At this moment, Kiyomi Tsugumi was walking out of Cerulean City, heading toward Vermilion City. As he walked, his mind was occupied with a lingering thought.
For the longest time, Kiyomi had been using Pokémon skills rigidly—just like in a game. He would instinctively use a certain move in a certain situation, never stopping to consider how much energy or stamina the move consumed. That is, until his battle with Suzuki Go completely opened his eyes.
During their match, Suzuki's Blastoise used Water Gun in a way Kiyomi had never imagined. Unlike the swift, straight-line spray you'd see in games, Suzuki's Blastoise released it in three timed bursts, like water-based artillery shells. When the move collided with Charmeleon's Spark attack, the water blasts exploded upward on impact—perfectly covering the entire area affected by the sparks.
That one exchange lingered in Kiyomi's mind long after the battle.
Determined to understand it better, he stopped by a bookstore before leaving Cerulean and bought nearly a dozen books. Topics ranged from Pokémon body structure to energy application, and even the detailed mechanisms behind how moves were formed.
Let's start with energy. The Sparks and Alloy Claws that Charmeleon uses are what are known as attribute energy techniques. These techniques can be broken down into three categories: supportive, active/offensive, and field-enhancing.
Every Pokémon possesses energy—but that energy starts out essentially neutral. However, Pokémon naturally attuned to certain elements will have their energy biased toward that type. For example, Charmeleon's energy is naturally more aligned with Fire. So when it uses a Fire-type move, the energy gathers faster, and the move itself becomes more powerful.
If it uses a move outside of its type—say, a Water-type move—it must first convert its internal energy to that new attribute. This takes more time and more effort, and some moves simply can't be used. For instance, Fire-type Pokémon cannot learn or use certain Water-type skills, no matter how much training they undergo.
The book Kiyomi was currently reading was titled "The Release and Structure of Alloy Claw", authored by the well-known Professor Kukui.
Kukui specialized in studying Pokémon moves and their elemental makeup. He currently resided in the Alola Region, a newly discovered area that was eventually integrated into the Pokémon League system. It was during this integration that Kukui's name rose to prominence.
His books were known for being accessible and user-friendly. Even when covering complex topics, Kukui left clear side notes and diagrams for beginners. His writing was a tremendous help to Kiyomi right now.
Kiyomi had been wondering lately: Should I replace Alloy Claw with a different move?
After all, he primarily used Alloy Claw for defense. But Charmeleon already had its own battle rhythm—using Alloy Claw for both offense and defense, launching surprise tail Sparks mid-fight, and occasionally letting out loud Screeches to disrupt enemy strategies.
Yet, despite its versatility, Alloy Claw's actual damage felt underwhelming. Kiyomi knew that if he really committed to replacing it, it could be done—it would just take a long time. What worried him was whether Charmeleon would be able to adapt to a new move and its entirely different release method.
Fortunately, fate gave him a quick answer.
Ever since Charmeleon lost to Blastoise, it had been actively seeking out wild Pokémon outside the city to spar with. Each time it got tired or injured, it would limp back to Kiyomi, interrupt his reading, and quietly ask him for healing and ointment.
Perhaps it was too prideful—or simply too stubborn. But during one of these encounters, Charmeleon picked a fight with a Seviper, who clearly had no patience for its provocations. In fact, it seemed eager to teach Charmeleon a lesson.
The Seviper used Glare to block off Charmeleon's escape. After several intense exchanges, it finally subdued Charmeleon and coiled around its body tightly, ready to deliver a finishing bite with its two long, venomous fangs.
But at that crucial moment, Charmeleon's arms transformed into Alloy Claws mid-grapple. It propped itself up against Seviper's body and, with great effort, managed to free one claw. It aimed a strike at Seviper's head—though the hit missed, it startled the serpent enough to loosen its grip.
Fueled by desperation, Charmeleon's other hand ignited in flames. With a furious cry, it slammed its flaming fist against Seviper's head, again and again.
When the battle ended, Kiyomi gasped at the horrifying state of Seviper's head. The repeated blunt trauma had caused heavy bleeding, and the continuous flame bursts had scorched the wound. The flesh was darkened, burnt, and festering.
Kiyomi gave Charmeleon a hard tap on the head—a light punishment. Charmeleon knew it had gone too far. It scratched its singed forehead sheepishly and looked away, unable to meet its trainer's gaze.
Kiyomi crouched down beside Seviper. First, he applied wound medicine, carefully treating the bleeding. Then he followed up with burn ointment, gently dabbing it over the seared areas.
During the treatment, Seviper looked at Kiyomi with a surprisingly grateful expression. It even nuzzled against his legs and arms as if to show appreciation. Once its wounds were dressed and it regained some strength, it slithered up, gave Kiyomi one final nod of thanks, and then glared sharply at Charmeleon before vanishing into the nearby grass.
As Seviper left, Kiyomi turned to tend to Charmeleon's own injuries. The fire Pokémon rested briefly, then—as if nothing had happened—energetically rushed off again to pick more fights.
Kiyomi could only shake his head.
He found a flat stone nearby, sat down, and opened his book on Alloy Claws again—but no matter how clearly it was written, he just couldn't make sense of it.
One step at a time, he thought. You can't devour a meal in one bite. And you can't rush down a long road.
At that moment, Kiyomi felt a pang of envy toward the experienced trainers who traveled while reading books. They made it look so easy—constantly inventing powerful new techniques, constantly improving. Meanwhile, here he was, just trying to understand how Alloy Claw worked.
Even if I know the theory... I still can't customize the move to fit my own style...
With a sigh, he closed the book and slipped it back into his backpack. He pulled out a different one.
Better start with the basics—understand how Pokémon energy works first.
After all, the road from Cerulean to Vermilion was still long. He figured the journey would be enough to truly grasp the contents of both books.