"Sha nai?"
Seeing her master staring blankly at her, Gardevoir tilted her head in confusion.
This was yet another moment that reminded Link why Pokémon felt nothing like mere conjured Nen beasts, they were each living, breathing individuals.
Pokémon born from Nen could speak. Though they used the language of Pokémon, Link could understand them perfectly.
"I'm fine…" he replied softly, rising from his seat and walking over to the wide round table nearby. On the table sat a glass of water, with a fresh green leaf floating on its surface.
Even though he already had a hunch, Link wanted to verify it for himself.
He was about to perform the Water Divination technique, a method created by the Hoshin-ryu school to determine one's Nen category by observing how one's aura affects water.
Standing before the table, Link's expression grew solemn. He placed his hands on either side of the glass, mimicking a gesture as if about to pick it up, though keeping a small gap between his palms and the glass.
Taking a deep breath, Link slowly gathered his Nen into his hands. Wisps of translucent, whitish energy began to coat his palms, forming layer upon layer of aura film.
Having awakened his Nen only recently and without much formal training, this was the most he could muster for now.
A light sheen of sweat began to form on his forehead. Noticing this, Gardevoir hurriedly picked up a handkerchief and gently dabbed his face, her beautiful eyes glinting with concern.
Her action seemed like a signal. As Link poured out more and more aura, changes began to occur within the glass.
The once-clear water began to swirl with color, first pink, then gradually deepening into a rich violet.
Just when Link thought it was over, the leaf on the surface began to curl inward, slowly sinking until it came to rest at the center of the glass.
The leaf had morphed into a small, spherical shape. Crystals began forming around it, and faint patterns appeared on the surface, one of which looked unmistakably like a capital "M."
From Link's perspective, the sphere inside the purple liquid resembled a Poké Ball, no, more than that, it looked exactly like a Master Ball!
After carefully confirming that no further changes were occurring, Link finally stopped releasing his aura and withdrew his hands.
Gazing into the water, Link's eyes sparkled with realization.
So it's true… I'm a Specialist.
Nen abilities are divided into six major categories, forming a hexagon:
Enhancement: causes the water level to rise.
Transmutation: changes the taste of the water, with the exact flavor depending on the user.
Conjuration: creates crystals or similar structures in the water.
Emission: alters the color of the water.
Manipulation: causes the leaf on the surface to move.
Specialization: produces phenomena that do not fit into any of the above categories.
For example, in the original story, Kurapika's ability is Specialization, it allows him to use the other five categories at 100% efficiency. Chrollo's power to steal abilities, and Pakunoda's memory-reading ability, are also classified as Specialist abilities.
Of the six, Specialization is the rarest and least understood.
It's worth noting that while a person can learn abilities from other categories outside their own, the further from their native type, the weaker the effect.
Initially, Link had worried he'd made a mistake. In his mind, the title "Pokémon Master" should absolutely fall under Specialization.
However, the color change in the water was a classic sign of Emission.
But everything that followed made it clear, he was definitely a Specialist.
In fact, his Specialist type seemed to incorporate elements of Manipulation, Emission, and Conjuration:
Manipulation: reflected in his ability to command Pokémon in battle and analyze them through his Pokédex-like system.
Emission: evident in how Pokémon emerge from within him, and can be sent out to attack.
Conjuration: since each Pokémon is a tangible, self-aware entity manifested from Nen, visible even to ordinary people.
This also made him think, could that rumor be true?
Link remembered reading somewhere that people born with natural Nen abilities were almost always Specialists.
Now that his category was confirmed, the next step was to begin training in the four basic techniques of Nen: Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu.
Ten: Focuses the mind and calms the spirit, allowing one to surround their body with life energy (aura) and maintain it. It's the foundation of all Nen techniques.
Zetsu: Shuts off the aura flow, concealing one's presence from others.
Ren: Builds upon Ten to explosively increase aura output. If Ten is in storage, Ren is released.
Hatsu: One's personal Nen ability, developed after reaching a deep understanding of aura. This ability is closely tied to a person's nature, values, and even moral character.
These four are collectively referred to as the Four Principles of Nen.
While Link figured that his Pokémon alone gave him overwhelming power, he also understood that these techniques were indispensable, especially outside of battle.
Of all the principles, Link prioritized Ren the most, followed by Ten.
That's because Ren includes an application technique called Gyo, which allows a user to visually detect another person's aura.
Normally, Nen is invisible to the naked eye. But by using Gyo, one could perceive it, a crucial ability.
After all, Link's role was that of a tactical Pokémon Trainer. If he couldn't even see enemy attacks coming, how was he supposed to give commands?
Ten was just as important for two reasons:
First, mastering Ren required a solid foundation in Ten.
Second, Ten prevents one's life energy from leaking, which indirectly boosts vitality, slows aging, and strengthens the body.
Compared to an average Nen user, Link had it easy.
He only needed to focus on mastering Ten and Ren, while others would have to grind through all four disciplines.
Of course, training was important, but…
Link glanced at the soft, inviting bed nearby…
Maybe I'll start tomorrow.