Chapter 136: Chapter 136

“Well ain’t that something.” Papa exclaimed as I showed him the box with the dozens of disks.

“It’s really cool, a bit extra, but I think Lusamine is kinda like that.”

“You know, over the top.” I explained, and Papa just nodded.

“Well I guess it’s as good an excuse as any.” He muttered, and I blinked.

“An excuse? For what?”

“You to get on with training, you have the Elite Four to fight soon, don’t you?”

“I mean, yeah, but I’ve been training! I’ve been getting back into the swing of things.”

“You have, but, what about your other pokemon? I was visiting the other day to see Uncle Roy, and you were only focusing on your old team, right?”

“Well… Yeah my new pokemon need more time before they’re ready. They aren’t going to fight the Elite Four!”

“Why not? You got your Gyarados just a few months before the Conference and he did great.”

“Blue Heart, is Blue Heart, and shouldn’t be compared to-”

“Normal pokemon? Vicky, he’s only not normal because of you… Right?” Papa added, looking at Mama who nodded.

All three of us around the dinner table gave this sudden shift the feeling of an intervention.

“They’re babies, and I need to make sure they’re ready!”

“Hmm.” Papa added, and I deflated at his tone, not judgemental, but just… Questioning.

“Okay, so maybe, I’m a little hesitant, I want to make sure they’re ready so I don’t mess up again.”

“Winning the conference and having your pokemon nearly undefeatable against the strongest young trainers in Kanto, isn’t messing up.”

“They could have been stronger. Will be stronger, but-”

“Vicky.” Mama cut in, as I hesitated and she reached over and patted me on the head. “You know I spoke with Roy, and Elizabeth, they’re the ones that mentioned this, not accusing you of anything, just noticing something.”

“You talk to Elizabeth?”

“Sometimes, I call in to check on you sometimes when you are out all day, and she picks up.”

“So… You don’t have to listen to me, neither your father or I are really all that great as trainers, nothing like you, but I also know you, my troublesome daughter.”

“Not Trouble.” I grumbled but that just earned me a smirk. I totally was.

“Sometimes you get stuck in your head about things and refuse an easier path, or maybe just a different one… Will your first team truly not reach the highest highs once you have developed your second team as their rivals?”

“Of course they will. Like Arcanine will accept anything less.”

“Then, it’s not a mistake, it’s simply a process that needs something different… Maybe it’s time to start training. I want to see you do your best against the Elite Four, and against the champion, but if you aren’t training your pokemon… I don’t think you are quite ready for what people like the Elite Four can do to prepare for a trainer. They will know your pokemon, their moves. If you can’t throw in some surprises…”

Mama patted the TM box.

“Yeah… I just… I want them to be everything. I don’t want them to have the same problems, I trained Arcanine and the others wrong…”

“Is wrong the right word? They’re incredibly powerful.”

“Well maybe… Not as optimally as I could.”

“Okay, so does that mean you shouldn’t train your second team at all?”

“I am! They get battles, and special attack practice!”

“Well, that’s kinda it.”

“Hmm. If you saw another trainer only doing that, would you say it was enough?”

“No. I’d yell at them for hyperfocusing… But Gravity training is really good, once they start it's hard to switch. Unless they have a rival to match them and push them to use other skills…” I added mumbling a little.

Maybe, just maybe I was having a realization?

Mama reached over and patted my head. “You’ll figure it out regardless Vicky. If there is one thing I’m utterly confident in, it’s that someday you’ll end up the Indigo Champion.”

I blinked a little surprised at the words.

“I know so. It’s gonna be hilarious too. You’ll either break and run away, or you’ll break the league.” Mama said something kinda scary so calmly.

Why would I break? I don’t even really want to be champion, and what was that about me breaking the League? Scary! That sounds scary you know!

“Pass the dumplings?”

But what about my sudden crisis! Mama! Don’t just ignore me for food!

The next day after a long night staring at the ceiling trying to put my thoughts in order I gathered everyone around.

Even the Vulpix and Ninetales were watching from the side, as I had gathered up my battlers.

Seeing all of them in one place made me want to just dive forward and hug all of them forever…

I shook it off and took a breath.

“Today, we’re going to start a new level of training.” My words caught all of my friends' attention, Milotic wilted, Arcanine perked up, her tail wagging, and my new team looked interested… Well Besides Gible. Dratini was wrapped around her to keep her from running off.

I rubbed the incubator that was strapped to my chest. Maybe another week? Maybe more? I can’t wait to have a second cute Dratini!

“I’ve been preparing you all for the most intense training I can. For my older team, you are preparing to fight the strongest trainers in Kanto. To fight the Champion Lance, and his dragons.”

“No not right now! It’s months away!” I said as Arcanine looked half way ready to start running at Lance right now. Honestly.

She whined a little as she calmed down.

“So, I’ve been preparing the younger team to make up for some of the… Things I didn’t know about with the older team. You’ve been pushing your energy, mastering a ranged move, and using it as your main focus… But you all know.” Besides maybe Gible anyways. Not sure how much she was picking up. “That there is an even more intense training method in your future. This week, we are going to prepare you for it, and then next week, all the limits come off.”

“Bliss!” Blissey cheered before anyone else could, startling everyone as they looked at her as she bounced around. “Blissey Bliss! Bliss Blissey!”

The way the baby team were starting to look a little startled at Blissey words…

Nope I’m sure she was just telling them they were going to have so much fun next week. Not that she was telling them she was going to crush and mold them as she pleased.

Blissey was a good Goddess after all.

“Right so. This week though, it’s going to be… Different. Little Team. Dratini, Goomy, Jangmo-o, Riolu, yes you too Riolu, you brat. Maybe Gible… If she’s up to it, and Mimikyu… You are going to be battling… The older team.” I said with a finality that had the little guys shift and look at their older teammates…

“Yes Riolu, even you.” I sighed, as she looked outraged at what was about to happen. “This week is going to solidify what we tried to learn at Clawmark Hill… You are going to be put up against pokemon much much stronger than you, and you have to try and defeat them.”

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“It’s not about winning Jangmo-o. Remember what I said at Clawmark. You are going to struggle and face stronger pokemon than you in the future too, so learning what you can to overcome that gap is what we are practicing this week… Before we supercharge your training to bring you all to the next level.”

“Goo! Goomy.” Hmm, I looked at Brave, the only one of the baby team that didn’t have any hesitation. She was ready.

“Okay, Arcanine, since you are too excited to wait, you are up first. I’ll be calling out commands for Dratini, so just do what you think is best… No, actually don’t do that. Don’t go overboard.”

“Arc!” She barked back. Okay well, we’ll see if she actually listened to me there.

“Yep, you first. Alright everyone, move to the side, and let’s get everything start, Blissey you know what to do, watch, and get ready for your fight… It’s going to be back to back, and we aren’t stopping until lunch.” I finished grimly, and the babies all wilted.

Besides Goomy. She was ready for action.

My little team… They tried. The first few losses were the start of the decline, by the time it was their third run through, I saw them start to lose heart.

Well, other than Goomy, She was just ready to bust her face into Arcanine at the start of any battle.

So I had to motivate my team.

“You can do it.” I said, confidently as Dratini was pouting at me. Even my Jolly little noodle was huffy at losing.

“You haven’t lost Dratini, only if you give up do you lose.”

“Dra-Tini.” He said flatly at me, and I had to resist laughing that would defeat my point, but yeah.

“How about we try something new. We can work on adjusting for the attacks, and-”

“Tini.” He huffed at me, pouting.

“Vul! Vupix.” I blinked and so did he as we both turned to see Vulpix standing beside me and puffing herself up.

“You want… To fight?”

I considered it. She was totally not ready, but maybe that was what the baby team needed.

“Okay, Vulpix let’s battle.” I confirmed, and she nodded, rushing over to where the others started and yowling at Arcanine.

She was tiny in comparison. Arcanine could smoosh the little fox with just one paw.

Yet she yowled up at Arcanine demanding a battle.

“Begin!” I called out. “Vulpix Powder Snow! Blot out the area, try to hide!”

“Vuuuuul!” She called out, as the snow shot out, mostly just sort of splattering across Arcanine's face for a moment.

I even caught Arcanine licking her jowls of the snow. Silly girl.

“Now dodge away! You can do it!” I called, and I noticed the rest of the baby team were all sort of just half heartedly watching.

“Vulpix! Turn and attack now!” I called out, Arcanine had moved, and she was coming up right behind Vulpix blisteringly fast.

So Vulpix did as commanded, turning and firing a second Powder Snow right into Arcanine's open mouth as she came in for a bite.

There was a choking noise as Arcanine gagged her mouth filling with snow as Vulpix blasted her.

Then everything stilled. Vulpix was tired. Her little chest was breathing heavily, two moves, and running around was a lot for her.

But it was good for her too.

Arcanine blinked, working her mouth as she tried to get the ice and snow out… She turned and…

I winced as Vulpix was enveloped by a weak flamethrower. It flowed out burning away the ice and over Vulpix.

Then a moment after it was over.

Vulpix stood there now covered in soot, and she gave a little cough as smoke escaped her mouth and she fell over…

Heh. I resisted the urge to laugh because she had rolled over entirely still stiff legged, and now her legs were up in the air.

“Bliss Blissey!” Was called out as Vulpix was scooped up and walked off the court settled back down, still on her back I noticed, Blissey you jokester, and started getting healed.

“Vuuuul!” Another voice called. One of the older Vulpix sisters?

“Ah I guess we were doing an intermission then?”

“I really don’t know how this happened.” I whispered. Staring at the four foxes.

All of them covered in soot, their legs shooting straight into the air as Blissey healed over them. Even Ninetales was right next to his kids and was sooty and knocked out…

They had all come to challenge Arcanine after, although I wasn’t sure if Ninetales understood what was happening.

I shrugged. Whatever. I pulled out my Camera and snapped a picture. Sometimes you just had to take what happened as a fun experience.

It had done something though.

Dratini crawled back out onto the field, and whistled at Arcanine.

I guess seeing even the little Vulpix battle had given him a bit more battle spirit.

Even if he was soon hauled over and healed up by Blissey as well.

Battle, heal, repeat.

“Drag Dragonite!” The two faced each other down, mother and son, and Dragonite understood well her role.

“Draaa!” She shouted and thrust down orbs of Dragon Pulse down at Dratini, who squeaked in surprise and leapt to the side.

His squeaks were so cute!

“You can do it! Don’t let her control the momentum fire back!”

“Tini!” The two of them went at it, and I continued to shout orders for Dratini, we fell into a rhythm, since Dragonite was just so fast, Dratini was mostly always on the move. The only reason the battle hadn’t already ended was Dragonite was only using Dragon Pulse Orb. Launching energy balls down that Dratini could dodge as they weren’t being controlled.

It was probably terrifying for him though. Each orb hit the ground like a mortar exploding and showering him with sod and grass.

Not that the battlefield was looking very good. We’d been battling all morning.

“You can do it! Control her movement, you know she’ll dodge! Adjust for it!”

She growled cutely and fired again and again. Pierce this time. And it was obvious he was trying to push her into a specific location like I’d said, but when he attacked she threw up her own Dragon Pulse and his attack melted against the superior energy.

“Tini!” He… I think that was a curse! Oh my!

“Dra dra dra!” Dragonite made a noise above him. She was laughing at him. Oh, was she playing the heel today?

“Draaaa?” She drawled, out then reached up and pretended to clear out her ears…

“Tini! Dra-Tini!” He roared and I actually saw a bit of energy surrounding him. What was he doing?

He looked back at me…

“Do it! Get her!” I roared out, our hearts in sync. Him because he wanted to win, and mine because I wanted him to win!

“Dra-Tiiiiiiii!” He roared out, and a Dragon Pulse formed and fired. The control variant. The dragon headed beam spiraled around, sticking close to the ground as it circled.

The beam circled again, and then it arced towards him!

He was staring straight up at his mother though, his little face firm. He was a Dragon.

Then the beam reached him and arced towards the sky, shooting towards Dragonite… The source of this content ɪs novelꜰire.net

With Dratini riding along it!

Even Dragonite was staring stupefied as the beam reached her, and Dratini roared as he smashed his tail into the top of her head.

Dragonite actually lost altitude, as she was knocked by the powerful move.

And then Dratini was in the air, the energy of Dragon Pulse fading leaving him in the sky, then he started falling.

Only to be caught in Dragonites arms…

Oh he lost. Dragonite's muscled arms squeezed as she hugged. Dratini had a single moment before his body went slack falling limp in her crushing hug.

What the fuck was that!?

Awesome. That’s what it was.

I groaned as I finally had a chance to flop down into the grass and eat my own meal.

All of my pokemon were hungry. Eventually even Arcanine had needed a break, her energy getting so low she couldn’t even shoot a flamethrower anymore.

So the rest had battled, and battled, and battled.

Feeding a Dozen pokemon was a serious chore. Feeding more than a dozen of very active pokemon even more so.

“How is your food?” I asked my little companion, and she slowly brought more into her mouth and started chewing eyes rolling up…

Yeah Gible liked food times.

I ate beside her, and there was none of that tension in her frame. She knew her food was hers now, no one touched it, Dratini was on her other side eating as well, and whether it was because she liked him, or because he was her pool noodle, she was good with him too.

Taking a few bites I relaxed, my own stomach no longer rumbling. It was working, even if the baby team hated it.

Dratini had done something amazing. Not just come up with something crazy awesome, but he’d inspired the others too.

That was the exact sort of thinking I had wanted to bring out in my baby team. If you were on the back foot, if you were weaker, then you could still win if you pulled something crazy out.

That was Ash’s tactic, what he would be known for, he’d developed it by training a new team over and over, new techniques and developments across a decade of training new pokemon over and over.

Or whatever the timeline was supposed to be like in the anime, but I knew a lot of that was because his team was always new, they were always on the back foot.

When you were fighting a trainer with a team they’ve had for six years, and your team besides PIkachu was less than a year with you, you were always on the backfoot.

Until you suddenly weren’t.

But it was the sort of thing that made an entire day of training worth it. The out of the box thinking that would win you an insurmountable battle.

Now it just needed a cool name…

“Dragon Rising?” I muttered, no, as cool as naming Dratini’s move that it was already taken.

“Tini?” He questioned his cheeks full of food.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” I reminded him, but I answered anyway. “I was thinking about your cool new move. Riding your Dragon Pulse… Maybe Dragon Surfing? Dragon Rising would be cooler, but it’s already taken.”

“Dragon Surfing it is then. You’ll have to teach the others. Goomy and Jangmo-o both could get a lot of use out of it, since they can’t fly.”

Then again when they evolve they probably won’t be able to use it either, but that wasn’t the point. The training for it would be the benefit. Learning to control your Dragon Pulse so closely to be able to control it while you ride it? That wasn’t it either. The Aura he’d used. That was how he’d ridden the Pulse and didn’t just end up exploded by his own move. He’d basically had a shield of his own energy which interacted positively with his own move.

I pulled out my notebook. The same one I used as a Pokedex and added it to my training methods for dragon type pokemon. Heck I bet we could use it for others too. Milotic could use it with a Water Pulse too… We had never gotten around to testing for other Water Pulse effects. Could he make a controlled pulse like Dragon Pulse?

Then sighed, remembered I needed to eat and got back to that. Eat first, training after.