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Tristen stared in confusion as the Smog, one of Magmar’s weakest attacks, was actually doing the kind of work as it was to this Hoppip. Even considering the fact of it being super effective against the likes of this thing, Tristen was left a bit dumbfounded, and it was effectively threatening to toss everything that he ever knew about Pokémon battling out the window. Were super effective attacks that effective against a Terastalized Pokémon, more so than normal? Or was there something else going on?

As the Terastalized Pokémon lost the power it was drawing upon, Tristen and Magmar stayed on the defensive, if only for a few seconds. Even with the den fading away, its power ran up it seemed, he didn’t want to take any chances. Not knowing what exactly what he was dealing with. Tristen had no interest in trying to capture Pokémon this late afternoon, let alone a terastalized Pokémon. He was just here to get data and tera shards. Tristen would walk over to pick up the pinkish colored shard and stared in confusion. That entire den that seemed to be made of tera crystal, the Pokémon that seemed to be covered in the stuff…that entire battle…only netted one usable shard. This…was a little bit discouraging and left a lot of questions more than it answered.

“Maaag…” Tristen looked back towards Magmar who was hunched over, kind of breathing heavily. The poison powder was still affecting it and was sapping his strength.

“Oh no! Uh…here…” Tristen took off the pack and started to dig around and pulled out a Lum Berry. He was about to hand it over to Magmar, only to realize that this Pokémon would incinerate it as soon as it touched it. “Um…uh, open wide.” Tristen said. Magmar opened his mouth which Tristen got as close as he could then managed to nearly toss the Lum Berry into the Magmar’s mouth. Magmar chewed on the berry a bit, going wide-eyed and winced. “I know! They’re not the greatest tasting things…” Tristen said to him. “Just…get it down…it’ll help.” Magmar almost begrudgingly finished chewing the berry and managed to get it down. The Magmar had to admit it was working like a miracle, but the wide variety of flavors that managed to fight with each other made it a tough berry to swallow.

“Maag…” Magmar sighed out.

“Better? That’s good. Take a break for now. I’ll try to figure out someone else to battle with for the next one, okay? You did great.” He said, taking out the Pokeball and recalling the Magmar. Tristen himself sighed out, stashing the Pokeball and then taking a look at the SNAG. “I didn’t honestly think Smog was going to do that kind of damage…I guess its probably a good thing I am going to try to find another one. There’s a lot that needs to be figured out about this whole Terastal stuff.” Tristen said to GRAY, starting to walk off for the hunt for another den. “Say, GRAY, how do you figure Sub adding stuff to the Snag Machines is going to pan out? He’s already gotten the means to put in Mega Stones, Z-Crystals, and only recently dynamaxing Pokémon. How much more can he actually fit onto the machine without…I don’t know…making it dangerous to carry around?” Tristen asked. “I mean…that thing would need a lot of power and stuff just to do all of that? Right?” Tristen asked as he traveled, trying to stay on the look out for another den.

“Oh.” Tristen could only say to GRAY’s snag machine explanation. It sounded severely complex just to pull off. Now that Tristen thought about it…while he carried his Snag Machine most of the time in his pack, he couldn’t really recall the last time he actually brandished it to actually Snag a Pokémon. Maybe to get Magmar from Zera? That’s been forever ago. And he doesn’t recall others in Snagem snagging a Pokémon in recent memory either. It was probably a blessing actually that it didn’t need to be wielded against anyone for any reason. Though was a little comical, now that Tristen thought about it, that the Snag machine was being used for just about any other purpose other than actual snagging.

As soon as GRAY brought up the lack of shards Tristen got, Tristen would simply nod. “Yea, I’m going to keep going and see if there are any other dens around here. Magmar took care of that den real quick, though with all that tera crystal, rather from the den or even the Pokémon, that there would have been more shards than just one measly one.” Tristen said. “They kind of weirdly remind me of evolution stones, or no! Better yet, the gems. The flying gem, dark gem, all of that, where they all get used up. I kinda wonder just how much energy Pokémon are absorbing just to do that. And the power they get is a lot more potent than any of these gems just to do what it does to Pokémon.” Tristen said as he continued walking along, staying on the look out for any den. “I kinda wonder if there is some sort of relation to it…”

Tristen couldn’t help but to stare at his SNAG, raising a brow at it. It was a wonder that a computer could carry so much snark. But at least GRAY was at least trying to still be of a help. It still left to wonder just how just any random Pokémon could take in these terastal energies, let alone any for that matter, in such fashion. Triggering mega evolutions, empowered moves by the Z-crystals, even Dynamaxing…what was it that got a Pokémon to do all of that? It seems to not make a whole lot of sense at all, the more he thought about it, which was crazy to him. He lived in the world where wild creatures have all manner of power within, from super speeds, or durability, mastery of the elements, or just outright defying physics in some fashion. He wondered if any of this was at all a good thing really for them or if this was just what his adoptive father had been saying the entire time of trainers looking for some sort of easy mode in a Pokémon battle.

The next half hour went off relatively uneventful as he explored the area. The wild Pokémon weren’t really all that feisty it seemed like. Probably just as well, they’d probably have a rough go of it if they decided to pick a fight with the Manetric hybrid. That said, it was a little concerning. Maybe these Tera Dens were rarer than he thought. He took notice to the skies then looked at his SNAG once more to check the time. He grimaced for a second. If he didn’t find anything soon, he’d be walking back to Mezagoza well after dark and he still had an evening of things to do before bed. He would then make his way around and then perk up, taking sight to something. He would take a quick jog when he went over the hill and noticed the large tera crystal formation. It was another den. As soon as he approached it, he started to examine a way about the den. This was weird…where was a Pokémon to go? He thought back to the Hoppip for a second then stared in confusion, then started to reach around to feel about the tera crystal cluster. It was perhaps as soon as he touched it the tera crystal started to flash bright.

Tristen winced hard, probably wondering if this is what people felt when he unleashed his own Flash attack upon his targets. Once he managed to feel that he could open his eyes, he would see himself surrounded with Tera Crystal once again. In a den once again. Close by, a Numel, covered in greenish crystal with a crown that seemed to look as if a bouquet of flowers. Tristen was a bit dumbfounded as GRAY started to spell out what he could have already figured. A ‘grass type’ Numel. One couldn’t have gotten any more contradictory than that, Tristen thought. “Well, water types would have been out of the question.” Tristen said. “Alright, let’s try this! Mienshao! Go!” Tristen shouted, tossing the Pokeball out.

Once the ball was out and landed, the ball pops open and in a flash, out came Mienshao with a flip. “Me-shooo!” Mienshao spoke up.

“Alright Mienshao! We’re trying to do some research here! We gotta see what these Tera Pokémon got! Go! Use Force Palm!” Tristen shouted.

“Sho!” Mienshao quickly rushed for the Numel and then went to drive its palm right into the terastalized Numel.

Tristen stared in confusion as the damage didn’t even register until well after Meinshao managed to drive its palm right into it. For a moment, at first he wondered if Mienshao just didn’t do that kind of damage that he hoped to do, but once he saw the reaction, he almost thought he was actually fighting a Slowpoke as opposed to a Numel. That moment of hesitation however allowed the once Fire type to get back on its feet, and ather grass type power and start rushing full speed towards Mienshao. Mienshao went wide eyed for a moment stepping off to the side to avert the attack out of shock.

“Mienshao! Watch it! Its about to come back!” Tristen said. As the Numel made his way around, Mienshao looked back trying to keep an eye on it to get out of the way. The Numel would then start trying to weave about, trying to make sure that it would hit its target, Meinshao trying to figure out which way to dodge again, but one false step and Meinshao would get rammed into and get sent flying by the Numel. Tristen noted the surprise out of the SNAG, GRAY being left confused as to the attack the Numel just used. “I seen it before! One of my friend’s Pokémon got a move just like it! Its called a Trailblaze! I guess that a lot of Pokémon can learn that around in Paldea…” Tristen trailed off there at the end. It was still never the less weird that something such as a Numel would be able to learn a Grass attack like that. “Mienshao, are you alright?!”

“Shoo…” Mienshao stated, pushing off the ground, nursing a little where he got rammed into by the Numel.

“Alright, try Drain Punch!” Tristen commanded. If nothing else, he was going to make sure Mienshao was going to out attrition this tearstalized Pokémon.

“Mienshao, look out!” Tristen called out as the flames rained down upon Mienshao. But with a shower of embers falling down from the Numel’s Incinerate attack, there wasn’t much where he could go. Mienshao could only try to cover its head, shielding its face as best as it could as the embers seared right into its fur. Just as Tristen started to notice, however, since it was no longer a fire type, it wasn’t as potent as could be. It was just like when Xatu tried to use Dazzling Gleam during the fight with Atticus just to fend off his Skuntank. Terastalization affected not just its types, but also the attacks they used. As soon as the fiery shower finished, Mienshao looked back towards the Numel, only to see it already on the warpath, now trying to instigate a Sunny Day within the tera den to make sure that its fire attacks had that bit more kick.

“I got the feeling, GRAY, this isn’t this Numel’s first battle at all.” Tristen said. “It probably been through a bit; probably even had a bunch of trainers battle it trying to capture it, maybe in this very den!” Tristen had the feeling that he was going to have to n** this battle in the bud right about now before it got well out of hand, especially if this Numel was showing rather competent battle experience like what he would find with wild Pokémon back on Mt. Silver. Quickly, Tristen pulled off his pack and snatched out the Tera Orb. “Alright, Mienshao, how about you give this a try!” he said, holding the ball out. But…there was nothing. “Wha…?” Tristen tried to get the Tera orb to activate at least a couple of times before he started to stare at it in severe confusion, giving it a few shakes while he was at it. “Oh no…” Was it broken? Did he break it? Questions Tristen had flying through his mind. Maybe perhaps the Tera Orb ended up as collateral damage in the chi converter explosion against Atticus? It was the only thing he could think of that would maybe do that. Whatever the case, the Tera Orb wasn’t activating, upsetting him that he potentially ruined Nemona’s gift to him, albeit by accident.

Mienshao looked back in confusion, wondering where the command was. “Uh…” Tristen quickly double taked between the Tera Orb and his Pokémon. “Never Mind!” Tristen said, needing now to try to salvage the situation. He could worry about the Tera Orb later. He had to get out of the den in one piece first. “Try Acrobatics!” In a hurry, Meinshao sprinted forward then started to do all manner of maneuvers, flips and dives, trying to make sure the Numel wasn’t going to come down hard on Mienshao in any fashion. Then once close enough, Mienshao gave a hard leap and drove feet first down towards the Numel.

“Not now, GRAY!” Tristen shouted back to the voice on the SNAG, not needing the computer’s berating of him in the middle of the battle, especially when he was bound to say worse things to himself once this is all over if it was in fact broken. Once Mienshao managed to land its harsh blow, Tristen went wide-eyed once the terastalized Numel didn’t seem to have any intention on backing down now, getting back up and ready to lash out once again. To make matters worse, it once again summoned one of those shields, just as the Hoppip did before. “Ugh, so much for maybe trying to Drain Punch him again!” Tristen said. That was unfortunately the least of his worries.

Tristen then started to notice the Numel was taking in all manner of power from the artificial sun that it created within the den then from its back erupted a massive attack. “You have got to be kidding!” A Lava Plume? From this thing? This Numel for sure has been around the block if it knew such a high-level attack on its own. “Mienshao! Look out!” Splotches of lava started to land on the ground and fire started to sweep across the field, the Numel was for certain putting every bit of effort into its attack. Mienshao started to dance around the lava, trying to avert the attack, but the flames that emanated from the Numel was sweeping across the field, blasting the fighting type in its fiery wake, leaving Mienshao in a bit of a panic to get distance. The main brunt of the attack, the various lava blasts started to hit their mark, Mienshao howling out in severe pain, blasted head over heals from the fiery backdraft of the attack. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the damage was pretty substantial.

“Mienshao! Are you okay!?” Tristen shouted. Mienshao managed to push himself back up, but it was wincing severely from the attack it had the unfortunate pleasure of taking. Tristen recalled with the Hoppip that while doing normal attacks, it didn’t really have too much of an effect on the Hoppip with that shield shrouding it but one of Magmar’s weakest attacks that so happened to be otherwise super effective against the Hoppip managed to get the better of it. In truth, Tristen wanted to see if a Brick Break attack out of Mienshao would be able to drop the shield just as it would a Light Screen or Reflect, to at the very least help keep GRAY studying this thing while the opportunity is there. But at this point, he’d be more tempted to try to get Mienshao to try a Reversal attack right about now given the circumstances, but now, he didn’t want to take much of a chance. This Numel showed it had that kind of power behind it, so Tristen needed to drop this thing sooner than later, especially knowing that he doesn’t have any terastal power to speak of himself right now.

“Mienshao! Try Triple Axel!” He shouted. He needed to brute force through this shield as fast as Mienshao was able. That’s all there was to it, Tristen thought. The Mienshao managed to rush for the Numel, the stoat’s feet frosting up as it approached its attack, then went on the attack, one harsh frosty kick after another. Each kick stronger than the one before, the final one at its strongest to lay into it and hopefully get through that shield.

Tristen sighed out a little bit once Mienshao managed to not only power through the shield, but managed to finish off the Numel. If he had to guess, Numel didn’t have too much proverbial gas in the tank after unleashing such a powerful attack, never mind the damage the Numel took before hand. Tristen would have been lying though if it didn’t look dicey there for a moment. Tristen would leave the Numel be, however, opting not to capture it, just as he did back with the Hoppip. He already had enough Pokémon as is to tend to and raise, a Sprigatito being his most recent addition to the proverbial Pokémon family he’s amassed, never mind the endeavors in education he found himself in taking up a good chunk of his time, and didn’t want to go out of the way to get another one unless it honestly sparked his interest in some fashion. He was out here for the Tera shards and nothing more. Tristen managed to pick up the grass type shards from the ground that was left behind in the chaos of the battle.

As he started to tend to the condition of Mienshao, who wasn’t feeling the greatest. Getting seared by the various fire attacks and having to go all out against a Numel of all things, it was taxing as much as it was near humiliating to the Martial Arts Pokémon. It didn’t fully understand the whole depths of what Terastalization apparently had to offer. Tristen as he tried to tend to Mienshao’s injuries listened to the list of theories that GRAY had as he did so, agreeing with the computer on some things, disagreeing with others. One thing they could agree on, there was a whole lot more to delve into that needs figuring out. But that was for another day. Once asked about what was next on the agenda, Tristen looked up towards the skies then looked at the clock on the SNAG. “Dinner, homework, and figure out why the Tera orb didn’t want to work…” Tristen said. “I really hope it isn’t broken. If you haven’t already, let Sub know I got the shards.” Tristen said. With his little mini mission accomplished, he made the trek back for Mezagoza.

With Sol appearing alongside as the two teleported back to the academy, he did have a slight reservation about the choice of where to teleport. "You couldn't have at least appeared outside the doors?" He asked, brushing over the whole 'wait, didn't he have a very broken arm last time' detail those at the front desk might be wondering. They certainly didn't need to know how he came across such a miraculously fast recovery. "...ahem."

"Allow me to second what he's said. Out of anyone from them, he feels like our best shot at the answers we're hoping he'll have. Provided he's willing to give them," he added, a wave of his right arm coming subconsciously as he talked. There was never a broken arm.