Chapter 22 Artifact: "Ancient Bracelet"

Guang Tai was stunned, a flurry of thoughts flooding his mind.
So, information about gaining experience and effort values through battle is visible too?
Regardless, this is a good thing!

"Phew, I thought it was going to stand back up and keep fighting."
Guang Tai breathed a sigh of relief.
That Gible was incredibly resilient. Even after its physical defense dropped by four stages and it took a critical-hit Psycho Cut, it still managed to tremble and stand up.
Thankfully, it collapsed again; otherwise, it would have been truly absurd.
Of course, unofficial matches don't restrict moves. If things really got dire, Honedge still had "Rest" to recover HP, though using it would carry the risk of being attacked while asleep.
Naturally, mastering more moves means having more options during a battle. Even in formal matches limited to four moves, there is no such thing as a "move preparation" screen.
In other words, if one's Pokémon knows dozens of moves, the trainer still has full freedom of choice until all four slots are committed. They can adapt to different combat situations in real-time. This is completely different from the games, where moves must be set before entering a match.

Volo was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected the Gible to lose like that. After recalling his Pokémon, he stared at the Poké Ball, deep in thought for a long while, before asking Guang Tai:
"What happened? Why didn't Sand Tomb trap it? And why did it become so fast toward the end? That Pokémon's movement and attack speed shouldn't have been faster than my Gible's!"
"And Rough Skin didn't end up having an effect at the very end? It’s just... unbelievable!"

Honedge floated up, celebrating the victory for itself and Guang Tai. Guang Tai reached out to high-five its blue ribbon, though it felt weightless... then he walked over to Volo.
"It seems I’ve won. I got lucky. So, as per our agreement, the next time I purchase goods from you, everything will be 20% off."
"Wait!" Volo was deeply intrigued by Guang Tai. "What exactly happened just now? I truly never expected things to turn out this way!"
Guang Tai answered concisely: "Well... Shadow Sneak is a contact move, but Psycho Cut is not. And although it looks like a special attack, Psycho Cut is actually a physical move."
"Also, Substitute can break the binding effect of Sand Tomb. The speed increase was because I used an item."
"A Custap Berry. It activates automatically in a life-or-death moment, allowing the move to strike first if the priority is the same!"
Guang Tai pointed at himself. "I am an item artisan. Even though I haven't done much Pokémon battling myself, plenty of people come to me seeking battle items."
"Although every Pokémon has a different nature, ability, and area of expertise, certain items can amplify their strengths, compensate for their weaknesses, and even turn a defeat into a victory."
"And the decisive move must be saved for the end to create the conditions for victory. Exposing it too early only gives the opponent an opening!"

In the Pokémon world, many trainers and professors actually struggle to distinguish between special and physical moves, which leads to some rather strange move sets. Distinguishing between them is, in fact, just the entry level of move research.
However, those who battle frequently enough eventually learn naturally which moves are effective and what effects they possess. That, perhaps, is the instinct of battle.

Volo fell into deep thought.
Guang Tai, meanwhile, suddenly realized something.
Wait, this guy used a Gible to fight him just now... and yet he had sold the Draco Plate, which boosts Dragon-type moves, to Guang Tai beforehand?
Could it be that he originally intended to use Togepi?
Or did he not care about winning or losing this battle at all? Did he not value the power-boosting items that much?

"Hoo-hoo-hoo... What a magnificent battle!"
At that moment, Grandpa Yamama appeared out of nowhere, clapping his hands. Even the Abra seemed quite happy, appearing very excited by what it had witnessed.

"Although you said you’ve never engaged in Pokémon battles, I could see that during the preparations, you had already anticipated some of the later developments. That is truly extraordinary."
Grandpa Yamama nodded approvingly. "If not for the item, the outcome of that match would have been hard to predict! That final 'strike first' maneuver was truly astonishing. Seizing the opponent's opening and negligence to end the battle in one blow—your offensive awareness is quite excellent."
"Thank you for letting me witness such a wonderful fight. Please, take this as a token of my gratitude for your help in delivering supplies up the mountain and for letting me watch this match."
Grandpa Yamama produced a dark jade bracelet carved with strange symbols. Guang Tai subconsciously wanted to refuse, as the item looked quite valuable, but Grandpa Yamama explained:
"Though it is jade, it is not a priceless treasure. The importance lies in the stone itself, so don't worry, just accept it."
"This bracelet is an ancient TM. In the distant past, this was how people taught moves to their Pokémon."

Guang Tai thanked him and accepted the bracelet. Appraisal information appeared in his eyes:
【Craft: [Ancient Bracelet] — Move Bangle.】
【Description: One of the ancient items used long ago for Pokémon to learn moves. The bracelet can absorb and store a corresponding move. The runes carved on it are explanations and applications of the move. When worn by a compatible Pokémon, the Pokémon can understand how to use the move, resonate with it, and learn it.】
【Function 1: Teaches the move [Reflect].】
【Function 2: Can seal [Reflect] into the bangle to teach it again.】

"Yo!"
Suddenly, Honedge made a sound. It looked at the jade bracelet in surprise, swinging its blade back and forth!
It had seen this before—there were some in the royal palace!

Guang Tai also gradually recalled similar items.
Ancient bracelets, needless to say, were valuable items meant for selling, first appearing in the Abyssal Ruins in *Black/White*, where one could fetch a high price of 100,000.
In the *Special* manga, there existed special ancient bracelets that taught "Ultimate Moves," which bore a certain resemblance to the one he now held.
That volume also mentioned that in the distant past, before TMs existed, Pokémon relied on such items to learn new moves.
If there were artisans in the Kingdom era capable of crafting such things, it was hardly surprising!

Guang Tai even thought of the ancient carving craft he had recently acquired, which explicitly stated that as long as the corresponding technique was mastered, one could craft ancient bracelets!
If that were the case... one day in the future, he could create ancient versions of TMs!
Compared to the TMs produced by the Silph Co., the ancient versions looked a bit heavy, and it was unclear how effective or fast the learning process would be, but there should be a market for them.
After all, some people just love retro craftsmanship.

"Oh my~ I never thought I would lose so miserably." Volo seemed to have finished his contemplation. No one knew what he had been thinking, but he had returned to his usual playful state.
"Well, as agreed, the next time you purchase goods from me, everything will be 20% off. I’ll prepare some brand-new items—who knows, I might even seek you out ahead of time."
"Rare people, rare events, rare items—as a merchant, one must see and experience these things for oneself!"
"It’s getting late today. Rest in the cabin here and leave tomorrow."

Guang Tai knew he had caught Volo's attention, but that didn't matter.
Compared to the various villainous organizations using all sorts of "black technology" to try and capture Legendary Pokémon, Volo’s method was the most primitive—finding them in person and then challenging them. He was, at least, relatively simple... perhaps!
"If you could bring me some rare materials next time you come my way, that would be even better."
Guang Tai held the Move Bangle, starting to ask Grandpa Yamama how to learn the moves within it, while Volo stood in the clearing, watching until Guang Tai walked into the nearby cabin before looking back one last time toward the direction of the ruins.

"Finally met an interesting person. Selling him the Plate was likely the right move. However, I must have seen him somewhere before, but I can't recall who such a distinctive person is."
"For some reason, I have a premonition... is this encounter a guidance from Arceus?"

...

Inside the empty mountain cabin.
Doduo had also been brought in. It made a comfortable sound, shook its fluffy feathers, curled up its legs, and lay down.
"Doduo~"
Guang Tai stroked the fluffy down of the Doduo, his mood gradually relaxing.
Doduo's feathers were truly soft and warm!
"That was exhausting!"
Pokémon battles in reality were indeed vastly different from those in the games. While many moves shared similarities, the wonder of real-time combat lay in the fact that the opponent wouldn't wait for you to move first. Without the constraints of turn-based mechanics, some seemingly "annoying" tactics lost their utility.
Of course, for what was lost, something else was gained. More incredible combinations of moves could be utilized in real-time, keeping a trainer's brain in a state of high tension.
"Come to think of it, there was no need for me to win. Volo only asked for a battle, and losing wouldn't have mattered..."
Guang Tai stroked the fluffy feathers, muttering to himself, yet Honedge retorted!
"Yo!"
What are you saying! If it's a battle, one must fight to win!
Our combination of Knight and King is the most powerful!
"That may be, but I'm not a trainer registered with the League."
Guang Tai scratched his head.
Just like Mr. Kurt, there were many artisans who didn't own Pokémon and lived in the Pokémon world solely by their craft. Such people were quite common, and the original owner had been one of them.
Without a Pokémon, one isn't a "formal" trainer, but it doesn't really matter if you don't register with the League; at most, you just can't eat for free at the Pokémon Center.
Of course, battling is the mainstream of this world. Every region has Pokémon Trainer Schools that cultivate a new generation of excellent trainers—the "academic" types. Such youngsters are not few, but those who stand out in regional tournaments are often "wild" trainers like Ash.
Knowledge from books is limited, after all. Some things can only be gained through practice. Perhaps those from trainer schools can achieve excellent results in game-like battles, but once they enter real-time combat, they might get overwhelmed and lose to trainers who battle frequently.
"Yo~"
Facing Guang Tai's evasion, Honedge narrowed its single eye and kept making strange noises:
Stop lying to yourself. I could feel it during our last battle—the thirst for victory flows through your blood!
Guang Tai: "........."
"N-next time, let's practice 'Slash-Canceling'?"