Chapter 7: Training with a Champion
A/N: Nothing, really.
Enjoy!
"Garchomp, Dragon Rush!"
Cynthia and her Pokemon were training on a cliff nearby Undella Town in preparation for the tournament. At the moment, she was working on her Garchomp's accuracy and speed by improving Dragon Rush. The attack was powerful, but some opponents had dodged it and struck the Pokemon with a powerful attack, and at other times Dragon Rush just missed. Suddenly, a voice interrupted her training.
"Hey, how's it going?"
Cynthia smiled and turned towards the voice. It was none other than Tory, one of her protégés, who had flown to her training spot on a Salamence. He stepped off his Pokemon, thanking it, and walked towards her.
"Good, but how'd you know where to find me?" she responded, a note of surprise in her voice.
Tory shrugged. "I figured that you'd want to train in private, so the town's dojo was no good. Sorry about intruding by the way. The forest wouldn't have worked. The beaches would have had you swarmed by fans. Where else? The mountains," he summarized.
"Impressive. Oh, and don't worry about intruding. I needed a sparring partner anyway. You interested?"
Tory smirked. "Definitely. Two on two?" To Cynthia's right, the dragons growled at each other, both showcasing their power and spirit.
"Sure," she responded, both Trainers walking back to give room for their fighting Pokemon.
"Salamence, you ready to fight?" Tory asked his Dragon-type. Salamence nodded and roared towards the sky. Likewise, Cynthia asked the same to her Garchomp, who mimicked Salamence's actions.
"We'll lead. Salamence, Dragon Dance, then Outrage!" Tory commanded. Salamence glowed and danced in midair, and lunged at its opponent with near-crazed eyes.
"Garchomp, Protect and Swords Dance!" Cynthia suddenly called. Tory's eyes widened, not knowing that she had given the move to Garchomp for just a scenario. A green barrier appeared around Garchomp, shielding it from attacks. Salamence slammed into the barrier, shaking it and forcing both Dragons to retreat several paces. As this occurred, the Land Shark Pokemon danced with glowing claws, indicating the increase in power.
"Now, Dragon Rush!" the Sinnoh Champion said, hoping that the attack would be sufficient to stop Salamence's rampage. Garchomp complied, coating itself in blue energy before flying towards its charging opponent. The two attacks met with a massive explosion, nearly sending some rocks tumbling down the cliff. When the smoke cleared, both dragons were nearing collapse. Their legs were visibly shaking as they stood, their breathing was short and ragged, yet neither would surrender to the other until they collapsed. Such was the pride of the Dragon-types. Their Trainers looked on worriedly, yet they did not interfere. They knew this was a matter of pride. Suddenly, Salamence groaned and collapsed from exhaustion, eyes mournful with its defeat. It knew that Garchomp was its senior in experience and power, yet the flying Dragon wanted to win at least once against it. And such a fast defeat, too…
Tory ran to his fallen Pokemon with a Full Restore in hand, eyes sympathetic. He knew of the rivalry between his dragon and his teacher's dragon, and he also strived to win against Garchomp with Salamence. "It's okay, we'll get them next time. Look, Garchomp's about to collapse, too," he murmured, stroking his fallen teammate's neck. As if on cue, Garchomp's legs folded, and the Land Shark Pokemon fell.
"See? Don't worry. We're so close. Just a bit more training and we'll make our goal," the Johto Champion reassured Salamence, treating its wounds and giving it a hug of appreciation.
Salamence let out a low growl, indicating its thanks for the medicine and kind words. Cynthia smiled again at the sight of the bond between Trainer and Pokemon.
Tory recalled Salamence and stood up. "Wow, that was pretty fast," he commented with a grin. "Let's try to make this one more… challenging for our Pokemon. Metagross, show them your power!" The Iron Leg Pokemon landed with a massive thud and a bellow of challenge.
"Wow, two of your strongest Pokemon in a two-on-two? I'm honored, and I'll do the same," Tory's opponent said serenely. "Milotic, battle dance!" The Water-type slithered gracefully on the ground, letting out a soft screech.
"This time, I'll take the lead. Milotic, Scald!" The Water-type sent a stream of boiling water at its Steel-type opponent.
"Let's show her the fruits of our training. Metagross, Thunderpunch and Meteor Mash!" the Johto Champion commanded. Metagross complied, coating a fist in crackling and silver energy, going right through the water before landing a powerful blow on its opponent. Milotic cried out in pain, from both the electricity and the combined physical blows. Suddenly, Cynthia noticed a silver glow around Metagross, indicating that Meteor Mash had increased the Pokemon's offensive power.
'This isn't good… Milotic can't take physical hits of that caliber well, and with the boost…' "Use Rest!" she called. Milotic closed its eyes and lied down on the ground, healing its injuries and boosting its physical defenses thanks to Marvel Scale.
Tory felt an eyebrow twitch. Every time it did that, it would take ages for Milotic to fall. "Blitz Quake!" he yelled. Metagross charged a Thunderpunch, before slamming into the ground with an Earthquake, sending a shockwave of earth and electricity. The impact struck Milotic for serious damage.
"Sleep Talk!" The Water-type murmured in its sleep, before sending a stream of boiling water at its opponent. The blow landed, and Metagross roared in pain. Steam rose off of its body, and Tory noticed some red spots.
'Crap, there's a burn. On top of that, the attack HURT. Gotta end this fast.' Then both Tory and his Pokemon smirked, confusing their opponent. 'Time for a little surprise.'
"Metagross, Grass Knot!" The Steel type smirked at the Sinnoh Champion's surprise, before sending a web of grass ropes towards its opponent. Milotic screamed in pain from the constriction, before waking up.
"Shall we end this now?" Cynthia inquired. Tory nodded, before both of them gave their final commands.
"Milotic, Hydro Pump!"
"Metagross, hang in there! Elemental Meteor!"
The Water-type charged incredible amounts of water in its body, before spewing it out in a pressurized stream. The Steel-type charged red, yellow, blue, and silver energies into its right leg, before lunging with the mighty attack. Though it was weakened by the burn, Metagross managed to wield the attack at nearly full power.
The two attacks collided in a massive blast, sending water droplets and smoke rushing out in all directions. When everything cleared up, Milotic was shown to have remained conscious, though not by much. It was breathing shallowly, and tremors wracked its sleek body. Metagross, on the other hand, had collapsed in the blast, and lay still on the ground.
Tory sighed. Even after everything they had gone through, he still couldn't beat Cynthia. 'I came pretty damn close, though,' he thought with a rueful grin. His mentor noticed this, and walked up to comfort her protégé.
"Don't worry about it, just learn from it and let it go. Our experience levels are way different, yet you took down Garchomp and nearly brought down Milotic. I'm especially impressed by your combos, and you showed extreme power and intelligence the whole way through. Don't be harsh on yourself," she reassured him gently, pulling him into her arms. One thing she noticed while training Max and Tory was that they were rather harsh on their own failures, but never blaming their Pokemon. Rather, they always saw some sort of fault in their concentration, decisiveness, or some other trait that they had. Perhaps it was their drive to become stronger, or the betrayal at Pallet.
Tory smiled and returned the hug. "Thanks," he whispered. "But what if I can't beat the traitors? After everything they did to us…"
"What are you talking about?" Cynthia said, looking him in the eye. "You're one of the toughest Trainers in the world. You tie for second in the ENTIRE world with Max, according to the ratings. On top of that, no one who betrayed you guys could even take down Spiritomb, my weakest in power. Had this been a full battle, you might even have won. So please, don't take it out on yourself, okay?" She smiled warmly at him, and the silver-haired Trainer felt himself relax. He nodded, and they healed their Pokemon. Talking with Cynthia was better than any therapy sessions.
When they flew back to the villa on Cynthia's Togekiss and walked in, they saw a sight that nearly made Tory's jaw drop. Max and Rosa were arm-in-arm, watching television together. During the commercials, they would sneak in an occasional kiss together.
"Whoa, did Max, our Max, really get a girlfriend?" Tory whispered, not wanting to disturb the couple.
"Yep, seems so," the blonde Trainer responded, chuckling at the cute sight. The two Champions tiptoed out to the back, careful not to make too much noise.
When they stepped into the backyard of the villa, they saw Paul training alone. He had brought Torterra, Ursaring, Honchkrow, Electivire, Drapion, and Magmortar for the tournament. It seemed he was almost done, since all but Paul's starter were resting, watching the last segment of the training regime.
"Torterra, maintain a Leaf Storm for as long as you can," Paul said. Torterra's tree glowed, before it sent a blast of leaves up to the air. The Starter was able to keep the attack up for half a minute, before it flagged out.
"Very good, that's a new record," he said, rubbing Torterra's head. The starter gave a growl of appreciation. "Nicely done. Okay, training's over for the day. Go relax, get a snack, something." Paul's team cheered, before dispersing.
As he dismissed his team, he noticed the presence of the two Trainers. "Yeah?" he asked roughly but not unkindly.
"You've really improved your relationships with your Pokemon," Cynthia said approvingly. "It's good to see."
Paul shrugged. "Ever since I lost to Ash, I tried to follow his example with how he treats his Pokemon, along with my own style of training. I'm quite satisfied with the results, especially with Torterra's growth."
"Yeah, that was the longest Leaf Storm I've ever seen. Half a minute? Impressive," the Johto Champion commented. Then he remembered something he wanted to ask, but not to Ash. Fortunately, he had left a note earlier saying that he was at the ocean training. Everyone secretly doubted this.
"Say, why did those traitors want to bunk with us? Well, we all know why Brock wanted to, but why everyone else?" Tory inquired. This made Paul and Cynthia think for a moment.
"I guess it's because since Ash and Cynthia are the top favorites to win, no offense, they want to see what kind of training they do," Paul guessed.
"None taken," Tory replied. "And I think you're right."
"My biggest concern is how Max will react if he has to battle his father," the blonde Trainer mused. "I mean, we all know how it'll end skill-wise, but what will take place emotionally?" Everyone was silent, not knowing the answer.
"I guess we'll just have to help him through it, if he feels bad because of that encounter," Tory said at last.
"Cliché, but to the point. I can't see any other legal solution," the Veilstone Trainer commented, earning a slight chuckle from everyone else. "So, back inside and join the lovebirds?"
The other two Trainers shrugged. "Sure."
Little did they know that, from the moment Cynthia and Tory returned to the villa, they were being stalked. A figure watched them, silent as a shadow for fear of detection. "Well, looks like I'll be getting my prize soon enough," the figure said, getting up and departing.
A/N: Well, shortest chapter so far.
Sorry about not updating yesterday, but I had writer's block. Post ideas for the story, cuz I'd appreciate it.
And if the quality sucks today, sorry.
Well, read, review, and I'll see you next time!
Red Aura Guard, signing out.
