Alright, took a bit longer than I meant to, but here we are!

Chapter 6: Training Montage

"All right, big reveal!" I hold up my hands to show Dart off to the camera in front of me. "Tadaa! The newest member of the team! Say hello to Dart!"

"Wee!" Dart cheers, puffing up proudly and wiggling about.

I have to shift to make sure Dart stays clear in the shot as he poses for everyone. Hilda and Bianca make appreciative noises as they watch in front, while Cheren does his best to look around them.

"Aww, he's so cute!" Bianca coos, leaning in close to the screen.

"Dluh." Dart groans, slumping in my hand.

"Not cute, Bianca." I correct her, "He's an unstoppable force of destruction."

"Oh yeah." Hilda says playfully, "That's exactly what I was going to say. What were you thinking Bianca?"

"He can be both!" Bianca pouts.

"Is that an Everstone he's wearing?" Cheren asks, leaning past the others and adjusting his glasses.

"Yeah, one of those little tricks Alder warned me about." I nod. "Koga said the goal is to show that you've trained the best Weedle. I'm pretty sure anyone who comes in with a Kakuna or a Beedrill at the end of the month are getting failed automatically."

"You're sure about this?" Cheren asks, expression doubtful.

"Pretty sure. The guy at the Pokémon Center seemed to imply that I was doing the right thing. There's a guy I can check on if I want to make sure though. Remember that student Alder mentioned? Met him yesterday. He's bit weird, but we seem to get along well enough. Anyways, if I see him with an Everstone then I'll know for sure. He's definitely got insider information."

"How is he weird, exactly?" Bianca asks.

"Weird in the way that causes someone to use smoke bombs on a room full of people," I specify. "I helped."

Cheren and Bianca stare in bewilderment. Hilda nearly falls out of her chair laughing.

"I've actually got a new teammate as well." Hilda informs me once she's recovered. "He's a pawniard, and his name is Paris." Her smile becomes somewhat strained as she continues, "I'd introduce him, but I'm not sure he's safe to be around computers."

"What, is he jumpy or something?"

"Nope. Just stupid." Hilda replies. "Really, really stupid."

"Don't be mean!" Bianca swats Hilda on the shoulder. "He's doing his best! And he already loves you to death."

"A phrase that shows terrifying potential to become literal." Cheren mutters. "We're lucky he isn't a hugger."

"Paris is a sweetheart!" Bianca declares, seemingly determined to defend him. "He just needs to learn to be careful with his head blade."

"And may Arceus have mercy on whoever or whatever is in his way before he does." Cheren drawls.

"Yeah, he's got a ways to go." Hilda nods, "But I'm sure he'll get where I need him to be before too long. Which reminds me, what's your plan for this guy?" She gestures to indicate Dart, who has now crawled up my arms to perch on my shoulder.

"String shot training." I reply, pointedly ignoring how Dart whines in my ear at that one. "Lots of it. I'll carry that on into electroweb from there if I can find a good teacher."

"Huh…" Hilda muses. "I know a bit about how to teach that to an electric type from working for Professor Juniper, but I think with bugs it's a totally different process. What about you Bianca, you're working on wild charge right now, aren't you?"

"I'm still trying to teach my Pokémon how to use electric attacks, so I don't know how much help I can be…" Bianca frowns. "All I really know is that you kinda want the Pokémon to make the energy… jump?"

"Jump?" I stare in confusion.

"Yeah." Bianca says, looking uncomfortable. "I'm not sure how else to describe it. Like I said, I'm really only just starting to figure this stuff out."

"And I haven't really had a need to learn it." Hilda frowns. "None of my Pokémon can really learn much for electric attacks besides Aspar, and I don't train him the same way I train the rest of my Pokémon. It's more like… he comes up with new moves on his own, and then we brainstorm how best to use them afterwards."

"That's… really interesting, actually." I blink in surprise. I try to remember if I've seen Hilda's duosion do something like that while I was training with her, but nothing comes to mind. Then again, Aspar never did like me very much after I freaked him out in Dragonspiral Tower. "I've never heard of something like that before."

"Well, I don't think I could teach him anything better than he can teach himself. You know those stories about how Duosion have two brains? Totally true. He'll spend all day just bouncing ideas off himself until he figures out a new trick, and then we'll talk things out afterward."

"Wild." I mutter, before looking to the last member of the group. "Anyways, how about you Cheren? Any ideas?"

"Nothing I could try over a video call." Cheren replies thoughtfully. "As a general rule, teaching a Pokémon their first attacks that aren't their own type is something that there isn't a trick for. When a Pokémon uses attacks of their own type it's an instinctual thing, but other than normal type most other moves require the Pokémon to learn how to manipulate their energy. And some types are easier to figure out than others. Electricity is one of the harder types to emulate even for experienced battling Pokémon."

Dart starts moving around on my shoulder excitedly, and I grin in spite of myself. "I think he's just taking this as a challenge. Sure you don't have any ideas?"

"I don't." Cheren shrugs helplessly. "Like I said, there's no easy way to teach a Pokémon to manipulate their energy into attacks. Every move a Pokémon learns to expand its movepool will be based off of their first experience of success. In the case of a Pokémon like Weedle, which only has one option…"

"Are we sure there isn't something else I could teach him?"

"Better trainers than you have tried and failed." Cheren shakes his head. "Some species of Pokémon simply don't have the ability to manipulate their energy very well. And Weedle is one of the most infamous cases of this. The first ever case of a Weedle using an attack other than the three Dart already knows came from Bugsy of Johto, and it reportedly took him a full year to succeed even with a specially bred Weedle."

"Geez, I didn't know this was such a huge fucking hurdle I was trying to jump." I cringe, looking towards Dart. "Alright, well you heard the man. Sounds like this one may be too much for a month's work. We'll have to stick to teaching you every trick I can think of with string shot."

"Dluh." Dart groans, slumping on my shoulder.

"Aww, don't be like that." I stroke him on the side of the head with a finger, minding the spike. "I've got some ideas I think you'll really enjoy. We've just got to keep working at it. Speaking of which." I look back to the video phone. "I started Ogrim on rollout training yesterday."

"Yeah? How's that going?" Hilda perks up in interest.

"… Well, it's got a long way to go." I reply sheepishly. "So far he's just doing somersaults… and most of those end in him stuck on his back. He's working hard at it though. Tired himself right out, that's why he's still sleeping in this morning."

"Aww, poor little guy." Bianca smiles sympathetically. "Well, he'll get there. And being able to roll himself around will mean you won't have to forfeit whenever he falls over, so that'll be great!"

That would be the idea, yes. Until he learns rollout Ogrim will be effectively helpless whenever he gets tipped over, since he's not flexible enough to get up on his own. That's part of the reason why my practise matches with Bianca always ended when Ogrim got knocked over; he couldn't have continued from there anyways. My original plan was to overcome that weakness by having Ogrim master that ground ability that seems to make them immovable, but I've started to think of that as a bit too optimistic. It's unrealistic to think that nothing will ever be able to knock Ogrim over if I just train hard enough. I need a plan ready for when things go wrong.

"Just remember, this is going to be the same situation for Ogrim as it is for Dart." Cheren cautions. "It will be Ogrim's first time truly trying to use an unfamiliar energy type. Granted, rock and ground are far closer to each other than bug is to something like electric. But it could still be difficult for him."

"I'll keep that in mind, don't worry." I reassure, "This'll be Ogrim's only big project for the month while I work on beating Koga's challenge. Even a little bit of progress will go a long way towards helping Ogrim really start to hold his own in a battle."

We talk for a little while longer before I finally let the three of them go. It's time to return to my little corner of woodlands and get back to training as best as I can.

Before I leave though, I notice a commotion from the front desk. A small group of trainers, all complaining loudly to the receptionist.

"What do you mean we have to pay? You just said the gym would cover the fee!"

"I'm sorry sir, unfortunately your gym membership card is not registered to a trainer ID."

The trainers all look to each other and blink in realization. "Oh, that code on the back!"

One of the trainers scans his card with a Pokédex and stares at the screen blankly for a moment. "Uhh, it says the ID is invalid."

"Oh yes," The receptionist supplies helpfully, "Koga is very cautious about his membership IDs. If they aren't registered to a trainer ID quickly enough after being issued he wipes the code from his systems as a security measure."

"So… we have to get a new card?"

"If you don't want to pay your Everstone fee then I suggest you try asking for one, yes." The nurse smiles sweetly. "Since it's only been a day since the test started he might be willing to give you a replacement."

The trainers look to each other, and then book it for the door without another word to the receptionist. A desperate bid to get back to the gym before Koga decides he's done being merciful. I can already imagine the response he'll be giving to those trainers who catch on to the trap with the gym membership too late.

'If you couldn't handle something as simple as scanning a card, then how can I trust you to handle yourself as a trainer?'

I appreciatively eye the shiny Everstone strapped onto Dart's back and hum a merry tune as I head for the Pokémon Center's door. Another win for my rampant paranoia. This sort of thing will probably be happening at every Pokémon Center in Fuchsia, all the while I've dodged through Koga's initial traps and have already started my training.

Now I just need to make the most of this head start.

"Alright Dart, the first thing you need to remember about using string shot is that the different ways you can fire this move out all have different uses." I walk along a line of trees in the clearing where I've had Dart fire off his attack at different consistencies.

"Option 1: plaster." I point to a tree that looks as if it has been painted. "It's barely got any fiber in it, meaning it's mostly just made of the sticky fluid you coat the webs in. Weak as hell, crumbles easily, at first glance this seems the most useless. But this has two big things going for it. One, it seems to be the easiest for you to produce, since the makeup of it is pretty much just quick-dry glue compared to thick fiber. And two, it's watertight. I see two potential uses for this. First, to spray on other webs as reinforcement. And second, to disrupt an enemy right as they're about to attack."

"Weedle?" Dart looks at me skeptically.

"Just picture this Dart. You're being chased by a hungry charmander. It's coming to get you, about to roast you into a tasty bug snack. But right as it's about to breath fire on you- pow! You glue its mouth shut! Suddenly the charmander is choking on its own fire attack, and before it can recover you're already going for the counterattack!"

"Wee…" Dart says thoughtfully, mulling the scenario over. It doesn't take him long to come to the conclusion that he rather likes the idea. "Weedle! Weeeee!"

"I thought that would get your attention." I grin, thrilled to see he's starting to come around to my training plan. "Alright! Moving right along!"

"Come on Ogrim, full rotations!" I cheer my starter on as I carefully spot him through another somersault.

"Go… golett." Ogrim says shakily, staggering as I help him to his feet.

"You gotta push past the dizziness, buddy." I shake my head at him. "When the time comes for you to really start rolling you're going to be spinning a lot faster than this."

"Golett!" Ogrim whines piteously.

"Ogrim, I wasn't kidding yesterday when I said this move is going to be important. This may be the only chance you have of being able to really move around the battlefield until you evolve. You can't run like other Pokémon, you can't jump, or evade. Your body is just not built for it. You're clumsy. And that's something that isn't going to change for at least the next year, probably longer."

"Golett…"

"I know, it's pretty sucky. But that's okay. Because you have me now, and I am going to do everything I can to help you overcome this." I grin encouragingly at the little guy, clapping him on the shoulder. "And this is the first step to that. Once you learn rollout you'll be able to move like you've never been able to before. All your biggest weaknesses will be a thing of the past if you can just master this move!"

"Go? Go golett?" Ogrim looks up at me in wonder.

"I mean it, little dude!" I nod confidently. "I haven't steered you wrong yet, and while I may not be perfect, I don't intend to screw up any time soon! Now, let's keep going with these somersaults until you can do them all on your own!"

"Golett…" Ogrim sighs, but rolls forward without protest.

"Option number 2!" I clap my hand to the second tree. "The net! Much more fiber, all hooking itself together to make a sort of blanket over whatever you hit with it. I'm not going to lie, the logistics of how you manage to just spit up a whole spider web like this are completely baffling to me! But that's alright, because I don't need to know how you make this crazy thing to know what it's useful for! This is your ideal web for trapping! Case in point!" I make a show of pulling my hand off of the tree trunk and show the way the web stretches to hold me tight.

"Weedle?" Dart asks, eyeing my hand with concern.

"It's fine, I picked up a spray at the Poké Mart on the way over here." I wave off his concerned query and spritz my hand with a compound made to dissolve bug type webbing. "See, good as new! But Pokémon aren't going to be able to do that in battle. You hit them with this web, or set it up so that they step in it, and they're going to be sitting ducks. This stuff is sticky, it's way stronger than the plaster, and it covers a big surface area. Use this setting traps, or to toss over an enemy that you've slowed down to really make their lives difficult. If you pin them properly with the net, it'll be the perfect chance for you to go in for a bug bite!"

"Wee!"

"Yup, it won't be easy, but that'll be your opportunity for a finishing move!" I grin, "But first, let's move on to your next trick!"

"Come on guys, I know you can be better than that!" I shout behind me as I jog laps around the clearing. "You guys are Pokémon, and I'm just an out of shape guy in gym clothes! This should be a breeze for you!"

"Weedle!" Dart protests indignantly, wiggling his body along as fast as he can, in a way that looks like ridiculous flailing even if it does keep him moving at a surprisingly good pace.

Ogrim fares far worse, wobbling along as his stumpy legs hold him back from managing anything more than a stumbling jog. "Golett!" He whines piteously as I lap him yet again. A part of me sympathizes; it really isn't fair to him at all. He's trying his hardest, and isn't at all tired, but he still can't keep up simply because his body isn't built for running. Whoever is responsible for designing the golett species was one seriously cruel bastard.

I keep jogging though, because I know I'm going to need this exercise down the road as much as my team is. When the time comes for me to leave Fuchsia I'm going to need to make sure I can traverse the routes of Kanto without falling to pieces from exhaustion.

Besides, I may be the fastest member of the group right now, but if my training plan pays off they'll both be lapping me before long, no matter how in shape I manage to get.

"Option 3 is this tangled up mess you've got here." I gesture to the wad of gooey webbing splattered against the next tree. "The web ball! It needs much more work than the previous two, but I think once you master it this one is the one you're going to want to use the most."

"Weedle?"

"I'm glad you asked! The reason this one is so special, is because this is the string shot variation that you're going to use for attacking!" I grin, gesturing to the web wad once more. "It may not be pretty, but this sucker is heavier, it's gooier, and it comes out way faster than the net. You can't hit a wide area with it, but the way this one moves in the air means it's by far the most ideal to use as a projectile. A big clump of webbing that will throw off their balance, stick them to whatever it touches, and be crazy hard to get rid of for anything that isn't a fire type Pokémon! This is the web that will start every scheme we can possibly pull off. Hit them with this, and you'll open them up for every other trick in your arsenal."

Weedle hums thoughtfully, then spits out another ball of web. Between the way it fires straight into the tree, and the wet splat it makes as it lands, I find myself reminded of a spitball, like the kind kids used to throw back when I was in elementary school.

The mischievous way Dart cackles as he looks approvingly at his handiwork does absolutely nothing to dispel that imagery.

I stand at the opposite side of the clearing and watch as Ogrim shows off his latest attempt at rollout. It's slow, and it's wobbly, but he does manage to somersault all the way across the clearing to reach me, though his landing ends with him on his face.

"Better Ogrim, but it's still missing something." I muse, helping the little guy to his feet.

"Golett?"

"You need to put more energy into it, I think." I nod thoughtfully. "Right now you're getting to where you want to go, but you're barely moving faster than your running speed. There's no force to your movements."

"Go golett let go golett!" Ogrim replies plaintively.

Yeah… I do not understand what he's trying to tell me at all right now. Just gonna push on regardless. "I think what you need to do right now is change your way of thinking about this, Ogrim. This is a rock type attack, you know? You can't just hope for the best, you've got to power through! Rock types are tough, and if you want to attack like they do you need to feel that! When you roll you aren't just moving, you're a force of nature! A rock tumbling down a mountain isn't going to stop just because a tree is in the way, it's going to power through and crush that thing! That's the sort of power you need to be reaching for!"

Dart gives a very excited cheer at this speech from the other side of the clearing. I have no doubt that if Weedle could learn rollout he'd be all over that.

Ogrim isn't quite as excited as Dart is, but he does raise clenched fists in determination. "Go… Golett!"

Maybe it's my imagination, but the next time Ogrim rolls across the clearing it feels just a little bit faster than before.

"Last but not least…" I walk up to the final tree, and tug at the web sticking to it. "This is the one that I asked you to start working on yesterday, so it needs the most work. But I think this one has a lot of potential. The web rope."

"Weedle?" Dart asks, not at all sure about the point of this one.

"I'm glad you asked!" I nod, pulling the loosely woven rope of threads with a bit of force. "This one seems to be the least sticky of the lot, so it doesn't seem very good at catching enemies at first glance, but…" I wrap the line around my hand and tug as hard as I can. "As you can see, it's the strongest of the lot by far! I'm more likely to rip the bark off this tree than to snap this thing. Hell, you get this one tight enough, I bet it can hold my weight no problem!"

Dart hums appreciatively, and I nod at him. "Yeah, it's pretty cool, huh? Makes this your best bet for holding Pokémon that are stronger than you are. Attach this to a web ball and you can anchor bigger mons in place and pull anyone not expecting it right off their feet. But that's not all this could do…"

I gesture to the hand still pulling at the rope, and then release it. Both of my Pokémon jump in alarm at the loud snapping noise it makes as it whips back into the tree.

"See that? It doesn't break, but it does stretch." A manic grin stretches across my face as I look back to Dart, "Now imagine what might happen if the thread pulls like that while you're on the other end. I might not be able to let you evolve into Beedrill before this test is over, but that doesn't mean you won't learn how to fly!"

Poor Ogrim is forced to concentrate very hard on his somersaults with both Dart and I laughing like maniacs to distract him.

By the start of the second week running laps around the clearing is starting to look very different from before. I'm still lapping my Pokémon, but now that they're trying out their new moves things are starting to get interesting.

Ogrim can finally move at a half decent speed from one side of the clearing to the next. His biggest issue at the moment is his inability to turn while rolling. Every time he reaches a corner he's forced to uncurl, stop himself from falling over, and reposition so he can start rolling again. If he could roll continuously he'd probably be keeping pace with me, but the stops have him falling behind frequently.

Dart on the other hand, is already trying to web shoot himself across the clearing. Since he's still figuring out how to make his web ropes this has some absolutely wild results. Sometimes he falls flat on his face, sometimes he loses his grip on part of the rope and is sent spinning through the air in a wild direction, sometimes he messes up the web composition and just can't seem to move anywhere at all.

"Come on Ogrim, focus up!" I call out across the clearing as I jog along, "Until you figure out how to steer yourself while rolling you need to work on keeping your feet properly when you stop. Become the master of your own momentum! The move doesn't decide when it stops, you do!"

"Golett!" Ogrim calls back, sounding to be in a much better mood than our last set of laps. He can tell that this is starting to work for him, and the minor success is bolstering his efforts.

I don't waste any words on Dart for now. He doesn't need my help to stay encouraged. The thrill seeking little bug is loving every second of practising this technique, even the times when it sends him rocketing into the trees.

Especially those times, really. Dart is a lunatic. He's going to rampage through those other Weedle like a Tauros in a china shop. I can't wait to see it.

It's about three weeks into training that I finally run into Keith again, in a bakery of all places. He's relaxing at a table at the very back, and if he hadn't waved me down I'd have missed him completely.

"For a foreigner you seem to have a good eye for where to go to get the best food." Keith grins as I pull up a chair. "This place has been my go to for breakfast for years now."

"A receptionist at the Pokémon center down the street told me about this place, actually." I shrug, "She said this place made the best Poké Puffs in Fuchsia."

"She told you right." Keith nods. "Also the best coffee. Been coming here for years." He raises his cup with a grin and dramatically inhales. "Doesn't that smell great?"

"Never been much of a coffee drinker myself." I reply with a shrug. "Smells alright though, I guess."

"Ah, and here I thought we could be friends." Keith tuts in mock disappointment. "Not a coffee drinker. Such sacrilege!"

He pauses for a moment to tug his mask down and takes a sip of the coffee. "See, I don't know if I can live without this stuff."

A part of me is surprised to see him take the mask off so casually, before I recognize that as my inner weeb attempting to overtake my common sense and immediately execute it. The mental struggle is brief, but furious, and it is with great difficulty I manage to keep a straight face as I continue the conversation, "You seem like you'd be lively enough without it."

"Oh, it's not an energy thing for me. I just like the flavor."

"The flavor?" I raise an eyebrow in disbelief. "Maybe we really are meant to be enemies."

Keith chuckles at that, leaning back in his chair. "Well, if you're going to be my enemy, I hope you've got what it takes to back it up. How's training going for you? That weedle of yours doing alright?"

"I like to think so." I nod thoughtfully. "I have no idea where he'd rank compared to the competition, but I feel like he's gonna do well."

"Must be, if you're buying that many Poké Puffs for him." Keith nods along, eyeing the box I'm carrying. "You must have at least a couple dozen there!"

"Oh no, this isn't for my team." I explain, "These are something I bought for a special training plan of mine."

Keith blinks in surprise, leaning forward, "Wait, what? You bought all those and you're not feeding them to your Pokémon?"

"Nope. Dart could never- oh, that's my weedle's name, Dart- he could never eat all this stuff himself. He's a real picky eater anyways, only really seems to like spicy food. And my starter doesn't even eat."

"He doesn't?"

"Nah, he's a golett. Doesn't even have a mouth. Just runs on… ghost power, I guess?" I shrug, still not really knowing the first thing about how golett functions as a species.

"Your starter is a ghost type, huh?" Keith muses. "Not sure I've heard of golett before. Is it related to golurk?"

"Yeah, that's what golett evolves into." I nod.

"Oh, cool. Yeah, I've seen golurk once or twice in tournaments on TV, but ghost types aren't very common in Kanto so I don't know the first thing about them."

"Not common? I thought they saw a lot of use around here."

Keith waves a hand dismissively, "Nah, they're really not. A lot of people assume they're popular in Kanto because we had Agatha in the elite four for like, fifty years or something, but she's pretty similar to Koga. Likes to actively push against people using her type of choice. Of course in her case it's less 'I don't want rookies to get themselves killed', and more 'You're shit and you don't deserve my favorite Pokémon because they're too good for you.' Most of the ghost trainers in Lavender Town were like that for a long time. They've only started opening up more recently."

"Is that right?" I ask curiously.

"Yup. I heard Agatha's granddaughter opened a gym in Lavender town. Master Koga even mentioned she's trying for primary status. Which probably pissed off the old folks in Lavender town big time, since it'll mean giving up a bunch of their secrets. You know, other than League matches and Koga's haunter I've never even seen a ghost type in person."

"Damn." I blink in surprise. "Well… would you like to?"

"Cheque please!" Keith calls out loudly, jumping out of his seat.

"Keith, you paid in advance, you absolute clown." The girl running the till rolls her eyes fondly.

"Pretty sure she's into me." Keith whispers conspiratorially as we walk towards the door.

"Is that what that comment means?" I reply dryly, "And here I thought she was making fun of your shoes."

"Hey!"

"Geez, you've really been busy here, huh?" Keith looks around in amazement at the area I've been training in.

"Yeah, I've basically lived here for the past three weeks." I shrug, looking out over the clearing. The place has definitely begun to show signs of frequent use. Tracks worn into the ground where Ogrim's been practicing, scattered bits of leaves and the odd smashed berry from when Dart's gone flying off into the trees. And of course, the webs hanging off the trees all over the far side of the clearing.

"You sure you're alright with me seeing your secret training spot?" Keith looks over to me curiously.

"Yeah, it's fine. Going to be moving to a different spot tomorrow anyways, so it's not like you'll be able to see me do much here." I shrug. "Had a new plan for the last week of training."

"Cool." He looks around at the webbing appraisingly, before turning back to grin at me, "I feel like you and I are going to have one heck of a battle when the training period is done."

"I certainly hope so." I nod, keeping my expression calm despite the nerves I feel at his eager grin. "I've pretty much pegged you as the guy to beat."

"Well yes, that's because I'm awesome, and you have a discerning eye." Keith nods sagely.

"Yes, yes, you're very cool, well done." I reply with a very big roll of my eyes. I need to be more careful with complimenting this guy, I really do. "So, do you want to get down to why we're actually here?"

"Oh, right!" Keith grins. "Your starter! Yeah, let's meet him!"

"Alright Ogrim, come on out!"

I toss Ogrim's ball into the air and grin as he appears in a flash of light, standing at attention in front of me. "Go, golett go!" He cries out, ready for training… until he notices a new person and immediately abandons discipline in favor of wanting to make friends.

"Keith, this is my starter, Ogrim." I introduce as Ogrim runs over to shake hands. "Ogrim, this is Keith. He's one of the trainers Dart and I need to battle next week."

"Pleasure to meet you, Ogrim." Keith says with an easygoing grin, shaking my starter's hand. "You're a cute little guy, huh?"

"Golett!" Ogrim replies cheerfully.

"I've had Ogrim here for… about a month and a half now." I explain. "I met him after getting caught up in a weird teleport accident, and we hit it off. It's why I decided to start training now, even though I'm like a decade late to the party."

"Huh. I had wondered." Keith nods thoughtfully, before straightening up and reaching for his belt. "Well, since we're giving out life stories, I suppose I'll introduce you to my starter too. Come on out, Checkers!"

I wasn't sure what to expect from a guy like Keith. A venipede? Perhaps a croagunk? Some kind of ninja themed Pokémon like froakie maybe? Despite trying to keep an open mind what Keith sends out still manages to completely shock me though. Because rather than sending out any sort of Pokémon you'd expect to see from a zero-badge trainer, Keith sends out a goddamn scyther!

"Holy shit!" I gape in surprise, staring at the giant bug type that stands nearly as tall as I am. "This is your starter?"

"Yeah, it's a long story." Keith shrugs, giving Checkers an affectionate pat on the head as they approach. "I first met Checkers during a big flood in the safari zone a few years back. I was helping Koga and the rangers, and managed to save him from a river during all the chaos. And ever since then…" He gestures to Checkers, who stands dutifully at his trainer's side. "Well, he's been like this."

"That's quite a story." I say, still staring at the big bug type. "But I thought scyther were considered tier 4 Pokémon. Did they really just let you keep him?"

"Hell no they didn't." Keith frowns at that, "The League did everything they could to keep him away from me. I only had a rank two license at the time. In the end, Koga had to catch Checkers himself and hold him while I studied my ass off to get my license upgraded. Take it from me Ben, do not try to get your licenses by taking the tests if you can help it. The written exams are beyond brutal. They require a minimum score of 95% to pass, and if you fail there's a minimum wait of six months before you can try again."

"Holy shit." I stare in horror.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Keith grimaces. "If Checkers hadn't come into my life I'd have left for my journey years ago. It uh… kinda messed up a lot of my plans at the time. Not that I regret it really. Checkers is the best."

"Scyyyy." Checkers croons fondly, nudging Keith's shoulder with his nose. It's actually kind of cute. In a weird, this-thing-could-cut-me-in-half-with-the-slightest-twitch sort of way.

Yeah as far as starter Pokémon go scyther is pretty badass, but I'll take Ogrim any day. He's much cuter, without the risk of dismemberment.

"So, you wanted to see what golett are like, and I know I'd be interested to see Checkers in action… want to train together for a bit?" I offer, watching as Ogrim and Checkers get acquainted.

"Tempting…" Keith replies, looking very conflicted, "But… we better not. We'd have to leave our weedle out to avoid trading too many of our tricks before the competition, and I wouldn't want to do that to Wocky, he's too sensitive."

"Hmm… Yeah, good point." I nod, seeing his point. "If I left Dart out of a training session he'd probably never forgive me."

"He did seem a little gung-ho about the competition, yeah." Keith nods in agreement. "So… rain check then? Until… whenever we find a chance to do this without a competition imminent?"

"Sounds good to me." I reply.

"Cool. I'll clear out of your spot then…" Keith replies, looking around thoughtfully. His eyes track one of the lines in the ground from Ogrim's practise. "I feel like I'm intruding or something."

"It's fine dude. Like I said, this is the last day I'll be working here." I shrug.

"You are seriously underestimating how much a good trainer can figure out from the scenery here you know." Keith straightens up, looking me in the eye. "I can tell just by looking at the mess you've made what you're focusing on in training Dart."

"Anyone with half a brain knows that string shot is the key to winning this thing." I shrug, keeping my best poker face.

"True, but that's not exactly what I…" Keith frowns, looking upset. "Look, I just… well, I guess you'll see soon enough." He fiddles with his mask for a moment, before looking back to Ogrim. "You're training Ogrim there to use rollout, right?"

"Yeah…" I reply, feeling suddenly uneasy. It's one thing when he can analyze what I'm doing with a Pokémon he's also training, one with such a limited skillset as Weedle. It's another thing entirely when he figures out what I'm doing with a Pokémon he's never seen before. Sure, the tracks in the ground are pretty telling, but still. Maybe I really did make a mistake bringing Keith here.

"Right, well… have you been trying image training at all?" Keith asks, looking back to me. "Like, telling him to picture himself as a boulder rolling around or something?"

"Uhh… a little bit?" I blink in surprise.

"Cool. Keep doing that then." Keith nods, "Image training is the best way to teach a Pokémon to master a new type."

"Okay…" I reply uncertainly. "Okay. I'll… Yeah, I'll be sure to try that then. Thanks."

"Consider it payment for showing me your training spot." Keith nods, straightening up. "Because I'm going to use everything I've figured out today when the time comes."

"Go for it." I shoot back, my uneasiness giving way to anticipation. "You'll need all the help you can get."

"Ha! I'd better!" Keith grins. "If this is all it takes to beat you I'll be real disappointed. I'm expecting a lot from our battle next week!"

He vanishes into the trees with that declaration, seeming to melt into the shadows beneath the trees. Checkers follows a moment later, pausing only to bow his head in farewell before turning into a blur of green that flies out of sight before I can even think to watch him go.

"Lucky we're just fighting with our weedle next week." I reply with a frown. "I'm not sure we're ready to take on that scyther yet."

"Golett…" Ogrim replies uncertainly.

"Well then." I nod to Ogrim. "Let's see what we can do to close that gap!"

"Golett!"

There's one last thing my team really needs if we're going to start taking on serious trainers. Their moves are coming along well, but that's only part of the picture. You can practise a move until you know it inside and out, but if you haven't trained to use it in a real fight you can hardly say it's mastered at all.

And so for the last week of training, I focus entirely on battle experience. The land around Fuchsia is home to tons of powerful Pokémon thanks to the safari zone, and it's not uncommon for strong Pokémon to make their way outside of the protected grounds of the great wildlife reserve despite the best efforts of the local rangers. Which means I have little trouble finding Pokémon to spar against. The only tricky part is deciding what sort of Pokémon would be an actual good match for my still inexperienced team.

In the end I focus on nidoran. They're strong but not overwhelming, they're all over the place around here, and since they're poison type themselves there's less chance of some sort of poison sting accident with Dart. The threat of poisoning had me more concerned about Ogrim at first, but it turns out poisoning isn't as damaging to him as it would be for other Pokémon. It's not pleasant for him by any means, but it won't put him in any real danger. Since Ogrim doesn't have an actual circulatory system the poison doesn't go anywhere. The effect is apparently similar to a really bad mosquito bite.

That's not something I want to put Ogrim through, but it's not something we can avoid either. Getting poisoned is just a part of battling. At higher levels of competition it's practically guaranteed. Better to learn how to deal with it now than to wait. Especially considering who I'm training to impress at the moment.

So, with the help of a box of Poké Puffs as a bribe, I find a family of nidoran willing to do some practice battling for the week and get to work.

Predictably, Dart's first few battles go poorly. I haven't had much of a chance to train him in hitting moving targets, so the nidoran run circles around him, and are easily able to shrug off his poison stings to hit him from the side. Nidoran aren't especially powerful, but they're fast and move unpredictably. It's how they survive in the wild; their most reliable survival strategy is to run like crazy until they can get to the nearest nidoking or nidoqueen. This makes them a nightmare to deal with for Dart, who can't seem to hit them at all.

Ogrim fares better, his training against Bianca and Li having somewhat prepared him for faster opponents. In fact, compared to Li the nidoran prove little trouble for Ogrim to keep up with. It only takes him a little bit of time before he manages to master the timing he needs to swat them back with a good astonish or pound attack.

After a while of this a watchful nidorino decides to step in, playing the part of protective big brother to all the nidoran Ogrim has been battling. This proves a much bigger challenge for Ogrim, the nidorino having the power to push through Ogrim's hits and hit back even harder. The nidorino has Ogrim outclassed in a whole different way to what he's used to, which proves perfect for the sort of training I really want Ogrim to focus on.

"Rollout Ogrim! If you want to win you need to move faster and hit harder. Get your momentum up and crash right through him!"

The nidorino bounds out of the way of Ogrim's first wobbly attempt at using rollout in battle and knocks him over as he tries to turn, still the weakest point of the move by far. There's a chittering of vengeful laughter from the nidoran audience as Ogrim flails for a moment. He's still not very good at using the move on his back. It takes him much longer to pick up speed. After a moment though he's back in the fight, no longer needing me to pick him up when he falls over. They grow up so fast.

Dart on the other hand, is requiring much more direction at this stage in the game, nowhere near beating the nidoran yet.

"Don't use the ball Dart, use the web! If you want to hit them you need to cut off their lines of escape!" I call out, watching as Dart makes another attempt to pin his opponent to the ground. The nidoran dodges the web wad easily, openly mocking as it hops around.

"Weee!" Dart yells in frustration, spitting up a web to cover a big chunk of the field that has the nidoran scampering to safety. And just as it's reaching freedom a ball of webbing flies in and narrowly misses gluing the nidoran's feet together.

Not quite a success, but at least the nidoran isn't laughing at us anymore. We're already seeing improvements.

It takes until the second to last day before Koga's test before Ogrim's rollout is at a truly battle ready level. At the start of his battle training he was like a loose tire, rolling down hill, but now…

I watch the nidorino dive to one side as Ogrim rushes past, tearing up a line of dirt and grass in his wake. The nidorino moves to hit back, but Ogrim's turn is smooth, if still somewhat wide. Ideally we'll reach the point where Ogrim can turn on a dime, but as it is now I'm happy with his ability to make full turns without losing speed. He's able to charge the nidorino again after only a moment's delay.

The nidorino gasps for air as it dives out of the way of another rollout, holding out well, but unable to find an opening to attack my swiftly spinning starter. As things continue though, and the nidorino is continuously forced to dodge a series of rollout attacks that just won't quit, he gets frustrated, and decides to do something drastic.

Ogrim rushes in again, and the nidorino dodges. This time though, instead of gathering himself for the next attack, the nidorino lets out a determined war cry, and charges after Ogrim at full speed. The torn up dirt flying around in Ogrim's wake does nothing to dissuade the bulky poison type, being completely ignored in favor of doing everything to keep up. And as Ogrim makes another wide turn the nidorino takes the opportunity to hit my friend's side as hard as possible. The impact sends the nidorino flying back, but also knocks Ogrim onto his side.

By the time Ogrim is back on his feet the nidorino has already gone in for the attack, throwing itself into a massive flying leap so that it can bring itself horn first down on Ogrim with all its strength.

"Night burst, then mud slide!"

"GOLETT!" Ogrim yells, blasting ghost energy out just as the nidorino is about to hit him. The attack causes the nidorino to lose most of its forward momentum, and it flops to the ground at Ogrim's feet. Before the poison type can do more than get back on its feet Ogrim throws him, along with most of the ground he's standing on. He lands on his back looking rather dazed, before struggling to roll back onto his feet. Ogrim charges in with a rollout attack to show him how it's done. The nidorino is sent flying and lands in a senseless heap.

"I think that's the match, yeah?" I look over to the one in charge of this little match for confirmation. The hulking nidoqueen looking after this group of nidoran nods in agreement. "Alright, cool. I'll get out the potions."

"Niiiih." The nidoqueen rumbles, gesturing behind me. I turn to see Dart's battlefield, where he's managed to trap around a dozen nidoran in webbing.

"Okay, web spray first, then potions." I bow my head to the local monarch and move towards Dart. "Alright Dart, good job, but I think they've all had enough!"

"Weeedoh!" Dart cheers triumphantly, waving his head around excitedly. "Weeeeeeeeee!"

"Yeah, yeah. You're the best, way to go. Crazy little lunatic." I rub the back of his head affectionately, then get to work on freeing all the nidoran.

Soon enough all the nidoran and the nidorino are cleaned up and healed, gathered around their boss and looking very miserable. I won't lie, it's a nice change of pace after the first few days where they spent all their time laughing like a bunch of assholes every time one of them got the better of my team. The nidoqueen doesn't pay their whining a bit of attention, having been watching the whole time to make sure I wasn't being too mean to them. As if I would when their chaperone can fold me like a pretzel.

Speaking of which, said chaperone is giving me a very expectant look, so I guess it's time to wrap things up. "Right, deal's a deal. You still need the second half of your payment." I reach into my bag and pull out a big case of Poké Puffs. "Another dozen Poké Puffs, as promised. Actually I threw a few extra in there. Wanted to show my appreciation for the past week. You've all been a huge help."

The sad faces amongst the group disappear immediately as I start handing out the sweets. The nidoqueen gets first pick, because she says so and I'm not arguing with her. Then the Nidorino grabs one for himself, giving Ogrim and I a begrudging nod before leaving to eat off to the side. The rest are left as a total free for all between the nidoran, who turn into an absolute tornado of pink and blue that quickly tears the rest of the pastries apart. When they're all done, the nidoqueen gives me a friendly nod before shooing her charges away.

"Nice of her to help us out like that, even if we were bribing them all with junk food." I comment idly, before turning to my two Pokémon. "Good job Ogrim, rollout is looking awesome. Keep working on making those turns tighter so the next Pokémon we fight can't catch you and it'll be pretty solid."

"Golett!"

"As for you, Dart…" I turn to the little weedle with a grin. "You think you're ready for Koga's test?"

"Weedle!" Dart cheers, bobbing his head excitedly. "Wee weedle wee!"

"I think you're right." I nod. "Let's show those guys what we're made of."

This chapter brought to you by like, every sports movie I've ever seen. Especially the first half, if the abundance of cuts didn't make it clear. If there's one thing the Rocky movies have taught me, it's that a training montage is only as effective as the number of scene changes it holds.

While I'm referencing stuff, I'd like to give a shoutout to fellow author and member of the Fanfiction Treehouse discord Spiderc, whose most recent update was also called Training Montage, lol. If you haven't read They Mostly Live in Minnesota I would wholeheartedly recommend it, Spiderc's Pokemon themed take on Minnesota is a fun ride even if you're like me and don't know the first damn thing about the state. It's very underappreciated and well worth the read.

And if you're looking for other Pokemon fics to read, come join the Fanfiction Treehouse discord yourself! Quite a few of the writers there have been starting Pokemon stories of their own, and they're all a ton of fun! Definitely worth a visit if you're looking for more stuff to read, or looking to talk to fellow geeks about games/fanfiction.

discord .gg/9XG3U7a