In the kitchen.
Blue's teaching style was highly practical and data-driven, which perfectly suited Wayne's academic learning preferences.
Beside Wayne hovered a Shiny Metagross whose dark red eyes constantly flickered with activity.
If Metagross's mind had a notification system, it would be displaying: [Beep beep, continuously recording data...]
Wayne might not remember every single detail immediately, but Metagross could firmly retain and store all the knowledge Blue was imparting.
Blue showed no hesitation or confusion about the additional Metagross observing the lesson. He taught exactly as he normally would.
"A proper Breeder doesn't just prepare food for Pokémon. You also need to understand their physical structure, joint and muscle strain, coat and fur management, skin moisture levels, and even their mental and emotional health."
"Meta! Meta!" Metagross exclaimed enthusiastically.
("I see! So that's how it works! I've learned something valuable!")
Blue's lips curved into a slight smile as he pulled out a Poké Ball. "Now, let's move on to practical application! Come out!"
A massive Rhyperior appeared—standing over 2.5 meters tall, with an orange-red keratin layer covering its body, standing firmly on two powerful legs.
"You don't have a Pokédex, do you? First, tell me everything you know about this Rhyperior," Blue instructed.
Wayne nodded slightly. "It's a Ground and Rock dual-type Pokémon. Its common Abilities are Lightning Rod and Solid Rock. A small percentage have the Hidden Ability Reckless. Do you need me to explain what those Abilities do?"
Blue shrugged casually. "Go ahead if you'd like."
"A Pokémon with the Lightning Rod Ability will have its Special Attack stat raised when hit by an Electric-type move. Additionally, it draws all Electric-type attacks toward itself, protecting its allies in Double or Multi Battles."
"Moves that would normally deal super effective damage are reduced when used against a Pokémon with the Solid Rock Ability."
"When a Pokémon with the Reckless Ability uses moves with recoil damage, those moves gain increased power. Examples include Volt Tackle, Flare Blitz, and Brave Bird."
Blue nodded approvingly. "All correct."
"Meta!" Metagross chimed in.
("Recording at maximum speed!")
Blue gently stroked Rhyperior's rock-like skin surface.
"So then, what Ability do you think my Rhyperior has?"
"Solid Rock," Wayne answered instantly without hesitation.
Blue seemed slightly taken aback. "You're that confident?"
Wayne nodded with absolute certainty. "It's definitely Solid Rock."
"And how did you determine that?" Blue asked curiously.
Wayne's fabricated reasoning came smoothly and naturally.
"Looking at its keratin layer, it appears harder and more developed than usual. Additionally, there's no visible collision damage anywhere on its body surface, which rules out Reckless completely."
If Wayne's ability to create plausible lies had a skill level rating,
It would definitely be at Master Level!
He hadn't actually determined anything from examining the keratin layer.
The truth was far simpler—he'd used his Identification ability to check its stats directly.
This particular Rhyperior's battle strength ranked at Veteran-tier level.
Its move list was far too extensive for Wayne to recite completely.
It knew extremely high-quality versions of Rock Blast, Stomp, Headlong Rush, Horn Drill, Earthquake, and High Horsepower.
With a guaranteed one-hit knockout move like Horn Drill available,
Using Headlong Rush and its recoil damage would just be foolish strategy...
Miss with Horn Drill three times? Just use a fourth one!
Nobody expects that approach!
Wayne didn't possess a Pokédex, but he had something potentially better—his Identification ability!
Blue became increasingly satisfied with Wayne's performance.
Judging purely from his assessment of Rhyperior, Wayne's foundational knowledge was exceptionally solid, and his observational skills were outstanding.
"Continue your analysis," Blue prompted.
Blue only said "continue" deliberately,
without specifying exactly what topic he wanted Wayne to discuss next.
Wayne considered for a moment before responding. "Rhyperior has poor defensive type matchups, with a quadruple weakness to both Water-type and Grass-type moves."
Rhyperior visibly deflated slightly. (ó﹏ò｡)
"Many people incorrectly assume that Rock-type Pokémon have excellent defensive capabilities. In reality, most Rock-types are actually better suited for offensive strategies rather than defensive ones."
"Rhyperior has exceptional Attack and Defense stats, along with good HP. However, its Special Defense is somewhat low. Having it hold an Assault Vest can help compensate for this weakness effectively.
Its only significant drawback is its slow Speed stat, but this can be completely solved by utilizing Trick Room strategies."
Blue nodded slightly in acknowledgment. "Continue."
Wayne elaborated further. "Trick Room teams typically consist of three components: Trick Room attackers, Trick Room setters, and support Pokémon."
"Support Pokémon could include a Butterfree with the Compound Eyes Ability holding a Focus Sash. Just put the opponent to sleep with Sleep Powder, and even with terrible luck, it should connect."
"Amoonguss is also an excellent choice for support, or an Indeedee that knows the move Follow Me to redirect attacks."
Hearing Wayne mention Indeedee specifically, Blue recalled the Galarian form of Indeedee he'd read about.
While listening to Wayne's tactical explanation, Blue—who was himself a Master-level tactician—mentally evaluated the feasibility of using Indeedee in this strategy.
Indeedee's Hidden Ability, Psychic Surge, automatically sets up Psychic Terrain upon entering battle, which prevents priority moves from affecting grounded allies.
It did seem to be exactly the kind of powerful support Pokémon Wayne was describing.
It could also be effectively combined with the move Expanding Force, Blue thought analytically.
"Trick Room setters include Pokémon like Dusclops, Bronzong, and Porygon2. Their primary job is to successfully set up Trick Room for the team."
Blue nodded slightly. Trick Room reverses the normal Speed order for both sides during a set duration, allowing slower Pokémon to move before faster ones.
"Finally, you have your Trick Room attackers: Torkoal utilizing Harsh Sunlight weather, Hatterene with the Magic Bounce Ability, and Rhyperior with the Solid Rock Ability."
After Wayne finished his comprehensive explanation, Blue said with genuine surprise, "Your understanding of Pokémon battle theory completely exceeds my initial expectations."
Discussing these advanced tactics clearly demonstrated Wayne's deep understanding of Pokémon mechanics and strategy.
Wayne smiled modestly. "I'm just a 'theory enthusiast,' that's all."
In actual competitive battles, Trick Room strategies weren't always easy to execute successfully. Most of the time, overwhelming raw power and straightforward tactics proved more reliable than intricate strategic setups.
Blue's Rhyperior certainly didn't rely on any Trick Room support. It simply absorbed hits with its massive bulk and crushed opponents with devastating attacks.
A sufficiently powerful offensive move might even shatter an opponent's Trick Room setup entirely through sheer force.
"Kohkin!" Metagross exclaimed eagerly.
("I'm learning so much! I'm learning so much!")
"Wah! Wah!"
The massive Rhyperior beside them nodded its head vigorously in agreement.
("I'm learning too! I'm learning too!")
As one of Blue's trained Pokémon, Rhyperior naturally possessed excellent self-learning capabilities.
"You don't actually need to learn those specific strategies," Blue told his Rhyperior directly.
Trick Room had its uses strategically, but Rhyperior functioned purely as a straightforward physical attacker.
Specializing in battle theory? That's quite an interesting approach as well, Blue thought to himself.
Blue, standing with one hand casually in his pocket, looked somewhat exasperated. "I'm starting to feel like there's nothing left for me to teach you at this rate."
Wayne quickly interjected, "That's absolutely not true! It's all just theoretical knowledge so far."
Attending Blue's intensive lessons had caused Wayne's breeding knowledge to increase dramatically. These seven days were incredibly important to his development.
Blue smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I won't go back on my promise. You can perform the full maintenance routine on Rhyperior now."
"Understood."
Blue gestured toward his Rhyperior.
"Demonstrate your usual maintenance methodology and technique."
The first step of proper Pokémon maintenance was similar to the four diagnostic methods used in traditional medicine: observation, listening, inquiry, and palpation. One must first observe the Pokémon's overall condition carefully.
Wayne walked in a complete circle around Rhyperior, carefully examining it from all angles. Then he gently lifted one of its massive arms.
Despite its overwhelming power, Rhyperior cooperated very smoothly with Wayne's examination movements.
"Muscle condition appears normal. Joints show slight stiffness and will require specialized joint care treatment. Skin appears dry, but that's normal for Rhyperior's species. Psychological and emotional state seems healthy and stable."
Even with Rhyperior's full cooperation, watching Wayne lift Rhyperior's enormous arm so easily...
From Blue's expert perspective, the feat seemed rather exaggerated. It would have been more fitting to see someone with Alan's muscular build accomplish that.
The essential oils used for Pokémon care and maintenance were stored in the room where Wayne typically filmed his educational videos.
"What scent do you prefer?" Wayne asked Rhyperior gently.
Wayne retrieved an entire display row of aromatic essential oil samples, allowing Rhyperior to smell them individually one by one.
"Woo!" Rhyperior responded enthusiastically to one particular scent.
Wayne smiled warmly at the massive Pokémon. "You like citrus basil? That actually pairs quite well with your coloring."
"Kohkin!" Metagross chimed in eagerly, clearly wanting its turn.
"Metagross, please wait just a moment. I promise I'll take care of you next."
Blue suddenly pointed toward the window with a confused expression.
"Wait just a moment—what exactly are they doing over there?"
|ω･)|ω･)|ω･`)