Charcoal

"So that's how it is! How had I never thought of that?!"

With a look of sudden realization, Leon had all his Pokémon restored using the home Pokémon healing machine after the battle ended, then eagerly pulled Blake over to discuss things. Although Blake's tactics had been absolutely disgusting to face as an opponent, there was so much worth learning from when he thought about them carefully.

And once they started talking, Leon's amazement never stopped.

"Actually, you may have used similar tactics before without realizing it. For example, many of us teach our Pokémon more moves outside their own types. That broadens their coverage while also letting them surprise opponents who think they have the advantage over us. I just collected quite a few tactics like that and organized them a little. To be precise, I'm a compiler, like a newspaper editor. I organize the news; I don't create it."

Blake had no intention of taking credit for himself. These tactical ideas had been developed through the countless experiments and conclusions of Pokémon players in his previous life. He was merely standing on the shoulders of giants. Still, he had not done nothing, either. Reality was different from the games, so he could not simply copy things over. He had constantly needed to experiment and make mistakes as well.

"But being able to organize them is already incredible. I'd never considered having a Pokémon with Poison Heal hold a Toxic Orb so it could stay on the field for a long time. And there's also using all kinds of negative status effects to battle rather than confronting the opponent head-on."

Leon looked as though he wanted to pull Blake into bed and talk through the night. His enthusiasm was so overwhelming that Blake could not help taking two steps back.

"No, no, I have plenty of shortcomings too. For instance, I'd never noticed how you used Normal-type moves to evade attacks earlier. We can learn from each other. Learn from each other."

Blake felt a little embarrassed by the praise. Come to think of it, Leon had originally been the first Champion level trainer in the Pokémon games to catch players off guard with moves meant to counter their Pokémon. It was not an especially powerful tactical system, but it had certainly hit plenty of players who thought he was just an ordinary Champion level trainer like a blow to the head. Some players who only liked bringing offensive moves in story mode had even suffered bitter defeats because of it. Such as the author.

So if he taught Leon all this, would Leon, who already loved tactics, turn into one of those horrible cheese-strategy players? No, no, what was he thinking? This was not Yu-Gi-Oh. Where would so many of those players come from?

Blake shook his head and continued chatting with Leon, explaining many tactics he had learned about in the past. However, he did not mention strategies that required Legendary Pokémon or had little meaning in terms of real-world replication.

"Will those two ever finish talking?"

Lulina watched Blake and Leon, both gesturing animatedly as they spoke, and said helplessly.

"Maybe that's just how boys are. Honestly, this isn't the first time I've seen Leon like this. Whenever we met a trainer during our journey, Leon would go challenge them. Then, if they were willing to talk, he'd become like this."

Sonia said it with the expression of someone long accustomed to it.

"Hey! You two! You two!!! Are you going to eat lunch or not?! It's been three hours! It's already one o'clock! How much longer are you planning to talk?!"

At last, Lulina could not stand it any longer and shouted at the two men, who had become completely absorbed in their conversation.

The two of them jolted, only then feeling the hunger rising from their stomachs. When they looked up at the clock, it was already one twenty in the afternoon. They had spent over three hours chatting nonsense with each other without even taking a sip of water.

"I'll cook!"

"I-I-I'll help!"

Blake and Leon rushed into the kitchen in a panic. Fortunately, Leon was not so directionally challenged that he would get lost inside a house.

"Huh?"

Lulina watched the two continue discussing things as they walked away and felt that something about the scene was rather strange.

"Kehehe—"

Haunter flew over carrying a bag, then set it down with a heave in front of Charizard, who was still adjusting to his new body.

"Char?"

Charizard looked curiously at Haunter's actions, tilting his head as he asked.

"Kehe, kehehe."

Haunter grinned as he opened the small bag, then pulled something out of it with an exaggerated flourish.

"Ke-ke-kehe!"

Haunter made a sound like Doraemon pulling a gadget from his pocket. He was clearly imitating Blake's occasional childish antics, but what he pulled from the bag made Charizard's eyes widen.

"Char!"

A plain gray-black piece of Charcoal lay quietly in Haunter's hand. It was not large, only about the size of an ordinary person's fist, yet the Fire-type energy emanating from it made Charizard unable to look away.

"Kehe!"

Haunter placed the Charcoal into Charizard's hand. Immediately, the unremarkable Charcoal that had been in Haunter's hand developed red traces, as though it had begun burning again. Its glow flickered bright and dim, and it even seemed to emit tiny wisps of flame.

"Char!!!"

Charizard felt a scorching heat surge through his body. Even as a Fire-type Pokémon, Charizard could feel the immense power within it. The next moment, he could no longer hold back, and a pillar of flame shot into the sky.

"What happened?!"

Hearing the commotion, Leon poked his head out through the kitchen window. He saw Charizard continuously breathing fire into the air in the yard, looking like a torch.

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing. Just a piece of Charcoal. Charizard might not be used to it yet. It's fine. He'll adjust after a while."

Blake had sharp eyes and was highly sensitive to all kinds of energy, so he immediately understood what Haunter had done. He shook his head and casually looked away.

"Charcoal? Wait! You mean the held item Charcoal?"

Leon froze for a moment before quickly realizing what Blake meant and asking urgently. As he had said before, held items were not easy to obtain in this world, especially high-grade items that could be worn over long periods. Charcoal was no exception.

Charcoal was, in name, simply wood that had undergone incomplete combustion in fire. However, not every piece of Charcoal could help Fire-type Pokémon increase the power of their moves.

First, the wood being burned needed to contain sufficient Grass-type energy. Then, the flames used to burn it had to come from the Fire-type moves of a powerful Fire-type Pokémon, carrying out an extremely precise process of burning. Too little fire would have no effect, while too much would burn the wood into ash. It was incredibly troublesome to make, and difficult to replicate with machines. At least for now, no method had been found to mass-produce it mechanically.

"Yeah, it's nothing precious. Let Charizard use it. I still have lots at home."

Blake understood why Leon was surprised. Charcoal of such high quality was usually hard to find. However, besides being a family of spirit exorcists, Blake's family had passed down the craft of making held items through generations. Although the methods for making many items had either been lost, replaced by mechanization, or become impossible to reproduce due to a lack of suitable materials, they definitely had plenty in storage. His family's warehouse was even larger than their house.

"Lots?"

Leon suddenly felt that the other man was absurdly wealthy. People would fight each other over this thing if it were put up for sale, yet Blake spoke of it as if it were roadside weeds.

"There really are a lot. My dad's Trevenant and Chandelure make them together, so it's a renewable resource. If you need some, there's still plenty in my family's warehouse. Giving you an entire log wouldn't be a problem."

Blake shrugged. Charcoal made by two of his father's three greatest ace Pokémon might be precious in other people's eyes, but to him, it was just that. And Leon once again learned what it meant to be absurdly wealthy.