Running to the barracks, I need to get there quickly in order to get back to training in time. The dry dirt and gravel kicking up a cloud while I ran but I cannot worry about my pants getting dirty now. As I near the door, to leap inside and bursting open the green doors to my small, worn-out beige tent. Swiftly, I took my Pokeballs and retrieved each of my pokemon to be inside them because some of them are too slow to keep up. Closing the doors, I run back to training for it to just start and manage to slip into line before the sergeant got to my name. When he called out Amjad Jaffari, I answered
him that I was present.

Today's training was a step above basic, we had to learn how to immediately react to any given Pokemon with the Pokemon of our choosing to be actively using. This meant knowing the type advantages and the general stats of the average enemy Pokemon so that we know which move to use while taking into account their speed and defenses. If the enemy Pokemon is especially faster than yours then a more defensive move would better or wait for the right moment. Today it was just cards but next week we would have to practice on each other. The combat training was ended recently after a year but due to the war in Kuwait, the Pokemon Combat Division's training is being rushed because they are viewed as "expendable."

I wish Pokemon could not be used at all during the war but I would be a liar if I am not glad they can be here to support me, praise be to Arceus. Each of them are like a brother or sister to me so I do not want to see them get hurt for a human war. They have been with me for at least ten years
and others even longer. I will choose my Gabite for next week's exercise.

Gible was given to me by my father when I was born as I could be their only child, he was to be my brother. He says that he found him stranded near the Zamzam Well when he was on Hajj and took it as a sign that this Gible would be a gift and could protect me. My parents say that he evolved into
Gabite when I was 2 so that he could help me learn how to walk. Since then I went wherever he went, he felt like an older brother that I looked up to. When I first began to speak I looked at him and gave
him the name Ashaka.

Next week for the new training, Sergeant Balil showed up with his partner Flygon. I hated that Flygon, it looked like every part of that Pokemon was covered in ash as if it was the image of death and always acted as if it was going to attack at any time by the way it jerked for no reason. "Alright you wastes of camel dung! You will be scored on today's practice as part of your placement tests! Making the right move is more important than landing a hit if you sons of whores can understand that." he said. From years of knowing Ashaka I knew exactly how strong and fast he was and all the versatile moves he
can learn. This made the training very easy for me, scoring as one of the best.

Yoseph's Flareon was strong but most of the time it was too slow and at a type disadvantage combined with incapable to learn more moves to do anything but use Protect. Fire-type Pokemon are the most common to use in any army because of their destructiveness but I always stuck to Ground because I just always feel at home with them. I went up to him and said "Not bad, but are you sure you should not use a different Pokemon?" he replied, "I know that Hanaa is not the best Pokemon to use in war but she will defend me no matter what." With that I just gave him a smile as we walked to the "cafeteria" would be a nice way of calling it, a shack with trays inside, the only meal was bread, rice, and peas.

I fed each of my Pokemon as much as I was given, their diet had more variety at least. I talked to Yoseph while we fed our Pokemon. Yoseph was a better soldier than a Pokemon trainer in battle, he is almost 200cm tall and agility to match. A regular army build with swayed hair but a wispy mustache. While I was average height and scrawny, I would need my Pokemon to survive in any war. When everyone finished eating most of the camp including myself went to bed after today's training.