Bonus for 800 powerstones.
-------------------
As Tinkatink smashed the sofa to pieces, Johan's Pokédex projected a screen, displaying information about the little creature.
[Tinkatink]
Type: Fairy/Steel
Ability: Pickpocket
Moves Known: Ice Hammer, Fake Out, Astonish, Fairy Wind, Baby-Doll Eyes, Metal Claw
Mood: Happy, Excited (Found my hammer!)
Condition: Excellent (Such a well-tended incubation environment. Could it be… are you a breeder?)
Friendship Level: 100 (It sees you as its mom!)
Wait, what?
Johan's expression shifted as he took in the data on the screen, a tangle of thoughts crowding his mind.
Mom?
He took a deep breath.
Maybe he'd need to address some "misunderstandings" in the little Tinkatink's thinking over time. But after skimming over the "mom" part, Johan turned his attention to the list of moves Tinkatink had already learned.
Especially the move it had used moments ago to destroy the sofa: Ice Hammer.
[Ice Hammer: Ice-Type Move, Power: 100, Lowers the user's Speed]
With a power of 100, this move clearly packed a punch. Even Haunter's hard-earned Shadow Ball had a power of only 80.
Sure, Ice Hammer came with lower accuracy and side effects, but…
Tinkatink couldn't naturally learn Ice Hammer through normal training or TMs; it was only possible by inheritance.
Though… it didn't feel quite like inheritance. More like prenatal influence, Johan thought.
With Haunter—a ghost thousands of years old—haunting the house with a lower-than-average temperature, and Vulpix often making indoor snowmen and cooling the place even further, it was possible that the move Ice Hammer was developed from Tinkatink being… well, frozen into it.
Johan's focus shifted to Tinkatink's ability—Pickpocket.
Perfect.
[Pickpocket: The Pokémon can steal the opponent's held item when it makes physical contact.]
Classic.
Maybe he'd end up making his fortune off this ability.
Johan shook his head. Maybe not.
Realistically, neither Tinkatink nor its final evolution, Tinkatink, had the best abilities overall. The options were Mold Breaker, Own Tempo, and Pickpocket—none of which were stellar. This was one reason Tinkatink struggled to shine in battles in the game.
But this was the real Pokémon world, where abilities and moves didn't have such strict restrictions.
Johan recalled that Tinkatink could learn the move Skill Swap, which might be an answer here.
[Skill Swap: Switches the abilities of the user and target Pokémon.]
In other words…
Since Tinkatink's Fairy/Steel typing meant it was only weak to Ground and Fire, if it could trade abilities with Haunter and gain Levitate, Tinkatink would only have a single weakness: Fire.
And just imagine the power of a high-flying Tinkatink…
"Better not," Johan thought, quickly discarding the idea.
The benefit to Tinkatink might be minor, but giving Haunter Pickpocket instead would be an absolute disaster! Johan could practically see the police chasing them down the next day.
Still, this opened up possibilities for training Tinkatink.
If it could swap abilities mid-battle, gaining something like Huge Power or another great ability, its strength would skyrocket. With a boost from Swords Dance, it could be a one-hit powerhouse.
Tinkatink could also naturally learn the Fairy-type move Play Rough and could be a viable "dragon slayer" in certain situations.
Additionally, Tinkatink could learn Fake Out, Thunder Wave, Light Screen, and Reflect, giving it solid team utility options.
Johan's mind buzzed with potential battle strategies.
When he looked back at Tinkatink, his expression froze.
The little Pokémon was already eyeing his ancient laptop, hammer in hand.
Driven by a near-instinctual compulsion to craft and repair, Tinkatink saw the old laptop as something desperately in need of its skills.
"Ka-kah!"
Not this time, little one!
Haunter threw itself between the hammer-wielding Tinkatink and the laptop, pulling a face as a last-ditch intimidation tactic.
"Chu!"
Tinkatink, however, only looked at Haunter with a sweet smile, releasing its hammer and embracing Haunter's hand.
Baby-Doll Eyes!
"Ka-kah (×_×)"
While Haunter stood frozen, Tinkatink slid past him and lifted the laptop in its tiny hands. Without hesitation, it raised its hammer.
"Ka-kah!! Σ(дlll)"
Fake Out? Was it supposed to be used like this?
With a few decisive thud-thud-thuds, Tinkatink's new creation emerged—a laptop transformed into a "heart-shaped" computer.
"Chu~~"
Tinkatink beamed with pride, admiring its work.
Good! It was improving!
"Ka-kah…"
"Oowu…"
Haunter and Vulpix exchanged glances.
It actually looked pretty cute.
At least the laptop wasn't completely destroyed, so they both relaxed a little.
Then…
Tinkatink's gaze drifted over to the Berry Mixer, the large device used to blend berries into Pokéblocks. Its round eyes filled with stars.
In an instant, it charged toward the Berry Mixer.
"Ka-kah!"
Haunter shivered and rushed to block Tinkatink's path, contorting its face into a terrifying scowl.
"Chu~~"
Tinkatink, completely unfazed, only grinned wider.
Her eyes gleamed as she hugged Haunter's hand, snuggling it affectionately.
Haunter, momentarily stunned, found itself incapacitated as Tinkatink zipped past, heading straight for the Berry Mixer, hammer at the ready.
"Ka-kah!! Σ(дlll)"
It was all over!
Haunter imagined Johan's disapproving glare and shuddered. Could it take the fall for this one?
"Oowu!"
Luckily, Vulpix intervened, quickly jumping in front of Tinkatink and summoning a second, identical Substitute Vulpix.
A gentle breath of icy air created a snowman version of the Substitute Vulpix, diverting Tinkatink's attention.
"Chu!!"
Tinkatink, delighted, turned its back on the Berry Mixer to admire the snowman Vulpix.
It took aim with its hammer, which was now glowing with frost, and struck the snowman.
Boom!
Snowflakes and ice crystals scattered across the room.
"Chu-chu~~"
Tinkatink giggled gleefully.
Haunter, now more at ease, grabbed a metal basin from somewhere and began gathering up the ice fragments.
Frozen treats!
Within moments, they'd fallen into a routine: Vulpix built the snowmen, Tinkatink smashed them, and Haunter scooped up the resulting snow, all in perfect harmony.
Watching this oddly familial scene unfold, Johan facepalmed.
It seemed Haunter and Vulpix had already trained Tinkatink into one of their own.
"They're working together so well," Cynthia observed warmly. "It looks like they're going to be the best of friends."
Johan raised an eyebrow. "And why would that make you jealous?"
Just then, Tinkatink seemed to pause, her hammer mid-swing, transfixed by the Substitute Vulpix.
"Oowu?" Vulpix tilted its head in confusion.
"Ka-kah," Haunter murmured, visibly relieved that the destruction had temporarily ceased.
"Chu-chu!"
Suddenly, Tinkatink's expression grew intense, her pink face flushed with determination.
"Oowu?!"
It's going to—!
"Ka-kah!!"
Wait! Don't—
But just as Haunter protested, Tinkatink's form blurred, briefly producing a double image of itself.
The young Tinkatink tilted its head.
"Chu?"
Johan's eyes widened.
Did it just attempt… Substitute?
It didn't quite manage to complete the move, but the fact that it had even tried sent Haunter and Vulpix into a frenzy of excitement.
Haunter slung an arm around Tinkatink, its face brimming with pride.
"Ka-kah~~"
Don't worry—we'll teach you properly!
"Oowu-oowu!" Vulpix echoed, wrapping Tinkatink with its six tails.
Yes, and we'll pass down our "Johan Family Hypnosis Technique" too!
"Chu?"
Tinkatink looked puzzled.
Hypnosis?
Johan felt a pang of dread. Somehow…
It was too late to change things now.
His newest addition was already well on its way to being mentored by Haunter and Vulpix, and there wasn't much he could do to reverse it.
On the bright side, maybe Tinkatink would turn out to be an exceptional learner, with some powerful "practical" skills…
"Quite the eager student, isn't it?" Cynthia said with a gentle smile.
The kind of Pokémon any Trainer would be proud to have.
"Yeah…" Johan muttered.
He remembered a saying from an old martial artist in his previous life:
"I trained in martial arts so others would take me seriously; I studied so we could talk peacefully."
Did that mean…
Having Tinkatink would help him ensure that anyone who doubted his methods would at least learn to appreciate the value of Hypnosis?
A few minutes later, Haunter, Vulpix, and Tinkatink were all sitting quietly at the coffee table, each with a bottle of Moomoo Milk, all rhythmically kicking their legs.
The sight was almost… wholesome.
Watching this display of harmony, Cynthia took a sip of her own drink and turned to Johan with a smile.
"I wish I knew more about raising a Tinkatink," she mused. "But I'd bet Steven would have plenty of advice when it comes to Steel-types."
Taking a deep breath, Johan suppressed the nagging unease building up inside him. At the end of the day, Tinkatink was healthy, and it was happy with Haunter and Vulpix as its new family.
"Maybe," he replied. "I'll reach out to him about it sometime."
----------
Powerstones?
For 20 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates