“The one exception to a Pokemon’s membrane is Critical Hits, if their membrane is disrupted, then the enemy can attack the Pokemon directly. This is very dangerous and can turn battles in an instant. Which brings us to moves that are made to bypass a Pokemon's defense with Critical Hits. There are many niche ways, but the two most common in the Region are Throh’s Storm Throw and Frost Breath, learned by the Cubchoo line but also taught to virtually any Ice Type through T.M.”

“The membrane is also the base upon which the Star system was built. At first there was no way to compare strength to each Pokemon. Looking between two of the same species is easy, but once branching out, things become much more complicated. Long ago, a scientist, forgotten by time, proposed we measure the amount of energy each Pokemon held. People can naturally feel the strength a Pokemon contains by the energy they give off, but not anything quantifiable.”

“With practice, we can all easily feel the Star strength a Pokemon holds, but not which step they are on, so always be careful! Once someone knows what a one star or two star feels like, it's impossible to forget.”

“And then the PokeReader was born. Where its main function was to measure the corresponding amount of type energy, many other functions were now at our fingertips. It was the start of a new era, people gave labels to the average amount each Pokemon contained. Each Pokemon is born at 0 Stars and goes all the way up to the Legendary realm, or the 9th Star.”

“These natural realms are easily mapped out, but each Pokemon has arbitrary amounts for evolving or to learn new moves. The realms are so large that a Pokemon new to one is easily beaten by one ready to advance to the next. Humans then added smaller realms labeled the Lower, Middle, and Upper. Now, instead of saying a Lillipup evolves during its first star, we can say that they evolve in the middle realm of the first star. It narrows the focus, but also allows for a bit of variation.”

“Now, that’s not to say a 3 Star Pokemon can’t beat a 4 Star. There is no large leap between ranks, and everything fades together quite closely. Battles are dynamic and there are an infinite number of factors when it comes to Pokemon battles. Type matchups, natural counters, unique moves, special strategies, the list goes on. My message to all of you is to always be cautious! You never know what might happen!”

“Friday we will have our first battle session where we will go over the best ways to fight and gather energy into our Pokemon’s membrane so please be patient! That's all kids, now scram!”

The lecture was over. It was probably the single most important piece of information she had learned. It only increased the importance of the class to an even greater height. At first she had only agreed to take it for the prestige, she was unsure what people could teach her about Pokemon with years of experience to back it up. She found that to be untrue.

All the other students left as Levy gave her the stink eye. It had been a long day and Lilith had written down as much as she could. A note taking app was set up on her Holo Castor for that very reason.

It was now time to catch up on the previous day’s work with Madam Shirley. Lilith opened a new tab.

“Alright, ready for our crash course?” She asked.

Shirley was a dedicated teacher and wanted to help as many students as possible. She opened up her lecture materials and started at the beginning.

“Now, as a general rule, the way Pokemon react in the wild is tied to their Typing. Grass and Water are notoriously tame in comparison to all other Types; that's why they are recommended if a Trainer is unsure what they want as a first choice. Normal and Fairy are more neutral, while Fire are passionate but not prone to unnecessary violence. Flying types love their freedom while Ice Types stay out of everyone's way. This is where we go from no violence to the more territory driven Pokemon. Bug, Rock, and Ground are only beaten out by Ghost Types as Pokemon that will attack all intruders that step into their territory. Dark, Psychic and Fighting Types are unfortunately a toss up. Some Pokemon attack on sight while others only look for the hardest challenge. Steel Types are the most instinctual and it depends mostly on their mood.” Shirley paused and looked at Lilith.

“Now we have the most dangerous Pokemon. Dragon, Poison, and Electric are notorious for going out of their way to do harm. These types should be avoided at all costs if not prepared for them specifically.”

“Now, we have a problem. As you know Pokemon can have up to 2 different Types, basically throwing out all of what I have just gone over. The combination of different Types can change their usual behavior drastically. Basically it can shift in either direction. Moral of the story! Do your research and know the most likely dangers when entering a new area.” Shirley caught her breath.

“Now we can go over specific locations with different Pokemon. Depending on the terrain, mood can change wildly…”

***

Lilith’s head spun. Shirley had thrown out so much information at her that it would take time to process.

‘So basically every species of Pokemon have their own unique quirk, and even then, that quirk can change wildly depending on the situation.’ She thought.

‘That explains the Onix’s behavior.’ She analyzed.

Lilith pulled out her Holo Castor and tapped the map feature. She wanted to get more used to the city, and wandering around seemed like the fastest way to get acclimated. Bianca didn’t expect her home for a few more hours.

***

Wandering and getting lost was the best way to learn about any place. Lilith spent the next hour just wandering around. When her Holo Castor alarm buzzed, she opened up her map and charted a way back to Bianca’s apartment.

Lilith had figured out that it wasn’t actually her’, but the Leagues. As Juniper's assistant, she had access to multiple different facilities and homes in each major city. That facilitated travel for everyone under the League as a whole. It explained the neutral decor perfectly.

Despite that, it was a quaint little apartment. It had a shared living space and bathroom along with a kitchen and two bedrooms. The building it was located in was a high rise. Multiple rooms sat on each floor with theirs on the third. All walks of life lived together. Lilith felt like she was back at a college dorm.

It was an unusual situation. Lilith was so used to the wilderness that having everything handed to her felt odd. Her daily living necessities were paid for by the League until she started her journey.

Bianca looked up from her book as Lilith entered the apartment. She sat in a chair by the door as she entered.

“Ah, how was your first day?” She asked. “My classes were totally different than the ones you're taking. A Professor and a Trainer are totally different.” Bianca added.

Lilith pondered the thought.

“Are they really that different?” She asked. “ They’re both about Pokemon.”

Bianca’s eyebrows rose.

“Hmm I never thought about it like that.” She said.

“Well, my guess is that the Professor classes are just a really specialized look at Pokemon, while Trainers focus on the more broad practical aspects. Professor Juniper studies the Origin of all Pokemon while other Professors pick different concentrations. Trainers apply their teachings in a practical manor” Lilith said.

“That’s an interesting take, sure you don’t want to be a Professor yourself?” she asked

“I’m sure.” Lilith said “You got any food?”

“Yes, I left some on the kitchen counter for you.”

***

Cheren’s Trainer School - Next Day

Lilith got up bright and early for class. She was looking forward to her Egg hatching. It would shift occasionally in the night and she knew it was close. Levy’s attempt at an apology despite being shoved into the position by Sam hadn’t brought down her mood.

The bell rang as everyone sat down and Madam Shirley started her monologue.

“Abilities! Today is all about Abilities. Each Pokemon is born with one. Instinctually, they understand how to use their innate talent. Some can even sniff out their opponent's Ability, but most just use deduction. Now, that doesn't mean each species only has one Ability. There are up to three different abilities each species of Pokemon can have. The Primary, Secondary, and the Hidden Ability. The latter is called that because they are incredibly rare and hard to study. Most are not even known.” Shirley finally took a breath.

“Now! Let's talk about Ability changes due to evolution and how best to strengthen their use.”

***

The lecture was interesting. Most of it was common knowledge for her, but it was a good refresher. It wasn’t like Lilith had each Pokemon’s ability memorized and what each ability did. Apparently changes in ability due to evolution was a heated debate. The cause was unknown, and researchers had been arguing for a long time why and how they occurred.

The most important part had been about strengthening Abilities. That wasn’t even a concept in the games, the class just kept on giving.

The long and the short of it was that a Pokemon’s Ability was like a muscle, if practiced long enough it had the potential to grow. The trick was knowing what exercises to perform. Different Abilities had different ways to do that, and they had gone over the general categories. Weather inducing, power scaling, and preventative measures were the most common. Unnerve didn’t allow Pokemon to eat berries as one preventative measure. Clear Body and Intimidate didn’t allow its user's membrane to be disrupted, or lowered the foes' attack respectively. Drizzle made it rain. etc.”

***

With the day done, Lilith set out onto the City once more. She hadn’t wandered far when she found herself in front of Aspertia City’s Gym. the building was practically connected to the school. The only thing between them were the low leveled fields for training. It stood tall and reminded her of a cinder block. The outside was almost completely gray. The doors stood wide open with the Badge right above it. It was long and thin, reminding her of a staff. Lines intersected to create small squares at the top and bottom.

A spur of the moment decision left Lilith heading through the front door. She had no idea what she might find. Her pulse started to quicken. The room functioned more like a large waiting area than anything else; many Trainers lined the walls. Some were Gym Helpers, while other Gym Challengers. She could tell the difference by their uniform. Trainers had no set uniform while the Helpers all had on a nauseating gray coat. Leave it to a uniform to decrease individuality.

Two hallways bisected the waiting area. Lilith watched as Trainers were led down into the different fighting arenas. While this was the official venue for challenges, other Trainers could also request the space for duels or practice of their own. Higher level fights tended to break their surroundings, and the League was happy to not have Trainers running around destroying everything. Guards manned both hallways. The battles could be dangerous if not taken the proper precautions. That left little room for spectators.

Lilith felt an itch that she couldn’t quite scratch. She watched the guards chat with Trainers and receptionists alike. They were quite lax in their duties. When an opportunity presented itself, she pounced. The guard on the northern wall obviously liked one of the female helpers. Every time she got close to him, he would try and strike up a conversation. Lilith took that moment where his back was turned to sneak into the hallway.

She had to move into a room fast as she walked down the empty hallway. Each door was clearly labeled with a sign above. One for ‘Arena’ and the other ‘Spectator.’ Lilith listened for the noise of battle but found none. Instead she chose a random spectator door and tried the handle. When it turned for her, she entered. Lilith closed the door quietly before taking in her surroundings.

The arena lay out before her. The spectating area looked more like bleachers as they looked down onto the area below. A glass pane stood between the two. Lilith crouched down as she approached the side of them. She could hear voices below, too far to make out, however.

Lilith’s luck had run its course, the people standing around were leaving. It appeared that she had just missed their battle. She had hoped to take notes on it, or at least witness some training. Anything to gain more knowledge about Pokemon battles. The two women walked up to the exit and left unceremoniously. They had recalled their Pokemon so she didn’t even get a glimpse at them.

Lilith cursed her bad luck. There would be nothing to have in the battle room. Lilith sighed as she turned back towards the door behind her.

A man stood in her way. He dressed business casual, and had a pair of glasses on the bridge of his nose. His hair was unruly as a small smile appeared on his face. Cheren looked more amused than angry.

“You must be Lilith.’ He said.