"Hey, Mark? Did you have a good flight?"
"Axel, I read your email on the plane. How do you know such stuff? If what you said in the mail is true we could find the solution.", said Mark.
Mark was the same as before. When it came to research, he didn't think about anything else.
"Calm down Mark. Let's get inside and have a coffee we would discuss it after.", said Axel
Mark gave a polite nod and entered the house. Axel had sent the mail to Mark. He didn't even look at it. He wanted to first get a read on it before discussing it with Mark.
Mark was welcomed by his family. Agnes was shy. She was never comfortable with strangers. Axel's mom started to prepare tea and some cookies for Mark.
Meanwhile, Axel started to read the hints that the system had given him.
Shadow Pokemons were created through an undisclosed process which creates negative emotions like anger turning them into an irrational fighting machines. It was a failed experiment to make a Pokemon stronger. It did raise the attack of the Pokemon but the constant pain, harder to evolve, and always sad and angry emotions made it a failed experiment.
Several researchers examined the shadow Pokemon. What they found out was a black substance concentrated around their heart. They named it 'shadow element'. The researchers tried to take the shadow element out of the Pokemon's body but the Pokemon died every time. It looked like the shadow element was linked to their life force.
"So, as per you, we should first make something called 'Heart Gauge' that would monitor the emotions and pain felt by the Pokemon of shadow element.", said Mark.
"Yes, the previous researchers have tried to forcefully take out the shadow element resulting in the death of Pokemon. I think we should not take it out forcefully, however, we should slowly start to heal and adapt the Pokemon and monitor the 'Heart Gauge'.", continued Axel.
"Making something like 'Heart Gauge' would not be difficult. But finding the solution to heal the Pokemon would be. How confident are you about the result?"
"This is just my theory but I am pretty confident about it."
"We should try on it. We have nothing to lose. You wrote some of the mixtures of medicines and herbs for the solution."
"Yes, I am not 100% confident about it. But we should give it a try. How much time would it take to make 'Heart Gauge'?"
"Around a week or 10 days."
"That is pretty fast."
"Yes, there are similar machines that have been invented. Your's is a just bit complicated."
"I think we should start it now. Why don't you concentrate on the 'Heart Gauge' and I will look after the solution.", said Axel.
"Yes, let's do that.", said Mark, and he immediately got back to work.
Tring.. Tring.. Tring.. Tring....
"Oh hello, Kid. How are you?", asked Oak
"I am good Oak. I called you to ask you for a favor.", said Axel
"Right on the point, are you? What help do you need?"
Axel then told all the things that he had told Mark. He didn't need to worry about Oak leaking or stealing his idea. Oak was a Pokemon master. He didn't have the time or any benefit to doing it.
"That is an interesting theory. So, what help do you need from me?"
"I would like you to help me find other substitutes which are better than those herbs that I mentioned. I also want you to teach me how to make such a solution."
"Let me get this straight. So, you are going to dump all the work on me?", asked Oak.
"I and Mark are making the heart gauge, aren't I?"
"Ok, I will give a list of substitute herbs and their effects. Tell me the combination of those. I will also teach you how to make one. I am your teacher after all. It is expected from me."
"And about the profit sharing if we do make a solution....."
"I don't need any profit or share from it. I am just teaching you how to make one cause I am your teacher. Getting my name in the media again would be a hassle.", said Oak.
Axel didn't ask again. If Oak was going to leave out of the partnership, who was he to refuse?
After saying that, Oak hung off the phone.
After an hour, Oak sent out the list of substitute herbs and their effects. The document also contained how to make the solution based on Axel's idea.
"Wow! Oak work's really fast. Being a successor doesn't seem so bad now.", murmured Axel.
He literally didn't have to do any hard work. He just had to read the instructions, gather the materials and start making the solution.
Before he started on the project, he first wanted to look at his Pokemon's training. Tauros was doing well. He wanted it to master 'Horn attack' and 'Thrash' to a good level before anything.
Axel wanted Absol to learn 'Hone claws' for today. It would increase the critical hit ratio and with its ability 'Super luck', there would be higher chances of critical hits. He started to train him for an hour. After Absol got the rhythm of the training, he focused on Plisowine.
Piloswine was in rare rank. Its ice core was now 100%. The after-effects of Never-melt-ice had shown its effects. Most of its stats were already in S rank.
The only thing left to achieve was a new personalized move for Piloswine. Axel had thought a lot about it. From the beginning, Piloswine was good in area effect attacks. It was not a good physical attacker but a great special attacker.
He wanted it to create a domain with the help of 'Hail', 'Rain Dance', and 'Icicle Spear'.
So, the first thing he told Piloswine was to increase the mastery of those moves. He would let it focus on those moves for 10 days. After the 10th day, he would start creating a domain for Piloswine.
A true domain was a certain area where the user has complete control of the surrounding. Axel knew that Piloswine could not do it within a month or two but it could affect the surrounding to some degree if trained well.
Normally, all king-ranked Pokemons have a domain. One of the major requirements to rank up to king rank was to create a domain.
So, what would happen if a Pokemon start to train on their domain when they were just rare rank? Their domain would be powerful and they would already have completed the said requirement.
So, training Piloswine in the domain was a good idea.
After giving them the instructions, Axel started to read the documents sent by Oak.