A/N: STILL ROLLIN', LET'S FUCKING GO.
Also, someone asked how long this fic is gonna be? Bruh, lemme tell you, we're barely scratching the surface. I've got 7 pages of bullet-pointed outline, and so far I've probably only gotten through 1 page. Which bodes ill for this story, actually, cuz the longer the story, the more dangerous my motivation factor gets. Long stories are hard.
XxX
"Be careful, dear! Make sure you've packed enough clothes. I've added more funds to your bank account, so don't worry about running out. And tell Iemitsu hi for me!"
"I will, mom," Tsuna replied. He took a breath, gathered all the courage he had, and said, "I'm really sorry. I don't want to leave you by yourself, but I kind of have to do this. I'm really sorry."
Nana laughed, and Tsuna realized exactly how much he missed that laugh. Actually, he missed a lot of things about home. He missed his bed's freshly laundered sheets, he missed the peace of managing a Poke Mart, he missed his mom's cooking. Homesickness twisted at his heart.
He couldn't believe he was leaving his Hoenn, leaving his mom. Their family would have been happier if his dad had just thought to stay, and now look, Tsuna was leaving too. The guilt gnawed at him, but he needed to go. He wondered if this was how Iemitsu felt each time he left.
"Don't apologize, Tsuna. I'm proud of you." Nana tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled warmly from the screen. Tsuna found himself tearing up involuntarily. "I knew you'd follow your dad eventually. You're a brave boy, Tsuna, and I don't want you to hold back because of me."
Tsuna gave a watery smile. "I'm just worried you're going to be all alone."
"Don't worry about me! I've got Oregano here, she's all the company I need. Go on your adventure, Tsuna!"
"Thanks, mo-" Tsuna's newly acquired Mareep, whom Tsuna had nicknamed Lambo (it made sense in his head; Mareep was a sheep Pokemon, add an o at the end, and voila!), cut Tsuna off and jumped into his lap. Lambo snuffled at the screen.
When not being abused by horrible trainers, Lambo was, actually, a rather inquisitive and outgoing Pokemon. He'd quickly warmed up to Tsuna and promptly gotten on Reborn's nerves. Tsuna didn't know whether to feel grateful that Reborn had someone else to preoccupy his time or guilty for subjecting the poor electric Pokemon to the Houndour's wrath.
"Reep!" Lambo chirped, and Nana laughed in delight.
"Oh, is this your Pokemon? Introduce us!"
And so, Tsuna lugged each Pokemon in front of the screen so Nana could see, explaining how he'd met them and what species they were. Tsuna skipped over Mukuro and Chrome's history, though. He didn't want to worry his mom.
Mukuro floated closer to the screen and gave a rather charming (for a Gastly) grin. "Gaaastly!"
Traitor, you're not that nice to me! Tsuna sulked as Nana cooed at how nice and adorable all his Pokemon were.
The conversation began winding to a close. Tsuna said goodbye with promises to call before disconnecting the call. He sighed, slumping in his seat.
Arceus, it seemed like ages since he'd seen his mom. He stood and thanked the nurse before exiting the Pokecenter before remembering to recall Mukuro. The ghost really didn't like daylight.
He made his way towards Stern's Shipyard, where Xanxus and Dino were waiting.
"Where've you been, trash?" Xanxus growled. He didn't seem particularly angry, though. Perhaps growling and being a dark cloud was his baseline personality.
"Sorry, had to make a call to my mom," Tsuna explained, cringing under Xanxus' dark glower.
"Ah, and how is Nana these days?" Dino asked, picking up the conversation for Xanxus, who undoubtedly would only have sneered and snarked.
"She's good. She says a friend's been helping her out with the store." Tsuna presented his ticket and was waved aboard the S.S. Tidal.
Dino's lips twitched. "A friend, huh. Oh, your Pokemon need to go in their Pokeballs. I know they like being out and about, but there's a rule about Pokemon only being out on deck or in the training rooms."
Tsuna grimaced as he returned everyone but Reborn. "Uh, Reborn doesn't really have a Pokeball."
Dino eyed him strangely. Xanxus, who had just gotten through the security check, laughed. "Newbie trash. Who doesn't have a Pokeball for their Pokemon? How'd you catch it?"
"He kind of…followed me?"
Dino snorted, and they began making their way to the living quarters. "I think I need to start expecting the unexpected from you, Tsuna. You're a weird trainer. I guess your Houndour can stay, but it's gotta be quiet and not disrupt the other passengers. I'll talk to the Captain about it."
In his room, Tsuna carefully stowed away his backpack (he'd learned his lesson about backpacks and ships) and watched through a porthole as the ship departed, leaving Hoenn behind.
Hoenn, his home. Hoenn, which held everything he was familiar with. Tsuna took a deep breath, and when he let it out, he found tension slowly leaving his shoulders. Maybe a fresh start would do him some good. Maybe, like Nana had said, it was time to find his own adventure.
Tsuna placidly watched his home country become smaller and smaller before a thought struck him.
Wait…I never got my Trainer Card!
XxX
As evening fell, Tsuna made his way to the dining room, where Dino and Xanxus were already sitting down for dinner. Dino was enthusiastically making his way through a large plate of lasagna, and Xanxus was glaring sulkily down at a slab of Tauros filet mignon, one hand holding a glass of red wine.
"-not that bad," Dino consoled.
"Fucking terrible, the chefs should be fucking ashamed of themselves. Fucking foreign trash can't cook for shit," Xanxus muttered darkly, stabbing at his steak with vehemence.
Tsuna was quickly reconsidering his decision to join them for dinner, but Dino perked up when he spotted the teen and waved him over.
"Tsuna! Perfect timing, I had something I wanted to talk to you about."
Tsuna warily sat at an open seat, and a menu was shoved in his face. Thankfully, nothing on the menu was too expensive, so he ordered a ramen and glass of water and settled down to wait for his meal.
"So, I've been thinking," Dino started, ignoring Xanxus' muttered "that's a first," "you're probably going to start being targeted by Team Genesis now."
Tsuna squawked. "W-What."
Dino continued like this was a normal situation for Tsuna to find himself in. "Well, you're now carrying two Pokemon that they're most probably going to want back-"
"You gave me one of them!"
"-and with your habit of letting them roam free, someone's going to recognize them, and word will probably get back to Team Genesis. We Officers can't afford to have someone follow you around all the time, so you'll have to be on your own after we get you to Professor Rowan. So. You see the problem here."
Yes, Tsuna most definitely saw the problem. He very much, very clearly saw the problem. Xanxus snorted with amusement at Tsuna's horrified expression and delicately took a sip of wine.
He didn't want to be attacked! Maybe never letting Lambo or Mukuro and Chrome leave their Pokeballs would fix the problem, but the thought of keeping them under lock and key left a sour taste in his mouth. He couldn't do that.
"Well," Dino drawled, and a sly gleam warned Tsuna that he wasn't going to like this at all. "I figured we might as well prepare you while we can. A favor to the boss' son, you could say. Xanxus and I are going to tutor you in Pokemon battling."
Xanxus choked, while Dino only smiled beatifically at the dark skinned man as he hadn't planned the timing right when Xanxus was drinking. "What the fuck did you just say, trash."
"E-Excuse me?!"
Dino speared another forkful of spaghetti thoughtfully. "Well, the S.S. Tidal is equipped conveniently with a training rooms. We've got a week on this ship together before we arrive in Canalave City, might as well spend it productively."
"Like hell we will."
Tsuna's meal arrived with little fanfare and was duly ignored in favor of Tsuna trying not to melt into a horrified puddle on his chair.
Dino ignored Xanxus' protest. "We'll give you tips and tricks on how to battle. You're pretty new, aren't you? With first evolution Pokemon like you have, your party is pretty weak. Beginner level, even. We'll see if we can buff them up a bit, teach them how to work with you in battles."
"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME, FUCKER?!"
The roar filled the dining room, drawing multiple startled and disapproving looks from the other passengers. Dino groaned, exasperated. "Really, do you always have to make a scene?"
Xanxus folded his arms, muscles twisted and tense beneath his forearms. "I'm only saying it once. I'm not fucking training the little shit. If you want him to be your fucking project, fine, but leave me out of it."
Dino winked at Tsuna. "Don't worry about him, he'll come around eventually. I've got to take care of the boss' kid, don't I?"
"Maybe you do, but I don't!" Xanxus snapped, angrily chewing through his steak like a rabid Rattata.
"You'll be bored, admit it," Dino laughed cheerfully. Tsuna marveled at the Officer's ability to laugh in the face of danger.
Had he thought this adventure would be fun? Did he think it'd be a nice, fresh start? Yeah. It was already going poorly, which probably spelled disaster for whatever he was going to find in Sinnoh.
As they finished dinner and paid for their meals, with increasingly incensed shouts and cheerful, calm retorts, Tsuna wondered how he managed to surround himself with such colorful characters. He blamed Reborn.
When the two older men left the room, there was a great sigh of relief from everyone still going about their meal. Tsuna sympathized.
"Meet in Training Room C at 10! I'll see you bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning!" Dino called before dragging Xanxus off. The dark skinned man looked ready to Cut off Dino's hand. Tsuna wondered if he'd ever grow a hide as thick as Dino's.
He shut the door to his own cabin and double checked that it was locked, just in case Xanxus decided to take revenge by murdering Tsuna in his sleep, before releasing each of his Pokemon. Reborn, who'd been taking a nap on the bed, yawned and opened one beady eye lazily.
Gokudera snarled at everyone and proceeded to Headbutt Tsuna's permanently bruised shins. The room was slightly crowded, so Tsuna quickly escaped into the small cubicle of a bathroom to take a quick shower and brush his teeth.
He stared in the mirror, toothbrush hanging out of his mouth and foam dripping into the sink like he had rabies. This was his first step towards independence. There was no going back now. He'd soon be on his own, no Dino, no Xanxus, only his motley crew of Pokemon for company. Tsuna stripped and examined his skin. His shins were in various stages of healing, colored yellow and blue and purple, and he was starting to tan from all the sun exposure, obvious tan lines around his upper arms and neckline. His arms, though still sore, were hardening, muscles beginning to grow from carrying Yamamoto around everywhere.
Tsuna stretched out his sore muscles and stepped into the shower. He quickly but thoroughly gave himself a scrubbing, making sure he washed behind his ears, and hurriedly dried himself. He didn't trust his Pokemon to not commit some atrocious deed while he was gone.
His suspicions were, unfortunately, completely warranted. He emerged from the bathroom to chaos, and once he registered what was happened, his eyes widened. "Wait, sto-"
Mukuro, who had floated silently behind Lambo, opened his mouth in a very wide and mischievous smile. "GASTLY!" he screeched.
Lambo let out a particularly loud and startled squeak, and Mukuro began laughing loudly.
Tsuna shushed them hurriedly. "I'm not supposed to have you out, you need to be quiet!" Tsuna's heart was racing at the loud noise. Everyone quieted down, some more reluctantly than others. Gokudera was glaring especially nastily at Lambo, who was starting to sniffle and tear up. Yamamoto, thank Arceus, was calmly and happily splashing in a bucket Tsuna had pilfered from some storeroom, and Ryohei, as usual, was bouncing up and down, adding to the general mayhem. Reborn sat on Tsuna's pillow like a king reigning over his subjects.
A laugh bubbled up unexpectedly, and Tsuna grinned fondly at them.
Tsuna collapsed in bed and thought, yeah, he could get used to this. His hair then proceeded to stick up wildly from the resulting shock of static Lambo gave off.
He could probably get used to this, Tsuna amended.
XxX
Training Room C was rather large. Its floor was smooth earth, with white lines painted to indicate the borders of the arena. Bright, white lights hung from the ceiling, and several seats lined the walls.
Dino was already waiting inside with a flaming horse – Rapidash – and a large turtle Pokemon that Tsuna didn't recognize. Xanxus was sitting in an observation seat, legs sprawled out and face grumpily smooshed against a fist. He probably wasn't a morning person.
Dino caught sight of him and waved frantically.
"Good morning!" Dino greeted as Tsuna entered the room. He hesitated, unsure of what to do. Should he let out his Pokemon? Was he going to be battling?
"Morning Dino, Xanxus," Tsuna returned. Xanxus huffed an impatient breath.
"Well, get on with it, trash. I don't have all day to deal with this bullshit."
"You most certainly do have all day. If I let you alone, all you would do is brood and insult everyone you came across," Dino said calmly, genteel smile still pasted on his face. Dino was as calm as Xanxus was angry, it seemed. "Well, since we're all here, let's get started. Let out all of your Pokemon."
One by one, each of Tsuna's Pokemon appeared. As he'd forgotten to bring a bucket, though, he awkwardly held Yamamoto. God, was the Horsea growing? Tsuna didn't want to keep having to lug him over ground.
"Ah, your Horsea. Hm…yes." Dino glanced over at the turtle Pokemon. "Enzo, if you would."
The turtle brought its foot down and shook the ground, tremors racing away in a small shockwave. Tsuna was suddenly struck with the very real fear of whether the ship was strong enough to endure multiple Pokemon attacks. Gokudera lost his balance with the ground shockwave and screeched in panic. Right, he was a steel and rock type, wasn't he? Tsuna winced as Gokudera quickly lost his balance and fell onto his side, stubby little legs waving around in the air like an overturned turtle. Lambo was equally as displeased and began crying.
The Earthquake carved a furrow into the ground, and Dino gestured towards Yamamoto. "If your Horsea can just fill the hole, you won't have to carry it."
Once Yamamoto was safely deposited in the makeshift pool, Tsuna rolled Gokudera back over and quickly went to calm the poor Mareep. Gokudera was glaring daggers at Dino's Pokemon. It only looked back stonily.
"Well, time for introductions! This here is Enzo, my Torterra. You probably haven't seen one before." Dino patted the Rapidash on its neck, and it turned to nuzzle into Dino's hand. "And my Rapidash's name is Romario. I've got two other ones, but these two are some of the strongest in the Sinnoh Officer force."
Tsuna glanced uncertainly at his Pokemon. All of them were rather small, especially compared to Dino's two beasts.
Dino clapped like a schoolteacher trying to get his students' attention. "Alright, well, let's start with teamwork. Who do you think is in charge on the battlefield?"
Tsuna glanced uncertainly at Reborn. He was pretty sure, in most of his battles, they had actually been the ones acting independently of Tsuna's orders, but…
"Me?" Tsuna asked hopefully.
"Wrong." Romario stepped forward with only a nod from Dino. "Teamwork is built on time and trust. When battling, you should always be keenly aware of your Pokemon's abilities and moveset, yes, but you also need to keep in mind their personality, their reaction times, and how they act in certain situations. They must also be aware of your every word and trust you enough to follow them, often without knowing your own reasons. Trust is the biggest factor in Pokemon battles."
Dino nodded to Tsuna. "So choose your Pokemon, and let's begin."
Tsuna looked over his Pokemon. Rapidash were fire types, so the best option would have been… "Yamamoto, I choose you!"
Soon into the battle, though, Tsuna could see what Dino had been talking about. Dino uttered only a few words, but the Rapidash seemed to instinctively know what Dino wanted. The most the blond ever said were "Romario, on your left!" and the Rapidash dodged after a split second. Dino seemed to trust in Romario enough to know what it was doing.
Tsuna, however, quickly lost control of his Pokemon. The reaction time between him issuing orders and Yamamoto acting was too long, and often times Yamamoto would try to act on his own. In fact, Tsuna thought grimly, most of his Pokemon acted without his orders. Mukuro and Reborn, especially, didn't heed Tsuna much at all, electing to rely only on themselves. As a result, Mukuro was swept up in a Leaf Storm that he could have avoided had he just listened. Mukuro had then decided that, no, he wasn't dealing with this, and his body lightened and gained a shimmering sparkling sheen. Chrome was disoriented at the sudden transition and then nearly taken out with a Crunch.
Tsuna noted to talk to them about who was going to be in control when and where. Mukuro had put both of them in danger with the sudden transition.
Dino ended the free for all battle with a sharp whistle. Tsuna stiffly relaxed his fisted hand and rolled his shoulders. Sweat had started to bead on his forehead at some point. His Pokemon all gave a whuff of relief.
"Decent, for a beginner, but you need to spend a lot of time with your Pokemon and build up that trust." Dino, comparatively, looked completely stress-free. "Now that you know what to work on, we need to talk about your Mareep."
"Lambo?" Tsuna asked, bewildered.
"Unless you don't plan on using it for battle, you need to figure out how and why it evolves and devolves. While a surprise evolution is always good, devolving is a very easy way for it to get itself hurt."
Tsuna looked down at the fluffy Pokemon. Lambo looked up with beady puppy eyes, and Tsuna sighed.
"Well," Tsuna began, glancing at Dino uncertainly. "Lambo, do you want to fight?" Tsuna learned his lesson with Mukuro and Chrome. If Lambo refused to participate in battles, Tsuna wouldn't force him. Hell, if Lambo decided he wanted to be released, Tsuna would do that. He didn't want to force his Pokemon to do something against their wills.
Much to both Tsuna's relief and apprehension, Lambo nodded vigorously.
Unseen by Tsuna, Dino smiled approvingly. The kid at least respected his Pokemon, which was a step in the right direction for building trust and teamwork.
"Good," Dino said softly and shot a smug grin at Xanxus. The tanned man only rolled his eyes. Dino had just known that Tsuna would treat the Mareep well. "Bring your Mareep into the arena. We'll try to find out what, exactly, triggers the evolutions."
Lambo walked into the square with some trepidation, but it gave a loud "Mareep!" and stood firmly against Enzo.
It turned out, though, that despite his bravado, Lambo really was rather inexperienced in battle. He tended to trip over himself and only let out little shocks of static, no real attacks. He also scared very easily, twitching nervously with each watered-down attack Enzo threw. Even Tsuna had to admit that the whole endeavor seemed somewhat…pointless and pathetic.
"Enzo. Bring it up a notch."
The Torterra seemed to know exactly what Dino had meant, despite Tsuna's confusion, and immediately let out an Earthquake that shook the ground. Lambo gave a high pitched squeal and was tossed carelessly to the side. He drew into himself and squeezed his eyes shut, an action that reminded Tsuna uncomfortably of when the Team Genesis grunt had kicked him.
"Stop!" Tsuna yelled at Dino. Dino ignored him, eyes narrowed and smile still painted on. Tsuna took a step when Enzo viciously snapped at Lambo, a Crunch coming dangerously close to the Mareep. "I said, st-"
The light of an evolution bathed the room, making Tsuna cover his eyes hastily. When he could look around his hand again without burning his eyes, a familiar purple Pokemon sat on the ground, two legs stuck out, blinking furiously.
Enzo withdrew. Dino grinned in satisfaction.
"You didn't have to take it that far," Tsuna snapped as he rushed to Lambo's side. The Flaaffy waved his striped tail, and Lambo curiously peered over his wool at the blue ball at the tip.
"Actually, I did," Dino drawled. "Lambo, it seems, cannot control his evolution, and only evolves under duress. It only evolved when Enzo came close to seriously injuring it, so the controlling factor may be extreme emotions, fear, or danger." Dino shook his head ruefully. "I'm sorry for what I had to do, but I don't regret it."
Tsuna only cradled the electric Pokemon in his arms, patting his head soothingly.
"You can't protect it forever, Tsuna," Dino said softly, gently. "Especially if it wants to learn to fight. If you don't want to force its evolution, that's fine, but either you hope that it will evolve when it's supposed to, or you'll have to find a way to encourage him to switch forms."
And Tsuna knew. He knew that, if Lambo wanted to learn how to battle, he couldn't coddle his Pokemon. But his own soft-hearted feelings only made him feel guilty for the decision.
Dino stretched. "Anyways. That was good, we managed to set a goal and address several problems you have during battle."
Tsuna stood wearily. Even if he himself hadn't been physically participating in the battles, he felt wrung out by the lesson. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. I'll see you guys tomorrow?" he asked.
Xanxus barked a laugh. "Trash, you're not done yet. You've still got to deal with me."
What.
Dino returned Enzo and Romario and didn't meet Tsuna's eyes. He suspected the older man was feeling guilty for leaving him with Xanxus. "I've taught you about teamwork, but Xanxus will actually teach you about battling. Good luck!" Dino left the room with a cheerful "See you later, Tsuna!" and no consideration for the fact that Tsuna was about to die at Xanxus' hands, ohmyArceus.
Xanxus unfolded like some great bat come to spell Tsuna's doom the minute Dino was out of sight. His feathers swayed in some nonexistent breeze, and his black eyes were narrowed, focused on Tsuna like a predator watching a Caterpie.
"Well then…" Xanxus rumbled, clearing taking too much amusement from Tsuna's terror. He chuckled menacingly. "Since you're going to be taking so much of my time, I should really teach you how to fight. By the end of this training session, you'll be a smear on the ground."
Tsuna personally thought that Xanxus was taking fear tactics a bit too far, but of course that was probably also a biased opinion, so.
Xanxus slowly withdrew a Pokeball from his belt, enlarging it with a flick of his fingers. He held his arm outstretched and cocked his head. "Let's rumble, newbie. Bel."
Red energy coalesced into a large, purple Pokemon with four legs and three pincers, much like a scorpion. Xanxus bared his teeth.
"Meet Belphegor, my Drapion. Well? Let's see what you're made of. Pick a Pokemon!"
Tsuna glanced over his Pokemon. He had no idea what type Drapion was, but possibly…bug? Drapion certainly looked like a bug. Tsuna held no belief that he could defeat Xanxus, but if someone was going through the trouble of teaching him, Tsuna was going to pull out every trick in the book. "Gokudera, let's go!"
The Aron, still tired from having to go against Dino's Pokemon, stood to face the Drapion admirably. It was almost comical, the size difference between the two, if Tsuna hadn't been trying to swallow his nausea.
"Bel, you know what to do."
The Drapion rushed Gokudera, and with a careless flick of his tail, swept Gokudera away. Much to Tsuna's surprise, Bel didn't keep going after the small Aron but instead focused its eyes on Tsuna. There was a rush of movement, rush of air, and Tsuna suddenly found himself on the ground, caged in by three, white-tipped feet. The fourth was poised directly above his throat, only a centimeter from his skin.
Tsuna froze. His breath started coming out in quick puffs, and he felt panic and fear, real fear, set in. It was icy cold, like water slowly being dripped down his spine and numbing all his extremities. If the Drapion put even a little of his weight on the foot above Tsuna's neck…
There were several enraged screeches and snarls, mainly from Gokudera, although Ryohei was making a very heroic effort in trying to save Tsuna, and smoke was curling from Reborn's jaws. Each potential attack, though, was easily rebuffed.
"Stop, or I'll let Bel crush the kid's neck." Tsuna's Pokemon froze.
Footsteps approached Tsuna, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Xanxus leaning over. His face was serious, very unlike his usual sneers and arrogant looks.
"Do you know the fastest way to end a battle?" Xanxus asked casually, as if remarking on the weather. He didn't wait for a response. "You kill the trainer. With the trainer gone, the Pokemon are often left partnerless, with no direction or order. They either flee or become emotional, and anything acting on pure instinct and emotions are often easy pickings."
"T-That's illegal. That's m-m-murder," Tsuna croaked. The Drapion moved his leg and backed off. Tsuna was dragged to his feet with one strong grip. Xanxus just as quickly let go of Tsuna's arm.
"What I say now will not leave this room. You hear me?" Xanxus asked quietly. Tsuna nodded frantically, heart still rabbiting in his chest. Xanxus nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Listen to me, and listen carefully. I'm not going to tell you this again.
"You're going to be chased and targeted when you get to Sinnoh. You'd been letting that damn Gastly wander around at night, and people were bound to notice it. If we'd let any Genesis grunts slip through our fingers, they'll know in Sinnoh. And even if we hadn't, unless you never let your sheep or ghost out, you'll still get noticed anyways. Understand?"
Tsuna already knew this, but he didn't say a word.
"Team Genesis isn't going to just line up and let you take a shot at them one by one. They cheat and they steal and they kill. This isn't some fairytale villain, trash. They'll fight dirty if they find you. Dino might teach you how to work with your team and how to fight an organized, sanctioned battle, but I'm going to teach you to fight street smart." Xanxus looked away, eyebrows furrowed, and Tsuna wondered if Xanxus himself ever had to fight dirty. He'd had to have learned from somewhere. "You don't do this around goody-goody-two-shoes trainers, and you definitely don't do this around Gym Leaders. What I'm going to beat into your head is a last resort, get me? And only when you're fighting to survive."
Xanxus turned and patted Bel on the neck. The Drapion lowered his head and let out a hissing laugh.
"I'm not going to kill someone," Tsuna said firmly. He wasn't going to do what Xanxus just did, attack a trainer outright and threaten to kill them. That wasn't…people didn't do that.
Xanxus chucked darkly. "Maybe, maybe not, trash, but I'm not here to teach you how to kill someone. I'm here to teach you to win at any and all costs."
"B-But that's not…" Tsuna trailed off, trying to think of a word to describe what Xanxus was talking about.
"Good sportsmanship? Honorable? What's the price of honor, when your life is on the line? Out in the wild, trash, there are no rules."
What followed was one of the most exhausting experiences in Tsuna's life. Xanxus was a tough teacher, unlike Dino. He didn't bother explaining, and he didn't go easy. His lessons were taught in his battles, not words. He demonstrated the advantage size had by ruthlessly crushing Reborn, easily Tsuna's strongest fighter, with a Tyranitar. He showed the advantage flying types had over those bound by land by having a Honchkrow dive-bomb Yamamoto relentlessly. Even Mukuro couldn't hold a candle to Xanxus' Sharpedo, despite the shark being restricted to water.
Xanxus taught Tsuna to go for the eyes and throat, to stop being squeamish about aiming for weak spots. He dogpiled a vulnerable and crying Lambo with a Tyranitar, Honchkrow, and Drapion. Taking out the weakest so he could focus on the strong. He only spoke once during the lesson.
"Strike hard and strike fast, so you don't have to strike a second time."
Tsuna didn't think he'd ever resort to Xanxus' tactics. He didn't think he'd ever have the heart to cheat and turn a one-on-one battle into a three-on-one. At least, he really hoped not.
"Why?" Tsuna asked, exhausted and on edge, when their lesson drew to a close. All of his Pokemon were injured and tired. He'd probably have to see if there was a nurse on board and get his Pokemon seen to. "Why are you so invested? I don't think you go around teaching everyone this stuff."
Xanxus was silent. Thinking he wouldn't get an answer, Tsuna turned to leave. When he gripped the doorknob, though, Xanxus finally spoke.
"It's our fault we're involving you in this. The least we can fucking do is ensure that you survive this clusterfuck." Xanxus began returning his Pokemon too, a serious, darker expression on his face than usual. Tsuna didn't want to ask about it.
Tsuna shut the door, mind whirring with the day's experiences.
XxX
The rest of Tsuna's week proceeded similarly. Tsuna wasn't quite reached Dino's level of wordless communication with his Pokemon yet, but he began building a rapport with them. They began listening to him, although Gokudera was still too excitable and headstrong and Reborn just didn't like being bossed around. Mukuro and Chrome had established with Tsuna early on that most battles would be handled by Chrome, so there were no more abrupt switches. Occasionally, though, Mukuro made an appearance during Xanxus' lessons, and he was scarily skilled at exploiting weaknesses like Xanxus taught.
Ryohei and Yamamoto were, fortunately, more willing to listen to Tsuna. Yamamoto, especially, was particularly adept at reading Tsuna's moods, perhaps because of his more level-headed nature. They worked well with each other well, and Tsuna began understanding what Dino had been talking about with teamwork.
Xanxus' lessons were a gauntlet of challenges, tailored to making Tsuna learn on the spot. He had to be simultaneously more aggressive and more defensive, act spontaneously and come up with strategies.
The week passed quickly. Between the lessons, dinner, and sleep, Tsuna found he didn't have much energy to do anything else.
And so, when the S.S. Tidal finally docked in Canalave City, Tsuna took a deep, fortifying breath and stepped for the first time into Sinnoh.
XxX
A/N: How do you guys keep up with seven characters all in the same scene. Like, they're all doing their own thing, right, and I'm always concerned I'm forgetting to mention someone, and then when I mention them the reader's like "wait you were there this whole time?" Mrglglglgl...like, it's so awkward saying "yeah reborn was blah blah blah, BUT MEANWHILE yamamoto was also blah blah blah, BUT WAIT gokudera was blah blah blah, but ofc mukuro was stuck in his ball cuz it's day outside. ALSO. there's a ryohei and a lambo." Anyone know what I mean? I don't wanna bore you guys and clutter up the story, but like. ? Bruh. Lookin' to polish up my writing style for you fabulous people.
Also. Motivation. Fading fast. Escape while you still can. *slowly drowns*
As always, thank you so much for reading. Critique and comments are always welcome!
Sincerely,
haplesshippo
