Chapter 124: Recovering the Beam Amplifier

Middle-aged Nurse Joy clicked to the next slide, where a logical flow chart clearly detailed the relevant steps.

"During this process, ask the trainer why their Pokémon was injured to such a degree, and inquire about any difficult-to-treat medical history."

In the games, a Pokémon Center can restore a Pokémon to full health even if it is on the verge of fainting, with the only cost being a quick trip to the treatment machine. However, in reality, failing to provide proper treatment can lead to serious consequences—take Alder’s Volcarona, for example, which suffered from chronic exhaustion in the original timeline.

"After confirming, check the Pokémon's vital signs. Only after verifying that it is out of danger should you open the Poké Ball to begin treatment."

Once the students finished taking notes, Nurse Joy clicked to the next page, which displayed a detailed breakdown of the structure of a standard Poké Ball.

"The small, clickable circular component in the center is the most important part of the Poké Ball; it is where the operating chip is located."

Nurse Joy pointed her teaching pointer at the core of the Poké Ball.

"During encounters with certain villainous individuals, they might attempt to destroy your Poké Ball, effectively preventing you from deploying your partner. Strictly speaking, this is content that should be taught by Officer Jenny, but it is equally important for us Joys."

An old photograph appeared on the slide, showing a Poké Ball with its core component shattered, the internal chip structure visible through the damage.

"This is an extreme case, but it is not impossible, so we must be prepared."

Nurse Joy continued, "Every Pokémon Center is equipped with a Poké Ball environment simulator designed to help us open damaged Poké Balls and safely release the Pokémon inside. Class, that is all for today. Aside from the internal structures of some special ball types, I only need you to master the basic structure of a standard Poké Ball. We will have a pop quiz in three days."

Damage to the core component is the only real scenario, as any other significant puncture would render the ball half-destroyed and uninhabitable for a Pokémon.

Ash is well-known as the "Super Pallet Towner," but Gary is undoubtedly another one of those figures. Back in the day, those two idiots fought over a Poké Ball by the river, and their excessive strength ended up snapping it in two—an object many jokingly referred to as a "token of their affection." In such a struggle, if the strength is mismatched, it’s impossible to have it split in two; usually, the stronger person just walks away with it. When Gary handed that half of the Poké Ball to Ash, it actually marked his transition into a rival.

Later, during the Sinnoh arc, Zhu Suihan took a long time to realize that the person in front of him was Gary.

*My goodness, it’s Gary!*

All in all, the reason the instrument at the Pokémon Center is an environment simulator rather than a repair tool is simply because of replaceability. Unless it is a Poké Ball with special sentimental value, it’s easier to just replace it if it breaks. After all, if a traveling trainer runs into villains or strange characters in the wild, simply having their partner emerge unscathed is considered a success.

"You're Suihan, right? I remember you."

After class, Nurse Joy walked over, beaming at the white-haired boy with a look of immense satisfaction. What kind of research results did her students produce? Her students produced the "Medicine Bottle Project" and "Dragon Gate Serum!" At the very least, when it came to nurturing students, they were already far ahead of their peers.

"Hello, Teacher. I have a question I’d like to ask you."

Zhu Suihan took out his notes. "It’s a question derived from that chip—the recall beam."

The recall beam is that red light. It seems that after so many generations of Pokémon, the only constant is that the recall light is red. Oh, wait, in the Sinnoh arc, releasing a Pokémon from a ball produced a different effect.

"Hmm, I heard you’ve had dealings with those guys from the Dark Team."

Middle-aged Nurse Joy found an empty classroom and sat down. "Have you encountered situations where the recall beam of a Poké Ball fails to function due to special instruments?"

The white-haired boy lied through his teeth: "I saw it in their files, so I was curious about the principle behind it."

"Actually, the principle is quite simple; it’s just signal jamming directed at the Poké Ball," Nurse Joy explained. "The recall beam is essentially a way for the Poké Ball to record the Pokémon's data after capture, allowing for the deployment and recall function. The chip inside the Poké Ball absorbs the elemental energy radiating around the Pokémon to ensure the ball remains charged."

Zhu Suihan’s expression shifted. "In other words, this signal beam is actually quite weak?"

"Yes, very weak. Forget about the electromagnetic shielding used by the Dark Team; even the shockwaves from a clash of moves could prevent a recall beam from succeeding," Nurse Joy said. "This situation is quite specific. The weakness of the recall beam might be a minor flaw in the Poké Ball, but it’s not fatal."

"I heard the Officer Jenny Academy has been wanting to bring you on as an exchange student. If you’re interested, you should take a look. They have specialized courses, or rather, it’s a component of their field combat training."

"Understood, thank you, Teacher."

The white-haired boy knew what his next research direction would be. If nothing else, indulging his childhood hobby shouldn't be considered a foul. The flamboyant weapons from *tokusatsu* shows that look like they couldn't possibly deal damage—if I make them as toys, that’s perfectly fine.

"Dean, there’s been an additional person added to the small laboratory rental logs over the past two days."

Joy Jing took a sip of tea. "It’s Suihan, isn't it? What is he researching?"

"I don't know, but looking at the logistics records, he spent money to purchase a batch of Poké Ball chips for various types."

"It's nothing major. He was taught by Steel regarding Poké Ball manufacturing, so it’s normal for him to be interested in this." Joy Jing calmly set her thermos aside. Even though a first-year student like Zhu Suihan renting a lab requires notification by regulation, Joy Jing wasn't worried at all.

As if! Does a matter like this really need to be reported to her? It’s not like the kid went off to play. Even if something went wrong in the lab, or if a small explosion occurred, so what? The damage wouldn't even amount to a fraction of the academy's resources.

"Success!"

Zhu Suihan looked at the handgun on the lab bench, picked it up, and gestured with it, occasionally making "pew-pew" sounds. If wooden sticks and ice pops are the gold standard of legendary weapons, then this *tokusatsu*-style creation is the pinnacle of technology and "hardcore" effort.

The back of the handgun featured a hemispherical groove with a set of locking mechanisms on both sides. As for the magazine, it was a rectangular battery; one could say the exterior was designed purely for the look of the pistol, without a single thought given to cost.

Zhu Suihan placed a shrunken Poké Ball into the groove, and it clicked into place automatically after the scanner recognized it. After a series of metallic clacks, it was loaded. Zhu Suihan turned around, aimed at the experimental screen, and pulled the trigger.

*Whoosh!*

A deep red beam struck the experimental screen. The final data cascaded down the monitor, eventually glowing green.

"The standard value is ten times stronger than a regular recall beam. It should be enough to overcome those common electromagnetic shielding devices."

Zhu Suihan unloaded the chamber, released the lock, and the Poké Ball returned to a state where it could be removed. He continued to operate the data panel, which featured range simulations for various scenarios.

"Precision range is fifty meters. After sixty-five meters, the recall beam signal weakens. At one hundred meters, it loses its effectiveness entirely. That’s definitely enough."

Furthermore, based on varying levels of interference, Zhu Suihan tested the strength with this pistol. The only drawback was that the battery serving as the magazine drained quite quickly; keeping it running at high power would also accelerate the degradation of the battery's lifespan.

"A minor flaw, but I believe those who have a need for this won't be unable to afford the cost."

Zhu Suihan put the pistol away. After leaving the lab, he thought about calling the Dean, but decided to ask a teacher instead. He wasn't sure if there was a market for this. After all, the main reason for this was that he felt uncomfortable watching the protagonists unable to recall their Pokémon and being forced to let them suffer through technological interference—a trope that appeared all too often in the movies.

Now, if our trainers carry this device, let the villains spend their time and money researching even stronger controllers. In a technological arms race, the League has an absolute advantage in terms of materials and personnel.

After explaining the function of the gun to the teacher on duty at the lab, the teacher looked at him with a strange expression, dialed the Dean's office, and whispered while trying to hide from Zhu Suihan. Two minutes later, the white-haired boy’s phone rang.

"You kid, don't tell me you're planning on doing something bad again."

Joy Jing felt a bit of regret. If she had known that Zhu Suihan planned to research something like this, she would have forced him to join two more clubs.

Zhu Suihan was stunned. "It's not that serious, Dean. I just got inspired after attending an upper-year class a few days ago."

Joy Jing was skeptical. "Are you sure you aren't planning to use this device to do something illegal?"

"To hide your identity, you might choose to recall your Pokémon from a distance, which would minimize exposure of your whereabouts. It's very difficult to catch criminals if there are only traces of a Pokémon’s attack."

Zhu Suihan: "?"

"No, Dean, I’m just planning to use this research result to earn some money and gain some academic credentials. It’s not as serious as you think."

"Besides, I couldn't bear to let Lapras and the others do that sort of thing themselves. Isn't the most reliable way for me to do it myself? After all, I’m currently the strongest in the family."

The white-haired boy’s mouth twitched. "By the way, Dean, your line of thinking is quite practiced. Did you ever think about causing chaos in all directions this way in the past?"

Joy Jing fell silent for a moment; she didn't want to admit it. She could think of it so quickly because, in her era, there were ninjas who did similar things, wrapping Poké Balls in silk threads, or using ninja-style Poké Balls that looked like shuriken.

After hearing the reason behind why Zhu Suihan made this, Joy Jing frowned, somewhat disapproving of the behavior tacitly permitted by the League. But since it wasn't an isolated case, there was nothing even they could do.

"Choosing a suitable trainer, huh?"

Joy Jing pondered. If so, she did believe her student was a good choice. If nothing else, Zhu Suihan’s "my partner is the best in the world" philosophy would definitely, as Giovanni hoped, inject warmth into the cold hearts of the revived Pokémon. At most, this white-haired boy's special status would lead him to run into Legendaries everywhere, increasing the workload for the League.

Joy Jing rubbed her temples. "It’s hard to evaluate the specific value of this. I’ll contact the Officer Jenny Academy for you."

(End of chapter)