Chapter 2 - 10/25/2022

Clobbopus and I finished an intense session of sprints. With the last 100 meter dash done, I proceed to prepare him for the next exercise on his list.

Dirt and rocks roll on the floor. Together they begin to form a ball as Clobbopus compacts it together. The sphere grows larger until he stops for a short respite.

Time passes by until the ball is completed.

Done with the task and rested, I begin to teach the next exercise and the stances he'll have to perform.

Corrections follow and with a few tips, Clobbopus enters the right form needed for curls.

Four tentacles brace themselves to the floor and his main arms wrap around the stone ball in a firm grip. With his back straight and chin up he kept a posture that wouldn't break.

"Now lift it like this." I showed him how to move. "Get a full range of motion, but don't let the weight drop or have any jerky movements as you do so."

The stone slowly rises and then lowers. A few more rearrangements later and Clobbopus is curling like a champ.

"Nice. Do fifteen more and then we'll start a light cool down jog around the field. Then after that we'll try this again and see where your maximum is."

Clobbopus finishes up and drops the stone weight to the floor. On my lead, I start the lap around the field with a steady pace.

Gradually we built up the speed, turning our pace into a light jog. I tried to keep it consistent and manageable for him, however, this didn't last for long.

Miltank launches forward and I'm forced to stop.

Miltank rolls at a brisk pace that gradually quickens. Everything was fine at first, but as soon as it tried to turn sharply, everything fell apart.

Clobbopus and I stare nonplussed.

Oscillations form and grow in size and frequency. Waves of inertia stretch and compress Miltank repeatedly as the force grows in strength.

It came to a point that the spin was compromised.

In an instant all movement stops. For a single moment all is calm as Miltank stood still. However, reality finally catches up to speed and Miltank flings across the field without warrant.

It tosses and turns. Every bounce across the ground forms craters in Miltank's wake until it comes to a sliding halt.

Clobbopus shivers and is glad to be far away. I shook my head as I felt bad for Whitney since she's still stuck on this move.

It's painful to watch. It's past the thirtieth time now that they tried this and it's ridiculous at this point.

I'll see what I can do after I'm finished here. She'll need a bit of help.

On that note, I sped up to continue our jog.

After the lap around the field, Clobbopus went ahead and increased the weight of his sphere.

He lifts it ten times then stops to add more to the mass. He rinses and repeats this process; he loses two reps for each increment until reaching a point where he could hardly lift it a single time.

The next increment will be beyond him. However, I still had him continue.

"Add a bit more than that." I told him.

Clobbopus wipes some sweat off his forehead and adds another kilo. As he starts to lift the stone it rises too.

I stop for a second.

I rub my eyes as I must've been seeing things. Clobbopus' form hasn't broken down like I expected. With a closer look, it appears he's under the same amount of strain.

"It's still not enough?"

I'm confused since I know this shouldn't be possible. After so much time and experience I know this would've broken his stance as he struggles to curl it.

However, reality begs to differ.

I manually adjusted the weight and had him do it all over again from the start.

Clobbopus follows along and tests the changes I kept making. Eventually we worked back up to the original weight and beyond what was reasonable. At least to the point he couldn't even move the sphere from the floor.

A conclusion forms in my mind.

To test my theory, we waited for ten minutes and started with the maximum weight again. He lifts and curls the 50kg stone once.

Clobbopus stops after the rep and rests for a minute to try it again. Multiple tries later, he starts to curl the weight more than once in a single go.

This was… or simply shouldn't be possible.

To gain strength and not grow weaker over time. To say I'm astonished is a massive understatement.

With a cheeky look on his face, Clobbopus goes ahead and adds another 2kgs worth of rocks to spite me.

He struggles with some difficulty but manages to lift 52kg off of the floor. At this rate, the 50kg mass shouldn't be an issue come tomorrow, in fact it may become a warm up by then.

Any logic I may have held has been thrown away.

I have and can only chalk this absurdity to Pokemon biology. The rate of improvement, where he can increase his strength as he lifts, is impossible if I went with any conventional measures.

He is bound to grow beyond any contrived goal I've originally had for him.

Whether this feat is considered impressive or not, I want to find out. Because I really hope Clobbopus is special amongst the other mons.

However, adding subhuman traits to something that is clearly inhumane isn't an accurate measurement that would get me anywhere close to finding out.

I know of Pokemon who are the size of a dog that weigh over a ton and others who are intangible, but can still be affected by the physical terrain.

Though Clobbopus' feat of strength is amazing in its own right, it is apparent his fatigue is rapidly building from overexertion. I doubt he could go on for much longer at the current rate.

So rapid improvements are not exactly sustainable. There seems to be a theoretically limit of growth he could get in a day. A stop gag that might be limiting other Pokemon in a similar way.

However, this is only an assumption for now. There are still other factors I've yet to discover and infer on his growth.

"Miltank you can do it!"

A shout knocks me out of thought from behind.

On the other side of the field I see a pink bipedal cow cutting dredges upon the ground. A rolling mass of blubber that forces the ground to give under its weight.

Miltank hears Whitney and rolls quicker as dirt turns into slush.

The cow reaches terminal velocity in its Rollout as the air visibly warps. The wind screeches for the beast to stop, but Miltank accelerates faster causing the noise to shatter.

Miltank rushes forward in a straight line. It tries to turn sharply, but fails to deliver. Once again a large explosion rocks the training field as their maneuver fails.

The Pokemon wipes out, ass over end, it bounces across the floor before skidding to a stop. Creating a 10 meter long trench, but the cow isn't deterred from such a spectacul.

I finish coaching Clobbopus and follow Whitney to check on Miltank.

"You were so close." Whitney says to it. "Just a bit more and I think you'll get it right."

Unlike how she was earlier, Whitney has mellowed out to the point she's no longer an annoyance. She's still bratty, but we had a decent conversation earlier after the initial introductions.

Now I can casually strike up a conversation on my own initiative.

"Wow, that was impressive" I joked towards Miltank, before speaking to Whitney. "A bit dangerous though. At this rate you might destroy the entire field and send someone to the hospital."

"No need to worry John. The field has taken more severe beatings than this. And we don't exactly try to endanger people on purpose." She pats Miltank. "Though accidents do happen, so be careful or you may be flattened."

Scary to think that almost happened to Clobbopus earlier. She wasn't even intending for her words to be a threat as she is serious.

"Thanks for the warning. I'll keep an eye out then." I then asked. "Clobbopus is done here, so would you mind if I gave you a bit of advice?"

Clobbopus appears from behind me silently. He stares at Miltank who is being scratched.

Whitney notices him and rubs his head in sync with Miltank then responds. "Sure, let me know what you had in mind. I wouldn't be much of a trainer if I refused."

Miltank stands up and nods in agreement. Though its beady eyes made me reconsider slightly for my mental health.

"Well going full speed in a turn isn't working out for you so far and Miltank has been making extremely narrow turns or at least been trying to."

I paused and then added. "The point is you haven't addressed these issues at their core. In fact you shouldn't be encouraging Miltank to do something that is bound to fail."

"Then what's the solution?" She retorts. "I don't want to compromise Miltank's speed by slowing down. How am I going to hit anyone otherwise?"

I thought of other ways to work around Miltank's issue. Bringing up a few ideas I had since the start.

"A hard surface to bounce off of could help." I answer. "Though I think it's a better idea to start over and work on the basics. To train it in slowing and speeding up on a trigger then proceed onto preserving its speed."

"I could give that a try, but where would I find any hard surfaces in an open field? It isn't like I didn't think of that strategy beforehand." She complains and pouts. "But I see where you're coming from. I don't want to let my Pokemon down by being bullheaded."

Miltank pats her shoulder in comfort and determination. With them in agreement this'll be easier.

"Having determination is good, Whitney. Though the sort of training I have in mind requires small steps to be taken at first. And with my help we can speed things up."

"Okay." She nods. "What did you have in mind?"

There are a lot of things in fact.

Defense Curl in the game can improve Rollout and structures in front of Miltank will allow it to ricochet for a second strike.

Both of them will require time and a whole lot of effort to pull off correctly. And if the game knowledge doesn't work, she'll be wasting her time on an impossible endeavor.

The only real option is to get Miltank eligible for multitask during Rollout with the capacity to bounce off of surfaces in a controlled manner,

"I have a plan." I said. "Since we must balance speed, maneuverability and acceleration, Miltank will have to work on the latter mostly. So to train acceleration we need to fine tune its reaction time and have it grow used to decelerating. And that would require starting at the foundation."

I told them my idea and plan to help her and Miltank while answering a few simple questions she had. Going as far as discussing what I would do months into the future.

I proceed to tell them the benefits this would have with their other moves.

"This won't only help with this week's training, but will make other training methods more feasible in the future. For example, if you work on the move, Stomp, it'll be faster and more precise. And if you happen to develop Zen Headbutt, Miltank should have the required mindset set to manipulate it."

"So this is your big plan?" Whitney asks and I nod. "That sounds like a lot of work though."

"I agree. But, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet to reap the benefits for later."

"Well what are you waiting for? Show me what to do."

"Sure, that's why I am here."

Thus I began Miltank's reeducation.

The first thing I learned is that before you can walk, you have to crawl. Sadly for the fat cow, this step was skipped and it had to run before it could learn to roll.

Not a light hearted jog though. I made Miltank dead sprint all the way as I ingrain the horrors of suicides and the irational fear that comes with it. An exercise that even the most depraved instructors stray from.

Miltank starts at ten yards and runs back and forth. Then without a break, from the twenty, thirty, forty… all the way up a hundred yards. I kept it running and stopping, not ever allowing it to do it half hearted.

This wasn't enough. With my knowledge on Pokemon I force the bipedal cow to start decreasing the distance. From one hundred, ninety and so forth all the way back down to ten yards.

For a moment Miltank stopped to rest, however, the agony was only in its infancy. I wasn't done with it yet and neither was my unwilling assistant.

Whitney, while meek and worried, followed through under my discretion. Taking hold over the drill.

"Do it again, but right this time!" she said.

Literal chills came over me and it was my idea too.

However, Miltank didn't know better and soldier forth. Under our harsh gazes and with a lot of tears, Miltank pushes through.

Finally, it was done. Collapsing to its knees, Miltank felt proud to accomplish its mistress' task.

"Again."

Miltank froze in shock and that derpy grin quickly vanished.

"Miltank… please?" Whitney's words were like an executioner's.

Miltank stood on wobbly legs before it moved without a second thought.

Over and over again, it sprinted. It ran continually. It ran further than Bolt and faster than Forrest Gump.

On mere legs that were never meant for such exertion, Miltank sprinted onward with pure willpower alone. Even if it could have run on all fours, Arceus' decree has forced Miltank up on two.

When there is a God against you, there is only one enviable conclusion.

Halfway through, Miltank collapses, unable to continue.

Whitney rushes forward in worry as she has pushed Miltank to the breaking point. Even Cobbopus felt bad as he too can empathize.

"Stay with me!" She fans Miltank as it tries to open its eyes. "Please don't pass out!"

Those words are the last thing it hears as Miltank had swirls in its eyes.

"No!"

She hugs Miltanks' still form for dear life. It took minutes for Whitney to come back and realize it was sleeping.

Eventually Miltank is returned as she pats the pokeball. "Take a long rest. I'm proud of you."

Whitney turns and notices a stupid grin on my face that I couldn't get rid of.

I couldn't help myself since the scene was funny to see.

"What's so funny?" She stares at me. "Did you have to push Miltank so far?"

Moments pass as I gather my wit. Though I did try to be a bit serious.

"Yes. The point of this was to push Miltank to the limit and this does happen occasionally during high intensity training. However, this was a pure accident as I didn't expect Miltank to pass out from sheer exertion." I pause to apologize. "So, I'm sorry for that. However, I still recommend you to keep this training up, but not to the point of passing out."

Whitney deflates in acceptance.

"Okay… as long as you're sorry then. But are you sure it'll be safe? I don't want to hurt Miltank."

"Not one hundred precent as accidents happen." I said softly. "However, as long as you know when to stop it should be fine. If you still have concerns, your father is a Gym Leader. He should be able to help."

"Dad?" She brightens up while thinking. "I can ask him to check on Miltank too."

"Yep a good idea, and I bet if Miltank shows some results, he might give in and get you that Tauros you wanted."

Her twin tails twitch for a second, but as I look up, her pink hair refuses to move again.

Thinking I was imagining things I noticed Whitney is quiet. Her face still has a thoughtful look, but now a derpy smile is there too.

If I didn't know her beforehand, I'd think she was a copy-pasted version of her Miltank.

Seconds pass by as Whitney remains in her trance.

Her eyes are still closed so I look towards Clobbopus in contemplation.

What exactly is going on in her mind?

As if he read my thoughts, he shrugs so we both ended up waiting. Eventually, Clobbopus pokes her in the leg that manages to snap her out of it.

Finally there was a sign of life as she started to speak.

Whitney told us she was fine and thought over my advice. She was thinking of a plan of action. Where she'll 'convince' her father to help by showing off her progress.

There were more details than what I would've cared for, but in the end I am amazed how much thought was put in. The old image I had of her was collapsing by each second that passed.

Eventually, without realizing it, we diverged topics.

Discussing things about Pokemon and our plans. What we will be doing later and what I should expect from the first gym.

Noon was almost here and I was no longer in the field. Instead Whitney led me out and into the city for a special treat on her.

xxx

The streets are no longer barren, but not to the point of being a crowd. At most there are a dozen people loitering on the sidewalk.

I follow closely next to Whitney, down the road and to our destination.

The place wasn't exactly far away nor was it entirely unfamiliar. Just this morning, I saw the shop and thought it was a good place to stop by later in the day.

However, I never thought I wouldn't be alone.

Whitney led our discussion to the point she felt confident enough to ask me out on a date. But knowing her, she will obviously argue otherwise.

In the end, one thing led to another and now I'm with a cute girl who wants to treat me to a drink.

A bit suspicious now that I thought about it, but I chose to ignore the warning signs.

After endearing my current bout of teasing, Whitney led me inside the Cafe.

The building is two stories tall, planters hung off the windows and vines grew on the outside walls. Inside there is a wooden floor, black stools with high tables and stairs leading to the open balcony.

A few people were already inside when we sat down.

A few minutes passed until a waitress came to greet us.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

The menu is behind the bar on the wall. A few choices are listed that I am familiar with. After a brief look, I chose a frozen macchiato with Whitney ordering a latte.

The waitress wrote it down and bid us farewell. Whitney soon starts up a conversation.

"The coffee here is really good. Though it has been a while since the last time I came."

"A while? What kept you busy?"

"Well the exam mostly you know?" She picks up the topic we had earlier. "Since, I've been studying a bunch, I don't exactly have as much free time as I used to."

We touched upon her political situation during our walk here, but this time she goes further in depth as we had time to burn.

Her father has been getting up in age and here soon the Gym will need a replacement. However, she can't exactly take up the position even when she's the legitimate heir.

To avoid any backlash from the city, she has to prove she has the city's best interest in mind as the test is a screening regulated by the local government.

Where they'll test her on the rules set by her forebears on what the Gym Leader's duties entail for the city to prosper. Having little to do with the practical application and knowledge on Pokemon.

I debated a little with her over this. Playing devil's advocate till I grew tired of doing so and relented.

"Politics." I sigh. "Shouldn't they be more worried about strength though? I can understand knowing the local laws and stuff is important, but it sounds like they're just making things unnecessarily difficult."

"It does sound that way, but my dad can just refuse their votes. And even if they manage to inspect my Pokemon, they'll have to do the same with all the other Pokemon at the Gym too. Which will require a League Audit which will put them under just as much scrutiny as us."

"Sounds like a check and balance of power." I commented. "So, how much time do you have left?"

"Um two years about." She thought aloud.

"Wow, more time than I thought. You made it sound like there was little time left."

"Yeah, I kind of did. Didn't I?" She chuckled. "But it's better to get the certificates I need out of the way first. But enough about me, I think it's your turn to share. What have you been up to?"

I couldn't just tell her I was chilling in another universe.

"This and that. A bit of exploring, finding out recently that I wanted to be a trainer."

"Recent? Like are we talking about a few years ago?" She laughs. "Or like yesterday?"

"Um, like when I arrived in the city…. It was just today that I got my license."

Her eyes widened in embarrassment as she lost to a total newb.

"Get out of here. You can't be new to this." She says dramatically. "You're what, seventeen? At least tell me the truth."

"But I am telling the truth." I whisper.

Shock overcomes Whitney as she realizes it was the truth. She sinks into the table and mumbles. "You're not joking are you? I could've sworn you've been at this for a year or two."

I pat her shoulder in comfort. "You'll be fine. I'm not exactly lacking in experience if that helps."

My words of comfort brought her face up from the table.

"Better now?" I ask.

"A little."

"Well you did ask." I said. "Though being a trainer is a recent thing I wanted to try out. Other than that, I don't exactly have anything else going on in my life." I sigh mostly to myself. "It's a bit depressing now that I thought about it."

"Hmph, you're laamme." She groans out. "If you got nothing else to do, you wouldn't mind… going to the mall with me later?"

Her voice softens into a whisper. However, it wasn't enough as I could hear her. I took a moment to respond.

"Oh? So am I lame or not?" I joked. "But yes. I think I wouldn't mind if that means I can spend more time with you."

A smile naturally forms on my face which causes her to blush.

"Uhh… it'll be a-a date, right?" Her hand nervously reaches for mine.

I thought for a moment.

"Yeah, it'll be a date." I interlock our hands as I stare into the depths of her eyes. "But wouldn't you like a kiss too?" I whispered as a joke.

The waitress interrupts our moment by setting down our drinks.

Whitney's face is practically steaming at this point as she breaks free. She grabs the latte and chugs it.

However, that was the worst decision she could've made.

She chokes on the hot coffee, spluttering all over the table and floor. Liquid drips off her chin as shame quickly overtakes her.

I couldn't help myself but laugh. The waitress returns rather upset, making Whitney feel even worse.

Thankfully as a gentleman, I had the server grab a towel instead of gawking.

With a towel in hand I said, "Stay still now. I'll help you clean up."

I gently rub her chin as her mouth opens. Her face turns a few shades redder as tears gather in her eyes. Drool builds slightly, as a soft groan comes forth.

Slowly I finish whipping her face as I avoid smearing her makeup. Up close like this, Whitney appears radiant. Even more beautiful than I thought.

Then I trail down her arms slowly as her fluster grows.

And as I reach for her chest…

"S-Stop! I got this John!" Unable to withstand my gentle caress, Whitney yanks the towel away. "Just sit back down please!"

I obliged and went back to enjoying my ice coffee. However, the smirk on my face could no longer be tamed.

Her face is cute while flustered as the slight throb of my belt could attest to. As even Clobbopus seems to agree too.

Though as I sip on my drink looking down at the Pokeball with a smile, Whitney gave me the oddest of looks.

Meeting her eyes, I saw a smug look as she suggestively licks her lips.

I felt a slight shudder for my well being at that very moment.

"You know if you win against my dad…" She chokes a little at her imagination and points. "I mean when you win or as a thank you, I could help you out with that."

Her eyes are drawn downwards.

"Oh? So I get a reward? But, what did you have in mind?" I pause. "It wouldn't happen to be some hot coffee?"

She glances at her discolored shirt and me again. I can see-through her tight t-shirt with ease as it stresses to keep her chest at bay.

In fact she looks a bit baffled. Totally misunderstanding the 'hot coffee' reference I was trying to get at.

Instead she pushes her chest out further to the point her shirt is bound to rip as she emphasizes the stains using her hands.

And all she did was create a memorizing sight.

"No it wouldn't happen to be hot coffee. In fact, I think tomorrow we can head to the Mall as I'll need a good shower after this." She pauses to add. "Though that depends if you're free."

Her hand rests on mine and her grip tightens. With a gulp of my drink I respond.

"I think tomorrow can be considered our next date then."

She goes from tense to excitement in a moment. She fidgets in place as her hair twitches happily alongside her.

I couldn't help but to think deviant thoughts of what tomorrow could lead to. Of leaving her limp on the floor, defeated, but not yet broken. A different outcome I originally had in mind when I first thought of conquering her.

Though the sexual undertones I had in mind is a small reason to agree to our date. The main reason is how hard she tried today. How she opened up, tried to impress me and the courage to ask for a date.

I can't just leave her cold turkeyed. It would be a shame, a shame and an injustice to all single men out there to just leave her expecting more.

"Well since our coffee break is over, you think it's about time I head over to the gym?"

"Yes!" She jerks out of her chair, ready to blitz out of the door. "I'll walk you there."

I followed behind as we left the shop. As we walk, she closes the distance and wraps her arm around mine.

Sadly, I didn't know how long this would last.

xxx

Her persistence is admirable as I ferry her down the street.

The dome building of the gym is in sight. I manage to see through the clear windows to notice the receptionist staring back at me.

For some reason I felt like Whitney wasn't the annoying person that I was led to believe, but instead has an overwhelming presence that's hard to cope with.

Honestly, I didn't think my initial impression would change so fast.

From meeting my nemesis, training my nemesis and then planning a date with said person I gradually grew to like her. Even the girl inside the Gym seems dumbstruck to see us holding hands.

But honestly, it must be my handsomeness at work. That even enemies and strangers alike can show so many expressions while in my presence.

We enter inside without trouble and Whitney greets her friend. She is pulled aside abruptly as I'm left alone to contemplate.

The lobby is large with a few people relaxing inside. It's a bit after twelve so it was understandable to see others before me. However, the trainers weren't impressive looking.

While Whitney had pink hair, these people had dull colors of brown, black and blonde. No luster or outfit that was eye-catching nor did they have a strong presence to warrant caution.

I continue to eye my competition until Whitney comes back with a smile.

"I managed to get you in early. Rebecca has you down for a battle against me in ten minutes."

Ah, nepotism for the win.

Wait what?

Everything suddenly slows and comes to a halt. I look upon the innocent girl I thought I knew with a different lens. And for a moment I saw the abyss staring back with a grin.

Snapping awake, I asked, "Y-you? What are you talking about?"

"I surprised you, didn't I?" Taking my expression as confirmation, she chuckles. "I thought so."

"No, you have to tell me." I had a mild episode. "Tell me that you're joking."

"Nope!" She pops with her lips. "You would've had to wait another two hours for someone else to test you. But since I was here I moved you up in the schedule."

She watches my face twitch before adding. "You're welcome!"

"But what about you dad?"

"Oh, you still gotta beat me first before you can even face him." She smiles smugly. "Though that is if you're confident enough to face me."

"But I already won?" I could only hope.

"Doesn't count." She twirls her hair and adds. "Though if you say please, I might let you in on a little secret."

"P-please?"

"Come closer." She says and proceeds to whisper in my ear. "I'll be using my dad's Miltank this time. So no freebies."

The world collapses around me. The fissures in reality almost claim me, however, the bitter realization forces me back.

I seriously messed up.

"Can you consider using a different Pokemon?"

"Why? I've been training all day with my Miltank. I feel pretty pumped up to try out some of that advice you gave me."

I couldn't even argue my way out of it. And soon Whitney held my hand hostage so I couldn't escape.

Rebecca soon comes over to let us know the field is ready.

With no way out of my situation, I am practically dragged as she skips the whole way there. Oblivious to the moral dilemma I am in.

Maybe leaving her broken on the floor might be the poetic justice I need to fix this growing crack in my heart.

For the feelings I gave wouldn't be returned if I were to lose.

So Clobbopus must stand tall and firm, for he must avenge his master. As he's the only one I can count on in the end.


Read the comments so I'll be going with a more serious take with, I guess a bit of fluff. Whitney will get at least another one on one scene with the MC. Future training points will be summarized more so than not unless he gets another pokemon. I hope that by showing in depth how he trains Clobbopus I can write some outlandish fights and keep them uh grounded more so in reality since this'll be a reference to look back at. Next chapter is obviously will start off with Whitney vs MC.

So what do you think of the pacing? Should it be sped up? Should I focus on a certain thing more so than others?