This is a parallel world with a technological and cultural level similar to Earth.
About 20 years ago, the Pokémon world shattered due to an irresistible force. Fragments of that world descended upon this blue planet as mysterious realms.
From these realms emerged extraordinary creatures that defied existing science. These "magical beasts" brought tremendous disaster to the blue planet.
It wasn't until 10 years later, when survivors from the Pokémon world arrived with their technology, that people began to systematically understand these creatures.
Now, these beings are called "Pokémon" instead of "magical beasts", and they've integrated into various industries throughout society.
Ethan Smith arrived on this blue planet more than ten years ago. Unlike others, he wasn't from the Pokémon world — he had crossed over from Earth to start a completely new life.
For convenience while attending school, he boarded with his mother's close friend, "Aunt Delia", who lived nearby.
Yes, you read that correctly — this is the same Delia Ketchum who was Ash's mother in the Pokémon anime, now Ethan's housemate.
Unfortunately, he never met Ash. When the Pokémon world collapsed, the boy and his father were traveling abroad, and they've been missing ever since.
Poor Delia lost both husband and child, plunging her into overwhelming grief. Fortunately, Ethan's soul strength from his two lifetimes gave him Aura power, which allowed him to soothe her emotions.
Through his tireless efforts to heal her inner wounds, this aunt, who had no blood relation to him, grew quite fond of him. What began as a temporary living arrangement transformed into something increasingly meaningful.
By now, their relationship had become almost… inseparable.
Though using this expression to describe his mother's close friend seems somewhat inappropriate, taken literally, it's quite fitting.
Just like now on the sofa — after lunch, with nothing to do, Delia sat beside Ethan, hugging his arm and gently leaning against his shoulder.
This image of a married woman so attached to a young man — isn't that the very definition of inseparable?
Ethan naturally had no objections to this. He even gently embraced this still-charming aunt to help her rest more comfortably. Delia had taken care of his daily needs for several years now. What was wrong with lending her his shoulder?
Not just a shoulder — he'd have no problem offering his entire embrace.
Unfortunately, this warm scene didn't last long, as a somewhat familiar voice suddenly interrupted their thoughts.
"Excuse me, is the owner here?"
The voice came from a beautiful young woman in her prime. She pushed open the glass door of the shop and peered in curiously.
Hearing this voice, Delia understood that a customer had arrived. Though not fully rested, she reluctantly let go of Ethan and moved away from his shoulder.
"Looks like we have a customer. You should go check." Delia said tenderly to the young man.
"They really know when to show up." Ethan sighed helplessly, thinking to himself: young people these days, don't they take afternoon naps?
Why not stay home and play games during prime naptime? Why wander around outside?
But what could he do? He was a shopkeeper after all. When customers arrive, he has to serve them.
Unlike other dimensional travelers, when Ethan arrived in this world where humans coexist with Pokémon, he had no desire to challenge gyms or become a champion. Instead, he opened a "Pokémon Martial Arts School" to live a peaceful life.
The school offered services including "Pokémon Move Teaching", "Pokémon Ability Development", and "Pokémon Training Commissions". When in a good mood, he even helped find lost Pokémon.
This was all possible because he possessed a special type of Aura power.
His Aura differed from that shown in the Pokémon anime. In the anime, Aura was versatile — it could attack, create defensive shields, and function like radar. However, that Aura could only detect basic information about objects, such as outlines and states, and everything appeared in grayscale.
Ethan's Aura, however, was like having a god's-eye view. It allowed him to see all details of surrounding objects, even their most fundamental material composition. The colors were as vibrant as high-definition graphics.
The reason his Aura was so special was probably because he had a system…
As someone who had lived two lives, Ethan had already awakened his Aura abilities. After the system bound to him, it rewarded him with another form of Aura.
He had initially complained that this reward was practically useless, but when the two Auras merged, the world in his eyes changed dramatically. System products were indeed premium quality — he had spoken too soon.
The system's full name was "Trainer Pokédex". Whenever he "captured" a trainer with special status, he could light up the Pokédex and gain a special ability.
As for what constituted a "special status trainer"?
After years of research, Ethan discovered that it referred to females who had significant storyline importance in the Pokémon anime or games.
Over the years, he had tried to pursue many women, but only three entries in his Pokédex had been activated. Apparently, taking advantage of the system wasn't so easy.
"I'm the owner. How can I help you, miss?" Ethan stood up from beside Delia and turned toward the door.
The sight left him stunned. The visitor's voice had sounded familiar, and sure enough, it was someone he knew.
"May?"
"Ethan?"
The two stared at each other in shock, neither expecting this encounter. It was as if they'd seen a ghost.
May had a vivid impression of this young man. They were high school classmates, though their relationship had been rather complicated.
This was mainly because Ethan, who seemed to have something wrong with his head, always insisted on calling her "May". She had told him countless times that her name wasn't May — it was Sapphire!
Didn't he know it was impolite to give people random nicknames?
"Is this your shop?" Sapphire asked with surprise.
"Do I not look like the owner?" Ethan rolled his eyes at her.
"But… I remember your high school grades were excellent. Why aren't you at university instead of running a shop?" Sapphire was completely bewildered.
Wasn't this guy the top scorer in the college entrance exam? Had anyone ever heard of a top student skipping university to open a shop?
Is this how willful top students behaved these days?
"Well, when I thought about possibly not attending the same university as you, I lost all interest in studying." Ethan sighed with a forlorn expression.
"Huh?… What nonsense are you spouting now?!" Sapphire couldn't help but blush at his words.
See? She knew this guy had something wrong with his head. Who says something that sounds like a confession out of nowhere? Did he just enjoy teasing her?
Sapphire didn't believe for a second that his words were genuine. She knew his personality too well — he hadn't changed at all since high school, still as carefree and stubborn as ever!
"Alright, alright. Who told you I wasn't attending university? I'm at Emberleaf University, okay?" Ethan rolled his eyes at her again.
"Emberleaf University? Aren't we at the same school then?" Sapphire was surprised.
With his grades, couldn't he have gone to a better Pokémon university?
There were five Pokémon universities in the summer country, with Emberleaf University located in Emberleaf Province, ranking third overall among them.
The reason for its third-place ranking became clear when looking at the top two.
The first was Dragoncrest Pokémon University, and the second was Mystic Tideglow Pokémon University. One was in the political center of the country, the other in its economic hub — how could others compare?
{T/N: There's no denying that I am altering the real names, so just for reference purposes: Drakonyx (China) is the country where they are, Dragoncrest (Beijing) is the capital city, Tideglow (Shanghai) is an economic capital, and Emberleaf Province (Sichuan Province) is where the story happens.}
Sapphire was quite surprised that Ethan hadn't chosen either of those two prestigious universities.
But thinking about it more carefully, she understood. They both lived in Emberleaf Province, and Emberleaf University wasn't far from home. Who wouldn't want to attend a school close to home?
"Of course we're at the same school. I specifically asked about your college choices before selecting mine." Ethan shrugged, making it up on the spot.
"Stop making things up!" Sapphire couldn't help but get angry, though it was more embarrassment than anger. She suddenly felt the urge to pinch the tender flesh at his waist.
Back in high school, this guy had always loved teasing her just like now, so she had pinched his waist quite often. His waist probably had calluses from all her pinching by now. She remembered how she used to find him so annoying and couldn't wait to graduate and get far away from him.
But looking back now, her feelings were somewhat confused. What had once seemed like a distant graduation had come and gone in the blink of an eye, and they had gone their separate ways.
She suddenly realized, belatedly, how carefree those days of "loving and fighting" with him had been… Well, not entirely carefree — the period before the college entrance exam had definitely been quite stressful…
Sapphire observed the still sharp-tongued young man before her, her thoughts drifting in an inexplicable direction. Perhaps due to her recent setbacks, she found herself oddly nostalgic about the past.
This was actually the first time she had looked at him so carefully up close. She belatedly realized he was quite handsome — if only he didn't have such a mouth on him. With his looks, he could easily charm groups of girls, so why was he always so sharp-tongued with her specifically?
As this thought crossed her mind, Sapphire's cheeks flushed slightly. She seemed to grasp something she hadn't before.
When a boy constantly teases one particular girl, there's really only one explanation, isn't there? That he cares about her?
Wait — could it be that this guy had feelings for her?
Ahem! How could she suddenly come up with such a self-centered thought? Had losing that gym battle rattled her brain?
"By the way, how did you find my shop? This place is pretty out of the way. Without someone's recommendation, most people wouldn't stumble upon it. Did you track me down by my scent or something?" Ethan observed her with interest.
Actually, Sapphire's guess wasn't wrong. He did like her quite a bit, simply because she had May's face and was named Sapphire — wasn't that perfect protagonist material?
Among all the female protagonists in the Pokémon anime, May was one of his favorites. If he could win her over, it would be like fulfilling a dream and would add another entry to his collection. Why not go for it?
If he couldn't get her… well, he'd just move on. It's not like he couldn't live without her.
In essence, Ethan was quite lazy. When he had a goal, he'd put in some effort, but if it didn't work out, he'd just let it go. He never forced things.
"Could you not be so disgusting? Is it so hard to believe I just wandered in here by chance?" Sapphire's face darkened.
What the hell, tracking you down by your scent? What kind of smell would a grown man have anyway — body odor?
It's amazing how he can say such revolting things. How can anyone be like this? He's tempting me to turn around and leave right now.
"Alright, alright. So tell me, what brings you to my shop? Since we're old classmates, I can give you a… 5% discount." Ethan said with a shrug, looking completely indifferent.
"5%… you might as well not give a discount at all…" Sapphire couldn't help but criticize, suddenly doubting her theory. Had this guy really liked her?
Generally speaking, shouldn't the starting discount be at least 30% in situations like this? You have the nerve to offer just 5% off?
You're too stingy to ever get a girlfriend, you know that!
"Are you sure you don't want the discount? The services here are quite expensive. Even a 5% discount could save you tens of thousands." Ethan reminded her.
"That expensive?" Sapphire was shocked.
"See for yourself." Ethan casually took out a price list and handed it to her.
Sapphire was stunned when she heard a 5% discount could save her tens of thousands. Looking at the price list, she was so shocked that she blurted out a curse.
"Holy crap… Hyper Beam training, DP$100,000? Awakening Blaze ability, DP$500,000???" Her eyes widened in disbelief.
{T/N: DP$ means Dragonmark Pokédollar, the currency used in the country they are. Original entry, just to add. And yes, its a pun to DPS (from games).}
She could understand the price for Hyper Beam — high-power move training was always expensive, and there was no guarantee of success.
But what the hell was this Awakening Blaze ability, and why did it cost DP$500,000?
Why don't you just rob me? He could have simply robbed people, but instead he goes the extra mile to change their Pokémon's ability. How touching!
Do I really need your help with this?
I could buy an Ability Capsule for just a few thousand, but you're charging half a million to start? You must make more than bank robbers!
"Are you sure the price for the Blaze ability isn't a mistake?" Sapphire checked several times, confirming she wasn't seeing things before asking in disbelief.
"Of course it's not a mistake. That's the price. I might not even teach it to others who want to learn." Ethan shrugged with a take-it-or-leave-it attitude.
"Are you sure you actually get customers in this shop?" Sapphire was speechless; this was truly the first time she'd seen anyone do business this way.
"Obviously. You're getting special treatment because you're my old classmate. Without an appointment, I might not even serve you." Ethan said with a dismissive pout.
"Tell me, is your Blaze made of gold, or is this shop made of gold, to charge so much?" Sapphire still couldn't believe he could get customers with this business model.
"You know what, my Blaze is worth more than gold. You don't really think I'm just switching abilities, do you?"
"What else would it be?"
"I remember your Torchic had the Speed Boost ability, right?"
{T/N: At the end of each turn, Speed Boost raises the Speed stat of the Pokémon with this Ability by one stage.}
"It's a Blaziken now."
"Fine, fine. What if I could make your Blaziken keep its Speed Boost ability while also being able to trigger Blaze at full health?"
{T/N: When a Pokémon with Blaze uses a Fire-type move, the move's power will be increased by 50% if the user has less than or equal to ⅓ of its maximum HP remaining.}
"Are you joking? That's impossible!" Sapphire was startled by his words, immediately imagining the scenario he described.
A Blaziken with Speed Boost was already an extremely powerful Pokémon. If it could also gain the Blaze ability — especially one triggered at full health — wouldn't that be like getting an Adaptability boost for free?
If he could really do this, her Blaziken wouldn't just become 50% stronger — it would have a unique ability combination that belonged only to them. Where else could you find a Blaziken that could both Speed Boost and activate Blaze at full health?
If such a Pokémon appeared in competitions, the visual impact on the audience would be enormous. Whether it attracted investment from major companies or attention from Elite Four champions, wouldn't the DP$500,000 investment pay for itself?
Sapphire could hardly believe such a good deal existed, so her first reaction was skepticism.
"You'll know if it's real or fake once you pay. My shop operates in plain sight — do you think Officer Jenny would turn a blind eye if I were committing fraud?" Ethan shrugged, not bothering to explain further.
To others, having dual abilities might seem impossible, but he had his secret advantage.
Pokémon can switch abilities by consuming items like Ability Capsules, but people often overlook a crucial fact: the Ability Capsule can only switch abilities, not grant new ones.
{T/N: It changes a Pokémon's Ability from one of its standard Abilities to its other standard Ability. Only the Ability Patch can change the Ability slot of a Pokémon from one of its standard Abilities to its Hidden Ability.}
The prerequisite for switching abilities is that the new ability must already exist within the Pokémon, right?
If a Pokémon only has one ability, then even an Ability Capsule would be useless.
This means the Blaze ability has actually always existed within the Speed Boost Blaziken; he's just using his Aura to excavate the essence of matter and bring out that potential. There's nothing miraculous about the principle — anyone with his Aura could easily do it.
"Well…" Sapphire had to admit she was almost convinced.
Ethan's shop clearly wasn't new; it had been open for some time. If he had been committing fraud all along, how could Officer Jenny allow it?
This meant his claims were probably true — he really could enable her Speed Boost Blaziken to gain the Blaze ability. Though still hard to believe, she couldn't deny feeling tempted by the idea of a Pokémon with such powerful dual abilities.
"Still think my 5% discount isn't much?" Ethan smiled meaningfully.
"The question isn't whether your discount is generous, but whether I can afford it at all." Sapphire looked at the price tag — still DP$450,000 after the discount — and sighed in frustration.
Where would a sophomore college student get that kind of money?
Training Pokémon is expensive enough already!
"Don't tell me you've been struggling this much since you left me?" Ethan said thoughtlessly.
"I wasn't doing that great when I was with you either!" Sapphire snapped back.
This guy really couldn't fix his sharp tongue. Making it sound like we were together — I can live just fine without you!
Wait, I shouldn't have even responded to that!
"Sigh… forget it. What am I going to do with you? How about a 50% discount, will that work?" Ethan asked with an exasperated look.
"No…"
"I think it will work this time."
"Really, no…"
"Come on, you can't be that broke?"
"I really am that broke…"
"…"
Well, getting stuck with you is truly my loss. I've never seen such a disappointing female lead!
◈◇◈◇◈◇
T/N: If you want to read more, my Patreon has over 40 advanced chapters (120,000 words) available, with Special Chapters (+18) and character images as well, along with Pokémon. Feel free to check it out!
https://www.patreon.com/c/whitesabbath