friendyousohard | 22nd Spell: [Video/Action for Route 38]

[The video clicks on with a view of a Magnezone hovering over the long grass, peering around as though looking for something. After several moments, it turns back to the gear and shakes its body back and forth, looking remarkably like a shaking head.]

Well, it's not surprising. I did have to search for weeks to find you, after all.

[The Magnezone bleeps unintelligibly at the gear. Even those who can understand Pokemon (and other Pokemon themselves) will only hear noises that sound oddly like R2-D2.]

Maybe someone else has one you can talk to. [The gear turns around to show Twilight's face.] A question. Well, two. First off, who out there has a Pokemon from the Magnemite line? And second, does anyone else have... trouble communicating with them? Of course most of us can't understand Pokemon when they talk, but even my other Pokemon can't seem to understand anything Tesla has to say. Are there other Magnemites who seem to have that issue? For that matter, other Pokemon in general? It's something I've never even heard of before.

Hmmm... and on a more general topic, here's something I've been wondering about for a while. If you were to take six Pokemon, start them at level one, and try to train them together as a coherent team, which ones would you pick? I've been considering the idea for a while now, and while I'm not certain it's practical to start right now I'd like to start gathering input.

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[As Tesla turns around to return to Twilight, a large pink flower rises from the grass. Blossom shakes the dreamy mist of her afternoon nap from her head, slowly emerging from the grass.

This is quite a relaxing spot, isn't it, Mr. Tesla?]

[Bleep bloop bip blip zzzt.]

Oh, Blossom! How long have you been there? Is AJ around?

[Twilight immediately begins looking around for a familiar brown hat.]

[Blossom slowly shakes her head. With a vine, she writes in the dirt:]

S O R R Y

[She sighs, disappointed but not really surprised.]

Yeah, I guess she's still avoiding me... I know Cadence said to give her time, but I'm really missing having her around to talk with. I don't know, Blossom. I think I might have made a pretty awful mistake.

[Blossom sighs politely, tapping the message again. Her trainer has been acting very strange since they fought all those fossil pokemon. She doesn't quite understand it, and it frustrates her. All she's wanted to do is be by herself.]

[That gets the poor Venusaur a little pat on the head and an attempt at a reassuring smile.]

Don't be, it's not your fault. It's mine. I just have to figure out a way to sort things out with her and we'll be okay again...

I hope.

[She smiles, touching Twilight's hand with her clean vine. She couldn't help but feel there was something she could do to help. Ms. Twilight was such a wonderful person. What could happen to make Ms. Applejack avoid her so?]

W A N T H E L P

Are you looking to cultivate a special team specifically for challenging the gyms?

No. I think even if I never captured another Pokemon I could handle the gyms just fine. This is more of an experiment.

[Okay, that's just a plain adorable offer.]

You know, at this point I think I could use all the help I can get. What were you thinking of?

[Blossom takes Twilight's hand, tugging gently. She reaches down with her other, picking a small flower and offering it to her.]

[She takes the flower, cradling it in her hand, and comes closer to Blossom at that tugging.]

Answering my gift all those months ago?

[She smiles again, pointing behind them and tugging on her hand again.]

T A K E Y O U

An experiment of what variety?

To test a hypothesis. Specifically, that training a group of Pokemon as a unit rather than one-by-one will improve their teamwork on the field and their comaraderie off of it, as well as the trainer's ability to utilize them as a full team rather than simply focus on whichever Pokemon is active at the time.

All right. Show me the way, I'll follow right beside you.

[She's really hoping Blossom's going to be better at finding her trainer than Twilight herself has...]

I'm surprised that's a hypothesis in need of testing. Any creature specifically trained to work in a group should inherently be a better team player than one without that specialized training, shouldn't it?

[Blossom nods, slowly lumbering down the path. Eventually they reach a large bush. The venusaur nudges it carefully, pushing some if its branches aside to peer through it.

Not far past where they stand, Applejack is slumped down, leaning against a tree. Her hands are cupped in her lap, and her eyes are closed. Whatever she was doing, it was strenuous enough to put her to sleep.]

Well that much goes without saying, but there are ways to work in that sort of group training outside of gathering a full group to train at the same time. Double battles, for instance, or even the trainer working in a specific strategy. But if the old saying about younger minds learning faster than older ones holds true, there should be a notable difference between Pokemon who work together because they were trained in it after they were strong individually, and those who worked as a team from the beginning.

If there is no noticeable difference, this would imply that Pokmeon continue to hold the same capacity to retain knowledge for their full lifespan.

[A bit of surprise shows in Twilight's eyes when she sees AJ slumped against the tree. Curious and maybe a bit worried, she moves in to check on her friend, kneeling down and looking her over. She doesn't appear to be anything other than exhausted from a glance at her face...]

[AJ huffs, squirming lightly. One eye peeks out from under the brim of her hat.

Oh. It's Twilight.

Good mor--

Applejack scrambles to her feet so quickly that her hat topples from her head. She presses herself flat against the tree, her eyes white and her face pale.]

W-what in tarnation are you doin' here!?

[... Okay, that reaction kind of hurts. Her mouth twists into a frown and she pulls back a bit, pretty upset now.]

I could ask you the same thing, out here in the middle of nowhere. Or do you mean what am I doing close enough to talk to you?

[There might be a surprising (or not-so-surprising) amount of bitterness in that question.]

I-I...

[Ouch. Twilight. She's not used to such bitterness from you.]

A-ain't a gal entitled to some privacy?

If that's how you're doing it, then presumably you'll also need to control against possible variations in species — meaning, two teams to observe, one in which all members were trained independently but then taught to work as a group afterward, and one in which all members were trained as a group from the very beginning. They'd need to mirror each other in species, type, and team role, and you'd have to examine them once they were all at the same level to control for possible variations that way.

It'd be quite the undertaking, going about it like that..

For a month?

[She doesn't really think she has to say anything other than that.]

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22nd Spell: [Video/Action for Route 38]

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