Farewell, Hoenn (End of volume one)

Many Pokémon displayed their charm through sound: Jigglypuff, Exploud, and Noivern each used sound in their own distinctive way.

Jigglypuff had vocal cords that could change the wavelength of its voice at will, allowing it to sing at the wavelength most likely to put its opponent to sleep.

Exploud could let out roars that carried as far as ten kilometers, powerful enough to cause earthquakes.

Noivern could emit powerful ultrasonic waves from its ears, with enough force to shatter rocks.

Altaria, the humming Pokémon, could produce sounds at a very high frequency, and its moving songs left listeners entranced. Once Swablu evolved, Terrance didn't want her to do nothing more than sing beautifully at a high pitch. Jigglypuff, Exploud, and Noivern could use sound waves to expand their abilities, so Altaria, with her innate advantages, surely wouldn't be any worse. No one had ever explored that potential in depth, that was all.

When he first began training Swablu, Terrance had also wondered what a powerful Pokémon was really like.

If Swablu grew up following a conventional path, she might become exceptionally strong, but could she surpass her species and go a step further...? Training by the book could only bring out 100% of a Pokémon's potential, but breaking convention might allow her to reach 101% or even more.

Terrance had chosen to focus on the voice the Altaria species took pride in, but used only for singing. From the very beginning, he had never neglected Swablu's development in that regard, always offering her encouragement and help.

Besides being influenced by Pokémon such as Jigglypuff and Exploud, he had once seen a human shatter a glass using nothing but their voice in his previous life. Many buildings had also resonated because the frequency of a striking object's vibrations matched or came close to their natural frequency, and were ultimately destroyed with ease. It was hard to imagine that seemingly indestructible bridges could be brought down by the footsteps of tiny humans.

The theory was the principle of "resonance": as long as the corresponding "natural frequency" was found, the power of otherwise negligible sound waves could be multiplied several or even dozens of times over.

Exploud could shatter String Shot with sound waves, and Noivern could shatter rocks with them. They had extraordinary natural gifts, so could Altaria, with her extremely high vocal frequency, also learn to make use of sound through training?

Altaria's voice lacked the explosive force of Exploud's.

Nor did it have the destructive power of Noivern's sound waves.

Her advantage lay in the lofty range of her voice and her ability to control it freely, producing a variety of beautiful songs. Terrance didn't expect Altaria to cause destruction on the scale of an earthquake triggered by Exploud, nor did he hope for her to possess ultrasonic waves as powerful as Noivern's.

But if Altaria could quickly identify the "natural frequencies" of common moves such as Fire Blast, Energy Ball, Solar Beam, and Hyper Beam, then use a particular vocalization to find the corresponding "resonant frequency," could she achieve the same effect?

At the smallest possible cost, she could wipe out most of the opponent's common "projectile-type" moves, leaving her almost unbeatable. At that point, this simple technique could be called a "move" in its own right.

Terrance couldn't be sure; this was only a hypothesis, and whether it could succeed was uncertain. It was hardly a "secret technique" that could be completed in a mere year or two.

Quickly identifying a move's frequency in battle was undoubtedly a pipe dream. But one of Swablu's moves, Mirror Move, allowed her to imitate an opponent's move, and it gave Terrance the bold idea of putting this imaginative concept into practice. He had a vague feeling that Mirror Move was the key to the technique.

Terrance hadn't yet settled on a specific training method. This was still only a preliminary concept, and like Beautifly's "secret technique," he intended to make it one of his long-term research projects. This was also the "foresight," wisdom, and vision indispensable to an outstanding Breeder.

The goal couldn't be achieved in a day or two, nor would it be realized immediately once he began working toward it. Everything would take a long time to refine, improve, and optimize!

Besides, even if he failed, there would be no serious consequences. If he lacked even the courage to try, there was no point in becoming a Breeder.

Once Swablu learned this technique, even if its applications were limited, it would raise her future self to a lofty position, one even Master Katsumune had never anticipated!

One year... two years... Terrance was even prepared to spend ten years using his skills as a Breeder to help Swablu perfect this technique with all his might.

The Pokémon Center in Verdanturf Town.

After the Diglett incident was resolved, Master Katsumune finally turned his attention to Terrance.

He contacted the upper management of Coronet Academy, and only now did discussions begin about Terrance transferring in.

The process went smoothly. Without even knowing it, Terrance obtained an opportunity to enroll at Coronet Academy, something many people could only dream of.

At Coronet Academy, Terrance wouldn't have to rush about on his travels and would have access to countless resources and a wealth of knowledge. The young Breeder would be in his element and grow very quickly.

Taking on the challenge of becoming a Coordinator or an intermediate Breeder now would be no easy task.

Nor would Terrance do something so presumptuous when he had no confidence in succeeding.

That was why Coronet Academy would be an excellent stepping stone, allowing Terrance to grow as quickly as possible!

It would also be a very comfortable place for him to put some of his theories into practice.

The port of Slateport City, Hoenn.

The Sinnoh Region lay north of Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. It consisted of the Sinnoh mainland, the Battle Zone on the northeastern island, and several smaller islands scattered on either side of the region.

After boarding the ship bound for the Sinnoh Region, Terrance took a deep breath. This was his second long journey; the first had been when he traveled from the Kanto mainland to the Hoenn mainland.

Once they reached the Sinnoh mainland, Master Katsumune would no longer accompany Terrance. Jun was pursuing her own dream, and as her teacher, Master Katsumune couldn't simply do nothing. He needed to visit Jun's family and speak with her parents. After all, a ten-year-old girl was still at an age when her parents cared and worried about her.

Having made a choice different from that of most of her family, Nurse Joy Jun was under a great deal of pressure and needed Master Katsumune's help and guidance.

Terrance had read Jun's message.

She was a Nurse Joy unlike the others.

"I want to become a scholar."

"I came up with the idea while traveling with you, Teacher. Rather than stay in one place treating Trainers' injured Pokémon, I'd rather go out into the deserts, snowy mountains, grasslands, and peaks to help Pokémon who have no homes."

"When an area's ecosystem collapses, the Pokémon living in the wild are often the first to suffer."

"The reason they've been reduced to this state is the large-scale capture of Pokémon by Trainers and the formation of cities."

"My power may be small, but I hope I can make people pay attention. Humans and Pokémon alike should all be part of this world."

"I plan to go to Kalos. Its ecosystem has suffered the worst damage of any region. If I go there to investigate, and if I can... I hope to do research on ecological conservation."

Terrance smiled wryly. She was only a "real" ten-year-old girl, yet her awareness put him to shame.

Perhaps her background was one factor, and the environment she'd grown up in was another. Everyone had their own unique ideas...

Terrance sighed.

All he could do was wish Jun well in his heart.

A gentle breeze blew. As he looked back at the Hoenn mainland, shrinking into the distance, the image of Mt. Coronet also appeared in his mind: the mountain that stretched across the entire Sinnoh Region and divided the Sinnoh mainland into east and west.

Farewell, Hoenn.