Daniel turned off the television after watching the Champion, Andrew Hanson, thoroughly defeat his challenger, Steven. He had a lot on his mind as he mentally replayed the battle in his head, looking for that elusive pattern that would be key to defeating the Champion. His best friend, Caitlynn, followed him out the door as he left his home. It was a simple home, nestled within a quiet little neighborhood found deep within the woods surrounding Indian Head, which made it a nice place to train his Pokémon.
"You okay Dan?" Cat asked hesitantly, sensing his mood.
"I'm fine Caitlynn," Daniel answered, "I've become rivals with the Champion. He's the Champion for a reason. We've got a long ways to go before we can beat him at his best. You saw how fast his Gengar was out there. It was as fast as, if not faster, than his Glaceon, and that little Pokémon was faster than my Sceptile!"
"Speed isn't everything," Caitlynn pointed out.
"It does when your strategy relies on it," Daniel countered, shoulders slumping a bit. "I don't know what to do…"
"You'll figure something out," Caitlynn said with a smile, tossing a Pokéball into the air. Out popped a yellow fox with nine tails in front of her and Cat took out a brush. She began brushing her Ninetales' fur as the Fox Pokémon let out a little bark of contentment. "You did against Noah in the State tournament."
"Yeah, but he isn't the Champion," Dan said, grabbing his six Pokéballs off his belt. "Come on out everybody!" With a flash of light, his six Pokémon were standing in front of him, looking at their Trainer expectantly. "Now I know our last battle didn't go so well." Blaziken looked away dejectedly, glaring at a rock on the ground as his wrist flames flared up in anger. Sceptile crossed his arms and leaned against a tree, a frown on his normally cheerful face (as cheerful as a Sceptile can look, anyways) Swampert lay down on the ground and covered her face with her muscular arms. Gallade and Lucario both glanced at each other, then looked at the ground in shame. Salamence roared in anger, sending a Flamethrower into the sky and startling Caitlynn's Ninetales, who yipped in surprise.
"If you can't keep your Pokémon under control," Caitlynn threatened, waving the brush at Daniel. He was about to respond when he noticed the twinkle in Caitlynn's eye.
"You stay over there," Dan shot back, grinning. Turning back to his Pokémon, he continued. "Yeah, yeah, losing sucks. Some of us reached unpleasant milestones in that battle. But there's nothing to be ashamed of. We were battling the Champion of the United States of America!" His Pokémon perked up noticeably at that. "Yes, the Champion. The guy we've been training to beat ever since I caught all of you. He definitely deserves that title."
Lucario asked a question in his language. Dan chuckled nervously. "I'll admit, it wasn't my brightest move challenging him like that, but he kept going on about how Caitlynn was going to lose. I'm not gonna take that lying down!"
"You don't need to get your butt kicked over a few insults," Caitlynn interrupted, "I've heard worse on the Contest circuit, especially from a few idiots in Tennessee in the front row cheering for their hometown girl.
"I know, but he seemed so smug after predicting Jenna's eventual victory," Daniel protested.
"And here we are!" Cat pointed out, "Back home in southern fried Maryland thoroughly beaten."
"Shut up." Daniel faced his Pokémon again. "Anyways, it's my fault you guys were asked to beat the Champ before we were well and truly ready. I failed you guys and I'm sorry. I screwed up more than once during that battle, and you guys paid the price, especially you Gallade, and you Swampert. I'm so sorry, all of you. Even Blaziken and I weren't able to beat one of his Pokémon!" That got a big reaction from his Pokémon, as they looked up to Blaziken as the leader of the group, what with the Blaze Pokémon being the strongest on the team as well as Daniel's first Pokémon, not to mention the two of them had never failed to win a round before. They all looked in shock at Blaziken, who continued to look away in shame.
"Everyone," Daniel waved to get his Pokémon's attention back on him, "It's not his fault so much as it is mine. Andrew likes to use type matchups, which is why most of you had to face a type disadvantage. That's going to be a part of the drills we'll be running through today; building up a resistance to types that you guys don't like. It isn't going to be fun, but I'll be right there with you. We're in this together, no matter what!" There were cries of agreement from his Pokémon and the exercises began.
Dan went to his Swampert first. "You know what to do. Try switching up the usual sparring partners though while I work with Salamence for a bit." The Mud Fish Pokémon nodded and began to organize the other four Pokémon into two groups of two for a sparring session. It was essentially a close combat battle at half strength, but full speed, a perfect warmup for the usual strength and conditioning drills Daniel usually took his Pokémon through. This time, Blaziken partnered up with Gallade and began trading blows at lightning quick speeds, with Sceptile and Lucario going through something similar. Daniel walked over to the shed where his family kept all the gardening tools and training equipment. He grunted as he hefted a sack of something over his shoulder.
"What's that?" Cat asked, still brushing her Ninetales.
"Training weights," Dan replied, "A good 300 pounds."
"That's heavier than Salamence herself!" Caitlynn exclaimed. "She was worn out after carrying both of us back here from Tennessee, how is she going to fly carrying that?"
"Salamence love to fly and I know my Salamence isn't going to let a little weight slow her down, right?" Daniel scratched Salamence under the chin in her favorite spot, prompting a contented growl from the Dragon type. Salamence then grabbed the bag off Daniel's back with her teeth and put it on her back, growling at the sudden weight pushing her down.
"Be careful Dan," Cat said, looking on with a bit of fear.
"I'll be fine," Dan said with a grin as he climbed onto Salamence's back, "We have to push ourselves to our absolute limits and then break those limits if we're going to beat the Champion. Ready Salamence?" The Dragon type answered with a roar and began flapping her wings. Slowly but surely, Salamence gained altitude, laboring under the intense weight.
"Hang in there girl, let's go once around the block and see how well you do," Daniel said. The Dragon Pokémon grunted and began to fly westwards. About a mile out, Salamence swung around and flew back to Daniel's house, slowly losing altitude along the way.
"Almost home girl," Dan said encouragingly, patting her on the side, "Just a little further!" Salamence roared and powered the last few hundred meters before landing a tad awkwardly on the grass in the front yard. Caitlynn came rushing forward from the back yard where everyone else was training.
"How'd it go?" she asked.
"Well, we made it," Dan said, patting Salamence on the head. "Let me grab a few Oran berries for Salamence before we continue." The Dragon type uttered a growl of protest as she flapped her wings a few times, lifting the weights alone with ease. "Easy there, we've got a ways to go to strengthen up those flight muscles. Let me get you some berries so you don't hurt yourself when we continue." Salamence chuffed and landed back on the ground, resting her head on her forearms. Dan went and checked on his Pokémon in the backyard. The sparring sessions were going well enough, but now it was time to kick it up a notch. Daniel grabbed the bag of Oran Berries his family bought for him weekly, just for his Pokémon, and gave a few to his Dragon type before stopping the sparring sessions.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Caitlynn said.
"So do I," Daniel replied. "Alrighty guys, now that you're all nice and warmed up, it's time to get serious. That's why I'm breaking out the training weights." There were a couple of groans from his Pokémon. "I know, you guys hate it as much as I do, but we gotta step it up! Word through the grapevine is that Hanson's gonna be at the Contest in Sacramento in a few weeks to watch his friend Hailey. We're gonna give him a much better match this time around, but if we want any shot at winning, we have to use these weights. If it makes you feel any better, I'll be wearing a weighted vest as well, so I'll be right there with you." To emphasize his point, Daniel put on the said item over his Orioles T-shirt. "We're all in this together. Once you get your 'gear' on, Sceptile, Lucario, and Gallade, start the exercises with 10 sprints to the end of the road and back. Swampert, Blaziken, you two are with me. Got it?" Once that was taken care of and the other three Pokémon took off running, Daniel sent Salamence off on a long flight to increase her speed and stamina with the training weights.
Okay, Blaziken, you know what's coming don't you?" Dan asked the Blaze Pokémon, who nodded in grim determination. The Fire/Fighting type had more motivation than anyone to improve after failing his partner in the last battle. "Okay, Swampert, I want you to attack Blaziken with a half strength Hydro Pump, to help build up a resistance." The Mud Fish Pokémon nodded and faced Blaziken, who crossed his arms in front of him defensively, wrist flames flaring.
"Ready?" Dan asked, "Begin!" Swampert unleashed a torrent of water at Blaziken, who took the attack head on, growling the entire time. Daniel watched intently, looking for when Blaziken began to weaken. Even at half strength, Swampert's power was fierce. The Blaze Pokémon tried to dig in with his powerful legs, but the water was forcing him backwards.
"Enough!" Daniel barked. Swampert ended the attack immediately. Blaziken was breathing heavily, steam rising from his body as he peeked out from behind his still flaming arms. "Nice job, partner, it was a good start. Have an Oran berry and we'll continue."
"Blaziken!" shouted Daniel's first Pokémon, shaking his head. He pointed at Swampert and held his arms in front of him once more.
"You want to continue without a berry?" Dan asked, surprised, "And you don't want Swampert to hold back this time?"
"Don't do it!" Caitlynn called, currently grooming her Swellow, "Take it slow!"
"If this is what my partner wants, then so be it," Daniel responded, "We can't afford to doubt ourselves! Swampert! Do as he says, but be ready to stop at my command!" Swampert nodded and faced Blaziken once again, unleashing the full power of her Hydro Pump at Blaziken. The Blaze Pokémon roared and steam began to erupt from intense heat Blaziken was putting out. Another few seconds and the steam cloud intensified, then vanished as the Hydro Pump finally broke through Blaziken's defenses and knocked the Blaze Pokémon onto his back.
"Stop!" Dan exclaimed, though Swampert had already closed her mouth and rushed forward. Dan knelt next to his starter Pokémon and supported the Fire/Fighting type. "You okay Blaziken?" The Blaze Pokémon growled and sat up, in pain but fighting to go on. Blaziken slowly stood back up and motioned for Swampert to go again, holding his arms in front of him defensively once more.
"Easy there buddy," Daniel said, grabbing Blaziken by the shoulder, "Have a berry first. It isn't going to do us any good to have you badly injured. We want to get stronger, not kill ourselves." And so the process repeated itself, each Pokémon pushing themselves to their limits in enduring types they were weak against. Salamence especially hated having to endure weakened Ice Beam attacks, so Dan decided to work on aerial agility instead. It was good accuracy practice for his Pokémon as well, so Dan used Salamence as the target while his Pokémon honed their long range skills as well. With the training weights slowing her down, Salamence took more than her fair share of hits. It finally came to an end when Sceptile sniped the Dragon type with another Energy Ball and Salamence, exhausted from all the activity, finally began falling until she was caught by Gallade's Psychic and gently lowered to the ground.
"You did great," Daniel said gently, cradling Salamence's head. "Here's a few berries for you, take a nice rest." Salamence warbled something to him in her language as she scarfed down the berries and padded over to a nice sunny spot in the driveway, laying down and closing her eyes to take a nap.
Caitlynn finished grooming Swellow, who chirped in satisfaction and flew over to Salamence, landing on her back. The Dragon type snorted a little smoke out of her nostrils, but didn't dislodge the Swallow Pokémon. "What now?"
"Some more target practice," Daniel answered, "Sceptile, you're up! Use the trees to help, but I want you to dodge as many attacks as possible. I know you're being slowed down by the training gear, but this will help in the long run. Trust me." The Forest Pokémon nodded and began climbing the nearest oak in preparation. The woods that composed most of the surrounding area, including Daniel's backyard, were perfect for Sceptile to feel right at home, even if it wasn't a tropical jungle.
"Blaziken, I want you to sit this one out," Dan said, "I'd rather not set the forest on fire. No, we're going to improve your accuracy in other ways."
Blaziken took another look at the dodging Sceptile, who was dodging Aura Spheres, Hydro Pumps, and Stone Edges left and right, then followed Daniel to the front yard. "Cat, keep an eye on them for me, I don't want Sceptile getting hurt too badly."
"You got it," came the quick response.
"And, can I borrow Swellow for the training I've got planned?"
"Sure, just don't get his feathers too dirty, I just cleaned them!" The Pokémon Coordinator scooped up her Plusle and Minun, who were poking at Salamence and giggling at the smoke Salamence sleepily snorted at them. "Swellow, go with Dan and help him however you can." The Flying type chirped again and took off, flying above Daniel and Blaziken as they marched to the front of the house.
"Okay, Swellow, we're here to improve Blaziken's accuracy," Daniel explained to the bird as he landed on the rather sizable pile of sticks in front of the Trainer, "What we're going to do at first is similar to when I got the shotgun merit badge at summer camp years ago; I'll throw some sticks and Blaziken will try to shoot them down with his Flamethrower or Solarbeam, whichever one he chooses. Swellow, I need you to catch the misses and bring them back here, I only have so many sticks. After that, we're going to do the same thing, but with Blaziken on the move, running and jumping, so he can dodge and attack at the same time. After that, Swellow, I hope you're up to the challenge, because you'll be the target. We need someone who can dodge really well to practice on, because most of Andrew's Pokémon are fast and agile like you Swellow. Are you up for it?" Swellow nodded and gave an impromptu salute with his wing, before taking off and hovering a few meters above their heads.
Daniel grinned. "That's the spirit. Blaziken, you ready?" The Blaze Pokémon nodded, determined. "Alright, here's the first one. Go!" Dan grabbed the top stick and threw it high into the air. Blaziken took aim, inhaled, and unleashed a mighty Flamethrower that just missed the wood. Swellow darted out and snatched the stick, bringing it back to Dan. He took the stick from Swellow and examined it.
"Not bad," Dan commented, "A little singed there. I know I couldn't hit anything my first time out shotgun shooting. You came close. Let's try it again. Go!" He heaved the stick into the air again and Blaziken again just missed. After Swellow retrieved the stick, Dan paused to give some advice. "Try aiming ahead of the stick, at where it's going to be instead of where it is when you fire." Blaziken nodded and narrowed his eyes. This time, Dan threw the stick without warning and in a different direction. Blaziken inhaled, paused, fired, and completely incinerated the stick this time.
"There we go!" Dan shouted, "Let's try it again!" After Blaziken hit that stick too, Dan grabbed another stick. "Now use your Solarbeam!" The Fire type began gathering energy, his feathery "hair" turning white. When Daniel saw Blaziken was charged, he threw the stick into the air. Like before, Blaziken destroyed the stick. It was a similar story when Daniel had Blaziken running and jumping; it took a few tries, but Blaziken got the hang of it with both of his long range attacks. The real challenge came when Swellow became the target; Swellow are the fastest non-legendary Normal types around, only surpassed in speed in the Flying type category by Crobat. Using the speed that blessed its species, Swellow dodged Blaziken's initial flurry of attacks with ease. The Fire type growled in frustration as Swellow flew circles around his most recent Solarbeam attack. Taking matters into his own hands, Blaziken leaped onto the roof of Daniel's home, gathering energy for a Solarbeam attack. Swellow watched intently, ready to move whenever Blaziken fired. The Flying type was thoroughly enjoying the whole experience, as he enjoyed battling and while he wasn't going to admit it to the Fighting type down below, the Swallow Pokémon was being pushed to his own limits trying to stay ahead of Blaziken's attacks. Swellow was then taken completely off guard as Blaziken fired the half charged Solarbeam, blinding Swellow momentarily. When the Swallow Pokémon could finally see again, Blaziken was no longer on the roof of the house. Swellow looked around frantically to relocate the Blaze Pokémon, who had seemingly vanished in the light. A war cry startled Swellow, who looked up in time to see a Flamethrower hit him dead-on. Blaziken had used the opening to leap high above Swellow using his powerful legs and attacked. Blaziken caught the stunned Swellow in midair and landed gracefully, depositing the now indignant Flying type on the ground beside him.
Daniel applauded. "Well done, partner; that was a beautiful use of Solar Flare. Don't get mad, Swellow, you were awesome up there as well." Both Pokémon looked at Daniel, proud. "I love the creativity, Blaziken, and that is something we can use to get closer to Hanson's Pokémon. However, we're here to practice long range combat, which means we gotta get out of our comfort zone. If it's any consolation, Hanson couldn't beat us the one time he did try to engage in close combat." Blaziken nodded, accepting the minor rebuke and glanced at Swellow.
"Dan!" Caitlynn called from the backyard, "Sceptile's done. Anything else you want to do?"
"Just a minute!" Dan answered, tossing a couple of Oran berries at Swellow. "Eat those up and get some energy back, I'm not done with you. Blaziken, how do you feel for some agility training?" The Blaze Pokémon did his equivalent of a grin and together, human and Pokémon headed to the backyard.
So here is chapter 51. I siad earlier that 52 might be a training chapter, but I have decided to scrap that plan and change it up. You will have to wait till sometime next week to see chapter 52 so stay tuned. None of this chapter is my own all but this little chapter review I do. All the credit goes NuttyBuddy792 so thank him for his work. There are none of my traditional updates so this is it then.