Summary: Poor Daisy...she really didn't know what she was getting into with 2B.

Chapter 4 – Aura Studies and Training:

"That is such bullshit."

The crude phrase from the normally bright-and-family-friendly Daisy Oak actually made 2B do a double take. While her face only twitched slightly, the ethereal copy of Virtuous Contract in her hand flared brightly with her emotional shock, only to settle down into the semi-stable form that she'd managed to shape her aura into. Daisy's lips twitching were the only evidence that she'd noticed 2B's surprise as she continued on.

"No, seriously. Normally, human aura users are limited to copying what they see pokémon doing, and even that only with a lot of study."

Daisy waved with obvious incredulity at the blade in 2B's hand.

"That isn't any pokémon move I've ever heard of. The closest I can think of is Psyblade, which does form an ethereal blade like that. But it does so with pure Psychic-type energy. Yours, on the other hand, is fairly obviously pure aura, much like an Aura Sphere, only shaped into a blade."

2B titled her head, considering the blade and the information both carefully.

"Perhaps it is because I did not know I wasn't supposed to be able to do it? Or maybe because it is one of the objects with which I am most intimately familiar. A near extension of my limbs, as a claw or tail would be for a pokémon?"

Daisy looked a very curious mixture of uncomfortable and fascinated by the idea. Eventually, she shook off the discomfort, most likely cause by the reminder that 2B had been built and used as a living weapon, and focused on the fascination.

"I'm almost reluctant to expose you to what we do know about Aura, now. We might accidentally limit you by introducing know patterns and methods…"

2B hummed in thought, but ultimately shook her head.

"I have completely failed to give my Aura any type of elemental alignment. Even your own limited use shows such alignment. I think I at least need some examples to work off of, even if I ultimately choose not to duplicate pokémon moves exactly. I now know I do not need to do so, after all."

Daisy pursed her lips, then nodded.

"I think we could use the more usual method to get you as far as elemental alignment at least. Specifically, for you to bond with and study your personal pokémon's energy. The more synchronized with it you become, the easier it will be mimic its typing. Normally, people stay with a specific typing once that happens. It's hard enough to achieve once, after all. In your case, however, I could see it maybe being possible to attempt multiple typings as some pokémon do…"

2B blinked, confused about an important part of that statement.

"I don't have a personal pokémon, though?"

Daisy snorted, then grinned and pointed.

"Oh, don't you? I think you've offended her now."

2B followed Daisy's finger to...Igglybuff. Who was, in fact, looking very huffy and offended as she sat on a fencepost. Seeing 2B look her way, she spun around and gave 2B the cold shoulder. Daisy giggled at the interaction, though she was also quick to soothe ruffled feathers.

"I'm sure she didn't mean that, Igglybuff. She just hadn't realized that you wanted to be her pokémon when you grow up big and strong. Isn't that right, 2B?"

2B's mouth opened, closed it for a few seconds as she properly consider the idea, then opened it again as she saw the baby pokémon looking at her hopefully.

"Ah…yes. I had not realized you were interested in fighting, Igglybuff. I apologize for my mistake."

Igglybuff immediately perked up, spun around, and began flexing its tiny arms, clearly trying to make muscle-man poses despite how stubby those arms were. This segued into quick 'punches' and 'kicks' that were adorable, but not exactly effective. 2B's lips twitched.

"I think we'll have to find a style of combat that works for you, now that I know you're interested."

Igglybuff cheered…then promptly fell off the fencepost. Of course, it caught itself in its balloon-like form of levitation before it hit the ground, but it was still a humorous sight. 2B caught herself smiling without quite understanding why, even as she mentally attempted to figure out a way to make such a pokémon effective in a fight. Maybe treat her like she was a Pod? Could Igglybuff learn any moves that shot out like a Pod's hardlight gatling gun did?

She was going to have to research this…

... ...

Daisy stared, gaping in shock as the berserkly bouncing Igglybuff spit out a stream of dozens of bullets of pink light. No single bullet did all that much damage to the wooden targets, but the constant stream of them was tearing them apart rather effectively. Objectively, Daisy could also see that the wildly moving little pokémon would be absolutely nightmarish to try hitting with anything but an area attack. She's never been much of a battler, but she was certainly familiar enough with those who were to recognize what she was seeing could easily become an outright terror.

Absolutely none of which explain how it was being done.

It had to be some sort of combination move effect, since she'd never seen a move like it. But she wasn't truly a move expert and wasn't at all sure what moves were being combined. Turning to a smugly happy looking 2B, she decided just to ask.

"How did you get her to do that? That's obviously fairy type energy, but I don't know of any move even remotely like it…"

2B nodded seriously.

"Yes. It was quite a trial to find a fairy type move Igglybuff could learn that was directly damaging. A TM of Dazzling Gleam proved to be the key. The move itself is too much for her to do justice to at the moment. But I wasn't really interested in it. Only in the understanding it would grant Igglybuff of damaging-type Fairy energy. Once she understood that, I got one of the Jigglypuff to teach her how to use Stockpile and Spit up. Then I worked with her until Stockpile was stockpiling Fairy type energy that was offensively aligned. Once she fills the stockpile, she uses tiny bursts of Spit Up to fire the Stockpiled energy as fairy bullets. We call the move Fairy Gatling."

Daisy gaped. She couldn't help it. There were so many things wrong with what 2B had just said. Starting with the fact that Igglypuff weren't supposed to be able to learn Stockpile and Spit Up yet, moving on to Stockpile not working that way, and ending firmly in the fact that 2B had somehow taught a baby pokémon to combine three different moves into something so custom it might as well be an entirely new move in its own right!

A sharp crack went through the training area as the last of the wooden targets completely shattered. There was a wild cheer from Igglybuff…and then a familiar flash of light caught out of the corner of Daisy's eye that had her head whipping around. She was just in time to catch the tail-end of Igglybuff's evolution into a Jigglypuff, bringing her at least some solace. Apparently, the pokémon had been very close to evolution. Which could explain why it had managed the Stockpile and Spit Up moves, at least with help from a Jigglypuff to teach it.

"Oh, good! That will help her a lot! She was straining a bit to get enough power into her shots."

Daisy groaned as the oblivious 2B next to her treated the entire affair like it was normal. She was going to need so many painkillers when she sat down to document this all for her grandfather…

... ...

Daisy stared at her hand. This was it. She was absolutely, one hundred and ten percent sure that she'd actually gone insane some time ago and was locked up in an asylum somewhere. Most likely, it had happened when she was a child and strayed into a psybeam or something. Everything after that must have been one long delusion of an unstable mind.

That was, clearly, the only rational answer to how she was holding a globe of pulsing moonlight above her hand.

Her Clefable and Chansey, both of them among her oldest and most dear pokémon, began clapping wildly and cheerfully, breaking Daisy out of her shock and questions about her sanity. The globe of moonlight faded away, leaving her quite drained feeling. Which was just about the only believable thing about this. The surrealness of the moment was only added to when her 'teacher' for this exercise spoke.

"Congratulations, Daisy. I think that went well."

Ha! Went well, she said. As if the results of the last two months of 2B's experiment with her hadn't just utterly shattered a huge chunk of what they knew about humans and Aura. As if she hadn't just given Daisy enough data to make her a Pokemon Professor a dozen times over. Huffing a helpless laugh, she shook her head.

"Yes, 2B, it certainly went well. I admit I can't quite believe how well. It should have taken be years, possibly even decades to learn to actually do a move like Moonlight. Your theory about slowly transfusing type-aligned Aura into a compatible host steadily enhancing their reserves seems to be proven beyond any shadow of a doubt."

That was what had happened. When 2B had approached her with an entire ream of research, including notes taken from Daisy's own papers, Daisy hadn't known what to think. When it had all been focused on Aura Transfer of all things, she'd been alarmed. That particular technique was known to be dangerous to Aura users. It was one of the few ways to drain yourself so badly of aura that it could kill you.

Thankfully, 2B's actual idea hadn't been quite as insane as Daisy had initially feared. Instead, it had cited quite a few topics like evolution stones, mega evolution key stones, and more as proof that a steady transfer of already-typed energy could be done safely. Not only that it could be done, in fact, but that it could have significant benefits if applied over time. Aura was like a muscle in most ways, but it was one whose growth was less about throughput and more about total available reserves and efficiency of using those reserves.

2B had proposed the idea that, since she and Daisy both had a shared alignment of the fairy-typing, that 2B steadily bolstering Daisy's own reserves as she practiced with Aura could accelerate the development of Daisy's small reserves. The process had taken months and been very carefully monitored by her Chansey, but…it had worked.

Daisy had just performed a pokémon move. One that had been 'taught' to her by her Clefable guiding its own aura through hers to show her how to direct it. Yet another theory of 2B's, made possible by the strong bond between Clefable and herself. The move had been extremely weak by that moves standards, but Daisy had produced it all on her own, without Clefable's external guidance. As she'd told 2B, it had also been something that should have taken years to build up to, even from the head start Daisy had already had from her studies on aura.

Breathing out a sigh, Daisy decided she was just going to have to get used to her friend breaking her reality regularly. Somehow, she just didn't think 2B was going to stop doing it. Particularly not when the younger girl didn't seem to even realize she was doing it in the first place!

Well. That was fine. She couldn't possibly end up being worse that Ash Ketchum, at least. Right? As she tried to believe that as firmly as possible, she picked up her custom pokedex to begin adding notes on this new development…

... ... ... ... ...

Author's Note: That's it for now! Sort of! There are actually another small chapter of this in Early Access on my P-atreon Page. As well as a p-atron only poll for a second Pokemon for 2B. Don't worry, all of my fanfiction is eventually free. So it will wind up here eventually! You can check out my profile for instructions on how to find me on the Website-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named-Here ;-). As well as, of course, to read my other works, all of which are much farther along than this is right now!