If you liked the first chapter, you're going to like this even more. Things are starting to pick up, I promise. Enjoy this second chapter in our heroes' adventure.
Troy was running. So fast that it was like his heart was going to rip out of his chest. Up ahead of him Ash was running into the middle of a battle field, two forces of energy were heading directly towards them like a freight train. Ash was going to get hit if he didn't do something.
"STOP!" He heard Ash yell.
With one desperate lunge, he shoved Ash down to the ground two feet away and the two energy fields hit him head on instead...
RING! RING! RING!
Troy snapped awake with a gasp of air. He panted for a few seconds to try and catch his breath. That dream did not feel like a dream. It felt like it had happened before. But when? He wasn't sure. It seemed to come out of the dark recesses of his mind, the part that was under lock and key. Like he wasn't supposed to remember it.
It took him a few seconds to realize that the alarm was going off. He quickly hit the snooze button to turn it off. Troy looked over at the sleeping Ash, the dream still on his mind.
"Ash," he shook him gently. "Time to wake up, buddy. Let's go."
Ash groaned as he turned over onto his back, staring up at the top of their tent. Rubbing his eyes, he started to sit up.
"No matter how hard I try, I can't shake getting up way early." He joked, emitting a laugh from Troy. As he got a good look at him, Ash started to grow a little concerned.
"You ok?" He asked.
"Yeah I'm fine." Troy answered, hiding the lie very well. "Let's get moving."
The two sat in a lotus position on the banks of the nearby river. Their eyes closed, their breathing low and deep. Troy's faithful Lucario sat next to him in the same position. Before they start training, Troy always made a point for Ash to clear his mind and let anything that would take away from his training fade away. It took Ash a while to get used to it but now he could sit quietly and be still without getting impatient after a minute.
The sounds of nature soothed the both of them. The Starly were singing their songs in the trees, the morning breeze blew gently around them and the sounds of the river flowing made it seem like heaven.
Troy's thoughts shift back to the dream he had just woken up from a short while ago. What did it mean? Was it supposed to symbolize something that his conscious wanted him to remember or was it just a recurring dream that simply happened? He hoped he would find the answer soon.
Lucario gave a brief and subtle growl as he felt his trainer's focus slipping.
"Relax, Lucario." Troy instructed his Pokémon. "It's nothing for you to worry about."
"What?" Ash asked, his eyes still closed.
"Nothing, Ash."
Troy breathed deeper to slow down his pulse. His mind returned to its Zen-like state within seconds. After a while longer, Troy opened his eyes along with Lucario.
"You ready, Ash?"
Ash opened his eyes and a smirk worked its way onto his face.
"Oh yeah."
For the next hour and a half, the two of them trained for Ash's upcoming battle at the Veilstone Gym. Troy was trying to help Ash encounter different situations with fighting types and see how he reacted to them. Having Lucario train with them helped tremendously but Ash still wasn't getting some of the stuff Troy was trying to tell him.
"Wrong again." Troy shook his head. "Come on, Ash. What's going on? I need you to get this right. It will help you."
Ash growled slightly. "I'm doing the best I can!"
"Well it's not good enough. I know you can do it better."
Ash frowned slightly with gritted teeth but didn't say anything else.
"Now let's go again."
"Alright. Staravia, use Steel Wing on Lucario."
The bird Pokémon flew in towards Lucario.
"Lucario, dodge and use Aura Sphere."
Lucario shot a small sphere of energy towards Staravia.
"Dodge it and use Steel Wing again."
Staravia dodged the attack and came in towards Lucario to deliver another Steel Wing.
"Use Close Combat!"
Ash was taken by surprise at Troy's command. He hadn't planned for him to do that. Lucario gave Staravia a kick to the mid-section when he got close enough and then delivered a punch to the side of his face. Staravia struggled to get off the ground. He fluttered his wings in desperation, but landed back on the ground nevertheless.
Troy shook his head in disapproval.
"You can't depend on Steel Wing like that, Ash." He explained. "You have to keep hammering away at your opponent so that they can't do anything to strike back. Keep the pressure on and you'll win. If they can't even get a hit in, it won't matter how defenseless you are, they'll never hit you."
"I know." Ash sighed. "I know how important this match is. I want to win my third badge and eventually the Sinnoh League."
Troy sighed through his nose. He knew how far ahead Ash planned but he needed to keep him in the now.
"Ash, we have six months," he said. "Six months. Now you're young and won't understand but that is a pretty long time in this profession. You'll still have five more badges to win before you can think about that."
"I get the point." Ash snapped.
"Do you? Ash, you have the capability of doing things that no one else can. Not even me. But you need to look inside yourself and decide 'Am I willing to do whatever is necessary to be the best?'"
There was a silent and tense pause as the apprentice looked his mentor straight in the eyes. Ash then supplied his answer.
"Yes," he replied. "I am."
"I don't believe you."
"Yes I am." Ash said more firmly.
"I don't think so."
"Yes! I am ready to do this!"
The answer seemed to be enough for Troy. He smiled slightly and nodded.
"Good. I've been where you want to be. I'm doing the best I can to get you there. Do you trust me?"
"Of course." Ash nodded. "You really think I have what it takes?"
"You can do anything you set your mind to."
Ash grinned at Troy and Troy smiled back. It was always better when things ended on a happier note.
Troy threw his arm around Ash's shoulders.
"Alright, let's take a break. You hungry?"
Dawn kicked at the ground, quite frustrated. "What am I going to do, Piplup?"
"Pip pip?" Piplup asked, hopping a little in concern.
Dawn sighed at sat down next to him, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "It's like, I've almost gotten the most perfect combination, but then, it just slips away again. Come on. Let's try another Whirlpool."
Piplup smiled at his trainer's determination.
"Pipluuuup!"
The spinning vortex or water was absolutely magnificent.
"Alright Piplup, keep it there! Buneary! You're up!" Dawn threw Buneary's Pokeball up high, and Buneary popped out with a graceful bow.
Dawn smiled at her Pokemon before making her move. "Now Buneary! Ice Beam! Right at the rim of the Whirpool!"
Piplup's eyes widened and he motioned for Buneary to stop, but she didn't and continued anyways. Dawn glanced furtively at her starter before shrugging and waiting excitedly for the results.
Her idea was that the ice would spread and eventually join in the middle, making a flat disc of ice. But as soon as the ice hit the Whirlpool, the ice fragments shot out and hit Buneary.
"No! Buneary! Piplup! Stop the Whirlpool!" Dawn cried, rushing forwards and shielding herself with her arm, from the sharp pieces.
Piplup shot her an 'I told you so' look and turned away. "Piplup! Pip lup lup!"
"Bubble Beam doesn't work! We already know that." Dawn shot down Piplup's idea without a thought.
After making sure her Pokémon was okay, Dawn sat down with another enraged huff, picking at the grass with frustration.
"What'd the grass ever do to you?"
Dawn closed her eyes and leaned back, her back meeting the ground with a thump. "Go away, Troy."
"Why are you being so grumpy, Dee Dee?" Troy asked, the laughter in his voice evident.
"Go away," Dawn groaned. Of course he had to bring the endearing terms back. "And don't call me Dee Dee."
"Looks like you're taking your anger out at the wrong things," Troy said, his voice much closer. He squatted down, his body casting a giant shadow over her face.
"Don't you know what 'go away' means?" Dawn glared at Troy, sitting up to flash her angry blue eyes. His forest green eyes reflected his nonchalantness as he chuckled.
"Sweetheart, you don't actually want me to go away. You need my help. Come on out Lucario!" Troy tossed his Pokeball up almost lazily, sitting down next to her.
"Uuuugh. I just can't seem to do anything right. I keep failing combinations and hurting my Pokemon...I'm just completely out of ideas!" Dawn threw up her arms and stared at the wide, blue sky. She brushed some hair out of her face and sighed deeply.
Lucario looked completely tranquil as he sat down next to the pair, his legs crossed and eyes closed. "Lucario."
Troy studied her, taking in the frustrated lines and the tired, exhausted look in her eyes. He knew exactly what he had to do.
"Come on."
"What now?" Dawn said, reluctantly getting up to follow him. Lucario quickly followed, his eyes still shut tightly. Dawn just stared at Lucario in amazement. How would he manage to stay like that? It was utterly amazing.
"Where are we going?" Dawn trotted a little faster, catching up with Troy's long strides.
Troy paused and looked back at her for a second, before turning forwards and moving again. "Somewhere that'll help you calm down and see reason. Come."
Dawn relaxed slightly before following him a bit more eagerly. If he was taking her on another 'learning expedition', Dawn was going to puke. The first time was bad enough. The second? Horrifying. And the third? Dawn still had nightmares. As long as it wasn't any of those...Dawn was okay with this.
When they finally emerged from the forest into the gorgeous clearing, Dawn immediately felt a lot calmer.
A bubbling stream fell from a low waterfall, tinkling and giggling as it ran along, the waves lapping at the smoothed over rocks. As soon as the stream ended, the soft, cool grass began, wildflowers dotting the clearing.
"It's beautiful," Dawn breathed, running a hand over the top of the grass. She slipped her sandals off, feeling the grass between her toes.
"It is. Lucario showed me it." Troy agreed.
"Lucario?" Dawn asked, walking towards the stream.
"Yeah," Troy nodded. "He's my best friend, my partner. He's my everything in a battle. It doesn't matter if it's a contest or a league battle. It's about the connection between us. Piplup tried to warn you of what would happen, but you didn't listen. Watch the brook. See how it moves? It moves along with the riverbed so all of the Pokémon living inside it can survive. The sun shines into its waters, allowing the algae and other plants to grow, in turn feeding all of the herbivores in it. It's an ecosystem. It all works as one. How can you expect beautiful, amazing results if you can't even cooperate with your own partner? Now think about it. What did Piplup want? And what did you do to respond?"
Dawn stopped at the side of the river, dipping her toes in thoughtfully. "I immediately said no to his response because he was the Pokemon, I was the trainer. Ideas are supposed to come from me."
"And that's where you go wrong, sweet pea," Troy said with a slight smirk to his voice. "Me and Lucario, we're one. One person, one being, completely and utterly one team. You see now? You have to allow yourself and your Pokemon to become one. Is shutting Piplup down allowing you guys to become one?"
Dawn opened her mouth to argue but shut it and simply gaped at Troy. Finally she shook herself out of her daze and answered. "No, I'm not."
"No you're not," Troy agreed. "Now think again. What did Piplup want? How can you incorporate his idea with your own? Be creative, look around you. Beauty is always the most breath-taking when it's 100% natural."
Dawn took a deep breath, and looked around her.
"Okay, I got this."
She remembered back to how everything played out, the sudden feeling of dread when the ice started shooting out.
"Okay, Bubble Beam, Ice Beam, Whirlpool, Bounce, Peck, what can I use to get what I want? Hmm. I could use Peck to pop the frozen bubbles, but I've done that already..."
Troy smiled when he saw Dawn finally opening her mind and allowing new thoughts to enter. He quietly walked away, Lucario following silently.
"Hey! I got it! I can get something else to pop the bubbles! When the ice shot out, it hurt, and it was sharp! I can have Buneary do Bounce to get up high, Ice Beam the Whirlpool, it'll pop the Bubble Beam I'll have Piplup do ahead of time, and after the sparkles and frost disappear, I'll have Piplup and Buneary stand together in the middle, unharmed! Oh yes!" Dawn jumped up in excitement, almost falling into the water.
"Troy?"
He was gone. A Starly chirped happily from the branches and Dawn stared at it curiously before turning back to the matter at hand. She slowly made her way back towards her sandals, all the while looking for Troy and Lucario.
"I hate it when he does that." Dawn uttered.
Troy grinned at Lucario from the edge of the forest, kneeling down behind the bushes with his partner. "Now let's see how she fares by herself with her Pokemon out, hm?"
Lucario voiced his agreement, a smile playing on his normally stoic features.
Dawn shrugged finally and gave up, calling out her Pokemon.
"I'm sorry, Piplup," Dawn apologized as she scooped up her Pokemon. "I shouldn't have immediately said no to your idea, and I definitely should I made precautions to make sure everyone would stay safe. I'm sorry."
Piplup looked mad for one more second before caving and patting Dawn's head happily. "Pip! Piplup!"
"Alright, guys, let's try this again! Piplup, Bubble Beam!" Dawn ordered.
The first time it didn't work, and Dawn looked like she was at the verge of slipping back into her depression of frustration.
"Pip, piplup?" Piplup asked, twirling a little bit. Dawn's eyes lit up.
"Yes, that's it! Alright, Piplup, Bubble Beam again, but in a circle! Surround yourself with bubbles!" Dawn said, smiling again. Piplup immediately complied.
As the swirling blanket of bubbles blocked Piplup from sight, Dawn knew that he could still hear her. Buneary motioned towards the top, where it was completely covered with bubbles. Dawn frowned at it.
"Bun! Buneary!" Buneary said, splashing some water onto the rocks. Dawn nodded in recognition. Buneary wanted to use the Whirlpool to part the bubbles on top.
"Now Whirlpool right up through the bubbles!"
Dawn watched as the large swirling blue wave appeared again, and smiled joyfully as the bubbles began spinning slowly around the Whirlpool, not scattered and wild.
"Buneary! Your turn! Bounce!"
"Bun, bun, bun!" Buneary shot up into the sky, her brown fur making her stand out against the clear sky. "Buneary!"
"Now Ice Beam, at the edge of the Whirlpool, just like we did before!"
"Bun!"
The Ice Beam hit perfectly on target, freezing the outer layer of the Whirlpool sending barely frozen, sharp ice shards flying. They popped the bubbles as they shot out, making a beautiful display of frost, rain, and sparkling mist.
"Yes!" Dawn jumped up in excitement.
"Piplup!" Piplup nodded his head proudly as he stood side by side with Buneary, bowing and doing a little dance.
"Yes it worked! We did it guys! And all thanks to your help! That was absolutely perfect! The judges will love it at our next contest! That fourth ribbon is ours!" Dawn said with excitement, hugging her Pokemon. "I finally got that breakthrough we needed!"
Troy came out of the bushes and clapped a couple times. "Congratulations. I see you've gotten it."
"You were here the entire time." Dawn stated it like a fact, not a question.
"Yes," Troy agreed. "I was here the entire time, watching you work with your Pokemon. And now that you've figured out what you need to figure out, I'm going back to camp to eat breakfast with Ash and Brock. They should be done by now. They just started when I left. You coming? Or are you going to stay out here to make the most of your breakthrough?"
Dawn looked down at her Pokemon, who looked satisfied and just a teeny bit tired. "I think I'm coming with you, right guys? That next contest is going to be cake! No need to worry!"
Troy laughed lightly at Dawn's familiar catchphrase. "No need to worry indeed."
A/N: As you can see, Troy takes two different ways of training with Ash and Dawn: he's tough with Ash but more sympathetic and warmer with Dawn. See if you can guess what Troy was dreaming about. I'll give you a shout out in the next chapter if you review with the correct answer. See you all soon.