Mostly just trainer and Pokémon training in this one. I'm not entirely satisfied with it, but it works well enough to progress the story. Crap, I think this counts as filler…
With Kurishimi and Surge in tow, Akuma took Chad to the outskirts of town. Kurishimi had managed to convince Akuma that Chad could walk on his own so the boy wasn't being dragged. After clearing the claustrophobic streets they went down to the beach. Being one of few cities with access to the ocean, the beach was surprisingly bare of tourists. There were a handful of people here and there, but it wasn't very hard to find a large open area where Pokémon could battle without getting in the way. Kurishimi noticed Akuma had chosen a spot which was quite far from the water as well. When they were in a suitable clearing Akuma sent Chad out ahead to a battle point so he could speak with Kurishimi.
"You remember the training session we had outside the rock tunnel a few months after we started traveling together?" he asked her.
"How could I forget? That was probably the turning point for my skill increase I believe."
"I want you to have the same battle with the boy while I talk to him."
"Wait a minute, that's way too intense for him! He's not even close to that skill level yet. Besides, I'm not such a harsh battler as you know."
"Regardless, I need someone else to fight him while I give instructions. I need to figure out what makes him tick and I can't do that as well if I'm focused on the battle. You don't have to fight like I did at the time either. Just press your attacks so he doesn't have time to think about his answers or his next attack."
"How will he defend himself then?"
"He already knows his Pokémon's attacks well enough that he doesn't need to think about them. His answers will also come from his subconscious thoughts instead of his brain."
"Makes sense, but the battle can't last very long. I just had a gym battle with some inexperienced Pokémon if you recall."
Akuma slipped her his net ball. "Take Ariados then. You should know its attacks well enough to test him in a wide variety of ways. Hidden power is water type for Ariados as well. The attack should wreck his Sandshrew with one shot."
"What are you planning to do with the boy, Akuma?" Surge asked him.
Akuma paused before he gave his answer. "He has no self confidence, doesn't trust in his Pokémon's abilities, and doesn't know what it really means to be a Pokémon trainer. It seems more like he's using his Pokémon as a means to become the strongest trainer instead of treating them like his trusted friends. He is concerned for his Pokémon's health, but they seem to not be getting proper attention in some way. Two days ago he caught a Pokémon that we don't know about. When the three of us came back together he was beaten up very badly. If he doesn't know how to raise his Pokémon properly he could make some very bad choices that could negatively affect himself as well as his Pokémon's growth and development."
"You have a point my friend, but are you sure you aren't taking this a little too personally?"
"What do you mean?"
"Chad isn't like your former caretaker, Akuma. He was raised in a different setting than the two of you were in."
Kurishimi noticed a barely visible twitch in Akuma's face at the comment. "I know that Surge, but I'm going to make sure he doesn't make the same mistakes. I'll figure out how he's thinking for sure before I start getting serious."
"Just remember that he's still young too. He doesn't have the same experiences from life or Pokémon."
"I know. I'll keep that in mind. And Akashi, don't slaughter the boy but don't play nice either."
"Yeah, I understand," Kurishimi answered with a worried look. "You think he's up for this kind of stuff?"
"You weren't when I trained with you. Don't worry about him," Akuma said before walking away. Totodile stayed beside Kurishimi and Surge. Akuma walked halfway between Kurishimi and Chad then closed his eyes and took a deep breath before the battle started. "Okay boy, listen up!" he called out to Chad. "You're going to defend yourself against Akashi's attacks and she won't be holding back. If you don't fight her with every Pokémon and every tactic you have she's going to clean you out in a matter of seconds. While you battle her, answer all of my questions as quickly as you can. Any delay will put your Pokémon at risk."
"Can I use one of your Pokémon to back up my own?" Chad asked.
Akuma ignored the question. "Begin the battle!"
Kurishimi sent out Vaporeon. Not allowing Chad time to consider his choices, she ordered Vaporeon to fire a water gun. Chad panicked as the attack rushed toward him and sent out Bulbasaur to take the attack. Bulbasaur took the attack in full force before it had even fully emerged from the poké ball then launched a vine whip of its own.
"What is a Pokémon trainer?" Akuma asked. Chad thought of how to reply, but an ice beam stopped his thoughts. Bulbasaur quickly evaded and used vine whip again. "What is a Pokémon trainer?" Akuma asked again.
"A Pokémon trainer is someone who raises Pokémon to battle others and defend himself against danger," Chad replied.
"Wrong. A Pokémon trainer raises and lives with Pokémon together. They help and protect their Pokémon as best they can without having to resort to violence. Pokémon are the trainer's most trusted friends. They rely on the trainer for everything and support him or her in any way they can on their own free will, not because they were ordered to."
Bulbasaur showered Vaporeon with leech seeds which were quickly evaded. One seed successfully struck Vaporeon, but before it could take effect Kurishimi recalled Vaporeon and sent out Jigglypuff who then attacked with hyper voice. Bulbasaur was blasted back along the ground, but could still fight.
"What are Pokémon to the trainer? What are they to you?"
Bulbasaur tackled Jigglypuff but the attack bounced harmlessly off its body. Jigglypuff struck back by pounding its arm against Bulbasaur's head. While at close range Bulbasaur planted another leech seed onto Jigglypuff in a way that Kurishimi couldn't see it until Jigglypuff's energy started to drain.
"A trainer's Pokémon are his partners and companions. The trainer relies on them for help when in trouble. My Pokémon are my partners and I trust them with my life."
A doubleslap from Jigglypuff knocked out Bulbasaur, but it was delayed while the leech seed fed Jigglypuff's energy to its opponent. Chad recalled Bulbasaur before Kurishimi could do the same and quickly threw out a poké ball as he got used to the fast paced battle which surprised as well as impressed Kurishimi. She quickly sent out Vaporeon again and found that Elekid was ready to fight. Before she could pull Vaporeon back into its poké ball a quick thundershock paralyzed her friend.
"Every Pokémon trainer has their own unique goals in life. Regardless of their personal ambitions, what is one goal that all trainers have in common?"
Chad was confused by the question so he had Akuma repeat it as Kurishimi sent out a new Pokémon he hadn't known her to have before. It was a pink cow with black markings and a bell around its neck. On its head were two short and stubby horns. It had a long thin tail as well with a ball on the end. Whether it was covered in skin or fur, Chad couldn't tell. Unlike most grassland Pokémon of the sort, it stood on its hind legs instead of all fours. It didn't look very threatening, but he'd thought the same thing about Chansey before it took out Surge's Electrode.
"I don't know," he admitted to Akuma after commanding Elekid to use a thundershock on the opponent. "I thought everyone was different in every way as a trainer."
"Think about it then, and think fast. I want an answer one minute ago."
Akuma certainly knew how to phrase urgency, but Chad couldn't think of something that trainers of every profession had in common. While he thought about the question his attention waned from the battle. Kurishimi's Pokémon used a stomp attack on Elekid then used a defense curl to better protect against the quick attack that followed. Elekid's swift attack wasn't affected by the increased defenses which was Chad's follow up attack choice.
"They all raise Pokémon?" Chad guessed.
"You're close, but not quite there. Try again."
"Use a low kick! They train their Pokémon?"
"That's right. Now tell me why this answer is correct."
Elekid's attacks weren't doing as much damage as Chad had hoped they would. He switched out Elekid for Ponyta who pelted the still curled up Pokémon with a stream of embers. Partway through the attack the embers switched to a spiraling flame that encircled the opponent and shot upwards much as the finishing move Vulpix has used earlier against Manectric. Chad smiled knowing his Ponyta had just learned fire spin, but knew he'd have to celebrate later. Akuma wouldn't be allowing him any room to breathe unless he was answering questions or giving an attack order.
"Because they want their Pokémon to become stronger, right?"
"Obviously, but why is that?"
"So they can fight stronger opponents of course. There's no other reason to train Pokémon that I know of."
"What if your Pokémon isn't getting any stronger? What will you do with it?"
"We'll keep training until we find out how to improve that Pokémon no matter how long it might take."
"Why won't you just release that Pokémon and find a stronger one?"
"No, never!" Chad shouted as his Ponyta met Kurishimi's Pokémon in a stomp attack collision. "I'm not going to throw my Pokémon away because I'm not satisfied with their progress. There's always a way to improve ourselves together and we'll find it with each other or not at all!"
"What if your Pokémon can't improve any more? What if there's nothing left for them but to become weaker? Then will you abandon it in favor of another?"
Chad looked over at Akuma with a very angry glare, the battle against Kurishimi now forgotten. It sounded like Akuma was trying to force him into wanting to abandon his Pokémon somehow. In anger he grabbed another poké ball and threw it in Akuma's direction. When Rattata popped out he ordered it to take down Akuma with a tackle attack. Rattata charged the older male, but Akuma was ready and easily stepped aside. Chad threw another poké ball that revealed his Cubone to Akuma. Cubone knocked out one of Akuma's legs with a bone club attack causing him to trip and fall.
"Don't ever degrade the bond between me and my Pokémon!" Chad yelled at his teacher furiously.
Leaning into the fall with a somersault, Akuma jumped up and away from the attacking Pokémon. He backed away from them until he heard Ponyta coming at him from behind. He opened Fearow's poké ball underneath him and quickly took off into the air and out of reach of Chad's Pokémon.
"You don't have any bond like that with your Pokémon," Akuma called down. "You said so yourself whether you realize it or not. Even though you claimed that your Pokémon are your friends and companions you degraded them to nothing more than tools when you said that they are a means with which to defend yourself in the beginning. You named them as your partners and companions like every other trainer claims, but never once have you acknowledged them as your friends. You've set yourself above them in doing so."
Becoming angrier by the minute, Chad ordered Ponyta to bring down Akuma and Fearow with an ember shower. Being an expert flyer however, Fearow easily evaded the attack. Thinking faster than before, Chad realized Cubone had a strong arm if it could wield any bone as a dangerous weapon. Acting quickly he instructed Cubone to temporarily drop the bone so it could pick up Rattata.
"My Pokémon are the closest friends I've ever had," he called up. "With their help I've become stronger than I ever thought possible. I trust them and rely on their help for many things, but I also realize that they believe in me in much the same way. We work together to become stronger. It isn't just the Pokémon who improve because I've also become much stronger myself! It's not the training you've put me through that's made me us this way, but all of us working together to help each other grow strong!"
When Fearow flew close enough Cubone swung Rattata painfully around by the tail and tossed it up to intercept the fliers. With their eyes on Ponyta, Akuma and Fearow didn't see the incoming Rattata until it had latched on to Fearow's wing with a hyper fang strike. Unable to stay airborne they crashed back down to the ground. Akuma immediately returned Fearow to its poké ball as Chad and his Pokémon closed in.
"You can believe whatever you want about me and my Pokémon, Akuma, but don't you dare tell me that I don't have a bond with my Pokémon or I'll take you down again just as I did right now."
"So you have creativity, but that means nothing," Akuma scoffed as Infernape and Houndoom appeared beside him. "Infernape and I are inseparable after spending a single year together. Do you remember these two Pokémon training together the other day as well? What about the battle Houndoom was in that night? It was the leader of a Houndour pack when I captured it and we'd never trained together before that day. Houndoom still has the proud spirit of a leader despite not being in control of the same sort anymore. I earned respect from it before I ever caught it, whereas you hardly even know your Cubone. I haven't seen it before today, but I know you bought it back in the city during my absence. It may be willing to fight me, but not for you. I can see the pride and defiance in its eyes enough to know that there is no bond between you both whereas I have earned the trust and respect from my Pokémon almost immediately. What do you know about the real bond a trainer and his Pokémon have between each other?"
Rattata rushed toward Akuma for a hard tackle, but Infernape used a mach punch to cut it off which knocked the mouse Pokémon far. Cubone and Ponyta moved in to keep Infernape off of Rattata but were cut off by Houndoom's flamethrower. Noting Rattata's weakened state Chad opened a small pouch on his jacket and pulled out an oran berry which he tossed out to Rattata for it to eat. Ponyta did its best to hold back Houndoom's flames with a weak ember which gave Cubone enough time to get closer to Infernape and use a headbutt attack. Infernape flinched in surprise by the attack which gave Cubone another opening for a bone club strike. Recovering quickly, Infernape dodged Cubone's next attack and fought back with close combat. Houndoom closed the distance to Ponyta and bit its neck while Ponyta fought back with stomps and rolls in attempt to shake Houndoom off. Once again Rattata leapt into battle, having recovered from the healing effects of the oran berry, and latched onto the back of Infernape's neck via hyper fang causing its attacks on Cubone to cease. It was an all out brawl between the five Pokémon with no obvious reasoning or skill. Eventually Chad realized this and returned all three to their poké balls leaving Akuma's Pokémon angry and frustrated.
"I didn't tell my Pokémon to attack that time, they did it on their own. My Pokémon were defending me and I pulled them away to keep them safe when I realized this fight was pointless. I respect their desire to protect their trainer, but I won't have them get hurt for my sake. Can you say the same thing about your Houndoom? Unlike my Pokémon I highly doubt it would fight to protect you for no other reason than it respects your natural leadership and power. It is not your friend, nor do you have such a bond with it. While my Cubone still has its pride and a strong will it fought for me just like the others did and I would not treat it differently for any reason."
Akuma stared the boy down for a moment while Infernape and Houndoom tensed up as if ready to attack the boy at their trainer's command. Finally Akuma returned his Pokémon to their poké balls and walked over to Chad. When he was close enough he put a hand on the boy's head and said, "Well done, you passed."
Chad's expression remained serious so Akuma continued.
"Remember always that your Pokémon are your friends and teammates. Always treat them as your equals. Never send them to do something that you are unwilling to do yourself. Treat them with the respect and admiration you want them to show you and you will receive the same thing in return. If you forget to do this at any time your ability as a trainer will decrease significantly. Never abandon your Pokémon in the best or worst times and they will do the same for you. Good work."
Akuma walked back over to Surge and Kurishimi who had recalled her Pokémon long ago.
"You're a pretty brutal teacher, you know that?" Surge said to him.
"He'll remember the lesson, Surge. That's what counts."
"Will we be going back to the Pokémon Center now?" Kurishimi asked him.
"Your Pokémon need healing so you should head that way. Especially for your Miltank since it's not a battler. I'm surprised you used it unless your other Pokémon were more hurt than I thought. I'm going out of the city for a few hours to do some training with Totodile. We'll be back after I've helped it to make some progress. See you around, Surge." Akuma walked off to the west leaving the others to their own business.