Pokemon: The Gameboy Effect

[Kubfu (Fighting)] (Legendary)]

[Level: 30]

[Ability: Inner Focus (Both the moves used by this ability Pokemon and the moves that target this ability Pokemon will definitely hit)]

[IV's: HP (31), Attack (31), Special Attack (31), Defense (31), Special Defense (31), Speed (31)]

[Moves: Focus Energy, Rock Smash, Brick Break, Detect, Mind Reader, Bulk Up, Endure]

[Held Items: None]

John stared at the small bear Pokémon in front of him, its white headband giving it a focused, disciplined look. He was getting tired of seeing these perfect 6V stat spreads, it felt like every legendary came with the same flawless template. If he ever encountered one without perfect IVs, he'd probably be more surprised than impressed.

[LV30] with a basic moveset. This Kubfu was as clean as a blank slate, waiting for him to write its story, to shape it into the warrior it was meant to be.

"Blaziken," John called, releasing his trusted partner from its Pokéball.

"Blaze!" Blaziken landed gracefully, radiating energy despite the early hour.

"You'll be training with our new friend here," John said, gesturing to the curious Kubfu. "Start with Force Palm, then Close Combat. After that, work on the spiral Aura Sphere technique."

Force Palm and Close Combat were fundamentals, essentials for any fighting Pokémon worth its salt. Every advanced combat technique branched from mastering those two.

As for Kubfu's aura potential? It was the strongest John had ever seen. With proper training in the Waveguide Sanctuary, this little bear could surpass even Greninja and Machamp within a year. Unfortunately, he was in the capital, far from that specialized ground. For now, he'd have to wait before unlocking Kubfu's full potential.

"Blaze!" Blaziken puffed out its chest, accepting the task with fiery determination.

Kubfu looked around uncertainly, glancing between John and Blaziken with wide, innocent eyes. It had no idea what kind of intense regimen awaited it, but if it did, it'd probably be thrilled. Kubfu and their evolution, Urshifu, lived for martial arts. Learning, focusing, and growing stronger, that was their entire existence.

John clipped an Exp. Share to Kubfu's belt and returned both Pokémon to their Pokéballs. Formal training would begin tomorrow, today was already too far gone. He figured Kubfu would be battle-ready in about six months. Leveling up wouldn't be the problem; the real question was whether it could master everything Blaziken would teach it.

"Ahh," John yawned and stretched. Time for bed.

Before obtaining Kubfu, it had seemed like such a rare prize. Now that he had it? Well… it was just another legendary. He already had two others, after all.

The next morning at 9 a.m., John's phone buzzed with a call from Jack Hoff, president of the Breeders Association.

"John, Greninja's testing equipment is ready. When can you come by the Association?"

"I'm free right now, Mr. Hoff. I'll head over immediately."

"Perfect. I'll be waiting."

John hung up, threw on a jacket, and grabbed Greninja's Pokéball.

"Gardevoir, let's go to the Breeders Association."

Gardevoir nodded gracefully. The moment John raised his hand, reality shimmered, and in the blink of an eye, they were standing before the entrance to the Draconia Breeders Association.

"Having Teleport is incredibly convenient," John mused. Once Gardevoir got stronger, maybe it could even teleport him all the way back to Grassmere City from the capital. That would save him from having to start every trip from Dragoncrest.

As soon as he walked through the doors, dozens of eyes locked onto him. Surprise, admiration, disbelief, excitement, the full spectrum.

As the newly appointed Elite Four member and a celebrity trainer, John had gotten used to the attention.

"Elite John! I'm Ben Dover, head of the Research Department," said a middle-aged man in a white lab coat, his thinning hair betraying too many hours under fluorescent lights. He looked genuinely surprised to see John so soon. "The president just called you, barely ten seconds ago, and you're already here!"

"Thanks for the trouble."

"No trouble at all, it's an honor!" Ben Dover said, eagerly leading the way.

As they disappeared into the Association's interior, the lobby buzzed with excited chatter.

"That was Elite John! I can't believe it!"

"Someone pinch me, am I dreaming?"

"He's even more handsome in person than on TV!"

"I'm texting my best friend right now, she'll be so jealous she missed this!"

John's enhanced hearing caught every word, and he cringed inwardly.

Following Ben through the halls, they reached a bustling lab full of researchers in white coats, most sporting the same receding hairline.

Ben brought John to a testing arena centered around what looked like a Snorlax-shaped target dummy.

"What's the testing procedure?" John asked, studying the setup.

"We've got two main tests," Ben explained. "First is the bond assessment. Normally, we'd use your MEGA Stone and Key Stone, but your Greninja evolves through pure trainer–Pokémon bonding, not stones."

"So we'll need you to interface directly with our instruments. We're measuring the bonding wavelength. Don't worry, totally safe. We've run tens of thousands of tests!"

John waved him off. "What's the second test?"

"The second test measures and compares Greninja's physical performance after MEGA evolution. We want to verify its enhancement patterns and see if its ability matches what you described in your paper."

He paused. "We'll also need you to command Greninja through various moves to measure the post-evolution power spikes."