Chapter Fifty-One: Recreating Dragon Ball Technology in the World of Pokémon

Life Droplet, a restorative skill. Judging by the basic game panel data, its healing power isn't as strong as Healing Wave, but what makes it special is its group restoration effect.

"It's good that this is reality," he mused.

The damage from all sorts of special moves, aside from their attached effects, is more like a baseline—the minimum damage the move can deal. In other words, it can be enhanced through training and stat allocation, much like a skill tree in an online game.

Restorative moves work the same way. For example, if two healers use the same healing spell, the one with better equipment will always heal more. A Pokémon's strength and mastery of its moves are like the equipment bonuses they wear.

As for those moments in the anime and manga where someone learns a new move mid-battle and immediately uses it to win—well, that's just for show. Not everyone is blessed with the protagonist's luck. The evolution-induced immortal hang-on in battle is hardly something anyone can just trigger.

Moreover, Zhusuihan didn't choose Life Droplet for research because Lapras could use it. Compared to skills like Healing Wave, Life Droplet at least has a tangible form.

Zhusuihan knew he lacked the sensitivity to perceive waves like a steel basin, nor did he intend to stab his own eyes out to train psychic ability. So, he preferred to pick something with a normal difficulty, avoiding unnecessary hardship.

Still, if someone like Nazzy, a high-level psychic, were involved, perhaps they could forcibly preserve waves. Life Droplet wasn't urgent; Zhusuihan decided to solve the potion bottle issue first.

To create reusable potions, the preservation problem must be solved. He couldn't let Life Droplet gradually evaporate and disappear over time.

Zhusuihan frowned. "Or maybe it doesn't need to last forever. I could approach this differently."

Extending shelf life indefinitely was too difficult—something he couldn't fully grasp yet. Treating the potion bottle machine like a power bank, with each Life Droplet bottle as a battery: when depleted, refill and nurture on the machine to maintain move activity and prolong shelf life.

"That analogy isn't quite right," he thought. No power bank machine can automatically recharge its own batteries.

"It doesn't matter. As long as it works, I can just offer extra subsidies to those Pokémon who fill the bottles."

Beside him, the attribute energy extractor stopped working, sealing the finished product in the machine, awaiting further instructions.

"What a pity. If this extractor came with matching storage equipment, I wouldn't have to figure out how to make potion bottles."

This extractor was placed in the lab for a simple reason: energy leakage leads to gradual dissipation.

"Normally, research is only conducted within machines. No one seems to have thought about storage."

Researchers simply had no such need.

Zhusuihan considered using the corresponding attribute resource as material, but once drained, the resource turned to ash—so that method wouldn't work.

"An insulated material, sealed up?"

Insulated materials had a track record—like holding a hundred thousand volts in the palm to backstab the boss, as documented in special episodes.

In fact, "insulated material processing" appeared more often in the anime. The Rockets would confidently proclaim their anti-electric and anti-fire treatments when capturing Pikachu, nullifying attacks like Thunderbolt.

But, every time, due to budget constraints or careless omissions, Ash's companions would reliably send the trio flying.

Zhusuihan extracted a batch of attribute energy, bottled it, but the preservation time lasted less than five minutes.

"Insulation works, but increasing material investment means portability suffers, not to mention cost."

Directly cheating? It was an option, but it lacked any sense of accomplishment. Cheats were the safety net, and that's why Zhusuihan felt confident of success.

"Energy cubes are essentially a process of purification and shaping, but that's also tied to the raw materials and their physical proportion."

Moves condensed from attribute energy didn't have such advantages.

Zhusuihan shook his head. No way was he going to make bottles and seek out Chansey and Blissey for blessings. This was research, not superstition, and there was no guarantee it would help.

It seemed preserving energy was harder than a hopeless admirer trying to keep his goddess.

"Energy cubes preserve attribute energy and increase shelf life, hmm?"

Zhusuihan fell silent, maintaining his pose, searching for a fleeting spark of inspiration.

Had he recently made something similar, and made it many times?

Preserving something difficult to keep, using an external force to change its state.

Liquor-filled chocolates?

Yes, that's it!

His eyes lit up as inspiration surged.

If one layer wasn't enough, he'd use two. The double-chamber bottle—widely used for poisoning in films.

In reality, it was the excuse magicians gave when showing magic to ordinary folk.

"One layer of attribute resource retains energy, with an outer layer of insulation to block environmental effects."

Zhusuihan's hands moved rapidly. "Based on that, I can combine water-type resources with insulation technology to create a material that can be mass-produced through science."

High-polymer materials?

Back when Goku was battered by the prince on Namek, after defeating Ginyu, his injuries were so severe that Frieza could wipe them out with a finger. Goku was stuffed into a liquefied healing chamber for recovery.

If such materials could be developed scientifically, large-scale healing machines would be possible.

Whether you strap on a respirator and submerge yourself, or just soak in a hot spring, as long as there's enough Life Droplet, it'd work.

"This could actually work."

Zhusuihan pondered further. There was a second, advanced plan: creating a polymer material capable of capturing wave energy—even Healing Wave could be stored.

With severe injuries, you'd be suspended and treated remotely by specialized surgical machines.

"This is it!"

Zhusuihan nodded in satisfaction and activated his cheat.

"I want a synthesis method for water attribute energy-preserving polymers."

[Research points met. Exchange successful.]

A torrent of knowledge flooded his mind. Zhusuihan sat down to digest it, while pulling out his phone to record notes.

"I'll ask the director for a good laptop next time," he decided. "Performance and keyboard quality must keep up. Otherwise, the keyboard will break after just a bit of typing."

Standing up, he felt lightheaded—staggering like a real-life version of holding onto walls as he walked.

"I can't go on. Today's research is probably done."

He shook his head, forcing himself awake, and transferred the extractor's attribute energy into the incense burner for safekeeping.

This was Lapras's food for the foreseeable future—he couldn't forget.

"Why doesn't the academy have a riding Pokémon service?"

Retrieving the Northern Abyss ball, he turned off the lights and locked the door, then stumbled toward the dorm, yawning all the way.

This batch of information was overwhelming—almost too much to handle.

"Mm?"

Lapras popped out of the ball, grabbed Zhusuihan's collar with its mouth, and hoisted him onto its back.

The Lapras express, ready to go!

"Sorry, I must have woken you."

"Mm mm!"

Lapras was strong! I can help too!

"I underestimated you."

Leaning against Lapras's neck, Zhusuihan gazed at the moon and stars, dipped his hand in the lake below, watching ripples spread, and smiled contentedly.

"Thanks, Lapras."

"Mm!"

I'm the one and only big sister's chosen!

"Right, right, you're the big sister."

Back at the dorm, as Zhusuihan's room lights went out, Lapras finally returned to its pool to sleep.

...

"I can't do this again," Zhusuihan muttered the next morning, experiencing for the first time what it's like to be sleep-deprived in the Pokémon world.

Even his dreams featured formulas and attribute energy symbols composing the faces of young ladies. With each smile or frown, the formulas and symbols rearranged, reacting and synthesizing new equations.

It was a hell for anyone with trypophobia—a VIP experience on the eighteenth level.

He'd been scared awake.

"I didn't expect such intensity. I'll have to increase my physical training."

After a yawn, he finished Lapras's energy cubes and grabbed some Zero Surplus Berries.

Zero Surplus Berries had tough, astringent skin and flesh—not really tasty, usually used in oily dishes to break down grease.

Zhusuihan ground them into powder and used the instruments to mold them into thin sticks.

Like the biscuit sticks in a fun snack cup, where the jam and chocolate are never enough.

Thankfully, the berries' nature made this possible; otherwise, making such "biscuit sticks" would be tough.

He bit into one, the strong astringency jolting him awake.

Fired up!

"Looks like I'll need to prepare some incense."

Others used incense for calm and sleep, but his was for alertness.

Today's energy cubes were even more perfect: brighter, clearer colors, with cloud-like patterns giving them a unique beauty.

Purity had risen—the impurities in the attribute materials were removed.

"This extractor is so convenient. Maybe I can upgrade my incense burner someday."