“Alright, class!” After they all familiarized themselves with their new bracers, Daniel called the teens once more. “Your Pokemon are still in their training, so we will have a free period. I’ll send some documents you can read about your Pokemon and possible strategies you can work on. You can explore, watch your team train, or take a nap.”


    All of them nodded, some more enthusiastically than others. Their general attention was still on their shiny new bracers. Amelia and Kiran fiddled with theirs, trying everything on the touchpad to see what it did. Reece nodded at him and went to see the Pokemon, with Thomas nervously following soon after. Linda fiddled with her Xtransceiver, taking photos of her bracer and fiddling some more. Finally, Valerie huffed before sitting cross-legged to read the documents Daniel sent over.


    He could tell the girl was not convinced. It was natural; he was sure she had a lot of guidance from her father and grandfather. Their knowledge of Ground, Rock, and Steel Pokemon would be second to none in the whole Unova region, after all. Still, it paled in comparison to what was available in the future.


    The influence of their IVs and EVs, or their genes and applied training, was still in its early stages. Sure, people roughly knew that stronger Pokemon passed on better genes and moves to their descendants. They were also aware that training needed to be applied to specific areas to improve them. But it would take 80 years or so for the practice to turn into a science with hard numbers.


    Daniel let the girl be for now; he already had something in mind for her soon. He hoped it would smooth over some of her rough edges. He nodded and looked at Nate, who was fiddling with his bracer too.


    “Let’s go, we need to start your intensive training,” Daniel motioned with his head and began walking away.


    “Yes!” Nate nodded enthusiastically and followed Daniel.


    Valerie followed them with her eyes until they disappeared.


    “Alright, I know that you’re far above what we were discussing in the morning,” Daniel said before sitting down. Nate smiled wryly and nodded before sitting down in front of him.


    They were currently on the edge of the grassland, near the ‘desert’ area. Faint Pokemon cries could be heard nearby, where his team drilled with the others. It wasn’t anything specific for the time being; he wanted to get a good grip on their physical and spiritual limitations before designing routines for them.


    “Don’t worry, I expected that.” His eyes flared pink for a split second. “Still, we’ll be sharing some good information you can use for the future. The road to the championship is a long one, and you need to consider a lot of things. Your future teammates first and foremost.”


    “Understood!” Nate nodded with a serious expression, but Daniel could tell he also had doubts.


    “Liii!”


    Elizabeth arrived at that moment, Lucario in tow. Daniel silently praised her with his aura, and she preened under the attention. After petting her head, the small Pokemon returned to the group. The lupine Pokemon looked at him with narrow eyes, calculating. Daniel smirked and returned his attention to Nate.


    “We’ll be practicing a move called Doppelganger. It was created in Kalos a long time ago by a Fighting specialist with a Lucario as his ace.”


    R2 displayed the screen on top of his bracer once more to show the teen the video.


    ***


    A Lucario stood in front of a standing punching bag in the middle of a white room. It bowed and took a fighting stance.


    “Lu!”


    With a resounding cry, the Lucario multiplied into four identical figures, each moving in a different direction: one dashed to the left, one sprinted to the right, one leaped into the air, and the last surged forward. A wave of intense orange Fighting energy surged through them, each arriving at the post in perfect synchrony to unleash a series of devastating strikes.


    Their coordination was flawless. After each punch, kick, or backhand, they swiftly stepped back, guiding the bag into position for the next devastating move. But with each successive strike, their forms grew fainter, shimmering like mirages in the desert heat.


    With a final, earth-shaking uppercut, they sent the post soaring into the air, and their forms merged back into one.


    “Cario!”


    The Lucario roared as it leaped toward the battered bag, its fist ablaze with orange flames. When the punch connected, four additional ethereal paws materialized in midair, each striking a different part of the bag with overwhelming power.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    As the Pokemon gracefully landed, the bag disintegrated, spilling its contents onto the white floor.


    ***


    “What you saw were Doppelganger and its predecessor, Aftershock. The master behind it used the theory behind Double Team and applied Fighting energy to the mix.”


    Daniel softly smirked, seeing Nate and Lucario’s star-struck eyes. He wasn’t lying to the boy; the move was 132 years old by the time Daniel time-traveled. He remembered teaching it to his Gardellade when he was on his World circuit run. ‘Those sleepless nights are a time to remember…’


    “Let’s start with Aftershock.” Daniel clapped his hands, breaking the ‘spell’ on the teen and Pokemon. “Sit here, Lucario.”


    The Pokemon looked unsure for a moment, eyeing its trainer. Nate smiled and nodded, patting the grass in front of Daniel. With a small sigh and a resolute expression, Lucario sat down facing the Fairy trainer.


    Daniel closed his eyes, channeling his aura. Slowly and carefully, he extended it toward Lucario. The Pokemon flinched, seeing that, its eyes gleaming with cyan energy.


    [I don’t want to hurt either of you. I merely wish to impart knowledge. May I?]


    Daniel sent the message with his aura, along with feelings of safety, wisdom, and friendliness. Lucario slowly relaxed, muting the glow in its eyes until they were a dull orange. With a nod, the Pokemon answered.


    [Very well.]


    Daniel wasn’t surprised by the clarity of the answer. Lucario was a species connected deeper than most to aura. There was a reason the first practitioners usually had one in their roster. Even if they were not professionally trained, the tips they gave were often enough for a rudimentary use of aura. Of course, time passed, and the use of aura became more and more prevalent.


    At some point during the Unification Wars, it stopped being a mystical thing. It became just another strength that trainers needed to master to properly fight off their opponents. The need to quickly convey orders, prevent enemies from hearing their plans, the proliferation of Mega Stones and Z Crystals… It was do or die.


    An unintended funny side effect was that every ‘villainous team’ that popped up in the future never mistreated their Pokemon. It was scientifically proven that happy Pokemon were stronger Pokemon. That, and not having a strong enough bond with their teams would put them at a disadvantage against League forces.


    Daniel stopped musing when he felt a mental nudge. Lucario was staring back at him, a mix of anticipation and puzzlement over his silence. With a soft chuckle, he began teaching the Pokemon.


    “Aftershock is an easy concept. It’s teaching your energy to have a mind of its own,” Daniel said. Speaking over pure aura training would be slower, but he had a pupil to teach. “Yes, fully controlling it is possible and even efficient, but it’s very mentally taxing. This is a workaround that leaves enough mental power to use the move in a fight. Copy me for now.”


    He concentrated his aura on his fist, producing a bright pink silhouette around it. Nate gave him an expression that said he wanted to ask a thousand questions, but Daniel was thankful the boy kept them for now. Lucario nodded and concentrated a cyan aura on top of his paw.


    “Nono, we’re not using pure aura for now. Try to use only Fighting aura.”


    “Lu!”


    The light dimmed and shrank until only orange remained. With a nod, Daniel continued.


    “Now, this is the tricky part. Concentrate and will your energy to separate from your paw. Don’t control it, order it.”


    One of the benefits of Fairy aura was the ability to mask intent and emotions. It was easy to replicate several moves on a small scale just by willing his aura in different ways. However, it was only a mask. He would never have the durability of Steel, or the quickness of Electric, or the craftiness of Dark.


    He could already tell Lucario was having difficulties with the concept. The energy sat inert in its paws while the Pokemon furrowed its brows in concentration. It was natural—there were only a handful of moves that fully took advantage of that skill.


    “Any questions for now, Nate?” He smiled and glanced at the teen.


    “How are you doing that?!” The boy tried to refrain from shouting, but his surprise still bled into his words.


    “Aura.” Daniel swirled the energy in his hands until it formed a tiny Vivillon. The pinkish ‘creature’ flapped its wings and flew around his hand before merging back into it. “It’s something that I’m going to teach everyone in due time.”


    “Awesome!” Nate’s eyes illuminated even more.


    “Yeah, pretty awesome.” Daniel smiled, letting the flow back into his body without noticing deep purple spots forming around the edges. “Anything else?”


    His question was interrupted by Lucario managing to separate the energy from his paw. The sphere of raw Fighting energy bubbled and squirmed in the air while the Pokemon visibly struggled to maintain it. After a couple of seconds, it dissipated with a popping sound.


    “Heh, we have a genius in our midst, eh?” He said with a fake posh accent and a smile, covering the shock he was feeling inside. “Now, let’s give it proper instructions!”


    For the rest of the afternoon, he taught the duo how to properly execute Aftershock. Lucario had a hard time at the start, only managing to produce small blobs of energy that loosely followed his strikes. By the end of the day, however, he could already summon a single paw. Accuracy left to be desired; the move wouldn’t even shoot in the same direction on his worst attempts, but his growth rate was monstrous.


    Daniel was more than 100% sure there were better specimens in the future. They had much better genes, better training, and even better trainers. Yet, few of them came close to the speed Lucario was getting the hang of Aftershock. It terrified him a little if he was honest with himself. ‘Guess the hero thing wasn’t just a fancy title…’


    The rest of the class eventually gathered to watch as Lucario struggled with the move after his team finished their exercises. Following Casper''s report, all the Pokemon were properly exhausted and tested. Some minor details would need to be discussed later, but nothing alarming was found.


    Amelia would occasionally taunt Nate, which often led to bickering matches with Kiran. Thankfully, the other teenagers listened attentively each time he made corrections.


    The only one who worried him was Valerie and her… intense gaze. It wasn’t hostile or, Arceus forbid, romantic. But there was a lot to unpack from the emotions he was reading from the girl.


    ''Guess it''s time to grab the Bouffalant by the horns...''