AN: Would love some feedback. This is my first time writing so I don't know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. Some help would be nice :)
When Ryan woke up in the morning, he took Poochyena outside to go to the bathroom.
"You have to go potty out here," Ryan said as they reached the backyard.
"There is a doggy-door right there that Arcanine uses. You should be able to use it once you get bigger." Ryan added, when he saw how massive it was.
"Until then, just let me know when you have to go potty. Ok?" Ryan asked.
Poochyena nodded at him once, before going out to do his business.
Potty training is so easy, Ryan thought.
When Poochyena came back to Ryan, Ryan picked him up and brought him inside. Time to show mom, Ryan thought.
"Now you are going to meet my mother." Ryan said to Poochyena.
Poochyena looked worried.
"She is really nice, but she will want to hold you and touch you. It will be fun. Don't worry." Ryan said soothingly to Poochyena.
"Mom! I have something to show you!" Ryan said, as he stood outside his parent's room.
"What is it?" Sarah asked as she opened the door.
"Oooh! It is so pretty!" She said as she saw the bundle in Ryan's arms.
She put her hand out for Poochyena to sniff. Poochyena sniffed it, gave a nod of approval, and then graciously accepted Sarah's hand on the back of his head.
Ryan put the Poochyena down.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Sarah asked as she bent down to pet the Poochyena.
"A boy. He will be getting a name soon." Ryan said.
Poochyena looked up at Ryan.
"Yes, a name. You are a special Poochyena, and you deserve a special name."
Poochyena seemed pleased by that, or maybe it was the fact that Ryan's mom had started petting it's belly.
"Arcanine! Come here!" Ryan called.
"Arcanine is much bigger than you Poochyena, but he is very nice. You need to meet him."
Poochyena thought of another person rubbing his belly, and eagerly nodded his head.
Arcanine rounded the corner, his gait smooth.
Poochyena saw the large fire dog, gave a bark, and ran behind Ryan's legs.
"It's ok boy," Ryan said, "It's just Arcanine he is a friend."
"Arcanine, this is Poochyena. The newest member of our family. Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble please.
Arcanine nodded, with a twinkle in his eyes.
Poochyena slowly stepped forward, unsure of the situation.
He walked up to Arcanine, slowly gaining confidence, and studied the bigger dog.
Arcanine started wagging it's tail, and dropped down to a playful stance.
Poochyena jumped back, afraid, but realized that Arcanine just wanted to play. He jumped at Arcanine, as Arcanine jumped back. And with that, the two bounded through the house.
"It hatched!" Ryan said to his mom when the two dogs turned the corner.
"I'm so happy for you!" His mom said back.
"Ya, what time is it?
"It's 8. I was just getting up to fix us some breakfast."
"Alright. I'm going to go shower."
"Ok honey!"
XX
This first week passed by quickly, Ryan thought.
It had been six days since the egg hatched, and Poochyena was ready for a name and a trip to the real outside.
Ryan had kept Poochyena inside the house, except for when he had to go potty.
Poochyena was comfortable in the house now, and had made friends with all of the family. He particularly liked picking on Arcanine, but it was obvious that soon Arcanine would give the young puppy some scolding.
But of course, Poochyena's best friend was Ryan. Poochyena slept with Ryan, and Ryan spent most of Poochyena's waking, and sleeping hours with him.
"Alright boy, we need to give you a name." Ryan said, as he looked at Poochyena.
Poochyena looked back earnestly, and gave Ryan a slight nod.
"Do you like Major?" Ryan asked.
Poochyena shook his head.
"Buddy?"
Poochyena cocked his head, thinking, and then reluctantly shook it.
"What about Morgan?"
Poochyena quickly shook his head.
"Um... Titan?"
Poochyena thought for a minute, then gave a nod.
"So you like Titan?" Ryan asked.
Poochyena barked a confirmation.
"Alright, Titan it is." Ryan said, satisfied with the name.
"Ok Titan, today we are going outside into the real world, not just the backyard. It is early morning, and not very many people will be out. You still need to listen to me, and if I call your name come back to me. You will have plenty of time to sniff around, but you have to come back when I call. Ok?" Ryan asked.
Titan nodded, and with that they set out the front door.
XX
Titan proved to be trustworthy, and so Ryan went ahead with his schedule, and they went for a run the next morning.
Ryan had to make sure they got up really early, as he didn't want anybody to steal his friend.
Titan kept up with Ryan pretty well the first week. Ryan was also out of shape, and they stopped frequently. It was still a good workout for the both of them, and by the end of each run they were both ready for a nap.
The second week passed by much the same, although they stopped less and less. Ryan also added jumping rope to his routine, while he had an assortment of household items that he put out in a sort of maze for Titan to jump over and crawl under.
XX
At the beginning of the third week, a big change was occurring.
School was about to start.
"Titan, I need to tell you something before we go for our run." Ryan said.
Titan looked up at him expectantly.
"Tomorrow I start school." Ryan said. "I'm going to be gone for most of the day, and you will be spending more time with Arcanine and mom."
Titan gave a little whine.
"I would rather spend all day with you too, but we just can't. This is for your own good though, because you aren't really learning proper Pokemon manners. Arcanine will show you how to behave like a Pokemon."
Titan growled at the mention of Arcanine, who had finally had enough of Titan's nonsense the other day and pinned the smaller dog Pokemon on his back.
"It'll be good for you. But I'm not totally leaving you. We will just see each other less. Don't worry, it will be fine." Ryan said.
Titan seemed to sigh, but got happy when Ryan started heading out the door and motioned for Titan to follow.
XX
The weeks passed on like this, except for with one change. After the third week, Ryan was barely able to keep up with Titan, and soon Titan was running circles around Ryan.
Ryan kept adding different things to their morning workouts, and eventually there was too much stuff and not enough time before school.
So instead of dropping the workouts, Ryan started doing things at night with Titan, much to his parents dislike.
But Ryan was determined to be the very best, and he would get there no matter what.
XX
A few months later, Ryan's class was having a field trip down to Littleroot town, specifically to Professor Birch's lab.
"Ya, I've already met the guy," Ryan heard from behind him.
"He personally came to my house. He was so surprised that I found his egg. He was so happy it was someone like me and not someone that would be unable to raise the Torchic properly. He said that he knew I would be a great trainer."
There he goes again, Ryan thought.
All Jordan was ever talking about was how he had a Pokemon and how cool he was. Ryan honestly didn't know how he was ever friends with him.
But you weren't, Ryan thought. He was just using you.
But Ryan wouldn't let Jordan get his spirits down today. He would see Professor Birch, and he would ask him an important question.
Ryan had been working out with Titan every day ever since their first workout, but he had no way to tell if it was useful. Ryan was hoping he could get Titan a sparring partner, and get some advice on training him.
Really though, Ryan just wanted a way to know he was doing a good job. He wanted to be sure he had a really strong Pokemon before he came out and beat Jordan's Torchic.
Ryan was snapped from his thoughts as they arrived in front of the Lab.
It looked like just a large house on the outside, with a big chimney on the top.
"Ok class, let's go inside" The teacher called.
As Ryan walked in the lab, he was utterly unimpressed.
The lab just looked like a big empty warehouse, with a few spaces where there were clutters of papers and boxes and machines. The professor obviously wasn't much about showmanship.
"Ah, hello students!" A deep voice said.
"I am Professor Birch's assistant, and I will be giving you a tour around today." A tall man with a lab coat informed them.
Cool, cool, but where is Birch? Ryan pondered in his head.
"Professor Birch is actually out of town right now, but I can answer any questions." The tall man said.
I don't buy it, Ryan thought. He looked around the warehouse. The boxes of clutter seemed to form a shape in one corner. Like a large rectangle. Kind of like a room...
Ryan snuck off towards the room hidden behind the clutter. He walked to the backside of it, quick to hide from anyone who might give his position away. As he walked around to the far side, he saw a door through the cluttered mess. He opened it, and hesitantly stepped inside the room that seemed to be build from cardboard boxes.
"Hello?" Ryan heard a voice call.
"Hello Professor, it's me, Ryan Parslough."
"Ah, hello Ryan. I was hoping not to be disturbed, but better by someone I know rather than someone I don't. How is the Poochyena?"
"He is doing great! I actually wanted to ask you something."
"Yes?" The Professor asked.
"Well.. I've been training him quite a bit, but this is my first time doing this kind of thing and my dad won't give me any pointers..." Ryan stammered along.
"You're wondering if I can find a Pokemon that would be a good sparring buddy for your Poochyena?" The professor asked, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"Yes please sir!"
"I have one question before I give my answer. How many people know you have this Poochyena?"
"Just my family." Ryan answered in all honesty. He had remembered the Professor's warning, and had kept Titan a secret.
"Alright! Then I will see what I can do. Be expecting someone up Sunday." The Professor said, turning back to his work.
"Oh, you won't be coming up?" Ryan asked, disappointed.
"I'll tell you what. I have three different Pokemon that if you train hard enough you can beat by the time the year is over. One is only a month or two older than yours, one is three months older than that, and the last one is over a year old. Basically full grown. None of them are meant for battle, but they all can hold their own. If you beat them all I will personally come up with a Pokemon I trained myself, and I will help teach your Poochyena any move that my Mightyena knows. Deal?"
"Yes sir!" Ryan said, excited that he would be not only impressing the Professor but also learning a cool new move.
"Alright, one of my assistants will be up this weekend. If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my work now."
"No problem, Ryan said, as he walked away.
He found the rest of the group in no time, and happily joined in, unaware of what was being said.
I have real sparring partners, and I will impress the professor, Ryan thought.
XX
Ryan heard a knock on the door.
"That must be him!" Ryan said as he rushed to the door.
"Hello." A young man with short brown hair said.
"Hi! Did Professor Birch send you?" Ryan asked.
"Yes. Are you ready to test your skills?" The man asked.
"I would love to! Come on, lets go to the backyard!" Ryan said.
"I'm Daniel. Where are your parents? I wouldn't want to intrude..."
"Oh don't worry. Arcanine is our protector. My dad is out back cooking burgers, and my mom went to town to get groceries."
"Alright," Daniel said, as he noticed the pair of eyes watching him from the hallway.
"That must be the Arcanine?" Daniel pointed.
"Ya. It's ok buddy!" Ryan called to Arcanine.
Ryan headed to his back yard, with Daniel following.
"Woah," Daniel said as he saw Titan.
"The professor told me he was special, but his coloring is amazing!"
"Thank you." Ryan said. "Titan, you ready?"
Titan barked, and walked over in front of Ryan.
"Alright" Daniel said. "Go get em Rattata!"
A purple rat came out of a red stream of light.
Titan looked at the rat, while it hissed back at him.
"This is my first time," Ryan said. "Do we just start?" Ryan asked.
"Yes," Daniel responded. "Scratch!" He yelled at Rattata.
The Rattata ran towards Titan.
"Dodge it!" Ryan screamed.
Titan jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the outstretched claw that had soared right past his head.
"Keep going for it with scratch!" Daniel yelled.
"Don't let it hit you!" Ryan responded.
The two Pokemon broke into what looked like a dance.
Rattata would lunge at Titan, and Titan would jump to the side.
Rattata would rear back up and charge at Titan again, but Titan was too fast, all of the training he had done jumping over and around things making up for the natural lack of maneuverability he had compared to a Rattata.
"He is quick!" Daniel said to Ryan.
"Thank you." Ryan responded.
"Are you ever going to go on the offensive?"
"Oh, ya! That's right!"
"Get him Titan!" Ryan called out to his Pokemon.
Titan lunged forward at Rattata, but was obviously unsure of what he was supposed to be doing. He lowered his head and charged at Rattata, but Rattata just dodged to the side and scratched the length of the Poochyena's body,
Titan gave out a quick welp, which was followed by another couple as the Rattata converged on him, scratching like crazy.
"That's enough," Daniel said, as he recalled Rattata in a stream of red light.
"Titan!" Ryan screamed, as he ran over to the Poochyena.
Titan gave him a tired sigh, with cuts all over his body.
Daniel walked up, a potion in hand, and gave it to Ryan.
"Spray this on all the cuts." Daniel said.
Ryan did so, and as he watched they all healed up instantly.
"He will be tired, but he isn't hurt anymore." Daniel said.
"Thank you."
"You need to work on his attacks and his defense if you want him to battle. Right now it looks more like he is training for a marathon or dodging a lightning storm. He is incredibly quick for his breed and has a lot of endurance, but he has no idea what he is doing in battle."
"Ya, I've been doing workouts and stuff, but I don't know how to train him for battle." Ryan admitted, ashamed of himself.
"The Professor figured as much. Let's see what he gave me..." Daniel said, as he rummaged through his bag.
"Ah perfect! Here is the package!" Daniel said, as he pulled out a bundle and handed it to Ryan.
Ryan looked at it. It was a black case, with a plastic latch on the front. A sticky note on it said "Little-No battle Experience."
"What is this?" Ryan asked, confused.
"I honestly don't know. The professor packed it up himself. If you open it up I can tell you the contents."
Ryan opened up the case.
"Ah yes, so first you have five of your own potions." Daniel said as he pulled out five of the potions he had used earlier.
"It seems as though he gave you some light reading," Daniel mused as he pulled out two books.
"Attack Training 101 For Dog types" Was the first title, the second "All you need to know on how to train a fighting Dog".
"There is also a letter in here for you." Daniel said, as he pulled out a white envelope with RYAN printed on the front.
"I am assuming he wants you to read the books, try out some of the techniques, and be better prepared for when I come back next weekend. I wouldn't use all of the potions, because you won't get anymore until you defeat me. I also recommend not throwing the canisters away, as they can be refilled for a cheaper price than regular potions." Daniel finished, as he packed up his stuff.
"Thank you very much!" Ryan said.
"No problem!" Daniel said, as he left through the back gate.
Well, looks like I'm not as good as I thought.
"Don't worry boy, next time won't be so humiliating." Ryan said to Titan, who was laying at his feet.
Titan looked up and nodded, apparently not to happy about his loss.
Ryan put the items back in the case, and headed to his room, case in hand.
XX
The first thing Ryan looked at was the envelope.
There was a letter inside.
Ryan, It seems as though you have been neglecting battle training. It is just as important as any workouts that you could do. Please spend some time training your Pokemon not only how to battle, but tell him why to. Daniel will be back next weekend.
P.s. That Arcanine your Dad has can help train your Poochyena while you're at school if you ask it too.
Sincerely, Professor Birch
Ryan wondered how many letter the professor had written.
He took the words to heart, however.
Ryan looked down at Titan, who had followed him into his room.
"Do you know why you fought that Rattata?" Ryan asked.
Titan shook his head.
"It was to test your skills. It was to see how strong you were. It was to reassure us that we were better than everyone else."
Titan looked up at him.
"Do you want to be better than everyone else? Did you like battling?" Ryan asked as he looked down at Titan.
Titan just nodded his head.
"Did you feel uncomfortable when I told you to attack?"
Another nod.
"Did you like it when you were dodging all around the Rattata?"
A nod.
Ryan was beginning to think Titan was just nodding.
"Did you like losing to Rattata?"
Titan quickly shook his head.
Ryan smiled.
"Do you want to become better at battling?"
Titan nodded his head again.
"Are you sure, because we could just train for like a marathon or something."
Titan looked at him, and after a second shook his head.
"Alright boy, then we will start battle training. That Rattata was using a move called scratch. Do you think you could copy that?"
Titan shook his head.
"I guess I will have to read these books then.." Ryan said, as he turned over to the two books.
But which one first? Ryan thought.
"Well, we seem to be fine on the defensive end, so lets start with the attack training one." Ryan said, more to himself than to Titan.
And with that, he indulged himself within the book.
XX
Ryan didn't eat dinner that night. He didn't go to sleep that night either. Sure, his mom came in and made sure his lights were out and that he was headed to bed around 9:30, but he simply pulled out his book light and kept reading.
As Ryan read, he also started formulating workouts and other ways to get Titan battle ready.
When he got out of bed that morning to go on his run with Titan, he didn't plan on going for a run.
"Alright boy, we won't be running today," Ryan said to Titan as they left the house.
Titan cocked his head as he looked up at Ryan, obviously confused.
"Today you will be learning the move called Tackle. You are born with a basic knowledge of it, we just have to hone in to that." Ryan said, recalling from the book.
"That's why I brought my pillow." Ryan added, as he threw it a few feet away.
"Now, what I want you to do is hit the pillow with your shoulder. Your body is built to where it shouldn't hurt you. Go ahead, try it." Ryan said.
Titan slowly walked over to the pillow, and kind of fell on it.
"No silly! You have to go fast. Pretend it is another Pokemon. Try again."
Titan stepped back, then ran at the pillow and stopped running as he flopped right on it.
"Titan, step back, and watch me. Try doing it like this." Ryan said.
Ryan sprinted towards the pillow. He jumped up as he neared it, curled his head and tucked his arm in as his shoulder led his descent towards the pillow. He ended up landing on his side, hurting both his hip and his shoulder.
"Like that," Ryan said, as he flinched from the pain. "But it shouldn't hurt you." Ryan added.
Ryan stood up, backed away, and looked at Titan.
"Your turn."
Titan ran at the pillow, lept through the air, and let his should lead his descent through the air. Titan landed shoulder first on the pillow.
"Did that hurt?" Ryan asked.
Titan shook his head excitedly.
"Great! Alright do it five more times."
Titan did so.
"Now we have to work on how fast you get back up. You should be able to hit the pillow, and kind of bounce back up from the impact and land on your feet. It will take some getting used to." Ryan said.
And with that, Titan went back to practicing his tackle.
XX
As they came back home, Titan was worn out, and Ryan could feel a bruise forming on his hip.
"Go rest boy, you deserve it." Ryan said to Titan.
Titan laid down right in front of the door.
We did good today, Ryan thought.
Titan had progressed well at his tackle, able to hop back up within a few seconds after the attack. It wasn't perfect, but it was good for one day of practice. Titan seemed to have a knack for learning new things, as the book said that it would take at least a week for the amount of progress he had already made.
Time to find Arcanine, Ryan thought.
Ryan had to improvise with his training since he had to go to school every day.
He was hoping that Arcanine could help teach Titan some of the more simple moves that would be harder for him to teach Titan.
Growl and Howl were a couple of these moves.
They were both moves that involved Titan using his vocal cords. In the first, he would disorient his foes with a growl that would make them much more wary when they attacked, and the latter was a move where Titan basically gave himself a shot of adrenaline by howling.
Although Growl wasn't in a Poochyena's move set, Ryan was sure he could learn the move regardless.
Ryan was also fairly certain that Arcanine could teach Titan howl, even though he didn't know it. Arcanine had a lot of experience, and Ryan was sure that he could help Titan reach his full potential.
"Hey Arcanine," Ryan said as he found the giant Fire dog.
Arcanine just looked at him.
Ryan went over to Arcanine, and starting rubbing his belly as he sat down next to him.
"That's a good boy!" Ryan said.
Arcanine rolled over onto his back, happy for the attention.
"I would love it if you could show Titan a couple of things. I want him to start battling, and I know that you were a great battler back in your day."
Arcanine gave Ryan a fierce look.
"Alright, you still are. But you know what I mean. You haven't had a real battle in a long while. I was just hoping you could pass some knowledge along to Titan."
Arcanine stood up and walked a little bit away from Ryan, and turned around to look at the boy.
"Nothing special." Ryan continued. "I want to train him myself mostly. But I have to go to school and I don't want him doing nothing while I'm gone. If you could just teach him some moves that I wouldn't be able to teach him myself. Like growl and howl. You know, moves that he would learn way better if they came from another Pokemon." Ryan pleaded.
"Most Pokemon learn these moves in the wild from other Pokemon anyways. Titan didn't get a chance to live in the wild, but I don't think that should limit his learning pool. Please Arcanine?" Ryan finished, as he looked at the Pokemon.
Arcanine looked back, and after a long moment he nodded his head.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Ryan exclaimed.
XX
"Arcanine will be teaching you a thing or two today." Ryan told Titan as he got ready to head to school.
Titan watched Ryan carefully.
"I am going to be the main person to train you. But Arcanine was born and spent the beginning of his life in the wild. There are some things he can show you that I can't. That is the extent of your training with him. Just some basic stuff that will make you more of a threat to Rattata."
Titans eyes gleamed at the last part.
"we will work more on tackle tomorrow. I gotta get to school now. Have fun today!" Ryan said as he walked out the door.
XX
Ryan wasn't sure if Titan would be able to beat Rattata this time. Titan had basically mastered tackle, growl, and howl, but Ryan wasn't sure if it was enough.
"You ready?" Daniel asked Ryan.
"Ya."
With that, Rattata came out of his pokeball.
Titan grumbled in his throat as he saw the purple rat that had beat him before.
"Get him! Scratch attack! Keep up until he is in pulps!" Daniel yelled to Rattata.
"Dodge it!" Ryan said to Titan.
The two Pokemon entered their elegant dance again, A purple blur lunging forward, claws out-stretched, while a tan body smoothly dodged back and around the dangerous paws.
Ryan was happy he had kept running with Titan.
"This again?" Daniel asked. "I hope you at least read one of the books this last week."
Ryan had read through Attack Training 101 for Dog Types three times, and he knew the move possibilities for the Mightyena line of Pokemon. He also had a few theories on moves that weren't in that move pool that he could teach Titan anyways. Growl was evidence enough that move pools weren't set in stone.
Ryan didn't think he needed to read the second book. He had trained Titan fine on his own, and didn't need much help.
"I guess I will have to do this then," Daniel said, which brought Ryan out of his reverie.
"Rattata, quick attack!" Daniel yelled.
Rattata disappeared for a moment, interrupting the intricate dance that had been going, and reappeared directly above Titan. He slammed right into the Poochyena, causing Titan to stumble and fall backwards.
"Hit him with scratch now!" Daniel yelled.
"Growl Titan, then show him what your tackle can do." Ryan responded frantically.
As the Rattata lurched towards Titan, claws outstretched and ready to finish the dog off, Titan let off a fierce growl.
So fierce in fact, that Rattata flinched mid attack, leaving enough time for Titan to step to the side.
Rattata landed a few feet away from Titan, and as he turned around to face the Poochyena was hit by a tan blob of fur.
Rattata was sent sprawling across the ground a few feet away, while Titan instantly bounced to his feet.
"It won't be that easy!" Daniel yelled, a glimmer in his eyes.
"Howl," Ryan said quietly to Titan. "If he uses quick attack, Take the hit, then tackle him once you regain your positioning. Let's finish this."
The Poochyena let out a high pitched Howl, which didn't accomplish much more than raising a few hairs on the back of Ryan's neck.
But Ryan knew it wasn't about what it did to him, it was about what it did to Titan.
"Quick attack, then finish him off with scratches!"
Rattata disappeared in a blur, and reappeared as he slammed into Titan.
Titan went sprawling backwards, but gathered himself as Rattata began to lurch towards him. The Poochyena rushed towards the Rattata, and lowered his shoulder into it as the Rattata clawed into him.
Both of the Pokemon were sent to the ground from the collision.
Ryan looked down at the Pokemon in awe. They were both unconscious.
"Haha, good one!" Daniel said, as he walked towards the Rattata, a potion in hand.
Ryan opened up the case he had brought with him, and grabbed two of the vials that had been given to him. One had only a quarter of the potion left, used during the hours spent training, while the other one was still full. Ryan emptied both of the bottles on the multiple scrapes and scratches on Titans body, which began to heal up quickly.
"Great battle!" Daniel said, as he recalled Rattata.
"Thanks. You to." Ryan responded.
"Birch didn't give me any revives, so your Poochyena will be out for awhile. "
"Oh... Ok." Ryan responded, upset he wouldn't get to praise Titan for his performance.
"Did you read the books?"
"I read the attack one, but I am training Titan fine by myself so I don't really need the other one." Ryan said.
"You should read the other one. Rattata is a vicious Pokemon with low health. He was able to trade blows evenly with your Poochyena though. Your Poochyena needs more durability and health. That book shows a lot of different things that you can do to increase those aspects. It also has ways to increase his attack power."
"He did fine versus Rattata." Ryan remarked, upset by the insult to his training.
"Haha, I guess you would think that." Daniel mused.
"They were both knocked out if I recall correctly." Ryan barked back.
"Yes, yes, they were. But next week I won't hold back. You have seen two of Rattata's moves. He knows four, and by next week he will know his Fifth. If he was evenly matched using only half of his move set, imagine what he would be like using his full move set."
Ryan let the information sink in.
"Not to mention, I won't hold back next week. Rattata is my newest and weakest Pokemon, but I have had a year of battle experience to help me command him. I'm afraid that next week you will have a much harder time knocking out my Pokemon. I recommend you read the other book." Daniel finished.
Ryan looked down at his Poochyena.
It isn't your fault Titan, Ryan thought to himself. I've been a bad trainer. A Pokemon can only be as strong as his training and as smart as his trainer. I will do better buddy. I promise.
When Ryan looked up again, Daniel had already left.
Ryan just sighed and picked Titan up and carried him in the house.
Your getting too big for this, Ryan thought, as he could barely carry the Poochyena anymore.
Ryan set him down as soon as they got inside.
He decided to eat that night, and even get some sleep, but not before cracking open All you need to know on how to train a fighting Dog.
XX
Ryan was ready for this weeks battle. He wasn't sure if he would win, but he was sure that Titan was a lot better.
It was fairly easy to increase Titan's durability and Health. Because Ryan had neglected any training in those fields, the immediate yields were pretty large compared to what he was getting out of his training's now.
There is a big jump from nothing to something, but it's a lot harder to turn something into more, Ryan mused.
But Ryan was focused on the battle. He had begun strategizing on how to beat Rattata.
The book on training was actually very helpful. Not only did it give specific ways to focus durability and health, but it also helped Ryan become a better trainer. It talked about working to your Pokemon's strengths, and trying to get to know your opponent.
Ryan had researched Rattata, and had figured out that the four moves he probably knew were quick attack, scratch, tail whip, and focus energy. Used together, they could easily be devastating.
Ryan also figured that the fifth move would be Bite. That made Ryan smile, as he had also taught bite to Titan. Poochyena were notorious for there jaw strength, and it didn't take long before Titan was focusing and putting it to work. Unfortunately, Ryan spent all of his birthday money on dog bones for Titan to practice on, and a few for Arcanine as a reward for putting up with Titan while he was at school.
"No holding back this time Rattata, let's show him what we really have!" Daniel yelled.
Rattata hissed in pleasure.
"Titan, show him who's boss!"
Titan just twitched his ears in understanding, too focused on the battle for any actual acknowledgement.
"Quick attack, follow up with tail whip!"
Rattata disappeared, and then reappeared as he charged into Titan.
Titan yelped a little, but stood his ground.
Rattata whipped Titan with his tail, causing the Poochyena's head to spin a little and disorient him.
"Again!" Daniel yelled.
Rattata disappeared again, as Ryan tried to think of a way to stop the perfect attack Daniel had set up.
The tail whip is too fluid, Ryan thought, as Rattata reappeared and smashed into Titan, followed by a whip from his tail to Titan's face.
"Again!" Daniel Yelled.
The tail gets him in the face every time, and leaves him too disorientated to fight back. If I could stop it from hitting his face...
An idea formed in Ryan's mind.
"As soon as he hits you, Bite!" Ryan shouted to Titan.
A moment later Rattata re-emerged and slammed into Titan.
Titan reflexively opened his mouth, and bit down hard just as Rattata's tail was coming around to hit him.
Rattata yelped in surprise, as his tail got caught in between Titan's powerful jaws.
"Focus energy and Scratch!" Daniel said immediately, as if he expected the situation.
"Let go of it!" Ryan shouted as Rattata began to channel energy into his paws.
Titan instantly dropped Rattata, who allowed itself to fall, to intent on channeling the energy to manuever mid-air.
"Growl and dodge!" Ryan said as the Rattata finished channeling the energy and rushed forward towards Titan, claws gleaming a bright white.
Titan let out a growl that caused Ryan's mom to scream from where she watched.
He narrowly avoided the claws of demise, and turned to face his foe.
"Howl!" Ryan yelled, wanting to get Titan ready for whatever came next.
"Quick attack, follow it up with a tail whip and scratch!" Daniel yelled over the howl emanating deep from within Titan.
"Bite the tail!" Ryan screamed to Titan as Rattata disappeared again.
Rattata slammed into Titan again, dealing some obvious damage, but was rewarded with a pair of chompers on his tail as he tried to disorientate Titan.
Rattata was a good listener, however, and scratched Titan straight in the chest, as it hung upside down from its tail in Titan's maw.
Titan let go of the Rattata, and stumbled backwards.
"Finish it off! Get close with quick attack and then finish it off with bite!" Daniel said.
"Dodge it!" Ryan pleaded to Titan.
Titan was too slow to get away from Rattata as it quickly disappeared, and re-emerged in the same spot it always did, too close for Titan to run. Ryan watched helplessly as Rattata bit Titan on his soft underbelly.
Titan gave off a moan, but it died off as he passed out.
Rattata was recalled in a wave of red light.
"Your getting a lot better. Not a lot of people think to bite the tail." Daniel said as he walked over to Ryan.
"Ya, but you still won," Ryan said, disapointed. He walked over to where Titan was, and sprayed the remnants of his last two potions on him.
"Do you have any more? I'm all out now." Ryan said.
"I figured you would be. I brought three refills for you." Daniel said, as he pulled something out of his backpack.
"I would like something in return." Daniel added, as he handed Ryan the refills.
"What is it?" Ryan asked as he refilled three of his potions, and used another half of one on Titan.
"Some dinner."
"Alright, but you have to carry Titan inside." Ryan replied, happy to have Daniel over. Daniel was the closest thing to a friend that Ryan had, even though Daniel was around 8 years older than Ryan.
XX
Ryan had done a couple of things the past week that made him sure he would beat Daniel this time.
First off, he had figured out combinations for his moves.
The first was simple, growl and dodge.
Titan also knew how to howl while charging an oppenent, which was the second combination, howl tackle.
His most offensive tool was Tackle bite, where Titan would Tackle the Pokemon, then Bite it immediately after. This would be intensified once Titan could use Howl Tackle in combination with the bite, but for now he didn't want to confuse Titan.
Secondly, he had a real strategy for facing Rattata.
Ryan figured out where Rattata hit when he used quick attack. It was always the same spot, Titan's left shoulder.
When Ryan figured this out, he taught Titan how to do an impromptu tackle on nothing. It was risky, and most of the three potions that titan went through were because of this, but it would work as long as he made contact.
And finally, he really believed that the Rattata was no match for Titan. Titan was simply too strong and too durable for Rattata to win in a battle.
But that would be put to the test now.
"You ready?" Ryan asked, more confident than every before.
"Yes" Daniel responded, as he sent out Rattata.
"Howl Tackle!" Ryan yelled, wasting no time.
"Dodge it!" Daniel yelled.
Rattata couldn't hear Daniel past the shrieking noise that was coming from Titan, however, and took the brute force of the enhanced tackle.
Rattata went flying backwards, obviously not used to being hit.
"Tackle bite!" Ryan commanded Titan, wanted to end the battle as soon as possible.
"Jump straight up and scratch!" Daniel yelled.
As Titan charged Rattata, the Rattata loaded up.
Titan jumped up, preparing to tackle Rattata with all his might.
Rattata jumped up as well, although higher than Titan.
Rattata flipped around so his head was towards the ground, and scratched the Poochyena acrossed its back.
Titan yelped in surprise, and landing awkwardly, while Rattata completed his front flip and landed gracefully on all fours.
"Quick attack and tail whip!"
"Bite the tail!"
Ryan didn't want to give his secret away this early.
As Rattata appeared and smashed into Titan, Titan opened up his jaw and chomped down as Rattata's tail entered his mouth.
"Scratch!" Daniel yelled.
"Throw it to the ground!" Ryan responded.
Titan dropped the Rattata just as it started to scratch at him. It angrily lept towards Titan after landing, continuing to try and scratch him.
"Growl and dodge!" Ryan yelled.
The two Pokemon broke into the dance that Ryan had seen before.
"Quick attack to get away! Then focus energy for another Quick attack, followed by bite!" Daniel yelled, wanting to end the battle.
Rattata skittered away in a blink of an eye, and began charging power.
"Another howl then Shoulder slam when it disappears." Ryan said quietly to Titan, not wanting Daniel to hear.
As Rattata finished channeling energy, it vanished, leaving a white after image.
As it appeared and charged directly at Titan's left shoulder, it was hit by the same shoulder it targeted.
Rattata rolled backwards, losing the white haze of it's focused energy.
"Now! Tackle Bite!" Ryan yelled, seeing the end was near.
Titan charged forward, taking advantage of the stunned Rattata. He tackled the Rattata, who was sent back another couple of feet, and immediately chased after it and bit it. Titan bit down hard and went to throw the smaller Pokemon, but was unable to because the rat suddenly vanished in a red light.
"Well played! Rattata needed to learn that he wasn't some hot stuff anyways!" Daniel said, apparently unaffected by his loss.
"Do you by chance have more potion refills for me? Ryan asked Daniel after he had congratulated Titan.
"Do you have dinner?" Daniel asked, as he cracked a smile.
"I do!" Ryan responded.
"Then yes," Daniel responded as he pulled out two potion refills.
"This should be enough for his wounds today." Daniel said.
"Oh, ok.." Ryan responded, dissapointed he wouldn't be getting more. He would have to take it easy on training without potions.
"Don't sound so sad! I have another case for you! I imagine it has at least five potion refills in it."
"Another case?" Ryan asked, confused.
"Yes, there is a new one for each of the Pokemon of mine that you beat. Well, that's not necessarily true, because there isn't a case for my main Pokemon. But you will never beat him so that doesn't matter! I doubt you will even beat my second best. She is pretty scary." Daniel added.
That's so cool! I can't wait to see what is in this case!" Ryan said, as they headed inside.
Ryan was ready to see what else the professor would be giving him.
XX