Chapter 25 – Friendly Training

As Jill and her team headed further south, the climate began changing more and more. Rains were more constant here creating vast marshlands. This also changed the ecology meaning the Pokemon they ran across were rarer and vastly different from the Pokemon the group was becoming accustomed to seeing.

It was in this ecosystem that Pastoria had been created. The people here were fond of the rains, which one had to be to live here seeing as it was constant. But they had also created a tourist attraction that was world renowned. Kanto may have started the safari zone areas however, Pastoria in Sinnoh had gone a completely different route. Their 'safari zone' if one could call it that was instead called the Great Marshlands. It was home to many different and rare Pokemon, but also a stopover for many migrating Pokemon. Because of this, it attracted almost everyone who was in the area.

The other attraction in the area was of course the Lake Valor resort. Jill had originally wanted to spend some time on her journey here, as it was supposed to be a beautiful spot. But she abruptly changed her mind when she saw all the tourists milling around. The number of people was quite a bit for the off season, enough to deter the young woman. She wouldn't have been able to train properly and enjoy herself around this many people. She instead spent the night at the ranger station which was created to keep the lakefront safe for tourists. Jill had her own opinions about that but kept them to herself.

After spending the night Jill was offered a ride to Pastoria with one of the rangers who was taking some time off. She had been about to refuse when she saw the upcoming forecast with called for constant rain for the next week and a half. Jill didn't really fancy spending the next week and a half in a soaking wet tent, so she accepted. There would always be a chance to train more at Pastoria before challenging the gym there. What she wasn't expecting was the type of training that would be offered when she arrived.

"Well would you look at who finally made it!" a voice said loudly from behind Jill making her jump.

"Barry one of these days I'm going to make you pay for scaring me!" Jill said rounding on her friend, smacking his arm which simply caused him to laugh.

"Oh you're too easy to scare!" he said between laughs. Jill didn't find it nearly as funny, but she still felt good seeing her childhood friend standing there.

"How long have you been here?" Jill asked as the two made their way to the cafeteria at the Pokemon centre. Jill had left her team with the nurses for the time being while she checked into her room and grabbed some food.

"I've been here for a couple of weeks now. I've been training a bit with Crasher Wake!" Barry said excitedly. "The guys a serious contender! He specializes in water types, but that wasn't a problem for me! Has his own theme song and everything! Totally awesome dude." The young man was out of breath simply giving that description of the local gym leader. Jill knew of the man of course. He had made a name for himself on the gym circuit due to his rather eccentric style and performances. He certainly drew good crowds from passing tourists thanks to his style of battling.

"Why would you take him on as a mentor though? I would've thought you'd ask your dad for battle advice. I mean, you seem to be making a bit of a name for yourself now with all the gym wins" Jill said looking at her friend's bright brown eyes.

"I know I could, but I want to be different from my dad you know? Everyone is expecting the same thing out of me 'cause of him. And not that it's a bad thing, but I'm still different. That's why I'm going to become the champion!" Barry was smiling as he said it, picturing himself holding the title. Jill could relate. Everyone in her family seemed to be famous. Her mother a top coordinator, cousin was the current reigning champion, her aunt a famous racer. What was expected of her? The two sat catching up for some time before Jill's Pokemon were returned to her.

"So Jill, I think its time!" The young woman looked up at her friend confused as he stood.

"Time for what?"

"To battle of course! Come on, I'll show you how much stronger I've gotten!" Jill smiled and accepted. Of course she was going to battle.

Pastoria's Pokemon centre backed onto some forested areas with clearings specifically created for travelling trainers to use. Barry walked across one of the fields and turned to face Jill, Pokeball in hand. Jill grabbed her first Pokemon. This would be a good test for Chase with his newly evolved form.

"I'm going to use Talon first!" Barry called out releasing his Staravia. Jill was impressed at how strong it looked. It's glaring yellow eyes keyed on Jill and she instantly knew why it had the intimidate ability. Making eye contact with a predator of the skies was just that.

"In that case, I'm going to use Chase!" Jill called back sending out her electric friend. Upon his release, Chase shook himself out and roared, intimidating Barry's bird right back. Jill was grinning as Barry opened up the battle.

"Start with Operation Multi-Strike!" Barry commanded. The flying type took to the skies and broke into at least ten different Pokemon. Jill was impressed at the speed at which it used double team. Chase was now forced to watch the flock of birds, anyone of which could be the real one. And because it was daytime, his enhanced vision was not much better than Jill's own.

"Don't worry about finding the real one just yet Chase. Use charge instead." Chase let out a low grumble as he widened his stance letting Jill know he'd heard. She kept her eye of the flock which was forming up and preparing for an attack.

"Now!" Barry shouted. All of the birds sped forward. Jill recognized the quick attack, but her timing would have to be prefect.

"Keep charging Chase. Absorb this blow!" Chase took the quickest glance back at his trainer. Normally Jill called for him to dodge and not take attacks. This was normally Caladan's specialty. However, he listened and took a strong blow to his side. Jill smiled as while Barry had trained his Staravia well, he had overlooked something in his strategy. He didn't have the entire flock attacking from enough angles to stop her from spotting which birds actually hit her friend.

"Awesome job Talon! Go in again!" The flying type turned and began diving for another strike.

"Chase use spark when I tell you!" Jill saw her Pokemon's muscles tense and the birds came back in. "Now! Just to your left!" Chase had taken the first attack on his right flank, so the Staravia was coming in from another side to try and confuse his target. It didn't work however, as Chase sprung forward, electricity lancing out from his fur and taking down the bird. It only took the one shock to knock it out.

"Wow what an attack!" Barry said as he returned his friend. He didn't sound disappointed at all, rather even more excited at watching Chase attack. "That's an impressive Luxray you have Jill!" Barry was grinning from ear to ear, causing Jill to smile as well.

"Thanks! Not a bad strategy you tried there!"

"I know! Worked wonders against Maylene! You won't be able to beat my next Pokemon though. You're up Thorn!" Barry sent out his next battler, his Roselia. Jill didn't trust it's poisonous barbs which Chase would have to compete with as he was a physical attacker. And his more powerful attacks wouldn't be effective against Barry's grass type. So Jill changed to once more gain the type advantage.

"Chase come on back. Epona you're turn!" Jill sent out her fire type. Epona stomped the ground prepared for battle.

"Thorn use leech seed!" Barry called out, once more beginning the battle.

"Not going to happen Barry! Epona burn them!" Jill called. Epona responded by wreathing herself in flames. The heat was intense enough to char the ground a few feet around Epona. It also completely burnt the life sapping seeds that the Roselia had fired. Barry used the distraction though to move his grass type to a different spot in an attempt to get an attack through the flames. Jill wasn't interested in letting her friend set up however. Instead she ordered Epona to charge forward using her flame wheel attack. The fire type scored a direct hit, causing Barry to return his second Pokemon before the flames could do any real damage to his grass type. Still smiling, the young man sent his third Pokemon.

"It's Jet's turn!" Barry said. Jill quickly recalled Epona sending Chase back into the fray. The lynx was smiling. Battling like this, against strong opponents was always fun. Barry wasted no time in sending attack after attack at the electric type. Jill had gone back to the style Chase was most familiar with. Aqua jet attacks were useful in getting in close quickly. However, Chase was putting himself to the test with his agility and flexibility, avoiding attack after attack. Barry had trained his Buizel well for most Pokemon who knew the move couldn't do more than three or four consecutive strikes. This water type however was on his sixth.

"Stop moving you damn weasel" Chase snarled as another aqua jet narrowly missed. Finally, Jet had to pause though as he well overshot. Barry's face flashed with concern.

"Now Chase hit him with spark!" Buizel wasn't fast enough to get out of the way, hitting the ground hard and rolling away. Yet he still managed to stand. Chase was surprised. That hit wasn't a small one. Barry of course went back to smiling.

"Here we come Jill!" The Buizel followed his trainers smile and began attacking once more as Barry called them out. Quick attack here to use pursuit, then quick attack there, pursuit once more. Chase was getting hit with more attacks as they were coming too fast for him to dodge them all; every time he sidestepped, another attack was there waiting.

"Finish him with aqua jet!" Barry called out. Jill knew how to counter this one.

"Chase charge him with spark!" Both Pokemon leapt forward. Buizel was in a torpedo of water summoned up out of the ground, while Chase rushed in, fur cackling with electricity. Arcs raced out and intercepted the water attack before it could hit as the Pokemon got closer. This caused Buizel to falter in his attack for the briefest of seconds but it was enough. Chase gained the edge in the strike knocking out his second Pokemon of the battle. This time however, the battle had worn down the electric type.

"Don't count us out yet Jill. I still have my ace in the hole!" Barry finally sent out his mascot Pokemon, Monferno. Jill would have loved to show Barry her starter Pokemon, but she knew better. Caladan's last bout with a fire type hadn't gone well at all. Granted, Arthur's Typhlosion was on a whole different level than Barry's Monfero in it's current state. Instead she went with Icarium.

"Wow Jill! Impressive Gallade!" Barry said as he saw the partner Jill decided upon. Icarium took up his fighting stance, a calm and graceful look he was utilizing more and more. It was a stark contrast to his opponent who resembled his trainer more so. Dancing around just as Barry was prone to doing while battling, the fire type was excited.

"Then I'll start this battle. Icarium try that move we've been working on" Jill said. Icarium focused his energy. The blades on his arms started glowing with a purple hue, something that made both Barry and his starter pause. They watched with curiosity until the attack came. Icarium lashed out and sent forth the blade of purple psychic energy. Both Barry and Monferno had to jump out of the way of the attack, which unfortunately Icarium didn't have much control over yet.

"That's so cool!" Barry shouted as he recovered.

"Barry I'm so sorry!" Jill said taking a step forward to make sure her friend was okay.

"No I'm fine! Was that psycho cut?" he asked.

"Yeah we've been practicing sending the attack out like that so that Icarium can attack from a distance if needed" Jill explained. Icarium was looking sheepish for almost attacking the opposing trainer and not his Pokemon.

"That's brilliant! You'll totally defeat Crasher with a strategy like that!" Barry was overly enthused with the attack, asking to see it again. Icarium complied after Jill gave the okay, trying once more to hit the other fighting type. Monferno was simply to fast for such a new attack.

"It's alright Icarium, we'll keep practicing." Jill had become distracted from the battle as she spoke to her partner. That was when both Barry and his starter pounced. The monkey was all over the place, punching and kicking at everything he could close to Icarium. For his part, Icarium deflected blows away from his body, but it was an impressive display of fighting from the fire type.

"Try using swords dance to get away from him" Jill said, trying to come up with any plan that would get her Pokemon out of harms way. Icarium heard her and switched fighting stances, instead shifting into a swaying motion that found a short rhythm. His arm blades were sharpened as he ducked and moved away from Barry's starter who was confused. The rapid change in style threw the Monferno off enough for Icarium to get away from the relentless attacks. The dance also did one other thing; it raised Icarium's attack power. He smiled as he looked back at his opponent. Barry was also staring transfixed, not sure what was coming.

Psychic energy was once more channeled into Icariums arms. He wasn't going to send the energy in a slashing wave this time though. No the psychic and fighting type was going to close and deal a combination of attacks of his own. Barry and his Monferno were completely unprepared. The glowing purple blades landed strike after strike as Icarium moved. The fire type hadn't been trained to deflect blows the same was Icarium had, and he used this to his advantage, attacking as relentlessly as the starter had just a minute ago. The battle was decided quickly as finally, the Monferno slumped down knocked unconscious.

"Jill that was amazing!" Barry exclaimed as he withdrew his starter. The excitement shining from her friend caused Jill to smile as well. She always had fun battling her friend. As both became stronger, the challenge was greater. Jill knew each time she walked away from a battle with Barry, she and her team were smarter and closer. Both trainers went back inside the Pokemon Centre so that Barry could give his Pokemon a break before he moved on.

"Where are you headed next?" Jill asked.

"I'm staying here in Pastoria for a little while longer. There's still some training worth doing with Mr. Wake" Barry replied as they wandered the town later that night. Barry's carefree spirit was a good reprieve from the road as of late. The world seemed so dark these days with all this mystery about Team Galactic and whatnot. Having a friend who was just having fun and pushing Jill to be better was what she needed right now.

"Well I'm going to be challenging the gym here. Any tips?" Jill inquired with a smile. Barry grinned back.

"Nah you're going to be fine. Crasher Wake uses water types, so between your Luxray and Grotle you'll rock their world!" the blonde replied laughing.

Later that night, Jill found herself outside once more with her small family. They were going through more training to psych themselves up for tomorrow's upcoming battle. Chase held his feral grin as he stalked the ever moving Urim across the Pokemon centres beaten battlefield. The flying type was ducking and weaving as Chase pounced time and time again, attempting to land a spark attack. It was good training for the both of them, as it helped Urim's flying, but it also allowed Chase to practice on targets he wasn't on level with. Then there was the new move that Jill had Urim learning.

The little fairy type had been slowly battling more and more by himself. Jill was still nervous for some reason however. Every time she sent Urim into battle, she worried more than if she sent one of the others. And she couldn't shake the feeling why. She really didn't need to worry at all. Urim himself was arguably one of her most brave battlers, getting right into everything he could. He spent time practicing with everyone, learning everything he could. He even helped Chase prank more than one team member while they were on the road.

Perhaps it was simply because he was the baby of the group. Jill had hatched him and since that day, Urim had been a fixture in her life. Still uneasy about every sending Urim into a fight, she looked at her starter who was fending off attacks from Sphyrna. The dragon was using her speed and sheer power to try and overwhelm the grass type starter. Caladan though, shook off attack after attack, even scoring some of his own hits when Sphyrna overcommitted. Finally, there was Icarium and Epona sparring together. Epona's dancing flames and diamond hard hooves were being used in tandem to tire out Icarium. The psychic type wasn't having any of that however, using his own dancing style and attacks to keep the fire type at bay.

Jill kept looking over her team, proud of the distance they had come so far. Tomorrow would be yet another test, one which they were all looking forward too.