Hunger for knowledge. On topic! [Independent Studies]

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The Sandshrew by the name of Yigo was troubled with something for some time. While looking at his stash for supplies, he managed to find a strange fruit. There was no doubt in his mind that it was, in fact, a berry. However, the young kid couldn't pinpoint which one it was or if he had ever seen it beforehand. The appearance of the fruit was of round, light yellow with small green circles all over its skin. To the touch, it felt tough yet not that rough. His claw could easily tear into it, something that he did just to check on the insides of the thing. They seemed as clear as the skin yet it had an even lighter yellow. Some juice came out of the wound as well, proving that it wasn't exactly dry. This last fact brought a new question to the table.

This juice felt like something Yigo himself could produce long ago: Poison. Wouldn't it be a waste to hoard a poisonous berry? Yigo had no use for poison at all. It is dangerous to leave a delicious looking treat that is a sick belly in disguise when food is scarce. How to clear this doubt? Luckily for Yigo, there was a place that was all about learning in just a walk of distance. With hunger for knowledge in his head and actual hunger a step below, Yigo fit his berry into his satchel, strapped on his belt across his shoulder and then adjust it around his hip, put on his pink, ragged and stained Trap Scarf and marched on!

It took him less than an hour to reach Peak Academy. Hopefully, making a good time would make his potential meal last enough before going to waste. In no time, the Sandshrew found himself on all fours trotting around the open fields with pokemon already making use of them to spar or play some sport. Yigo could identify a few from having crossed paths in the past but no one was too noteworthy. The one he was truly looking for was a teacher by the name of Millie who gave the Essential Skills lectures to him and a few others. With all her cooking knowledge she would know what secrets the unknown forage was keeping. Getting past the training ground and the front gate, the ground type came to the hallways leading to the classes. He remembers enough of the building to know where to go, just turning a few corners until he found himself in the room with the cooking materials.

"Woah!" A Pamsage took a step back in surprise. Yigo's ears tensed and immediately stared at the source of that. It was... really close to him and they were about to bump into each other if it was not for the monkey doing her best to avoid it. Yigo noticed this and took a few steps back himself, looking down and with his tail low in shame.

"Uhm.."
"Oh..."

They both stammered for a moment without looking into each other's eyes.

"Sorry"
"Yes, sorry" Said the Pansage, finally resuming her march. She was heading in the direction Yigo was planning to go but the rodent thought that going with her would be too awkward for both. Where did she come from anyway? Yigo shook his head and looked around. He was standing almost in the middle of a doorway. With such little room around the corner, it was easy how one would bump into someone. Examining the place a bit more, he found out that the door was open, revealing what was inside. The room contained a few carpets, some pillows and a bunch of shelves that contained rows upon rows of books. One of the pillows was occupied by an idle Mime Jr, sitting down with a book open in front of him. It was not open the way someone would have it, it was standing by itself while being open thanks to the hardcover being thick enough. Moreover, this book had an illustration at the front, a whole bunch of rocks.

This gave Yigo an idea. Maybe he could find a book inside that could help with this issue. Of course, there was the danger of finding books with just words but, with a bit of luck, there would be a few that only had pretty and instructional pictures he could follow. And so, Yigo entered the academy library and immediately started taking books out of the shelves. Not brutishly but with care yet dismissing any single book lacking a picture. Grabbing a bunch into a pile which had in the cover either a berry or a berry bush, Yigo laid down in one of the comfy pillows and began opening each and every single one of his handpicked research material. Did this page had a picture? No? Next page. Yes? A little research. Many of the books were fruitless in Yigo's quest for discovery, put down in another pile by his side until... wonder of wonders! In a book that featured on the front cover a berry, an orb and a thorn, the Sandshrew found turning a page that the following two pages had a big, colorful and detailed drawing of the berry. One page had it whole and the next one had just half of it as if it was perfectly divided into two pieces by a single slice. The problem? The rest were just words. No instructional pictures that could serve as the solution to this enigma. The next page was about another item altogether so searching for more into that book seemed like a waste of time.

Yigo took his fruit out of the satchel and placed it right next to the book, comparing the picture to the real thing all the while scratching his ear in a confusion. He was having trouble. Should he just search elsewhere?

Valen felt...defeated. He hadn't been able to teach Yigo that much after all, and now the poor Pokemon seemed very confused. "I'm not a teacher..." Valen said. Of course, Yigo knew that already, but it had just been Valen expressing the beginning of his thoughts out loud before deciding to stop.

That's why I couldn't teach you well, Valen's thoughts had continued. Or is it because I can't teach well that I'm not a teacher? But he decided that saying these thoughts out loud wouldn't be helpful after all.

Valen still had the feeling that he could eventually do better at this kind of thing, but he knew that wasn't going to happen in a day.

Now, his mind went back to what Yigo had said next. "I'm taking Expeditionary Studies and Essential Skills. I think that Expeditionary Studies is basically about learning skills that are useful in exploration, like for dungeons and so on. I'm planning to join the Aileron Guild eventually, so it might help for that. While Essential Skills is about things that are useful for survival or daily life, I guess. I haven't actually been able to take a class with a teacher yet, so I'm studying on my own." Valen replied.

Now what to do next? Valen thought. Even now, a few thoughts of continuing to teach Yigo reading skills came up - Valen was in a school, after all, and wanted to do something useful. Should I try to find a book about sounds? Or a teacher of reading? But I don't think Yigo can continue right now, as he seems to really not want to do it at the moment.

But at the end of Yigo's words there had been something. "Fighting tricks? Fighting skills can be useful in a dungeon, but I'm not taking the Battling major, because I am limited to two after all. But I do know a very interesting move, actually. You know, if we went outside, maybe I could show it to you?"

Valen had been thinking about Mirror Move. He was really proud about knowing the move, because it meant he could copy nearly any other move that was used on him, even strong ones. If by any chance, Yigo was interested in knowing "fighting tricks," maybe that could help? But would it? He probably can't learn Mirror Move, Valen thought. He had heard that only bird Pokemon (and Smeargle, he guessed) could learn that move, and while he didn't know Yigo's species, it certainly wasn't anything that could be classified as a "bird."

Well, if nothing else, doing something else for a bit could cheer us up. I have used Mirror Move many times before - I will not fail. Valen thought. And I already spoke to Yigo about showing him something right now, so I cannot really take it back yet.

There was the reason why Valen was studying here. He wanted to join a guild. Anyone good-willed would join a guild after all. This thought saddened the Sandshrew some more. He had been liking this Valen since he offered help but even if they tried to befriend each other Yigo knows what would happen in the end. A guild member has more responsibilities, priorities to attend to. In the end, there would be no time to spend together because taking requests is more important than chatting... or playing... or studying. Once Valen manages to learn what he needs from the academy, he would have no reason to stay in Grassveil anymore. It had been the right choice to not learn reading alongside him.

It had been true that teachers had been busy so it was possible that they see each other in the academy more than expected. Besides, even though he says he studies on his own, he came here before to study together with someone. That was an opportunity to take advantage of. Besides, they both share the Essential Skills major.

Foregoing the Battling major seemed like a strange direction to take. Battling is one of the most important skills to have in this world where dungeons are filled with treasure and sustenance and where ferals roam about. The Exploration major made sense if it wasn't something you were already familiarised with but then, to someone that already knows how to read by themselves and imagining that using books would allow Valen to learn any skill that was essential by himself, taking the Essential Skills major sounded useless.

But he was the one that knew much more than he did. Valen probably thought about it better than this Sandshrew that didn't know how to read- Nevertheless, that interesting move caught Yigo's curiosity. He wanted to know what it might be. "Alright, let's go outside" Yigo stood up for a moment and stared at the books he had taken that were put into small towers "...after I collect the books. Wait for me at the entrance and we can get to the training grounds"

Yigo began gathering the books into a big pile. Luckily, the books' cover's color tended to match to those surrounding it. Since a missing book can be easily spotted by its absence on the shelves, the only thing needed to do is to return the books to the areas with a similar color if the pattern was to be trusted. However, there are exceptions sometimes...

Valen noticed that Yigo seemed to be thinking about something. As Valen was not one of the Pokemon with mind-reading powers, he did not know for sure what it was, but he guessed that it was something about the majors either of them had taken, or maybe it was Yigo thinking about what exactly was this move Valen was going to show him.

Should I have taken Battling after all? Valen wondered for a moment. Would being better at moves be more useful for an explorer than Essential Skills? But then, as with the other times he had thought about that, he remembered, Essential Skills include survival skills - and those are also useful in a dungeon.

Next, Yigo had started to collect up the books that he had taken out, and he told Valen to wait for him outside. Valen flew in the direction of the door for a moment, but then saw the large number of books Yigo was picking up, and thought this, at least, was a good opportunity to help. Valen went back and started putting the books in the pile back into the places on the shelves where they seemed to belong.

He then remembered that he had some ink and a few sheets of unused paper left that he had to return to the Kirlia who helped him. He quickly decided to do that after helping Yigo. After all, the Kirlia had claimed to be in a nearby class, so it shouldn't take too long once Valen was going outside anyway.

And there it went, the fourth book into the fourth gap between other books. He had to be quick not to keep the Pikipek waiting. He tried to get a fifth book but it looked like the rest had already been taken care of. Who did that? It didn't look like it was the Mime Jr's doing since it still was reading undisturbed. A quick glance at the hallway outside revealed that Valen has just darted that way with ink and paper on himself. There was little else to do than to go outside where he'd be waiting for Yigo.

The sand rodent got on all fours, stretched a little, and began walking out without much haste and all the way thinking about that odd choice and that mysterious move "Maybe he hasn't taken the Battling major because he is already really powerful" He said to himself, expecting no one to listen to him "If the move he speaks about is interesting... maybe I haven't seen it before. It must be something with the wings... Birds are so full of advantages"

If not interrupted, he would have reached the entrance in a couple of minutes, looking around to spot Valen among the students waiting or chatting there.

Once Valen had finished putting back the books he could, he left the library while holding the ink and paper he meant to give back. Then, he realized he didn't know exactly which class the Kirlia was actually in. I'll just have to look into each of the rooms and see. he thought.

He looked into each room nearby. Does anyone notice me? What do they think? he wondered, although he couldn't hear anyone actually say anything about him. Eventually, one of the rooms he looked into had a Kirlia in it - apparently the one he had talked to earlier. He cautiously went inside, trying as best as he could not to disturb anyone, and then silently gave the paper and ink to the Kirlia.

"Thanks," the Pokemon mumbled. "You're welcome," Valen replied, and then left. He was feeling quite a bit better now, as this, at least, had been going better than he expected. Finding the Kirlia so quickly both of the times, getting what he had needed and giving things back without causing any problems were pretty lucky.

Valen flew through the building again, this time going outside to the training grounds. He got to the entrance and waited, as Yigo had told him to. It was indeed quite nice to have wings and be able to fly relatively quickly.

It took him a while to spot the black and white feathered bird. He was almost in front of him, right past the entrance doors. Walking slowly he got to Valen's side "All done. It's time to get to the training grounds" Yigo walked ahead of his Pikipek acquaintance before stopping, staring back at him with a bit of a smile "C'mon"

Only a pair of pokemon were making use of the sparring fields at the time with no teacher on sight. There was a Mudkip tossing stones at a Mankey that seemed to be trying to dodge them without responding. It looked like an interesting training to test one's agility but Yigo was less interested in that and more about Valen's move. He sat down at a reasonable watching distance of the other two and turned to Valen again "Mmm... Looks like we might have to wait if we want to use the whole field or maybe we can take a spot over there" he pointed at a another area at the corner of the training grounds. That is enough for some basic training but if this move's effects are huge it might not be enough. "Just... what do you have in mind? Do you need a rock to blast? A stage where you can dance? Water?"

Valen wondered what to say. He had wanted to keep what exactly he was going to do a surprise before he actually did it, so he didn't want to give away all of the details right now. But maybe he could be a bit vague while still being able to convey what the right place for the demonstration would be.

"Well, the thing is... for me to use this move, you must use a move of your own first. So I guess we can choose a place where you can use a move well and it will not bother anybody else. On that note, as this is just a demonstration and not a real battle, try to not make your move too strong, as it will be better for both of us."

Would Yigo guess right now what I'm going to do from that? Valen worried. If he does, this may be a bit of a letdown.
Eh, not really, Valen then decided. He isn't a bird Pokemon, he doesn't even know how to read, so how will he know this move?

(OOC: Of course, it's actually up to you, PrimordialPrim, whether Yigo can tell or not. This is just Valen having a... bit of a limited worldview, let me say).

Yigo stared at Valen a bit clueless for a moment. His instructions were hinting at a move that reacted to one from the opponent. Aha! A countering move! Or perhaps a protecting move! Well, seeing as Yigo would have to strike Valen, Yigo moved into the small sparring area he pointed at before and got a few steps away from Valen "Alright, get ready on your side" He indicated, nodding a little. Yigo lowered his snout and raised his tail. His satchel hanged from the side of his belt while the pink scarf held tight around his neck. This was Yigo's natural battle stance.

It was right after that when he remembered that he wasn't just sparring. He had to think of a move that would not make Yigo regret it later. Besides, he didn't want to harm Valen either. Those feathers didn't look as thick as his friend Radar's...

"Now, listen" He decided that the best solution would be to just tell him what he was doing to do. That way it will not catch Valen by surprise and cause critical damage. He raised his left claw, his other legs supporting him while it raised t his head's level "I'm going to go from the left and I'm going to swing my claw from left to right at you when I get close" Yigo took a moment to stare at his claw. It wasn't exactly something polished as it had some shards missing and it felt quite sharp. Some feathers may get stuck and get removed from Valen's body by the end of the attack "Be careful, okay?" He lowered his paw again "Whenever you are ready"

Honestly, attacking with his claw was the best idea in Yigo's mind. His other choices were causing an earthquake that any bird worth its wings would avoid and which would probably break part of the sparring grounds or a rollout charge that had the side effect of dragging dirt and rock onto his though hide. A strike at high speeds in such a shape is much worse than a Crush Claw. Moreover, Yigo could modify the strength of a claw strike. Hopefully, Valen can take a weaker blow while keeping most of his feathers.

Valen, at Yigo's command, moved to the place that Yigo had pointed out for them. As Yigo explained what attack he was going to use, Valen got ready to take it. He wondered what the attack was. It was obviously a claw move from Yigo's description, but Valen knew that there were several moves that involved claws, of varying types and effects, and he couldn't tell which one it was. Hopefully, it wasn't going to be too bad.

Once Valen was ready, he said "I'm ready." Then, Yigo raised his claw and charged at Valen. Yigo's claw swipe hit Valen... a bit harder than Valen had been expecting. Valen was knocked back a bit, and he looked to see that some of his feathers had come off. And it hurt.

Valen wondered whether he should have tried to dodge the attack. If he remembered correctly, Mirror Move could copy even an attack that had missed. But it was too late now to dodge, obviously, as the attack had already hit. At least Valen hadn't fainted.

And now, Valen could finally show Mirror Move off. As he used it, despite not knowing or even recognizing Crush Claw, the power of Mirror Move allowed him to perform it once. Valen raised his right foot and charged at Yigo in turn, aiming to hit Yigo with a swipe once Valen reached him.

(OOC: The reason I could write about Yigo's motions in this post is because PrimordialPrim told me I could through Discord PMs. If anyone wants proof, tell me and I'll find a way to prove it).

Seeing a few feathers stuck to Yigo's claw made Yigo think that maybe he had gone too far. He returned to his striking position and tilted his head. Did Valen's move... work? It was clear that the attack had connected and that it hurt. So then... where was the reaction?

As soon as that thought crossed Yigo's mind, he found Valen replicating his very same strike but, instead of the left route, he came from the right. Yigo wasn't expecting a counter-attack that felt so much like a regular attack, especially after a successful move by his part so it came like a bit of a surprise. He tried to step out of the way or at least curl in to avoid any important damage but it was already too late. Yigo squeaked when the foot entered contact with his skin right as he took a side step to avoid any further attacks.

He stared at Valen, wondering if that was all. It felt too sudden and, from what it felt like, not all that harmful even if it had left a dent on him. Indeed, a bit of his skin was missing but nothing deep "Grrr..." he gritted his teeth for a moment to ease off the pain "W-What..? What was...? Was that it? What did you do?" For a move that mundane, connecting the dots to what it could have actually been would be a product of the wildest of imaginations.

"The move I used is called Mirror Move." Valen explained. "It allows me to use a move that another Pokemon uses, even if I don't normally know that move myself. For instance, even though I don't actually know what move you used before, I could still use it on you back then. I really like knowing this move, because it lets me use even very powerful attacks if my opponent uses them. Unfortunately, it doesn't let me remember the move I copied permanently - I'm not a Smeargle."

"The other moves I know are, admittedly, not that interesting. I believe that they are called Peck and Growl. But as I grow and practice, I should be able to learn some new, cool moves - my parents told me about some that they personally learned. What moves do you know?" Valen continued.

So what Valen did was copying Yigo's own move. Even if Valen can't remember how to replicate the move and only how to keep copying moves, it was pretty impressive. Would he be able to spew fire from his beak if he got some fired at him? Wouldn't that be even more dangerous? Yigo stopped gritting his teeth and relaxed his body when the feeling of pain became bearable and unnoticeable. At least Valen seemed to be feeling okay too so everything felt fine.

To answer Valen's question, Yigo sat down and stared at one of his claws "I know what my mum taught me. Crush Claw is her favourite move and it is what I just used but she also taught me to curl in, roll and charge while rolling. Aside from that... I know how to make the earth shake. It tires me a little but it's very strong! I could show you but I wouldn't want to break the floor here. It tends to happen when I mess with earthquakes"

"That's pretty neat." Valen replied to Yigo. Then, Valen started thinking, What do I do? Yigo seems to be feeling better now. Should I try to continue teaching him how to read again? That would be really good, but I don't know whether we can start now. Or should I just say goodbye and leave? Hmm... Let me try asking him what he wants to do first.

"So, Yigo... what do you want to do now?" Valen said. Immediately after that, Valen started thinking again. Yigo really needs to learn how to read. But I'm not sure whether I can do anything more for him directly now. I'll have to think about what to tell him, whatever he says. Maybe strongly recommend that he find a teacher? Maybe talk to a teacher directly about this? Keep trying to find a book that will help me teach him?

With the return of a good mood, deciding what to do next felt a bit embarrassing. Yigo, like the child he is, was thinking of getting to play a little but for that, he would need his best friend at the time, Radar. He was not going to as Valen to play, after all, they've just met that day, and even though a friendly friend was always great to have around, he didn't fully earn Yigo's trust. There was still the matter that Valen might become a guild member. If they are going to lose contact anyway, what was the point of developing a friendship any further than where they were?

The best course of action would be to return Valen the favor. Yigo had to be grateful for the Pikipek's help while researching the berry and he was not going to let that pass. One the other hand, he had just come to research the berry. Yigo was counting on Radar doing some important task. It is unfair to leave all the hard work to him which meant that he'd have to leave Valen here. It was not the easiest of decisions but he'd have to hope that Valen would be here for another time so that Yigo can repay the debt.

"I have to head back home. I've left a good friend with a lot to take care of. Besides, lost gear and treasure are not going to get scavenged by itself" Yigo replied with a smile, ready to work his best for the day. He relaxed to an idle stance, raising his upper front and lowering his rear as he settled on the combat grounds "Although I would like to help you with something sometime. If you want to know about camping, tracking and foraging, I can give you some tips. That's something very important to know when you get into dungeons" He walked in a circle around Valen, teasing a little with a stupid grin on his face until he started heading away from the training grounds and into Grassveil Town "But I have so much to do and it's not like I need another pair of wings. I already have enough with my friend's. Goodbye!"

"Bye!" Valen replied upon hearing Yigo. It was somewhat reflexive, as Valen had so often been told to respond appropriately to standard conversational phrases that now he just did it pretty much immediately. Even now, Valen had some desire to somehow get Yigo to continue learning about reading. But as Yigo walked away, Valen realized that it simply was not going to happen, not today, at least.

Valen had wished he had said what he would say next earlier, but now he wasn't even sure whether Yigo could hear it or not. "Be confident! Reading is important, and you can talk to your teacher when you next meet to help you with learning how to read!" Valen wasn't, in fact, entirely sure whether that would work for Yigo, but he felt that he had to try to make sure that Yigo learned how to read eventually.

Now, Valen wondered whether he should just leave Peak Academy to do something else, or continue studying - either all of the species of Pokemon, as he had planned before he met Yigo, or try to find a book that could help him teach Yigo if they met again, which he had kept thinking about. As he was thinking, Valen wrote words with his feet in the dirt. Yigo, Valen, Mirror Move...

It didn't do much in practical terms, yet it made him feel a bit better and calmer. Yigo had said he could help Valen sometime, so there was still the possibility of them meeting and Valen finally finishing up the teaching, or at least of Yigo finding someone else to teach him. What they had done today could perhaps make a good start, at least.