Chapter Eighty-Two: Fire Rescue Training Lesson

"Oo!"
Feeling refreshed and clear-headed, the trainer was right—knowledge truly is power!

The drowsy little Fairy nestled in Zhusu Han's hair heard the sound of Lapras and raised her tiny hands in spirited agreement.

"Milu!"

Big sister is absolutely right!

Zhusu Han put down his pen, opened the door, and stepped into the courtyard.

"You two are a bit rebellious, aren't you? The knowledge I'm learning isn't meant to be used as a lullaby for you."

Even though the knowledge obtained with his golden finger required diligent effort to master, unlike these two little ones who promptly forgot after listening and fell asleep.

"Oo."

But the effect is undeniably good; perhaps it could be listed as bedtime reading.

"A bedtime story, is it? Should I use this instead of tonight's energy cube made from ten-year-old berries?"

The effect of a century-old berry is far too potent, not something these two can handle. For the sake of their healthy routines, it’s best not to let them eat it indiscriminately.

Lapras promptly climbed out of the pool, her large head pressing against Zhusu Han’s forehead.

Absolutely not!

"Alright, alright," Zhusu Han wiped the water droplets from Lapras's head. "By the way, I should receive a package this afternoon. After lunch, I'll need to pick it up."

The league's dedicated courier service could access the academy, but the one sent by Natsuki wouldn't be allowed in.

Still, the academy handled deliveries quite sensibly, at least avoiding the crush of people at parcel stations that was common in his previous life.

Lapras didn't mind; evenings were usually spent with Zhusu Han writing in his notebook, with her and the little Fairy sitting nearby, watching TV together.

The little Fairy continued practicing her hand-churned cream, and after each session, the cream ball would land precisely into the cup in front of her—never a drop wasted.

"Good afternoon, big guy," Zhusu Han tossed over a ten-year energy cube. "Thanks for your guidance."

"Gara."

Gyarados swallowed the cube and shook his whiskers indifferently.

It's nice to have a few Pokémon who understand what he's teaching, much better than most of the dimwits in the lake.

Sometimes, it's exhausting to speak and have no one understand; it's as if playing music for cattle or trying to communicate with chickens and ducks.

"Gara."

Bring more of these good things. Once I master Rage Dragon Dance, I'll go to the back mountain and challenge that bastard again.

Zhusu Han was surprised. "Back mountain? Who?"

He only knew the academy had a grove of ancient berry trees in the back mountain, which was highly valued.

So, it seemed the back mountain had its own Pokémon similar to Gyarados in the lake.

Gyarados thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Gara."

Not just one, but several. The back mountain is vast.

The one I fought years ago was a good-tempered Electabuzz—it was more of a friendly match.

Zhusu Han pondered. Electabuzz—that's the one who evolves into Electivire with an electricity enhancer, swinging its arms to recharge itself.

"You fought him, huh?"

"Gara."

Gyarados didn't care; he was at a disadvantage in terms of type, but felt it was still manageable.

"Let me think," Zhusu Han considered. There were berries to reduce electric-type move damage, and he had ten-year ones.

Shuca Berry, which absorbs lightning to grow plump and juicy, tastes sweet and sour—perfect for jam-making.

These berries are common on Mareep ranches, as everyone desires the same thing.

The only issue is that it’s a bit unfair to natural weather; the lightning strikes aren’t always plentiful enough.

"I'll use Shuca Berry as the main ingredient for your energy cubes. Once you adjust, you should develop a stronger resistance to electric types."

Gyarados had probably been zapped plenty while fighting Electabuzz, so consuming these specialized energy cubes could directly enhance him.

Gyarados nodded. "Gara!"

I understand—equivalent exchange. I have the goods!

If students needed to cross the lake, they'd usually pay with berries and energy cubes, commissioning Pokémon to ferry them.

As the lake's master, Gyarados was well-versed in this system. In fact, someone like Zhusu Han, who fed him for no reason, was uncommon.

Gyarados thought for a moment, dove into the water, and resurfaced with several Water Gems in his mouth.

In the games, these boost water-type moves once when held.

In reality, they're "water-attribute energy-rich gems," precious both for their appearance and utility.

At least Steven would love them.

"Gara."

There’s more if you need; I have no use for them anyway.

"The quality is good. I'll take a few as a deposit, and the rest after the energy cubes are made."

"Gara."

Deal!

Watching Gyarados shrink into the distance, Zhusu Han clicked his tongue.

He suddenly realized that besides benefiting from the league, he could also profit from territorial Pokémon.

For example, those in the back mountain.

"Now these are true treasure Pokémon."

Zhusu Han felt a subtle satisfaction. Just a few words and he didn’t have to worry about being late. What struck him most was Gyarados’s claim of increased strength.

He held an energy cube up to the light, its translucence and rich aroma truly alluring.

"This can’t be a pill, but it’s not a typical energy cube either."

His tone was peculiar. "Why does it feel like what I’ve made is more akin to experience candy?"

Experience candy—a product that further lowers the difficulty of training, akin to the experience books in various games that boost character levels. Depending on its quality, it grants varying amounts of experience.

In the ancient days of gaming, there was only the rare candy that raised a Pokémon by one level. Compared to that, experience candy utterly surpassed its predecessor in ease of acquisition.

Later, the rule was added that a fully-leveled but unevolved Pokémon could evolve if fed a rare candy, but that wasn’t particularly important.

As a casual explorer in Sword & Shield and Scarlet & Violet, Zhusu Han had plenty of these in his bag, and over time, unused candies threatened to overflow.

Hisui had an extra series of grit items, while Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee had exclusive candies for certain Pokémon.

If that's the case, Lapras’s transformation into a legendary beast might not be far off—Zhusu Han was confident.

But, the prerequisite was money.

"For the sake of money, study hard."

Zhusu Han approached his studies with utmost seriousness. That afternoon’s lesson was on treating natural disasters.

It was quite different from the incident at Rage Lake—that had been entirely man-made, and the environmental damage was minimal.

For instance, when a forest fire occurs and a falling tree injures an innocent Pokémon, the wounds might combine two types of damage—

Blunt force and burns—a blend of physical and special attacks.

When faced with such complexities, one must be prepared to mix medical resources on the spot.

"In different regions, potion recipes are actually universal and highly adaptive," the teacher explained, showing slides. "As long as your added ingredients don’t conflict, the potion base can accommodate them all."

It would be unwise to mix burn and freeze remedies, or combine sleep and confusion cures.

If it doesn’t turn into a pile of foul-smelling, unnameable substances, that’s the last stand of human technology.

Take burns and blunt trauma for example; besides applying potion paste, you need to add burn medicine, mix evenly, and proceed with further treatment.

These are extreme cases; in fires, bug-type and grass-type Pokémon are at greatest risk.

Zhusu Han had ample experience treating these types.

"When rescuing bug-type Pokémon, there's an important point," the teacher continued, switching slides to show a virtual image—a large tree covered in Kakuna, with Butterfree nearby.

"In such cases, immediately contact backup for support," said the teacher solemnly. "If their kin aren’t all evacuated, whether Butterfree or Beedrill, they’ll defend their family to their last breath."

Relying on Butterfree or Beedrill to carry them out isn’t realistic; in a fire, escaping themselves is already a challenge.

To protect their kin, they won't flee—they’ll stand guard.

So, the best solution is to call for help and pack the whole family onto a cart. For numbers like these, a single Machamp can handle it, and dash away at lightning speed.

In even more extreme cases, or when the support point is deep within the fire, the only option is to use Poké Balls—don’t let them remain outside.

This strategy is best for fresh graduates or Joys with few companions.

If you have a larger team, and years of combat and fitness training at the academy, you can absolutely blaze a trail through the fire with the Pokémon that can’t break through.

The enemy is the fearsome force of nature—but thankfully, it is nature.

Like Ghetsis in that timeline’s frozen Twin Dragons City—an enormous disaster, albeit man-made.

No matter the type of natural disaster, once “man-made” is involved, the difficulty soars from hard to hellish.

It's not something ordinary people can survive unscathed.

Unconventional methods can’t be used all the time; mainly, it depends on humans and Pokémon themselves.

Take fire for example: ordinary Pokémon’s Rain Dance might not suffice, but if Kyogre shows up, the situation changes.

Who dares summon a life-consuming fire? I shall end its existence!

Mere flames—unless that non-flying one comes to challenge me personally, I’m not afraid!

If ordinary rain can’t solve it, just wait until I gather some natural energy and undergo primal reversion!

With Kyogre shouting to the skies, "Boss, give me a stone for a taste!"

The Sea of Origin—activate!