Chapter 8: This Machop is Not Ordinary

Chapter 8: This Machop is Not Ordinary

The valley earned its "Sunny" name from its unique geographical position. The steep mountain cliffs surrounding the valley face north and south, while the valley's entrance faces directly east. Due to its lower altitude, the morning sun rises over the forest canopy, casting warm, radiant light into the valley. This sunlight bathes the entire valley in a golden glow, turning the scenery into an almost ethereal view.

At this moment, the morning sun embraced Riolu as he stood there, feeling warm and content. However, he wasn't focused on basking in the sunlight. Instead, he was scanning the surroundings, as if searching for someone.

"Hmm, there he is! Machop, brother, found you!"

Among the nearly identical Machops, Riolu quickly spotted the Elite Machop that had guided him the day before.

As a quick explanation, Pokémon of the same species generally look quite similar, except for those with special abilities. Differences between individuals are mostly related to size or minor physical characteristics.

So, how do Pokémon distinguish between individuals of the same species?

This brings us to something called Pokémon Pheromones, a substance in the Pokémon world that Riolu was now able to sense after becoming a Pokémon himself. It works similarly to an ID card in the human world, marking the identity of each Pokémon. While members of the same species may have similar pheromones, each individual has subtle differences that make them distinguishable.

Because of Pokémon Pheromones, there is no need for Pokémon to use names like humans do. They are generally referred to by their species. However, some Pokémon with deeper contact with human culture may still prefer to give themselves unique names.

Back to the present, Elite Machop was busy training with the other Fighting-type Pokémon.

"Hey, Machop, big brother," Riolu approached him and greeted.

"Oh, it's you, you're called... Riolu, right? How was your rest?" Machop wiped the sweat off his brow and smiled at Riolu.

"Yeah, thanks for asking. Last night was the best sleep I've had in a while," Riolu paused for a moment, then hesitantly added, "Actually, I have some questions. Is it a good time?"

Machop paused his training and led Riolu aside.

"Sure, go ahead. What can I help you with?"

"Could you teach me how to battle? I've learned some moves, but I can't seem to use them."

Riolu's eyes were filled with desire. His inner longing to fight, just like the Machop and Mankey he had seen earlier, was strong.

In his past life, his love for combat sports had driven him to become a professional fighter. Although his heart disease had stopped him from continuing his career, now that he had been reborn into a world dominated by battles, how could he not unleash his fighting spirit?

"I see. I understand now," Machop nodded after hearing Riolu's explanation about how he struggled to execute his moves.

"Then, tell me, what do you think a move is?" Machop asked with a grin.

Riolu was momentarily stumped. In his past life, whether in games, comics, or anime, there was never an explanation for how Pokémon used their moves. In games, moves were just part of the mechanics, and in the anime, trainers simply shouted the names of moves to make Pokémon use them.

But here, in the real Pokémon world, there was no game interface to select moves, and shouting their names didn't seem to make them work. So, how did moves actually get used?

Seeing Riolu's troubled expression, Machop chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.

"I can see from your energy flow that you're still quite new as a Pokémon. Don't worry too much, most newly born Pokémon struggle with using moves without guidance from older Pokémon."

"Now, watch closely," Machop said, his face becoming serious. He stepped back a few paces, getting into a fighting stance. Taking a deep breath, his body tensed, and brown-red energy surged from within, covering his fists in a moment.

"Bullet Punch!"

With a sharp shout, Machop launched a flurry of rapid punches, swinging them forward.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The speed of his punches was so fast that the air shimmered with afterimages. As the energy-wrapped fists collided with the ground, small craters formed with explosive force.

In just two or three seconds, Riolu couldn't even count how many punches had been thrown. The power of each punch was evident from the depth and width of the craters.

Machop stopped, letting out a breath.

"Now, watch me again."

Machop paused for a moment before getting back into the same stance and throwing a series of identical punches.

But this time, he didn't shout the move's name. The brown-red energy didn't appear either. While the punches were still strong, they lacked the overwhelming power of the previous strike.

"Do you see the difference between these two?"

Riolu furrowed his brows. "Is it the brown-red energy that makes the difference?"

Machop nodded.

"Everything in the world, whether living or non-living—rocks, water, wind, even the air—is filled with energy. That's why we can use moves. For Pokémon, there's a distinction between internal energy and external energy."

"Internal energy is what Pokémon store within themselves through training, accumulation, and absorption. External energy, on the other hand, is the energy found in the environment around us."

"For example, Water-type Pokémon are often found near rivers and seas. Aside from the ecological factors, they also thrive in areas rich in water energy. This allows them to absorb and store energy and use it more effectively in battles."

"Similarly, Grass-type and Bug-type Pokémon prefer forests and jungles, Flying-types prefer high areas, and Rock-type and Ground-type Pokémon often reside in caves. These ecological distributions are all connected to the energy present in the environment."

Machop continued to explain passionately.

Riolu suddenly understood, but there was still a lingering curiosity in his mind. He couldn't help but interrupt Machop.

"Wait, big brother, how do you know all this?"

Riolu couldn't believe that a wild Pokémon would have such a deep understanding of theoretical knowledge.

Machop smiled, as if he had been waiting for this question.

"I studied under a renowned Pokémon professor for a while. He's the most authoritative researcher in this region and has an in-depth understanding of all kinds of Pokémon. I was assigned to protect him, but over time, I became fascinated by his knowledge. He never treated me differently because I'm a Pokémon, and after I kept asking him questions, he patiently taught me a lot."

"Wait, we Pokémon can communicate with humans?" Riolu's heart skipped a beat. Even though he had reincarnated as a Pokémon, he still longed to re-enter human society someday.

Machop nodded, then shook his head.

"Human language and Pokémon language are different. The professor used rare materials to create translation devices, and I was fortunate enough to use one to communicate with him."

At this point, Machop's face showed admiration and joy, but it quickly darkened as he continued.

"While exploring this forest, a recent earthquake separated me from the professor. I've been searching for him ever since, but still, no news."

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Let's get back to the topic."

Machop pushed aside his sorrow and returned to explaining to Riolu.