Chapter 18

Fuschia City Pokémon Center

2 Epombria, 20 Zenoheld / April 2, 20—

After agreeing to have Nurse Joy look at Volt's Shinx and then get breakfast, Volt and Maya returned to the Pokémon Center. The nurse gave them a cheerful smile as they entered.

"Hey, Nurse Joy!" Maya said, waving at the nurse. "Volt just told me about that Meowth we found yesterday. Poor thing, being abused by Team Rocket like that. How's it doing now?"

"It's in a back room right now, and I made sure to lock it," Nurse Joy replied. "It really aggravated its wounds last night, so it definitely needs some rest. Hopefully, I'll begin retraining it within the week."

"I know that it'll be in very good hands with you, Nurse Joy," Maya said.

"Why, thank you," Nurse Joy replied, giving a little curtsey.

"Nurse Joy?" Volt called.

"Yes?"

Volt handed Lars Lion's Poké Ball to her. "I just caught this Shinx yesterday. Could you tell me what level it's at?"

"Sure thing, Volt. Just give it to me for a few minutes and you'll have the results in no time."

A few minutes later, Nurse Joy returned holding Lars Lion's Poké Ball. "I've finished evaluating your Shinx, and I must say, you've got quite the powerhouse on your hands!"

"Really?" Volt asked.

"Sure. You're now the proud Trainer of a level 23 Shinx."

"But wouldn't that just make it on par with all the rest of the Pokémon around here?" Maya asked.

"If it were an ordinary wild Pokémon, yes. But there are two reasons that this Shinx doesn't fit that category," the nurse replied. "First, Shinx normally evolve at level 15, so it's rare to see a Shinx at levels higher than that."

"And the second reason?"

"It doesn't look like this Shinx was truly wild. Its musculature betrays very rigorous training. Furthermore, I found this in its coat." She held out a smooth gray stone with a small hole drilled in it and a thin rope threaded through the hole.

"Ooo, an Everstone!" said Maya. "Those keep a Pokémon from evolving, right?"

"But why would a Trainer deliberately stop a Pokémon from evolving?" Volt asked. "Isn't evolution how Pokémon get stronger?"

"That's generally true," Nurse Joy replied, "but there are many reasons why a Trainer might not want a Pokémon to evolve. Certain Pokémon learn moves faster in their pre-evolved states than after evolving, or don't learn any new moves at all after evolving. And some Pokémon can't learn certain moves unless they're kept from evolving."

I suppose that makes sense, thought Volt.

"In addition, Pokémon are generally cuter before evolution than after it, and some Trainers just don't want their Pokémon to change that much."

And that is just plain vain, thought Volt. First a family of nurses that look exactly the same, and now humans that deliberately stunt their charges' development? What else will I find on this planet?

"What about this Shinx, then?" he asked.

"You don't have to keep the Everstone on Shinx if you don't want to. Did you want to?"

Hopefully, I'm not going to be on this planet for long, so it shouldn't matter to me one way or the other, Volt thought. But it's clear that these Pokémon are at least sentient, if not sapient. "Let's ask Shinx," he replied.

Taking the Poké Ball, Volt said, "Lars Lion, rise!"

After Shinx appeared, Volt bent down to its eye level, Everstone in hand. "Lars Lion, Nurse Joy found this stone on you. Did you have a Trainer before me?"

Lars Lion flinched at the question. After a moment, it nodded.

"Was he the one who put this on you?"

With a sad "Shinx," Lars Lion nodded again.

"I have no idea what your last Trainer wanted to do, so I'll leave it to your judgment. Do you want to keep it?"

Lars Lion remembered exactly how it had felt to almost evolve. It remembered the glorious rush of energy, so strong it kind of hurt...and how much more it hurt when he dodged that thrown pebble and the energy left him. He remembered being shown a card with a picture of a Luxio on it, before hearing the master go on one of his tirades about weakness again. Lars Lion wasn't sure of the exact wording, but he remembered the weight of that stone around his neck and being called a "man-eared kitty cat."

Lars Lion scowled ferociously at the Everstone. With a loud cry, it forcefully swatted the item across the floor with a forepaw.

"I don't blame it," said Maya. "I'd probably be mad, too, if I wasn't allowed to grow up."

"You could say that again," Nurse Joy said, walking over to Volt. Putting a hand on Volt's shoulder, she whispered, "I don't know what kind of history that Shinx had with its previous master, but you'd better treat it right, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Volt replied. What did I just get myself into by capturing this Pokémon?

After a few moments, Maya cut into the growing silence. "Well, now that that's been sorted out, why don't we have breakfast?"

In the Pokémon Center's cafeteria, the Trainers and their Pokémon were all comfortably eating. Volt and Maya were seated at a table, and their respective Pokémon surrounded them. As Lars Lion ate his breakfast from his spot near Volt's feet, he continued to look up at his new Trainer.

This new master is kind, the Shinx thought. He treated that Meowth well even though he only met it—and even though it turned out to be a no-good thief—and he actually gave me a choice with that Everstone. He might actually be better than my old master.

And I'm also part of a new team—

At that, Lars Lion noticed that his teammates' bowls were almost empty, while his was still half full due to his more leisurely pace.

"Last again?!" the Shinx heard his old master's voice playing in his mind. "How am I ever going to get anywhere if I always have to wait for you to finish your food? And it's not as if you have the biggest plate among the team!"

Lars Lion was not about to disappoint his new master.

He began to pick up the pace, scarfing down multiple pellets at a bite. He was about halfway through his bowl when he suddenly felt a blockage in his airway. He started to cough, and when that didn't help, he cried out in a hoarse, barely audible voice: "shinx! shinx!"

"Lars Lion?" Volt asked, getting off his seat to kneel besides the Shinx. The other Pokémon turned to look at what was going on.

"What's wrong?" Maya asked.

"shinx!" Lars Lion coughed, batting at his mouth. "shinx!"

"Sounds like something got caught in its throat," said Maya. "Let me see.

"Hold still, little guy, this won't take long..."

Maya carefully laid him down on his side, then put one hand on his back and the other just below his ribs. He felt the hand near his ribs thrust inwards and upwards three times in a row. The piece of food came loose, and Lars Lion spat it out immediately. Maya removed her hands, but he stayed on the floor and took some deep breaths to calm down.

"Where did you learn that?" he heard Volt ask.

"You need to know some basic first aid when you're out in the field," Maya said. "Didn't you say that you had Pokémon of your own?"

"I was into robotics, so I spent a lot of time inside," Volt replied. "And my father had people to take care of our Pokémon."

"Well then, you'd better start learning quick. And you better not forget it once you return to Unova, either! You might find yourself in a situation where there's no vet around and it's either you or nobody," Maya replied.

Lars Lion got up and gave Maya's arm a friendly nuzzle. Then he licked it a few times.

"Hey, that tickles!"

He faced Volt and lowered his head. "Shinx, shinx," he meowed apologetically.

Volt cupped his chin and brought his face up. "Don't worry about it, OK? At least you're still alive."

Lars Lion smiled as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Though next time, try not eating so fast, OK?"

"Shinx!"

Route 15, after breakfast

"All right, this should be far enough away," said Maya.

"So what are we going to do now?" Volt asked.

Lars Lion, who'd remained out for the walk, looked around in interest.

"Easy. We're going to battle!"

"What? Then why didn't we stay inside the Pokémon Center?"

"You do want to get to Vermillion City, right?" Maya said. "Then we can't stay in the Pokémon Center all day! Besides, out here we're guaranteed to find a wild Pokémon at some point, if not another Trainer with Pokémon closer in level to Apollodorus."

"Apollonir," Volt corrected.

"Same difference. Anyway, what we're going to do now is called switch-training. It's an effective method for training weaker Pokémon when the only other Pokémon around are significantly stronger.

"Chansey, come on out!"

After Chansey emerged, Maya continued, "Chansey happen to have a lot of stamina, so battling her will be a perfect way to see what your Pokémon are capable of.

"The way switch-training works is that one of your stronger Pokémon fights Chansey in order to weaken her, then Charmander finishes her off. That way, both Pokémon who fought get some battle experience. Is that OK with you?"

"Sounds fine with me," Volt said. He took out Rhyhorn's Safari Ball. "Pokémon—"

Lars Lion ran right in front of Volt. "Shinx!"

"You want to fight Maya's Chansey? Are you feeling up to it, little guy?" Volt asked.

If I can get some hits in, I might be able to start evolving again, Lars Lion thought. "Shinx!"

"OK then. Maya, I'll be starting with Lars Lion."

"Shinx shinx!" Lars Lion meowed gratefully, and turned to face his opponent.

"I'll let you have the first move, Volt," Maya said.

"Thanks," said Volt. "Lars Lion, use Spark!"

Lars Lion wrapped his body with electricity, then rammed into the opposing Chansey. However, Chansey didn't even stumble backwards, and he felt like he'd just Tackled a well-stuffed mattress.

"Chansey, use Double Slap!"

Chansey grabbed Lars Lion's hind legs with one of her stubby arms and lifted him up. Then she used the other one to slap him across the face multiple times.

"Use Flash!"

Lars Lion rubbed his fur together, then loosed a blinding flash of light into the Chansey's eyes. Once Chansey let go, Lars Lion landed safely on his paws.

"Now, before it reorients itself! Use Quick Attack!"

Lars Lion complied at once. He tensed his muscles, then zipped behind Chansey and delivered a Quick Attack to her back. Her back had just as much give as her front, though; Chansey did not budge. How bulky is this Pokémon?

"Chansey, behind you! Use Strength!"

Lars Lion gasped as he saw Chansey glow white. Chansey spun around to face the Shinx and effortlessly tossed him over her head to land with a thud near where he had started his Quick Attack.

"Lars Lion!" Volt cried out.

The battered Shinx stood up carefully, shook himself, then pawed at the earth, growling defiantly.

"Nice, Lars Lion! Now use Thunder Wave!"

Lars Lion shot a thin bolt of electricity at Chansey, which hit just below the mouth and sent small ripples of electricity across its body.

"You can't stop Chansey that easily!" said Maya. "Use another Double Slap!"

"Lars Lion, use another Quick Attack!"

Lars Lion rushed towards the Chansey, ready to deliver another blow. Chansey raised an arm to Double Slap the approaching Shinx, but at the last second, she found herself unable to move, giving the Shinx the opportunity to get out of the arc of its Double Slap and deliver another Quick Attack.

"Good move, Lars Lion! Now once again, use Spark!"

Lars Lion rebounded to a yard away from Chansey. He then rammed into Chansey again with another Spark, this time causing the Egg Pokémon to stumble slightly before righting herself.

"Don't think that Chansey's done yet!" Maya said. "Minimize!"

Chansey glowed pink, shrank to about two inches tall, and casually walked right under Lars Lion's head.

"Interesting tactic, but what's the point of that?" Volt asked.

"Now Sing!" Maya commanded.

As Chansey sang, Lars Lion felt entranced by the beautiful melody. He struggled to keep his eyes open and stay attentive for any further commands from his new master. But before long, he succumbed to the song: he curled up on the ground and went to sleep.

When Volt saw Lars Lion collapse, he called out, "Lars Lion, get up!"

"Chansey's Sing put it to sleep," Maya explained. "Lars Lion might take a while to get up. You could try to wait and see if it will, but this might be a good time to send out your Charmander instead."

"Fine," Volt grumbled. "Lars Lion, return.

"Pokemon, brawl! Rise, Pyrus Apollonir!"

After the Charmander came out, it shot a burst of embers into the air.

"Hey, watch it, Apollonir! You don't want to start a forest fire, do you?!" Volt said.

Apollonir put one hand behind its head. "Char…" it said sheepishly.

"Yeah, be careful, Polly!" Maya added.

Charmander spat a puff of smoke towards Maya's face.

Maya coughed and waved the smoke away. "What was that for?"
"Char char man char," Apollonir replied.

"Save your moves for the brawl, Apollonir," Volt said. "Use Ember on that Chansey!"

Charmander loosed a stream of embers towards Chansey, which had returned to its normal size. Once the Ember stream struck, Chansey let out a noise that sounded like laughter.

"What's so funny?" Volt asked.

"Remember what I said the last time we walked down this Route? Chansey have very high defenses against special attacks," Maya said. "Ember's not gonna do much damage to her."

Volt replied, "Then let's get up close and personal. Use Scratch!"

Apollonir ran towards Chansey, claws raised.

"Minimize!" Maya commanded.

Just as Charmander would have hit Chansey, the Pokémon shrank out of reach.

"Double Slap, Chansey!"

Chansey, still Minimized, slapped Apollonir on the ankle. The Charmander tried to stomp on the miniature Egg Pokémon, but she kept slipping away, slapping whatever was within reach as she sped around.

"Use Ember on the ground to stop it from moving!" Volt commanded.

At once, Apollonir took a few steps back and shot its Ember attack on the ground between it and Chansey. As the Chansey ran, Apollonir redirected the Ember stream to corral her in. Before long, a meandering loop of fire surrounded the miniature Chansey.

"Chansey, use Double Slap!"

Chansey grew back to normal size and reached for Apollonir.

"Apollonir, dodge it and use Scratch!"

Apollonir ducked under Chansey's stubby arm, then jumped and delivered a mighty Scratch to Chansey's face. However, Chansey remained upright.

"Still has some fight in her, huh?" Volt said. I know that Maya said that Chansey can take a lot of damage, but it should have taken quite a bit of it by now. This will be a gamble, but… "Apollonir, Ember!"

Apollonir loosed a stream of embers at Chansey's face, which only got blackened once the attack finished.

Chansey rubbed some of the soot off and made a childish face at Apollonir. "Chan-seeeey," it taunted.

"Char…" Apollonir growled.

"How much more is it going to take?" Volt asked to no one in particular. "Apollonir, give it another Ember, as hot as you can make it!"

As Apollonir took a deep breath, yellow bits of energy started to coalesce in Charmander's mouth. Once Charmander was done, it let loose a blast of energy that pushed Chansey back.

"What was that?" Volt asked.

"That was Dragon Rage!" Maya said. "Congratulations, Volt! Charmander learned a new move! That means that it gained a few levels!"

"Good work, Apollonir!" Volt said. "But that Chansey is still up. Use Scratch!"

"Chansey, Strength!"

Apollonir rushed towards Chansey, but as it jumped to deliver another Scratch, Chansey caught it midflight and threw it towards a nearby tree.

"One more time, Apollonir: Dragon Rage!"

Charmander extracted itself from the tree and let loose another Dragon Rage, which hit Chansey dead on. Once the dust cleared, the Egg Pokémon was on its back.

"Well, it looks like Chansey is down," Maya said. "Congratulations, Volt!"

Apollonir jumped for joy. "Char! Char char!"

"Yes, congratulations to you, too, Apollonir," Volt said. Taking Lars Lion's Poké Ball in hand, he said, "And to you, too Lars Lion. Come on out."

As Lars Lion came out of its Poké Ball, he started to come to. As he surveyed his surroundings, he saw Apollonir jubilant, and the Chansey down on its back. The battle was over.

I … failed?

Apollonir ran straight to him, still wearing a huge grin. "Thank you! Thank you! I couldn't have gotten stronger without all that work you put in! Uh … and Master, too, I guess, but it was mostly you!"

"What do you mean? I fell asleep mid-battle; that's not working!" Lars Lion replied.

"Duh, Chansey used Sing. Of course you fell asleep! It wasn't your job to win this fight anyway; you were supposed to weaken it, and you did. Who knows what would have happened to me if you hadn't fought as hard as you did?"

Lars thought for a little bit, then gave Apollonir a small smile of his own. "In that case, I'm glad I could help you out."

A/N: I know that the method Maya mentioned is not how switch-training works in-game. But remember that this fic is set in the anime, and it would make no sense there for a Pokémon to gain experience by just watching a fight. Thus, my modification to the idea.

Special thanks go to Iximaz for helping me get this chapter off the ground, and of course to my beta eatpraylove for helping bring this chapter to its present form.