Chapter 4: Affinities

"Hmm, if I were to put it simply: Major Affinities can be categorized as the Energy Typings that you will have the easiest time learning and adapting to. Minor Affinities, while also granting you an easier time when it comes to learning and adapting, are less influential which means you'll still need to put in some effort to truly let their attributes shine." Bruno wiped the sweat off of his brow as he spoke, explaining the phenomena as best as he could to his son.

"If I remember correctly, father, didn't you say that there are a total of 18 typings? Doesn't that mean that I have some sort of affinity with all of them?" Michael seemed shocked at the revelation of just how talented he was, his eyes opening wide.

'Could this be an unforeseen effect of reincarnating?!' - Michael

"Yes, that does seem to be the case… Another aspect of these Affinities that I should mention is that it is technically possible to increase or even gain them, albeit unimaginably hard. Professors have divided Major and Minor Affinities into levels, those being High-, Middle-, and Low-."

"For example, I was born with a High-Major Affinity for Fighting-type energy, a Low-Major for Rock, a High-Minor for Steel, as well as Middle-Minor Affinities for Ground and Steel. The combination of natural-born Affinities can also be called 'Body Constitutions'." Bruno took a breath before he continued.

"Because of my Body Constitution, I grew to be a lot stronger and tougher compared to other people, which my training only enhanced dramatically." He gave a look at his son, now 'understanding' why he seemed to be sharper and more mature than his age.

"Have you gained any Affinities, Father?" The insanely-intelligent boy questioned.

"Hehe, as a matter of fact, I have! Your incredible father here has gained Normal, Dark, Flying, and Grass affinities all through insane effort!" Bruno once again flexed his muscles as a look of pride spread across his face.

"How much have you been able to increase your Affinities?" Michael asked in an effort to understand just how hard such a task would be.

"Hmm, last time I officially checked I was able to increase my Steel and Ground Affinities to High-Minor, and my Rock-type Affinity to Middle-Major. Aside from those, it's safe to assume that the rest are still at their original stages." Bruno answered after giving the question some thought.

"Man, the earfuls your mother gave me when I came back from that Regirock hunt in Hoenn covered in bruises… How else am I supposed to find Top-quality Hard Stones?! And shouldn't she have been happy that I was safe instead of lecturing me?!" The atmosphere in the small forest space grew out of its previously serious nature as Bruno went on a tangent, easily changing the subject.

"Machamp! Champ!" Machamp followed in Bruno's antics, as if telling the same story from his perspective.

*stomach rumbling*

"Phew, looks like it's time for lunch, Michael. Let's get back to the house before your mother gives me another earful for being late." Bruno's face revealed a subtle look of fear as he stood up.

'I should tell Gigi about this when we get home. She'll probably be just as shocked as I was when she hears about everything…' - Bruno

The three quickly made their way back home as the sun in the sky approached its halfway point.

*Michael POV*

I remained silent for the short walk back home as I pondered on all of the information I had just learned. I could now confirm what exactly the foreign energies within my body were: Typing Energies.

But one thing confused me; My father said that I have Affinities for all of the 18 known typings, and yet I can only see three 'fruits' hanging from the branches of my young 'Soul Tree', as I have decided to call it.

My mind raced as I formulated multiple theories. The only theory that consistently makes sense would be that my Soul Tree, and my body by extension, is simply too inexperienced to properly harness all of these foreign energies at the moment. Going by this theory, it would make sense that my most applicable energy would be 'Fighting'.

This would mean that my Soul Tree needs to be exposed to a specific energy at some point in order for me to utilize it in some shape or form. This would make sense considering my extensive exposure to fighting type pokemon.

Using this theory, it would also be safe to assume that the two other 'fruits' of my Soul Tree correlate to 'Rock' and 'Ground' respectively, going off of the fact that I do spend a lot of time around Onix, my father's pokemon.

According to my father, Onix is a 'primary' Rock-type and 'secondary' Ground-type pokemon. Using that information as a basis, I can conclude that the pokemon with multiple typings emit more of the energy correlated to their 'primary' typing.

Once again following this theory, I can confidently conclude that the tiniest 'fruit' corresponds to 'Ground'.

'But then how are pokemon able to perform 'moves' that do not correlate to their typing(s)? Is there another force/energy at play, or do pokemon have typing affinities of their own? Perhaps the theory of humans and pokemon sharing what scientists call "common ancestors" is not so farfetched…'

As I thought over the mysteries of the recent revelations, my father, Machamp and I eventually reached the front door of our house. Its size was nothing spectacular, but still respectable as the house was two-stories high and large enough to comfortably house 8 people.

"Honey, I'm hom-" The moment my father opened the door, a frying pan flew at high velocity, striking him directly in the face. Unsurprisingly to me, my father's face seemed unscathed, smiling as if nothing unusual just happened.

"You said you'd be back home by lunch time! You're half an hour late! Are you trying to starve my baby boy!!" My mother stood in the kitchen wearing an apron with a flowery decal on it.

"Haha, you're as fiery as ever, my love! Lunch smells delicious! Machamp, go tell the others that it's lunch time." My father's attitude towards my mother was loving and carefree as always.

"Champ!" Machamp left us in the house to go get the rest of the pokemon.

"Hmph! Care to explain what took you two so long?" My mother's angry and impatient tone carried a hint of worry along with it as she spoke.

"Ahem, we'll… talk about that later. Let's just enjoy our family lunch, why don't we?!" My father's expression turned serious for the slightest moment before returning to its usual close-eyed smile, which my mother didn't miss.

"Well alright…" My mother responded this time without any anger, although worry was still present.

Everything seemingly returned to normal as we all sat down at the dining table, ready to begin eating. We all began to enjoy our meals, a hearty meatloaf and side salad with a refreshing cup of water.

"Honey, don't you think it's about time that we send Michael to Trainer school." My mother spoke after swallowing some food, breaking the silence in the room.

"Hmm… He is at that age, isn't he? Well we'll have to look into schools first and make sure they can match up to our Michael's potential. Arceus knows that we can't just send our boy to any run-of-the-mill school." My father responded while touching his fingers to his chin in a thinking position.

"What's Trainer school, mother?" I asked inquisitively while putting down my utensils.

The only people who attended schools in my past life were those aiming to become scholars. Even the skills to read and write were considered wasted on most people, considering most jobs focused on physical labor.

"Trainer school is a place where you get to learn a bunch of different things, but most importantly, a Pokemon Trainer!" She answered with enthusiasm.

"But why do I need to go to Trainer School when I can learn all of that here with you and father?" I genuinely asked, seeing no reason to learn under others when my father can be considered one of the best teachers based on his position alone.

"You need to be around other kids, Michael. Truthfully it'd be a good experience to just get out of the estate, but it's important that you're able to have friends, too! Do you understand what I'm saying?" The worried look returned to my mother's face as she seemed genuinely concerned that being isolated from the rest of the world any further would affect me growing up.

"Mm, I understand. I do want to see what the outside looks like." I answered genuinely.

The faces of my parents seemed to become sad upon hearing my answer, as if guilt gripped their hearts.

"Oh, Michael…" My mother dejectedly responded as she grabbed my hand.

The look on my father's face turned contemplative for a moment, turning firm as if he had come to a decision.

"Maybe it's about time we bought a house in the city, Gigi. I know we had our reasons for coming here in the first place, but… I think it's time we let Michael have a normal life. It's the least we can do as his parents." He looked over to my mother with a look that I couldn't discern the meaning behind.

My parents did not speak any further, only exchanging looks in a way that seemed as if they were having a conversation without words.

"*Sigh* I think you're right, Dear. It's about time we gave our little genius here a place to truly shine. Alright, enough of that now! Let's just focus on eating our food like a happy family!" A smile returned to my mother's face with resolve painted on her face.

'Interesting… It seems that my incredible parents have some secrets that I don't know of. I guess it's only natural, considering I am a young boy in their eyes. No matter what it may be, I refuse to burden them. I will grow into a man that they can look upon proudly, no longer the monster I used to be…'

I made a vow to myself silently, affirming my resolve to be a better man in this life.