Chapter 15: Edgecliff Gym! Learning a New Move!
The next morning, Kenji stood at the entrance of his apartment complex, checking the time on his phone.
7:20 AM.
Ring-ring-ring—
The sound of a bicycle bell approached. Kenji looked up to see Leo riding an e-bike toward him.
"Hop on!" Leo said, patting the seat behind him after he came to a stop.
Kenji swung his leg over the back. "This is a rare sight," he teased. "You're actually on time."
Leo, busy navigating, called back over his shoulder, "Hey, we're going to the Edgecliff Gym today! Of course I'm not gonna be late!"
With less than half the time remaining before the exam, a visit to the official Flying-type Gym was a golden opportunity for Leo to give his Pidove a significant power boost.
After parking the e-bike, the two friends slung their bags over their shoulders and walked into the gym. When a staff member approached them, Kenji simply presented his black card. They were waved through without any questions.
The gym's business was split into two main functions. The first was the one familiar to any fan of the Pokémon anime: accepting challenges from trainers all over the country. Defeating the Gym Leader earned a trainer an official Gym Badge.
In this world, gyms were categorized into City-level and Regional-level. Likewise, the major tournaments were the Regional Pokémon League and the National Pokémon Championship. To compete in the Regional League, a trainer needed to collect any eight City-level badges from within that region. To enter the National Championship, they needed eight Regional-level badges.
The gym's second function was to teach Pokémon new moves.
Aside from learning moves naturally by leveling up, Pokémon could also be tutored by another, more experienced Pokémon, or taught via a Technical Machine (TM). Tutoring was a lot like school for humans; even with the same teacher, results varied wildly depending on the student Pokémon's own potential and aptitude. A gifted Pokémon might master a new move in minutes, while a less talented one could take weeks or even months.
TMs, on the other hand, were much more direct. They were CDs created with advanced technology that, when used, would directly transfer the data for a specific move into a Pokémon's mind, forcing it to learn the technique. However, the manufacturing process for TMs was a monopoly controlled by the Pokémon League, making them incredibly expensive and not something you could just buy with money alone.
"Morning, Kenji, Leo."
Inside a vast training hall, Melody and her Charmander greeted them.
Kenji nodded back with a simple hello.
"Are you here to have your Pokémon learn a new move?" Melody asked. When they both nodded, she handed them a tablet. "Here, this is our gym's list of available moves."
Kenji took the tablet and saw a long, dense list of move names. As expected, most of them were Flying-type moves like Air Slash and Acrobatics. There were a few moves from other types, but not many.
He quickly scanned the list, but couldn't find what he was really hoping for: Swords Dance.
With no other choice, Kenji settled for his backup plan, focusing on two other moves: Quick Attack and Venoshock.
Quick Attack was a classic. It was a basic Normal-type move that allowed a Pokémon to attack with a burst of incredible speed. It was a perfect fit for Beedrill's hit-and-run fighting style, excellent for both offense and evasion.
Venoshock was a Poison-type move that doubled in power if the target was already poisoned. Beedrill would eventually learn this move on its own as it leveled up, but Kenji wanted it to have a reliable ranged attack option as soon as possible. His Beedrill's close-quarters combat was already formidable, but it lacked a way to fight from a distance. Ideally, he would have preferred Pin Missile, but it wasn't on the list, so this was the next best thing.
After a moment of consideration, Kenji decided to have Beedrill learn Quick Attack first. Since its primary strategy was close-range combat, Quick Attack would provide the most significant immediate boost to its battle prowess.
Leo, meanwhile, had also made his choice. Coincidentally, he had also picked Quick Attack for his Pidove.
With the moves selected, they now had to choose a tutor Pokémon. The gym offered both "Standard Tutors" and "Master Tutors." Since he had the black card, Kenji didn't hesitate and selected a Crobat as the Master Tutor for his Beedrill. Leo chose an Unfezant, the final evolution of his Pidove.
Once the tutors were selected, two room numbers appeared on the tablet.
"Come on, I'll take you to the right training halls," Melody said, expertly leading them through the gym's corridors.
Each training hall was a large, enclosed space, roughly the size of two basketball courts. Melody opened the first door. Inside, a Crobat was hanging upside down from the ceiling. It opened its eyes as they entered.
"Krow!"
The Crobat flew down and landed in front of them, letting out a cry as if to ask for its new student.
Kenji took out his Poké Ball and released his Beedrill.
"Bzzzzzt!—"
"Alright, Beedrill, you're going to be learning Quick Attack from Crobat today," Kenji said, gently patting his Pokémon's arm.
"Bzzzt!"
Beedrill gave a very human-like nod, its crimson eyes turning to face the Crobat.
"Krow!" Crobat cried back, as if in greeting. It seemed that despite being different species, Pokémon had no trouble communicating with each other.
They left Beedrill to its lesson and went to the next room, where they dropped off Leo's Pidove.
"So what moves does your Charmander know?" Kenji asked, looking at the little Pokémon at Melody's side.
Melody thought for a moment, counting on her fingers. "Hmm... not that many yet. It knows Ember, Scratch, Smokescreen, Growl, and Dragon Pulse."
"Dragon Pulse?!" Kenji was taken aback. Of course the Gym Leader's daughter would have a Pokémon like this, he thought.
Melody nodded. "Yeah, it's an egg move, but he hasn't completely mastered it yet."
"Char! Char-char!" the Charmander chirped, pointing at its own mouth as if to protest her statement.
"Okay, okay, you're the best," Melody said, stroking its head affectionately. "I'm sure you'll have it down perfectly before the exam."
"CHAR!"
The little Charmander clenched its tiny fists, its expression one of fierce determination.