Pokémon: I have no choice but to do this old thing?

During his journey to the Kanto region, Zhang Jianying experienced firsthand the unique aspects of the Pokémon world's transportation technology.

He was sitting in a seat that was so simple it was almost appalling. The seat was made of just a few thick ropes and hung like a swing between a huge Pidgeot and a magnificent Mook Eagle.

(P.S.: What a terrible translation "Big Bird" is! I just call it Pidgeot!)

There were no bulkheads, no roof, and no seatbelts. The howling wind lashed directly at his face. He relied entirely on his arm strength to grip the horizontal bar in front of him, which served as a handrail, and his core strength to resist the turbulence and prevent himself from being thrown off the air swing.

"Relax, kid! My Pidgeot and Staraptor are old partners, they're pretty reliable!"

The flight instructor in front turned around and shouted heartily, "Feel the freedom of the sky! This is much better than those cramped metal aircraft in Galar!"

"I felt free, and the excitement was just as intense!"

Zhang Jianying screamed inwardly. He wasn't afraid of heights, but this kind of suspended flight, which relied entirely on arm strength and trust, was just too wild and hardcore.

"The people in this world are not only physically powerful, but also incredibly thick-skinned! I don't want to die young. Once my baby dragon evolves into a Salamence, I'll definitely get it a top-of-the-line flight saddle from Silph or Devon, the kind with energy absorption and safety locks!"

The source of his future plans was currently being held tightly in his arms.

Ever since learning that they would be traveling to Pallet Town by flying, Babydra refused to go into its Poké Ball and insisted that it must come along.

It looked up at the two Flying-type Pokémon that were bearing their weight above it, its scarlet vertical pupils showing no gratitude, only intense resentment and naked possessiveness.

"Woohoo, you vulgar, stupid birds! In the future, only I can carry you soaring through the skies!"

This slightly obsessive seed took deeper root in its heart amidst the howling wind.

When the tranquil, idyllic town of Zhenxin finally came into view, Zhang Jianying breathed a sigh of relief, not only because he had reached his destination, but also because his cramping arms and tormented lumbar spine were finally relieved.

Standing on the solid ground of Pallet Town and looking at the peaceful scenery, a strange sense of familiarity welled up in my heart.

"Based on the fact that Mewtwo met Ash two years ago, at this point in time, the silly thing should have just finished the Hoennium Conference and be preparing to challenge the Battle Frontier."

He rubbed his aching arm as he curiously looked around the place where the legend began, trying to find the house with the windmill in his memory.

But dreams are dreams, there are more important things to do right now.

Zhang Jianying and his team quickly found the iconic Professor Oak Laboratory, with its huge courtyard. Just as they approached the fence, a strong, energetic voice rang out.

"Oh! Here you are! The young trainer with the special Pokémon Dragon that Yamanashi was talking about, right? I'm Yukinari Oak, welcome to Pallet Town!"

An elderly man wearing a slightly wrinkled white lab coat, with hair that looked as if it had been frizzy from static electricity, strode out to greet us, his face bearing a warm and cheerful smile that was completely different from Dr. Yamanashi's serious demeanor.

His eyes were sharp as he quickly scanned Zhang Jianying and his team, lingering for a moment on the fierce-looking baby dragon clinging to Zhang Jianying's leg, revealing a gleam of intense research interest.

"Hello, Professor Oak, I apologize for bothering you," Zhang Jianying greeted respectfully.

"Not at all presumptuous, haha! For me, being able to meet new Pokémon and energetic trainers is the best kind of relaxation!"

Professor Oak laughed heartily and patted Zhang Jianying's shoulder forcefully, making Zhang Jianying stagger. "Please come in, don't be shy! I just made myself a cup of noodles, let's eat and chat!"

Cup noodles… Zhang Jianying’s eyes twitched slightly. This doctor’s casualness was indeed well-deserved.

Furthermore, he originally thought his physical condition was quite good, after all, he had been doing various kinds of training, but the people and things he had encountered recently had really made him somewhat withdrawn...

The interior of the research institute is like a paradise of knowledge as well as a small disaster site.

Books, documents, various strange fossils, and instrument parts were piled up everywhere, and a television in the corner was playing an intense Pokémon battle video.

Professor Oak was indeed carrying a steaming bowl of seafood-flavored cup noodles. He slurped the noodles while listening attentively to Zhang Jianying recount the condition of the baby dragon and Professor Yamanashi's diagnosis.

Throughout the listening session, he nodded frequently, his focused and insightful gaze contrasting sharply with his unkempt appearance.

"...Therefore, Dr. Yamanashi believes that emotional support is the core of solving the problem," Zhang Jianying concluded.

"That's right! Yamanashi's judgment was extremely accurate!"

Professor Oak put down his empty cup of noodles, his expression turning serious. "Pokémon are creatures of the mind. The power of belief and emotion can often transcend cold, hard data, creating phenomena we call 'miracles.' I have always firmly believed in this."

He changed the subject and looked at Baby Dragon, "However, before we can build a strong enough bond of trust, we need to find a way to prevent it from going berserk and hurting itself when it gets emotional, or accidentally affecting you and your other partners."

Hearing this, Zhang Jianying couldn't help but think to himself, "Doctor, when you say that, can you at least think about your own embarrassing history of getting your hair turned into an afro by an electric mouse and being chased all over the yard by various Pokémon? You're the one who has the least right to talk about avoiding harm!"

Professor Oak, of course, couldn't hear his complaints and got up to rummage through a shelf piled with various mineral samples.

"Forcibly suppressing it is like building a dam to block a flood, which is not advisable. We should give it a choice, a valve that can self-regulate."

Soon, he returned with a dull, unremarkable round stone.

"This is an everlasting stone."

Professor Oak handed the stone to Zhang Jianying, "It's usually used to suppress evolution, but it also has a gentle effect on stabilizing a Pokémon's own energy field. For this child, it can serve as an anchor, helping him stay grounded when his energy gets out of control."

Zhang Jianying accepted the seemingly ordinary yet significant stone, feeling its warm texture in her palm. "Thank you so much, Doctor!"

"You are welcome."

Professor Oak smiled and looked at the still wary Baby Dragon, a hint of something deeper in his eyes.

"The flame burning in this child's heart is far more intense and unique than we can see. The cruel experiments of Dark Star have certainly distorted it, but who can say that this distortion won't, by chance, give birth to some amazing new possibility? Nurture it well, and one day in the future, it might reward you with a surprise that exceeds everyone's expectations."

After saying that, Professor Oak slurped up a mouthful of noodles.

"A brand new possibility? An unexpected surprise?"

Zhang Jianying pondered these words, assuming that the doctor was referring to the baby dragon's extraordinary potential, which could grow into a powerful fighting force, so he didn't make any further connections.

"However," Professor Oak changed the subject, his expression becoming more focused, "relying solely on Everstone is like giving a drowning person a lifebuoy; it can save their life, but it can't teach them to swim. To fundamentally solve the problem, you need a more long-term, targeted approach."

Zhang Jianying straightened his back, knowing that the real substance was about to arrive.

"Yamanashi's diagnosis was very accurate, with personality conflicts and emotional trauma intertwined. Therefore, the core of your training cannot be conventional reinforcement or suppression, but must be guidance and coordination."

Dr. Oak gestured with his hands, "My suggestion is to do energy coordination training."

"Energy coordination training?"

"That's right."

Professor Oak nodded. "The idea behind this method is not to distinguish which characteristic is good and which energy is bad, but to regard them as part of the dragon's body and help it learn how to make these two different energies coexist peacefully and, at certain times, make them work synergistically."

"How exactly do I do it?"

"First, we need to establish energy perception."

Professor Oak explained, "You need to help Baby Dragon clearly perceive the two different types of energy flows within its body."

"The hardness of its head gives it an exceptionally solid foundation for its skull and even its entire skeleton. Its energy is condensed and stable, like a cornerstone."

"The incomplete energy that was forcibly implanted, originating from the characteristics of the flying skin, is relatively restless and has the characteristics of the flying attribute. Although it cannot fully exert the effect of converting Normal-type moves, it still permeates its body surface and energy channels."

"You can guide it through the most basic skill training. For example, when using physical moves like headbutts, let it consciously feel the steady and solid power emanating from its entire body's muscles and bones. This is the foundation brought by the Hard Head characteristic."

Professor Oak took another slurp of his cup noodles.

"At the same time, let it try to sense whether the restless flight-type energy on its body surface will be triggered at the moment of exertion."

"This process will be slow and requires a great deal of patience. The goal is to enable it to clearly distinguish between these two energy states and understand their respective relationships with the body and skills."

Zhang Jianying took notes carefully.

"Secondly, it is about finding an energy balance point and adapting the body to it."

Professor Oak continued, "Once it can initially sense the two energies, the next step is to try to find a balance point where both can exist relatively stably, with the help of the Everstone. In this state, it will not feel any intense conflict or blockage of energy."

The doctor's tone became more serious, "More importantly, we need to guide it, so that the characteristic of its hard head being immune to damage reflection is no longer seen as a passive trait, but rather, through active training, this talent is completely integrated into its flesh and bones!"

"By repeatedly enduring the recoil from skills, this potential to withstand damage is forged into truly formidable physical attributes and a solid foundation of strength!"

"This means that even if it evolves into Salamence in the future and its characteristics change, the physical qualities and resilience to recoil that it has acquired through arduous training, far surpassing those of its kind, will become its unique asset! This perfectly matches its indomitable character."

Professor Oak looked at the fierce-looking Pokémon and carefully considered his words, refraining from directly pointing out its "crazy" personality.

Zhang Jianying's eyes grew brighter and brighter; Professor Oak's suggestions were absolutely spot on!

Finally, we will explore limited energy synergy and applications.

Professor Oak's eyes gleamed with wisdom.

"The essence of the Flying Skin ability is to give Normal-type moves an energy coat and speed boost while imbuing them with the Flying attribute. Although it is incomplete, the speed and explosiveness of the 'wind' element still remain."

Professor Oak looked at Zhang Jianying, who was deep in thought, and paused before continuing, "Think about it, what would it be like if it had a strong physique capable of withstanding the recoil, and could also use the Flying Skin ability to imbue its violent physical attacks with Flying-type energy?"

"This way of turning one's own flaws into a unique fighting style is the realm that top breeders pursue, something that Pokémon that grow step by step can hardly possess."

This description stirred Zhang Jianying's heart, giving her a glimpse of a future for Baby Dragon that was full of challenges but also had a bright future!

"Of course, this is very difficult and requires a high degree of teamwork and patience," Dr. Oak added.

"We don't expect it to succeed immediately. Even if it's just being able to perceive the energy flow more clearly in the early stages, or calming down faster with the help of the Everstone, that's progress. The Everstone's role is to ensure that it doesn't harm itself due to failures on this difficult path of exploration."

Professor Oak chuckled and patted Zhang Jianying on the shoulder: "I've met quite a few promising trainers and Pokémon, and you remind me of that kid who's always full of surprises... cough cough. Anyway, I believe you and your partners can forge your own path. Consider this Energy Coordination Method my little gift to you."

After saying that, he encouraged the baby dragon, "Keep it up, little guy, I'm looking forward to your future."