{Approx. 7 years ago}
Today was different. Not that every day has been normal on this island. We still had to be weary of the flying Pokémon, confined to the dense forest. Our team members had almost doubled, with Joules being the latest ally to join a few months ago. I think my tenth birthday passed. I don't know, I lost track of time. But I know I'd been on this island for over four years. Surviving every day.
But today was different. I trained under Sensei for three years. A ritual streak on a daily basis. But today, he called this day off. Some business of his he had to take care of. He did not wish to share with the rest of his team, not yet. So I patiently waited in meditation. A shady spot close enough to the beach to hear the waves lapping the shore.
[Thank you for waiting.] Sensei's thoughts reached out to me before I heard his footsteps. [Mind if I join you?]
[It'd be a pleasure,] I said without moving an inch.
He sat down next to me. Together, we held a meditative silence. I regulated my breathing. Slow, deep breaths, almost in rhythm to the cresting waves. My posture as straight as I could, for optimal passage of breath. I kept my eyes shut, and my muscles as still as I could. But Sensei still held better restraint of movement than me.
[Be still, young one,] he remarked.
[Yes, Sensei.]
[I meant more about your mind.]
[Huh?]
[It is buzzing with such activity. I can feel an eagerness to ask me something, but holding back.]
[Oh. Uh…not really. I mean, I don't want to be rude. Your business is your business, you know?]
[I don't think I know.]
I could tell he was humoring me. [Well…we missed a training session. We never missed a day to train since we started earnestly. Even when we were busier than usual.]
There was a puzzling feeling in his mind. [I see. I am humbled by your concern for me.] He paused for minute or two. I didn't dare interrupt his silence. [There is not a lot left for me to teach you.]
[No?] I thought surprisingly. [I feel like I still have a lot to learn. Like, a lot.]
[That is true for anyone at any age. I still learn new things to this day. True, you still have a long life ahead of you. But you have made considerable strides on your path to being a Pokémon Trainer, for someone your age.
My eyebrows furrowed. [I don't see myself as a "trainer". I'm…something else…maybe. But you've seen other trainers face your trainer, right? Outside of my unique abilities, the method of training you've given me can't be that different than what other trainers-to-be have gone through…]
[Perhaps. But, if you doubt your own progress, tell me. What do you know about your own skills, so far?]
[Uh, everything?]
[Yes. Everything. What have we come to determine of your skills over our years of training?]
[Well…my telepathy is better than I expected. We determined it has a, comfortable, range of over a hundred meters, but gets shaky beyond that. Like static through an intercom. It also can link up to six others telepathically, though only if it is you, or someone I've developed a sort of bond with. Granted, the one I'm telepathically communicating with has to be willingly "open" to sharing our thoughts. And both the number of individuals I can communicate with and the distance I can communicate can be pushed beyond…but at the cost of my stamina.]
[Your telepathy is quite remarkable. And I don't just mean it to compare to my own. Human psychics are pretty rare. Do you see any room for improvement on your telepathy?] He asked when I gave paused.
[Maybe my stamina? I tire out pretty quickly.]
[Yes, that is true. In more ways than one.]
[Yeah, I ain't exactly a physical fighter. Could improve there, too, but that isn't my strong suit.]
[What about your other strong suit? Your 'persuasion'?]
I tensed up. [It's…okay. It's like you said; works kind of like your Instruct, but not as potent or specific, and can be resisted if you're less agreeable to it.]
[Do you know just how effective or resistible your power is?]
[No…] I broke out of my meditative posture, scrunching up.
[Something wrong?]
I leaned on my knees hugged to my chest. [I don't really like using it. It's…my dad's power.]
He let out a heavy sigh. [That makes sense. I take it your mom is the telepath? The psychic?]
"Yeah," I mumbled. "She also could move things with her mind. And…'stuff' with people."
Sensei also relaxed out of his mediation and turned his head to me. [This…"stuff"…that your mother can do, and the 'persuasion' your father has…] He was think-talking slowly, like he was connecting the dots and being careful with his words. [Did you see them do something with those abilities…that you wished you hadn't seen?]
I could feel those moments at the AGB Labs resurface in my head. But I swallowed hard and kept them at bay. "Yes…"
[Now it all makes sense,] he said as he looked forward. [I'm sorry you had to experience that at such a young age.] We stayed in silence for a while. Just sitting in our more comfortable positions. Then he continued, [So what of your other training? Your more standard training?]
I felt myself relax a bit as I spoke. "Oh, that's going pretty well, I think. You guys have pushed me to observe my opponents and come up with my own strategies. I've seen what a lot of moves are called and what they do. My…friends have been slowly getting stronger, despite the lack of proper nutrition. I'm spending some time with all of them, and having one-to-one training with one of them each day. I'm…grateful to all of you for helping me cope on my time on this island."
He smiled, [As with you. And what of your Z-moves and your unique Z-Crystal?]
I instinctly felt the Proteanium-Z in my pocket. I also re-opened my telepathy. [It works…weirdly. I mean, most of the time it works like you said. If I do the poses that invoke a Z-Move type, it succeeds. But not always. Some Z-moves, like Nightraider's Revolver Dart Raid, can only be achieved if we are moving in sync. And I cannot do Z-moves with any Pokémon I can't telepathically communicate, like with Wooper. And sometimes I can do a Z-move without the Z-Crystal altogether. But it drains a lot out of me. It's all weird…but at least I know how it works.]
[Indeed. It's unusual. But you are an unusual individual, Will. And I mean that as a compliment.] He turns to me again. [You see, you have all these gifts that most other humans don't have. But you are honing those skills every day. Perhaps you don't see this progress, as we are in such isolation from the outside world. Or you are not quite proud of some of the powers you've inherited. But make no mistake: these skills are yours. Your skills, not theirs. Use them the way you see fit, and they will be made your own.]
I half-laughed. [Perhaps. Thank you, Sensei. I guess you have taught me some things today, after all.]
[Hm-hm. You could say that.] Then his face slackened. [Now, to answer your original intended question. Why did I call off our usual training session today? I had a lengthy talk with our neighbors on the other side of the island.]
[…with all of them? Or their leader?] I perked up.
[The leader: Behemoth. He is the longest surviving Pokémon on this island. Way before I ever came along. He's quite…hardened by his experiences.]
[So, what did you talk to him about?]
[I hoped to have our two groups join together. Both of us handle get by on little food and avoiding the flying Pokémon's wrath. But if we join forces, we might stand a chance to repel them on our terms.]
[You really think so?] I exclaimed.
[It seems like our best chance at better freedom. But Behemoth, he thinks my plan a fool's hope. His own power, backed by his subordinates, alone puts him and the flying Pokemon in a stalemate. He knows, and they know, that no matter who won both sides would suffer high casualties.]
[Then…what if we helped Behemoth?]
[He's…incredibly weary of our group. And he thinks we're too weak to be any substantial help. He won't tell me why for the former. But the latter…he wants proof through trial by combat.]
[So you're going to fight him? When?] I got excited. I never really got the chance to see Sensei himself go all out in a fight.
But he replied solemnly, [I declined the offer.]
[What?]
[Fighting does not mend fences. Not the way Behemoth wants to battle.]
[But…you're the strongest Pokemon I've ever seen! You could beat him….]
Sensei got to his feet and patted my head. [Ah, young one. Strength isn't everything. It helps, yes. But what good is moving a mountain…when the mountain does not want to be moved in the first place.] He slowly walked off. [Nice talking with you as always, Will. I promise to train with you tomorrow.]
I stood up and watched the looming shape of the Sage Pokemon sway like a wind-up toy on it's last legs. "Sensei…"
The next day, Sensei did train with me as promised. He watched me do some warm-up exercises. Then instructed me to flex my telepathy, evasiveness, and 'persuasion' resistance. But something was off. Unlike all the other times we trained, Sensei seemed…not fully focused. His thoughts were split on occasion, like he was drifting into another consciousness. He still kept my training difficult, but it didn't have the same purposeful precision as before. When all was done, he simply nodded and lumbered off.
Instead of pressing him for answers, I asked Zemblance the Zorua. He and I had joined the other comrades of our team for a meal. Food was bland and disgusting as usual, and I had to stop Bravado from pranking Crest. We were just about to transition to open training when Zemblance was walking away.
"Hey, Zemblance," I walked up to him, both of us a decent distance from everyone else. "You going somewhere? We're about to do some team training."
He shrugged, [Eh, I'd like to. But I've got to keep an eye on Sensei. Help him out with…stuff.]
[Is he alright?] I asked in a private, low tone of thought. [I've noticed he's been, well, not quite himself since he last talked with Behemoth.]
He gave me an uneasy look. [Yeah. He's been taking this string of failed diplomacy particularly hard.] He looked around him before exclusively speaking through his thoughts. [I don't think Sensei wanted to share this with you…but he's started to believe there's hope of defeating the flying Pokémon for good!]
[Really?! How?]
[It's because of you.]
[…me?]
[Yeah. He says you're the most unique person he's ever encountered. So, perhaps by joining forces with Behemoth's team, we could stand a chance…] His voiced thoughts were mixed with hope and resignation.
[So what is the problem? Did Sensei mention why the negotiations failed?]
[Wel…it's also because of you. While Sensei believes you to be the lynchpin in our liberation, Behemoth seems to despise you. Why? We don't know; he didn't elaborate to Sensei.]
[So that's it? Sensei gave up? What about that battle offer by Behemoth?]
Zemblance put his head down. [That's not Sensei's way. He doesn't like resorting to unnecessary violence. Especially with how frail both of us are compared to the flying Pokémon.] He continued walking away. [I'll see if I can push Sensei to confront him again. But until then…we'll have to wait.]
Team training commenced in earnest at my camp. I would start with performing a Z-Move with one of them, without the Proteanium-Z. Due to the nature of Z-Moves, I could only do one per day. Today, it was Sherwood's turn.
To get us in sync, I followed a series of Kamae poses Sherwood liked to do. Usually, this helped the Wood Gecko Pokémon hone his distancing, orientation, gaze, and protective awareness. Now, it also served to activate a Z-Move together. A green aura surrounded the both of us. Everyone else watched us go through the motions, especially Sherry.
By this point, I could distinctly feel when I was in sync mentally and physically with my partner. I raised my right hand while balancing on my left. My aura transferred to Sherwood, who did the same pose. Then I shouted, "Bloom Doom!"
Both of us thrust our raised hand to the ground. On contact, a series of pedals bloomed around Sherwood and jutted across the ground. Our target, a scavenged rock, exploded in a magnificent cloud of pedals, grass, and leaves.
Most of the onlookers were in awe. Knave the Sneasel, Bravado the Chimchar, Primrose the Fennekin, Gardna the Squirtle, and Nightraider the Rowlet made various cheers. Joules the Oshawott simply nodded.
[So gorgeous…] Sherry heavily swooned as I heard those thoughts.
I walked up to Sherwood. "Good job. Those poses really do help. Thank you for teaching me them."
Sherwood put a hand to his chest and bowed deeply. [Thank you, Master Will. I'm pleased to have been of service.]
Exhausted from the Z-Move, I slumped onto my rock bed. But while I was finished for the day, the others got into pairs to continue training. Joules started by dueling Blindswipe the Scyther. Bravado got into a chase with Knave, playing keep-away with a pebble. Astra the Ralts shared tips with Primrose. Gardna and Crest the Jangmo-o took turns holding their ground. Sherwood and Nightraider took to the trees for their bout. While Sherry the Bounsweet wasn't distracted by Sherwood, she tried her best to battle Bellsprout.
[Uh, Will?] said the Mouse Pokémon. Recently, he was able to telepathically communicate with me. But while his thoughts were clear, he had this unusual squeaking sound he made that kind of dragged like an 'S'. So I named him Snis, in allusion to that. [Wooper is sleeping again.]
In the middle of the camp, Wooper lied on his belly. Completely oblivious to the action around her. A bubble was forming from her mouth as she dozed lazily.
I leaned back on my palms and sighed deeply. "Just attack her if shouting doesn't help. It'll be fine; she knows Recover."
['K. As long as I can say you told me so.] Snis ran up to her and used a Quick Attack on her noggin. She seemed more annoyed than hurt as she blinked awake. But she reluctantly fought against Snis for practice sake.
I kept an eye on everyone from where I sat. But what Zemblance told me earlier stirred in my tired brain. "It's my fault that both teams can't be together? What does Behemoth see in me? Granted, I did need to be recovered by his Clawitzer, and was in charge when half our own team was wiped away. Maybe it's because of that?" My stomach growled, like it did almost all the time. "Ugh, if we got rid of those pesky flying Pokémon, we could all get those good berries. Hm…maybe…"
I reached down into my stash and pulled out a cup-shaped stone. In it was a goopy purplish liquid; the remains of my latest attempt at cooking. A couple weeks ago, I finally assembled my crude campfire stove out of wood and stone. Then I tried either straight roasting or grinding berries to a mixed paste. Arceus forbid I make them taste worst, I taste-tested my recipes myself. Uneventful is a light way of putting it. My first seven attempts were either overcooked or under. This berry juice mix was my eighth, completed soon after I woke up today. But I was hesitant to try it. Don't even know the type of berries I put in it. Now, with my stomach groaning, why not?
"Down the hatch…" I used both hands to bring the cup to my lips. I downed about half, partly to get over with whatever skin-shivering flavor my tongue would detect. My eyes grew wide. "This…is…good?!" The taste wasn't bitter. It wasn't horribly sour. It wasn't even bland. Somehow, I managed to squeeze out the juices and mix it in such a way that it preserved some level of sweetness and a hint of tanginess. I stared at the remainder. "Am I just imagining this? Or did I actually succeed?"
Someone had to confirm what I tasted. I looked to Nightraider and re-opened my telepathy to him. [Hey! Come check this out!]
He stopped is workout with Sherwood and flew beside me. [What is it? What are you excited for all of the sudden?]
I lowered the cup to him. [Try this,] I urged, trying to hide my enthusiasm.
[Oh?] He used both his wings to nudge the cup toward himself. [This what you been working on the side?] He carefully tried to tip the cup to his beak with both wings and a foot.
Suddenly, Knave dashed behind him and grazed Nightraider's feathers with his Metal Claw.
[Hey!] Nightraider turned his head around, following Knave as he ran back where he started, next to Bravado. [What's the big idea?] He turned his head back forward. But the cup was gone.
Somehow, Knave now held the cup in his hand, without ever touching it earlier. [See, Bravado? That's how I take the pebble from you so easily,] he boasted. [I have the ability Pickpocket.]
[That's so cool! I wish Chimchar could learn that.] Bravado rubbed his hands together schemingly. [Now, imagine all the things you could snatch with that…]
Primrose slapped Bravado on the back of the head with her paw. Then she used a very subdued Fire Spin on Knave. The Sharp Claw Pokémon flinched, shielding the cup. Fortunately for him, the attack was too weak to linger. Unfortunately for him, the cup now vanished from his grasp, and reappeared balanced on Primrose's tail.
[Idiot! Don't encourage him!] She huffed as she walked the cup back to me.
Bravado put a hand on his hip and pointed at Knave with the other. [Yeah! Don't you know how mischievous I am to be goading me with possible…] He talked with a mocking tone.
Primrose gave him a peeved look. [I was talking to you!]
He put his hands to his chest, with an exaggerated hurt face. [What? You talking to me? Well, I guess that makes this once out of, I don't know, a hundred times you talk to Will?]
I couldn't tell if Primrose was flustered with anger or embarrassment. But she quickly let it go and handed me the cup. [Here's your cup back, Will!]
"Thanks," I said.
[Anytime!] she barked happily.
[Kiss-up…] said Bravado.
She leapt onto my lap and barked back, [Shut up!] She then whined to me, [Will, Bravado's making fun of me again!]
I sighed, [What am I going to do with you all…]
The others were starting to crowd around me now. This was the point where they usually traded sparring partners, and were wondering what the commotion was by my rock bed.
I looked to my cup. Then I got an idea. "Alright, new challenge," I said aloud. I held up the cup. "This here is a new…drink, yeah, that I just made. I tasted it myself just now, and like someone to also try it. But I only got enough sample for one. So, you all are going to spar for it. Pair off, tournament style. You land a hit, you're out. Last one standing wins."
[That's too easy,] grumbled Joules. [There's a skill and speed gap among us. I'll obviously win.]
I raised an eyebrow. "That confident. You want this berry drink that badly?"
She held her gaze for a few seconds before answering out loud, [If any of you actually beat me, I'll not only forfeit the drink to you…I'll let you try my scalchop.] It seemed like it took effort to let the last word out.
Knave stepped forward almost immediately. [I'll challenge you to that!]
Joules looks around first. Everyone but Blindswipe and Sherwood averted her eyes. She sighed, [Very well.]
Everyone quickly made a circle around the two. Nightraider, Primrose, and I remained on the rock bed.
I looked down to the Fox Pokémon, who was cozying herself on my lap. "You going to participate in the mini-competition?"
[Nah. I'm good,] she said. She briefly muffled her telepathic connection. Instead, lightly tapping her paw on my leg, like she was petting it.
I sighed, "The usual?"
She gave a cheery yip. [Yep!]
So I proceeded to pet her head and back, after placing the cup aside, while we watched the duel unfold.
One benefit of my telepathy was that I could hear what both participants were thinking. Both stood at the ready, sizing each other up.
Joules held her scalchop in one hand. The water blade was unsheathed in a diagonal cut across her front. [Still trying to stack against me? I bet he hasn't learned anything since we first fought.]
Knave crouched a bit and bared his claws. [Finally, my chance to spar against Joules! She's tough; I'll give her that. But strength means nothing this time around. And I've got one of the highest Speed stats of anyone on this island.] He spread his legs apart, in a way like he was about to sprint.
When she noticed this, Joules grunted in her thoughts, [He really hasn't learned anything since we first fought.] Then, she re-sheathed her scalchop and placed it back on her front.
The Sharp Claw Pokémon was caught off-guard. [Are you belittling me?]
She turned her body slightly sideways. [I don't know. Why don't you come over and see for yourself?] She kept her head facing toward Knave with a serious expression.
[Oh yeah?] There was no hesitation as he sprinted straight toward her. [She won't know what hit her!] He thought to himself. He wasn't using his Agility, but he closed the gap between him and his opponent within a couple of seconds.
It was over in a mere moment. There was a huge skid path connecting Knave and Joules. The latter remained in the same spot, but had her palm extended out like she threw a punch. The former laid on his side, rubbing his right cheek. […huh?!] he exclaimed.
I, like most of the other observers, weren't surprised by the outcome, but still startled by how quickly this fight ended. Bravado had one hand muffling his laughter, while his other hand pointed at Knave. [Oh geez, the look on your face. Priceless!]
[Pathetic,] Joules spat to Knave, but refused to look at him. She started walking toward me. [You have learned nothing…]
[Again!] Knave got to his feet. [Come on. I want to face you again.]
She stopped. [You want to waste more of my time?]
[No…] He gave her a serious expression. [I want to match the best.]
She paused. Then she gave me a look. She didn't seem angry. More so that she was waiting to see how I would respond.
I shrugged uneasily, [Winner's choice.]
She looked back to Knave. [Fine.]
The Sharp Claw Pokémon returned a toothy grin. [Yes!]
The two got into their starting spots. Once again, Knave charged at her. This time, he used his Agility to sharply boost his Speed. [I got…!] He began to shout as he made a straight-on attack against her.
In response, Joules leaned in. She could tell Knave was coming in with a right jab. So she held her left arm out to the side as she leaned forward. When they connected, Knave's arm was shifted away by her hand, missing. At the same time, she used her other hand to hit against his chest. All of Knave's momentum worked against him as she followed up her counter with two more fisted hits to his head. He went into a spiral fall.
[…you?] He moaned as he hit the ground flat.
Bravado keeled over and rolled on the floor, laughing. [This is too good! Please stop; my sides are hurting!]
[You done?] She said to Knave, unamused by him or Bravado's outburst laughter.
He meekly got to his feet, spat on the ground, then turned to her. [Just one hit on you, right?] he coughed, [Then…I'm just getting warmed up!] He sprayed an Icy Wind this time.
Joules countered with her own Copycat Icy Wind. [You are foolhardy,] she grunted. Then in one motion, she whipped out her scalchop and created an Air Slash that grazed Knave.
[In a way, perhaps…] He winced, but doubled down on Agility. He ran circles around her, much like the first time I saw the two fight. [But in a way, I'm hardly a fool.]
[Tsk, tsk, you're doing the same maneuver as before.] She put back her scalchop. Then water enveloped her whole body. [You always need to learn and evolve.] She used her new move, Aqua Jet, to rapidly cut across Knave's path.
The Sharp Claw Pokemon had his Metal Claw at the ready, but was still thrown off by the manner of Joules' speedy maneuver. He only had enough time to throw up his enhanced claws in front of him before she collided. Their two moves were matched, and they slid away from each other on impact.
[And that is what I want,] said Knave. [To learn. To learn from the best. I want your training. Not the drink. Not your scalchop. Although, either of those things would be a nice bonus…] He thought the last sentence to himself.
After a brief pause, she replied, [That so? I think not, from what I've seen. You are still too easy to read.]
He smirked, [Can you still read me when my Speed is maxxed?] With that, he charged at her with a Metal Claw attack. His speed was blistering. The only difference I caught was he had his left arm raised.
She frowned and flipped her defensive counter to match. [Bet your feathery ass I can! You can't simply switch to the other side to throw me offg…] She held her right hand out to block his left swing. But at the same time, she eyed a different movement. While she was focusing on the high-speed punch to dodge, she was too slow to notice Knave's other set of claws dragging on the ground. Before she could counterpunch, Knave swiped a wall of dirt up at her face. She shut her eyes, but tumbled back.
[Got you!] He continued forward to backhandedly swipe with a Metal Claw.
Only in the nick of time did Oshawott unsheathe her scalchop blade parallel to her body, blocking the strike. She was sent flying backward even further, going airborne from the force of the hit. It's at this moment she shifted to her Aqua Jet attack and made a U-turn to Knave. An absolute serious expression murkily glared through the enveloped water.
[Come on!] Knave complained. But he used an Icy Wind again. [This has got to freeze her in that water!]
[Let's try this…] She thought to herself as she took on the Icy Wind head on. While the move wasn't meant to cause opponents to be frozen solid, it did solidify some of the water and slightly slow her down. But only slightly. The iced Aqua Jet became heavier and more aerodynamic in the front, creating a battering ram of ice for Joules. Water still sprayed out behind her, giving the appearance of a water-powered rocket.
Knave flinched in amazement. [Woah…] The attack came at his chest. The ice shattered instantly on contact. Joules awkwardly tumbled along the ground and onto her back. Knave was sent flying into a tree, after a spectating Bellsprout and Snis leapt out of the way.
I cringed. As much as I felt the need to jump up and see if they were alright, I knew otherwise. Joules hated interference at any point in her fights, and I trusted her to have full control of her own attacks. She wouldn't make such a significant blow if Knave couldn't handle it.
Sure enough, Knave made a loud groan as he sat up. [Dang it! So close that time!]
Joules got to her feet first. She made her way to Knave and just stared down at him with her usual stern face.
He flinched a bit. [What does she think of me now?] he thought to himself.
[That must have hurt,] she said plainly. [You done?]
He was about to protest, but stopped. He sighed, [Yeah, you win. Like always.]
To his surprise, she held a hand out. He hesitantly took it, and allowed her to hoist him back on his feet. Her expression hardly changed. She turned away and started walking toward me. [About that drink, Will?]
I snapped to attention. "Right! Of course. Unless there are other challengers…" I turned to my cup and gasped.
The cup was completely empty. Next to it, though, was Wooper. She laid down on her back, sound asleep. Her tail rubbed her full tummy subconsciously.
I jerked in surprise so suddenly that Primrose almost fell off my lap. "Aw, come on!"
[Geez!] said Rowlet, who was sitting to my side. [How did all that liquid end up in such a little body so fast?]
I looked to him. [I didn't see or hear her drinking. Did you catch her?]
He shook his head. [No. I was occupied with the battle like you and everyone else.]
I gave a huge sigh. [Darn it. I really wanted to hear someone else's opinion on my drink. Now I'll have to wait until Wooper wakes up!] Then I looked to Joules. "Sorry, Joules. Your prize has been…pre-drunk."
She didn't immediately respond, but gave an indifferent shrug. [Whatever. I'm somewhat satisfied for now.]
[Somewhat?] Knave exclaimed.
"Alright, alright," I said, then continued out loud to everyone present. "Why don't you guys do one more round of dueling? New partners this time, though?"
Everyone murmured in agreement. At this point, I had to lay off my widespread telepathy, as I was still too tired. But I could still somewhat tell what was going on. Joules sternly talked to Knave, laying out some sort of ground rules. Knave seemed cautiously confused, but whatever he wanted to elaborate on, Joules stormed out of the area. While Bellsprout forced Knave to settle down with his Sleep Powder, Sherwood approached Sherry and offered to be her dueling partner. She looked so shocked that she fainted. Thus, Sherwood trained with Bellsprout for now. Crest traded blows with Blindswipe, as did Astra with Gardna. Bravado took to the trees with Snis.
Nightraider lightly pecked Wooper. But she remained sound asleep. Only when he turned to me and hooted did I open our telepathic link.
[I think my "partner" is slacking off,] he shrugged.
I looked down to Primrose. She had adjusted herself again on my lap so I could pet her. I was scratching her belly, and she had a smothered grin on her face. "Primrose?" I asked gently.
[Mhm?] She uttered back to me, with a tone of complete ease.
"Nightraider could use a sparring partner. Could you fill in for that?"
She pouted pleadingly, [Nooo…five more minutes?]
Nightraider shook his head. [Typical. Never mind, then…] He turned around and flew up into the trees. [I think I'll do some patrolling in the meantime. Let me know when she has had her fun.]
I looked down to Primrose and sighed, "You know you do this all the time to him. I can't dote on you each and every time."
She frowned, [But…we train. You train. I train. Almost each and every time. I don't…always get this.]
"Training. Yeah." I pause for a moment. "Primrose? How about you think over when you're done with…this, while I think of something."
[O-kay,] she replied with a tail wag.
While I kept petting her, I went back to thinking about Sensei. "He wants this island to be a peaceful place to live. Just as I, and I'm sure everyone else, would like it to be. So if Sensei can't make it happen…" I feel a gentle tap on my leg. Primrose got back on her feet. "You good?"
She gave me a look of slight dismay. [I guess. But I was actually wondering why you were thinking so hard, even though you kept your telepathy blocked. Your face wrinkles a bit when that happens.]
"…that bad?"
She waved her front paw in a cheeky manner. [Nah. It's actually kind of cute. Pretty sure any human would think that.]
I scratched my cheek. "Hehe, thanks. But, yeah, I've been thinking. About what Zemblance told me about Sensei's struggles. He has led us to keep us all safe. I feel like I, we, owe him a lot, every day."
[True,] she nodded. [So, what do you suppose we can do?]
I look out to the others training. "We're going to confront Behemoth ourselves!"
[Woah!] she jumped off my lap. [You that serious? I've heard from some of the others that he's really tough.]
"Indeed. He's at least as strong as Sensei, alone. Perhaps as strong as the rest of us combined." I stood up. "But we need him, and his followers, if we are to achieve our common, true goal: defeat the flying Pokémon once and for all!"
She simply stared at me with a look of amazement.
I put a hand to the back of my head. "It'll likely be really rough and tough, to be frank. Since Behemoth doesn't seem to answer to words, he'll maybe only answer to fists." I focus directly on Primrose. "Some of us will be at a huge type disadvantage. And we have no idea how such a fight on the rocky terrain will turn out for us. Would you still wish to join me on my risky goal?"
The Fox Pokémon made a proud stance. [Will, you know what our answer will be. Of course, yes! And I will always follow you, no matter what!]
{Present Day, evening}
I stood still. Absolutely still. Alone in the middle of the forest of my safe island. Listening…
I heard the sound of energy charging in the distance. "There you are…" As soon as the sound of an energy burst echoed from that direction, I jumped out of the way. A beam of sparkling light blasted about a couple meters from me. "So it begins…"
A few seconds later, another energy blast shot from a different part of the forest. But I dodged it all the same. Three more energy blasts appeared, in quick succession, from behind me another few seconds later. "Using your attacks to mask the rustling of your movement. Clever girl." I proceeded to dodge the first two blasts, but the third forced me to dive and skid onto the grass.
When I got to my feet, I was surrounded. Multiple Gardevoir from all sides.
"Hm, just like before." I shifted my feet so I could be ready to dart in any direction.
The Gardevoir raised their hands in front of their chests. A pinkish orb of energy glowed between their hands.
"All of them are Double Team copies. Fakes. So all but one…"
They simultaneously released their Moonblast attack.
I arced my body to my right and back a bit. Over half the blasts hit me, but felt like nothing. Four Gardevoir got hit by another's attack and vanished. I did, however, notice the red shirt I wore was singed on the left side, below my arm.
"Zemblance told me how a Double Team attack works similarly to his Illusion ability. But while the duplicates can mimic the appearance, actions, and behavior of the original, there is hardly any mass to them or their attacks. Granted, the copies are so convincing that I can't tell by sight or hearing. And my sense of smell isn't that keen."
A new series of Moonblast attacks went off.
"I told Astra that we would shut off our telepathic connection…" I broke a smile the moment the attacks came at me. "But I can still sense her brain activity…and that near-miss helped narrow it down…" I dodged these attacks by sliding to my left. Once again, some of the blasts hit be to no effect. The real blast, whichever it was, missed me entirely this time. Three Gardevoir vanished, and a tree trunk had scorch marks from the real Moonblast attack.
I turned around. "…so now I know exactly where you are!" I narrowed my eyes. Out of the three identical Gardevoir still in my field of vision, I knew which one was the real one.
She and her clones stood perfectly still. But the real one narrowed her own eyes to meet my own.
I smiled back, "I see you, Astra!"
Then her Double Team copies moved in. They each tried to hit me with a Moonblast at close range. Meanwhile, Astra steadied her hands for her own Moonblast.
"Trying to distract me from the real shot?" Without looking away, I reached out from where I stood. Each sudden movement made contact with the copies, breaking their illusions with a simple touch. "I know they don't do any harm. And I'm keeping my eyes solely on you!"
Almost breaking a sweat, I dissolved all her Double Team copies. I kept my eyes trained on Astra. "Well?"
She held her stance, as did I. Both of us ready for the other to make a move.
"You may have grazed my shirt, but you still haven't landed any solid hits yet," I goaded nicely. "What are you going to throw at me next?"
She remained frozen for a moment. Then she straightened back and gave a relaxed standing pose.
I cocked my head. "That's it? I know you only used two moves so far. And we agreed you weren't going to use Calm Mind, for safety. Did you learn a new move? Or you still have…?" My eyes widened. "Oh shit…"
Out of thin air, a blast of psychic energy came straight at me. I frantically dove to the ground. But the attack still hit me on the lower half of my back. I spluttered, "Ugh…Future Sight. Should have known."
Astra strode up to me and lent a hand. [You okay?] she asked, after I re-opened our telepathic link.
I reached my own hand up to grab hers. "Yeah." She helped me get to my feet. "Thanks for helping me train my reflexes. Can't have a person or Pokémon ambush me on a mission."
[Glad to have helped.] She bowed gracefully.
As I straightened my clothes, I noticed how my red shirt was badly damaged. "Seems I need a new shirt…again."
She bowed again. [Apologies if my strength wasn't kept in check.]
"No, my fault for not completing the challenge. Someday soon, I'll be ready to train against our speedier friends. But yeah, I'll let you know if I 'feel' it tomorrow morning." I sighed, "I'll replace the shirt another time. I got other problems."
[Anything I can assist with?]
I gave a small smile. "Nah, just stick with keeping tabs on everyone. I've been trying to fix my Kineti-Pack. But I'm a fool to think I've got any better with handling tech. Truth be told, I needed this exercise just to keep my mind of those troubles."
[Yeah…about that…] she cleared her throat. [I don't think that's your only trouble.]
"…what do you mean?"
Astra strummed her fingers against each other. [You have instructed me to oversee the wellbeing of our friends staying on this island, correct?]
"Of course," I said slowly. "Is there something wrong with the group?"
[On the whole, no. But for all I can do, there are some individuals that need your personal touch. One in particular…you know who…]
I bowed my head in shame. [Oh…yeah…]
She semi-scowled, [It doesn't really take my empathy to see that you're avoiding her.]
I bit my lip. [You know how she is. And given it's been…over a year since I last talked with her directly, I…I don't know how she'll react.]
[Yeah…] The Embrace Pokémon darted her eyes away. [Regardless, I suggest you try seeing her real soon. Sooner rather than later, in other words. She does miss you, as most of us have.]
I finally gave a heavy sigh. Then replied quietly, "Alright. I'll see her now. Not like searching for outside help is any more appealing." As I passed Astra, I tapped her shoulder. "Thanks again, Astra. For all your help."
She gave a full, graceful bow. [Pleasure to help you, Will.] Then she walked off.
About an hour later, I found her. However, I didn't make my presence known immediately. I waited behind a tree to gather my thoughts.
Primrose was on the border of the forest and rocky halves of the island. As a Braixen, she leapt about like a street performer, trying to tinker with what she could do with her moves and give them extra pizzazz. She used Psychic to move boulders around. She turned Psyshock into psychic balls of energy to swirl around her in a manner similar to Nightraider's Revolver Dart Raid. She had great control of her Fire Spin, directing it like a Pokémon on a leash with her wand stick. Her attacks especially stood out under moonlit darkness.
I tapped myself nervously. "Alright. Just one good friend speaking to another. Maybe we could train, like I have with the others so far? Or I can discuss my plans for the Celeste Unova Base now? She will be a major player to my team."
Only when she seemed to be taking a breather did I step out of the shadows. I had a side view of her as she was putting away her stick wand in her tail.
"Hey, Primrose…" I raised my hand, half-timidly to her.
The moment words came out of my mouth, the Fox Pokémon gasped. She froze for a second. Then, to my surprise, she turned her back to me.
I stopped walking toward her. We were a few meters away from each other. "Okay…kind of expect that. But with my telepathy…" [Primrose…?] But, also to my surprise, she blocked off our telepathic link. "…what?"
She crossed her arms and made a sort of scoffing sound.
"Primrose?" I took one step forward. "It's me, Will. I'm back. I…I feel better now. I…wanted to see you…"
"Hmph!" was the sound she made, sticking her nose up for good measure.
"I…I know we haven't really seen each other since the Horde Battle. But I needed to sort some things out further, as you probably know. So…can we talk now?"
She lowered her head, but still refused to turn around.
I took a few more steps to her, and reached a hand out to her. I continued in as low and gentle a tone as I could. "Hey. There's another raid I'm going to go on. And I'll need your h…"
I was almost a foot away from her when she spun around. She screamed and spewed a Fire Spin from her mouth. I lifted my arms to protect my face, but flinched nonetheless. I stumbled backward and fell on the rocky ground. My skin stung like poison, and the heat irritated my lungs. The attack wasn't that potent, but she wasn't holding back much. And if my shirt was damaged before…
As I coughed and sat up, Primrose was really laying it hard on me. She barked and shrieked in an outrage I had never, ever seen her do before. For a few seconds, I was too stunned to properly react.
"Wha…why? What is…?" I choked on my words, struggling a little against my pained breathing. And she still kept her mind blocked. "I don't understand what you're saying!"
She ground her teeth. I thought she was about to strike me with another Fire Spin. But instead, she fled in stilted tears.
I remained by myself, in the dark, on the hard ground. "What did I do…to deserve that…?"