Messengers of Divine Will

"Stone Edge?!"

Yeah, Soyi's insulted--and Ground Spider is insulted, as well.

...You know, Agni has never felt that relaxed before (which is saying something); headache gone, eyes...heavy? A big yawn, shoulders drooping. Rubbing their eyes as they drank more of their tea to get that sweet sweet caffeine into their system.

"...Not that I" big yawn again "don't appreciate it but...is it supposed to make me feel this sleepy...?" rubbing their eyes again. Oh fucking Cardinal and the goddamn Companions they can't fall asleep they have hours until they can go home. Doesn't help that Agni rarely gets good sleep, no wonder this gamer is always sleepy and depressed.

"Still...I guess I don't really have a choice but to believe you..." they're going to choose not to think about what those flashy or unpleasant things Miwako could've done--too sleepy to. You know. Deal with that.

Another yawn. Another drink of their tea (might have to switch to coffee later; they really do not want to though).

"...That's because you're lacking sleep. Normally, it just makes you calm down. It's useful for people suffering panic attacks, though it isn't perfect." Obviously, that excluded herself, but that's what her Pokémon were for. "Don't worry - I'll wake you up if a customer comes in, so feel free to take a nap while business is slow." She'd grab a chair for Agni to sit in while they were slowly falling unconscious, easing them into the seat until the exhaustion lay claim to Agni.

"Rest well. I'll wait here until I have to wake you up, alright?"

But something in the way Miwako lowered her voice to tell them that? That...has to mean something, right? It would explain why she has a lock on the South-West Deity stop fucking pounding on the door it's WAY too early for that.

"I'll make this quick, I promise." Gingerly, she took their hand, and would carefully, subtly use her aura manipulation to allow Agni to relax a bit easier, slowing their heart rate and perhaps even ease the pounding in their head. Lower their tension, but in a way that didn't feel forced. A nice, gentle transition into a less wound-up state. When she was done, she'd let go, stepping back and return to her drink.

For the record, Angelica's glad that Gloam has essentially the same sentiment as her. That whatever comes out of the CEO of Keraunos' mouth is just corporate bullshit... which wouldn't be frustrating if Unova didn't buy whatever she's been peddling... Unfortunately, a good number of the people of the region is strung up, enough to cause a divide between pro-Keraunos and anti-Keraunos... and also those who don't really care much.

"Well, at least we both share the same sentiment here." Really, she wouldn't admit much about it, but its really nice, being able to air her thoughts out to someone who is able to listen. That said... She definitely had to ask now.

"Oh, I have no qualms with helping you out in the slightest, and me being a 'unique' individual whose identity can't be traced in this realm is a boon that you're more than free to take advantage of." It was something she's used to her advantage in previous missions as well, so it was fair game. "But I also have a boss to please, not to mention I'm an errand girl of Lady Dinah and some others like her. I probably can't be there as often as I'd like to be, but I can probably find some time on some slow days." In lieu of drinking from the cup that was currently being refilled, she would lightly drum her fingertips against the table for a few moments, before speaking again.

It didn't see any use in the Paldea Region whatsoever...So, it was understandable now why Hamber hadn't educated him about its relevance to Individual Values. In fact, Amethio had never even considered its relevance until just now...But, to think that Hidden Power with a Dark-type was that rare...Zirc and Onia seemed to be doing their best to pay attention, but it was clear that Zirc was having a bit more trouble following Gloam than Onia, and she wasn't doing much better.

But...That was a tough question. Honestly, Amethio didn't know if he knew the right answer to that, or not. He knew his team, yes, but...What might he need on a purely mechanical level? That was quite a pragmatic question...There would be a bit before Amethio answered, his right hand to his lips in thought before he spoke.

"To...Round out one's team and cover weaknesses, correct? Synergy is important for those Trainers who go on to compete on a global scale. Coverage Moves, Abilities...Though, beyond that, I'm afraid I can't answer you, Gloam. Even a Pokémon's Types are considered, aren't they?"

"You're not entirely wrong. Those are all things you have to take into consideration. A passing answer, though I was looking for one more thing. If you're going to fill out the rest of your team, you need to take everything into account. I'll give you an example, and walk you through it, so it'll be easier to digest. But this is where I want you to really pay attention." She would pull up a pair of images on her Rotom Phone and project them so that the trio could see them clearly.

"Well, overall combat would be the better place to start." Soyi nods.

"Right, that makes sense. Having the ears would make the costuming a bitch." No method of disguise was without its shortcomings, not even a Zoroark's illusions. She of all people knew that well.

"Believe it or not, Neo Plasma was thwarted for years now." Angelica pointed out. But even so, there were rumors that they never truly left, just under new skin and management, with most of that being on the criminal underworld. Though she only heard most of that on Castelia's Lower District, so she wasn't really able to verify much on how legitimate those rumors were. After all, her focus was on making sure none of Keraunos' 'poison' does too much damage on the Lower District. Even after she had clawed her way out of there, she still knows several good folks there.

"I haven't dug deep much on Keraunos yet, though all I know when I got back after traveling is that they have established themselves for a while now. Trying to render the usual medicinal items for Pokemon as outdated using their own brand. Then along came Keraunos-X, or KX. The 'poison' they're peddling as the replacement for the X combat enhancers. The moment I heard that some KX products are intended for Trainer use is the moment my distrust just got worse for them. 'To deepen human to Pokemon bond' they say."

As Titania would take Gloam's cup for a refill, Angelica would cross her arms. "I too have seen some KX side effects in the media that were addressed. The CEO herself answers these, see. She claims that those KX incidents were either caused by “physiological incompatibility”, “malpractice or misuse of product” or a “bad batch of the product having been used”. Of course, since they're a well known name, at least in Unova, the media ate it up. I haven't trusted them much before, and I sure as hell don't trust them even more after that press statement."

Which means even Angelica knows that there's more to this than meets the eye. At least more than she lets on.

"...Huh. Interesting." What was spoken was noteworthy enough, but what Angelica wasn't saying was even more so. "Truth be told, our realm's Neo Plasma still has a few splinters around, as far as we know. Other than the rare instance their remnants getting up to things, they're effectively gone." Of course, one could never be too sure, but with how things were going, it was next to impossible for a third Plasma incident to happen.

"Back to Keraunos, though... I don't buy a single word from that CEO. That's the most blatant corporate bullshit I've ever heard, and one of my coworkers quite literally runs one of the largest businesses in our realm. And as someone who grew up in a wealthy family? She's one of only a handful of the elite I've met who gives more of a shit about morals than money." After all, outside of Interpol's involvement with the Proxies, it was Queenpin who provided most of the funding and resources, and it was entirely her idea. Gloam had nothing but respect for her, especially with how she was the sole reason why Freewings didn't follow the path of other large brands.

...And, it seemed Amethio wasn't the only one who didn't know the answer. Zirc's face was scrunched up in what he could only assume to be deep contemplation, like he'd had a bad sandwich. And Onia's thoughtful expression wasn't much more inspiring...This was something Hamber hadn't mentioned during his lessons.

Well, Amethio supposed he wasn't surprised that there were things he didn't know. He was no Pokémon Master, after all. And while Zirc seemed to be getting frustrated with his lack of an answer, and Onia looked to be getting a little heated herself...Amethio would take it upon himself to answer Gloam, clearing his throat before speaking up.

It was safe to say that they didn't have an answer for her, wasn't it?

"Hidden Power. The way one can figure out any individual's Hidden Power type is by the specific sequence of odds and evens in the IV spread. Notably, artificially augmented IVs don't change the Hidden Power type, so there's no way for a person to alter it. Incidentally, Hidden Power Dark is the rarest of them all - the only possible combination for it is odd numbers across the board. I will give you credit, though, the Trick Room part is correct. Special attackers will also prefer a 0 in Attack to lessen the damage taken from Foul Play." For someone who could pass as a teenager due to her aging having been tampered with since she was 14, she was incredibly well-read on the topic of training and battling. Perhaps she grew up in a well-off household where she was tutored, or maybe she had a voracious appetite for information on the subject.

Perhaps it was both, and then some.

"Back on to more applicable topics, I said earlier I wanted to start not with what you do have, but what you don't. If you're going to fill out your teams in the future, what might you be looking for on a purely mechanical level? In other words, if you were to disregard things like personality or care required, and focus solely on battle performance, what do you think you should be looking for?"

"I'm used to high-impact situations when dealing with Rocket anyway." Soyi remarks, also keeping his voice low as they walked--no need for anyone else to overhear the conversation, even as he turned to lead the way into the nearby park.

"Although I'm guessing this is a bit different than what I'm used to, considering the species. Given Mabosstiff's size, weight, and muscle structure... I'm guessing swimming lessons. It can work out, because I've got one of my own--I have a convenient excuse."

"Bingo, that's the best thing you can do. Failing that, walking, running, and any low-impact forms of exercise are acceptable substitutes, but in human and Chosen form, you have a little more leeway as long as you don't push yourself too far." Joint issues weren't uncommon in larger quadruped species that weren't Legendaries, and Mabosstiff was probably one of the more notorious cases. It made it easier for her that he caught on so quickly, as it helped move things along.

But, as they wrapped up that bit of small talk, it seemed like they'd arrived to where they had planned on going, and luckily for the two of them, the surrounding area was completely empty. Not a single human soul in range to hear a muffled gunshot. Perfect. Hopefully, it'd stay that way.

She would rather save the gun for last, though, all things considered. Of course, she could start with the knife of hers he still had on him, but it would be better if she asked him if he wanted to start there, or with something more basic. After all, he knew better than she did where he was having trouble.

"IVs are what doctors put in you when you're in the hospital! That's obvious, lady. They've got nothing to do with battles, though."

Zirc's answer was almost laughably self-assured. In fact, even Onia was staring at Zirc like he'd grown a second head or something. But...Amethio couldn't help but to shake his head fondly at his subordinate's attempt at guessing. Well, he couldn't blame Zirc for trying, at least, now could he? Even if he'd missed the mark totally...

No, he'd learned about these while studying under Hamber.

"That's not what she means, Zirc. IVs, or Individual Values, are a sort of metric on the potential of one's Pokémon. For example, Deino has maximum Special Attack and Speed IVs due to her lineage. EVs, or Effort Values, are a metric of personal growth gained through battling. These affect a Pokémon's base capabilities...And Base Stats are the innate capabilities of a Pokémon, unique to its species. Is that correct, Gloam?"

Zirc was a bit disappointed to be proven wrong, if his expression was anything to go by. But...While Amethio didn't mess with this sort of thing typically, he was grateful that Hamber had made learning of such a part of his education as a Trainer. A day had finally come where this would be useful...Honestly, he never thought he'd see the day.

"Someone's taught you well. Full points, Amethio. EVs are easy to alter, and even if you cap them out, you can use various methods to lower unwanted EVs or even reset them completely. IVs, on the other hand, are a little more of a done deal - it ranges from 0 to 31, and while there's means to max them out, there's no way to freely manipulate them, or even lower them at all. This means in certain cases, the most valuable number to see on a Pokémon's IVs isn't a 31, but a 0, and in more niche cases, even numbers in general."

As she spoke, she would start writing down various things on the whiteboard using Psychic, just like she had with the instruments earlier. After all, the whiteboard was taller than she was, and writing this way was faster. A bulletpoint version of what she was speaking aloud, as well as additional notes about how to manipulate EVs and IVs would promptly appear.

Luckily, Soyi had finished the last of the coffee in the mug, so he'd set the mug down on the table before standing to his feet and glancing over to some of his Pokemon--the Mewtwo especially--as he headed for the door.

"Keep an eye on the place until I get back, and don't go eating all the cookies. Save some for the kid, would ya?"

"Before we even get to anything, there's a couple precautions I should give when it comes to your species. While it's true that having muscle helps offset strain on joints to some degree, and the species is mostly muscle, muscle is also heavy. Battling is an impact sport, too, and the high risk of injury combined with Mabostiff's physique and being a physical attacker means that if you use that form, it should be as sparingly as possible because of the high risk of damaging your joints. Obviously, there's going to be times where it's your best option in a high-risk scenario, but it's something to keep in mind." Depending on how much he knew about her, perhaps her having this knowledge would be a shock, but in context, it made perfect sense.

"I can only imagine how much Legendaries must've struggled when they first took on human form." Soyi ponders--although perhaps he might have gotten some internalized amusement from imagining the first time something like Giratina tried to walk on two legs. Palkia at least had an advantage.

"I know there's a special area of the nearby park that no one goes to. We'll do our training there--it keeps us from possibly breaking somethin' and keeps me from having to explain shit to my old man."

"If it was anything like some of my coworkers? Like watching a baby Deerling. Something tells me that wasn't the case, though. Pretty sure my realm's Pantheon were given their shapeshifting from the start, so they had that baked-in." Still, she could agree that it was a funny image.

Both Zirc and Onia seemed to pale a bit.

"W-Wait, a Champion-ranked Trainer!? You're way out of our league, lady..."

It was a good thing they weren't here to battle Gloam seriously...Right? Zirc could feel himself sweating bullets underneath his casual attire at the thought. He'd be out in no time flat, seriously...! And while she said nothing, it was clear Onia shared the same sentiments.

So, it fell to Amethio to calm his trusted subordinates down...And to ask a question that had just come to mind.

She would lead the group from the Performance Hall to a nearby meeting room, marking the room as occupied before closing the door.

"For your first question, yes, you won't be facing me. The closest you'll come, if we get that far, is watching me how I train my team. As for your second? Not quite. Training is an art of its own - there's no single right answer, but there's plenty of wrong ones. Teambuilding and the theory end of things, while also open-ended, is at least a little less vague. With that in mind, nothing I say should be treated as gospel or a hard rule. I want you taking notes, sure, but individually, your mileage will vary, depending on a variety of things. At the very least, though, I want you to use what I tell you in a manner that suits you and your circumstances best. I can tell you something, but it's meaningless if you can't use it, whether it's applying it yourself, or using it to understand your opponent."

There were already notebooks and writing utensils ready for the three of them, as well as a whiteboard for her. Seems like she prepared ahead of time.