him in Shield Form before countering in Sword Form, ensuring the best of both worlds.
Now, Aegislash was focusing on mastering King's Shield before moving on to Swords Dance to further solidify his advantage.
The crowd quieted as the graduation ceremony began. Lance and Lorelei took their public seats while the graduates lined up to receive their diplomas.
Neither Alex nor Clarissa had finished at the top of their class academically, but they were undeniably the most powerful—both of their starter Pokémon had already reached deep into the Expert rank.
After the ceremony, Clarissa ran off to meet her parents while Alex turned his attention to Jenny, who was giggling softly. Smiling fondly, he pulled her into a tight hug.
"Thank you for taking me in. None of this would have been possible without you," Alex said, his voice filled with genuine emotion.
"Stop, Alex. You're making me cry," Jenny sobbed.
"Okay."
"…Maybe just a little bit more."
Before Alex could continue, Clarissa called out to him, walking over with Lance and Lorelei in tow.
"Alex, these are my parents. You already know them. Mom, Dad, this is Alex. We've been classmates and friends for the past year. He introduced me to the Fighting Dojo, where I've been working to earn the extra funds I've been spending," Clarissa explained.
"So, you're Alex," Lance said, extending his hand.
"And you must be Champion Lance," Alex replied as he accepted the handshake.
Lance's grip was firm—perhaps a little too firm—but Alex barely noticed. He had been working out, after all.
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