Pokemon : I'm Just a Photographer!

Chapter 118: Chapter 118

Mike’s morning began with Snivy using Vine Whip to drag him out from under his blankets.

There was no negotiating with Snivy, so after washing up and eating a quick breakfast, he made his way to the clearing where the Stantler had been training.

"Morning..."

He yawned as he greeted everyone.

"Good morning," Professor Rowan replied.

Looking around, Mike realized that everyone had already arrived.

Professor Rowan and Professor Kukui were discussing the final details of the evolution attempt, while Cynthia stood nearby studying the five Stantler.

Lucian was with Professor Oak in front of the training area, explaining exactly how the successful subjects had managed to rediscover Psyshield Bash.

There was also one person Mike hadn’t expected to see.

A familiar spiky-haired teenager stood nearby, listening attentively.

’Gary came too?’

Ash seemed to gain a rival everywhere he went, but of all of them, Mike had always been especially fond of Gary and Paul.

Gary had everything going for him—he was young, wealthy, good-looking, talented, and genuinely strong.

Paul’s personality was unpleasant, but beneath all that attitude, the guy was practically a tsundere.

Before Ash entered the Masters Eight, Paul had even visited Professor Oak’s laboratory and specifically prepared Pokémon modeled after several Masters Eight aces just so he could help Ash train.

That was far more respectable than a certain rival who had shown up at a League Conference, accomplished almost nothing, and then vanished.

"You’re finally here?"

Cynthia turned when she noticed Mike approaching.

Mike nodded. "Not that I had much choice. Snivy dragged me out of bed at sunrise."

Cynthia smiled faintly before her expression became more serious.

"I went back and checked several old records and research reports. Apparently, ruins associated with the four Forces of Nature were once discovered near Floaroma Town."

"Floaroma Town?"

Mike thought for a moment.

"After we finish with the evolution attempt here, I’m planning to investigate," Cynthia continued.

"All right. Be careful when you go. I’ll probably pass through that area myself eventually."

"If I find anything, I’ll tell you."

Mike nodded.

"Well, look who’s here."

Professor Oak’s voice came from behind him.

Mike turned to see Professor Oak approaching with Gary following a step behind.

"Good morning, Professor Oak."

"Morning."

Professor Oak studied Mike for a moment before laughing.

"I really should have expected this from you."

Mike raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I heard how you motivated the Stantler." Professor Oak’s smile widened. "Using a female Stantler to give them a reason to become stronger... That’s certainly one way to conduct research."

Mike grinned. "I was only trying something. We got lucky and it worked."

"You always say that."

Professor Oak shook his head before gesturing toward Gary.

"This is my grandson, Gary Oak. He’s currently working toward becoming a Pokémon researcher, so I brought him along to observe. That shouldn’t be a problem, should it?"

"Of course not."

Mike held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Mike."

Gary stepped forward and shook it politely.

"Nice to meet you, Assistant Mike."

Mike glanced at the time before turning toward Lucian.

"Lucian, are there still only three Stantler that have fully mastered Psyshield Bash?"

"The other two have begun to reproduce the basic structure of the move, but they still can’t perform it consistently." Lucian adjusted his glasses. "The remaining three, however, can now use Psyshield Bash reliably."

"Good."

Mike nodded.

"Then let’s review everything one more time and make sure we haven’t missed anything. After lunch, we’ll begin the evolution attempt."

Everyone agreed.

Mike extended a hand, and a thin bamboo staff appeared in his palm. He then turned toward Gengar, who was pushing a blackboard toward him.

Mike stared at the blackboard.

Then at Gengar.

Then back at the blackboard.

"Wait."

He pointed at it.

"Where did you get that?"

Gengar scratched his enormous belly while answering.

"Gar—"

[I borrowed it from Jubilife Trainers’ School!]

Mike: "..."

Then he remembered.

Back at the Trainers’ School, Gengar had once removed a blackboard from the wall entirely.

Mike had assumed he eventually returned it.

Apparently, he had simply carried it away.

Mike decided ignorance was safer.

He attached a photograph of Stantler to the blackboard, tapped it with his bamboo staff, and waited until everyone had turned toward him.

"Based on the old information I know, the key to Stantler’s evolution is using Psyshield Bash in what was once called Agile Style."

He paused before continuing.

"The most difficult part is already behind us. The Stantler have recovered a move their species had forgotten for generations, which means what remains should be comparatively easier."

Mike tapped the photograph again.

"The old method says Stantler had to use Psyshield Bash twenty times in Agile Style before evolving. However, that method comes from ancient Hisui."

He looked around the group.

"We don’t know whether the exact same requirement still applies today. It may take fewer than twenty uses, it may take more, or it may even require Psyshield Bash to be used during genuine combat rather than simple training. So instead of assuming the old condition is still perfectly accurate, I suggest we test each possibility carefully."

Everyone nodded.

Professor Kukui then raised a hand.

Mike looked at him.

Kukui hesitated slightly. "There’s actually something I’ve wanted to ask for a while. What exactly is Agile Style?"

He frowned.

"Is it some kind of move?"

Mike stared at him.

Then at Professor Rowan.

Then back at Kukui.

"You.... don’t know?"

Professor Rowan nodded.

"I wanted to ask as well, but once we became focused on rediscovering Psyshield Bash, the question kept being pushed aside. If possible, explain Agile Style to us."

Mike’s expression slowly froze.

’They seriously don’t know.’

A second realization immediately followed.

’Does modern Pokémon battling no longer use Agile Style or Strong Style at all?’

He had taken both concepts for granted because he remembered them from Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but now everyone was looking at him and waiting for an explanation.

Mike quickly organized his thoughts.

"From what I understand, in ancient Hisui, humans had not yet developed the modern relationship with Pokémon that exists today. People were far more cautious around them, and some older records used broader terms for Pokémon because the current terminology had not yet become universal."

He continued, "Even then, though, some people and Pokémon lived together. Certain Pokémon that allowed humans to ride them were especially important. Wyrdeer, for example, was used for land travel."

Then Mike raised one hand.

"As for Agile Style, the simplest way to describe it is that the Pokémon sacrifices some power in exchange for speed. When a move is used in Agile Style, the Pokémon executes it more quickly and recovers sooner afterward. That lets it move into its next action faster."

"The drawback is that the attack itself becomes weaker, and any additional effects associated with the move may also be reduced."

He raised his other hand.

"Strong Style is the opposite. The Pokémon commits more strength and energy to the move, increasing its power. However, it becomes slower, takes longer to execute the attack, and needs more time to recover afterward."

Mike paused.

"Of course, this is only my understanding of how those styles worked. They probably weren’t limited to ride Pokémon either. Ordinary Pokémon in ancient Hisui should have been capable of using them as well."

Professor Oak rubbed his chin.

"So if we use Weedle’s Poison Sting as a simple example, an Agile Style version might produce a weaker or shorter-lasting poison effect, but in exchange, Weedle would recover more quickly and gain an advantage in acting again sooner?"

"That’s basically it."

Mike nodded.

Cynthia considered the explanation.

"That’s very different from modern competitive battling."

"Which makes sense."

Professor Oak folded his arms.

"Battle rules have changed constantly over time. When I was young, even League competitions were far less standardized. Some tournaments were essentially unrestricted field battles."

Mike shuddered.

’Unrestricted field battles...’

The thought alone was horrifying.

’What kind of Pokémon battle allows people to attack the Trainer? One punch and the Trainer is going home covered in bruises or in a body bag!’

Professor Oak continued, "As modern battling became more formalized, styles like Agile and Strong Style probably fell out of favor."

Professor Kukui nodded.

"In today’s battles, deliberately reducing a move’s power just to execute it faster can create its own weaknesses. And Strong Style has the opposite problem. If you sacrifice too much speed and recovery for raw power, an experienced opponent may exploit that opening immediately."

Mike watched the conversation drift steadily farther away from Stantler evolution until he eventually tapped the blackboard with his bamboo staff.

"Everyone."

They looked toward him.

Mike sighed.

"Weren’t we supposed to be discussing how to evolve Stantler? How did we end up debating the historical development of battle rules?"

Professor Kukui laughed.

"Sorry. We got distracted. It’s the first time any of us have heard of those two styles, so it naturally led into battle theory."

Mike shook his head.

Professor Kukui and Professor Oak really were similar. Both were researchers who also happened to be highly accomplished Trainers.

Professor Oak was arguably the more ridiculous example, having once possessed Champion-level strength as a Trainer before later becoming one of the world’s leading Pokémon authorities.

Cynthia fit the same mold in her own way—a Champion who also specialized in mythology and ancient history.

Mike looked around.

"So, can we teach the Stantler something equivalent to Agile Style?"

Professor Kukui answered immediately.

"That should be possible. We don’t need to recreate some lost formal technique. We simply need to teach them to execute Psyshield Bash with less preparation."

He gestured toward the Stantler.

"Instead of gathering power until the move reaches maximum force, they need to rely on instinct and release it immediately. The attack will be weaker, but the execution speed will increase."

Mike nodded.

"Then let’s start with that."

"I’ll handle it."

Professor Kukui stood and walked toward the three Stantler that had fully learned Psyshield Bash.

After quietly explaining the concept to them, he led the trio to another section of the clearing and began training.

Mike turned toward his camera and drone.

There was no chance he would let footage this valuable go unrecorded.

While he was adjusting the equipment, Gary approached him.

"Assistant Mike."

Mike looked up.

"What is it?"

Gary hesitated slightly.

"I’m very interested in what you were saying about ancient Hisui and the Pokémon that lived there. Would it be all right if I asked you a few questions?"

Mike blinked.

’You’re asking me?’

’Your grandfather is Professor Oak.’

Still, Gary had approached politely, and there was no reason to refuse.

"Sure."

Gary asked several questions about Hisuian Pokémon and the ancient regional forms Mike had mentioned before.

Mike answered each one as carefully as he could without revealing where his knowledge truly came from.

Once he finished, Gary bowed deeply.

"Thank you."

Then he stepped away.

Not long afterward, Cynthia approached with Garchomp beside her.

"Mike."

"Hm?"

"That Enamorus scale you have."

She looked at him.

"Can I borrow it? I want to take it back to Celestic Town and let my grandmother examine it, then bring it with me when I investigate the ruins near Floaroma Town. There’s a chance it could help."

"Sure."

Mike reached into his pocket and pulled out the scale.

Then he froze.

The system description had changed.

{Enamorus’s Affection: During this period, you have devoted yourself to helping Pokémon that disappeared from the modern world return once more. The living things through which She expresses Herself are pleased by your actions, and so She has bestowed a blessing upon you. While carrying this scale, your luck will increase significantly, causing unexpected good fortune to occur from time to time.}

Mike stared.

’Enamorus’s Affection?’

’Unexpected good fortune?’

His eyes widened.

’Wait.’

’Those fossils...’

’Did we find them because this effect activated?’

A chill ran through him.

’This thing is incredible!’

Suddenly, lending the scale became much harder.

Mike slowly held it out.

"You absolutely have to return this."

Cynthia reached for it but Mike didn’t let it go.

"This is one of my most precious treasures."

Who knew?

Maybe one day it would help him win the lottery, marry some beautiful rich girl and live happily ever after.

Cynthia pulled.

Mike held tighter.

She pulled again and finally, the scale came free.

"Relax."

Cynthia put it away.

"I’m only borrowing it for the investigation."

Mike stared at the pocket where his precious treasure had disappeared.

His heart hurt.

Still, if lending it out helped uncover the truth behind Enamorus’s disappearance, then he could endure the separation.

It definitely had nothing to do with that mysterious reward connected to Enamorus.

Absolutely nothing!

...

The rest of the morning passed in discussion and preparation until Professor Kukui eventually returned.

"They’ve got it."

Mike stood.

"They can use Agile Style?"

Kukui nodded.

Mike walked over, and one of the Stantler demonstrated Psyshield Bash.

The difference was obvious.

Compared with its normal version, the attack carried less force, but the barrier formed much faster and the Stantler launched into the charge with almost no delay.

Mike nodded.

"That should be enough."

He looked toward the three Stantler.

"Let them rest. After lunch, we begin."

With that decided, Mike brought Snivy and the others over and started preparing the meal.

---------

Read 30 Chapters ahead and support me on patreon.

patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!