Chapter 8 - Stepping Up

Taka narrowed his gaze and simply said, "What?"

Roxy remained steadfast. "Please, train me to fight." She took a deep breath and then added, "I am ready to learn."

Once again, Taka arched an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked, "Is that so?"

Roxy nodded.

"Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"

She sighed and lowered the blunt spear. "You know I was attacked yesterday?"

"I do."

"It was very frightening," she spoke, "I went out into a dangerous place, let my guard down, and nearly paid for it with my life."

Taka scoffed, but Roxy ignored him.

"I guess I just realized how little choice I have in the matter. I don't know how I got here or why it happened, but I'm here. It's dangerous here. I…I might not be happy about it, but…this is something I need to do, isn't it?"

She glanced over at Taka. The warrior was giving her a scrutinizing gaze, but after a few moments of silence he didn't say a single word.

"Taka," Roxy continued, "I want to go home. I want to leave this place and find my way home. Last night I realized…that if I want to get out of here and make it through the dangers of the forest, I need to know how to fight…"

She paused, but then added something else. "Mostly, though…I just want to survive long enough to even try to get home…."

Still, Taka was looking at her but not saying anything. She looked right back at him. Honestly, she wasn't sure if he was being his usual, aloof self or if he really didn't care about what she was saying.

"So…Will you teach me?" Roxy asked.

No response.

"Do you…want to teach me?"

Finally, Taka opened his mouth. "I have been instructed to teach you. I have been challenged to teach you. No, I do not want to teach you."

Roxy paused for a moment before replying. "But…you will?"

"Will I?"

A displeased frown covered her features.

"What if I said 'no'?"

Roxy opened her mouth to respond, but then paused and took a moment to think about her answer. She then nodded in determination and said, "I would ask someone else, like Makari."

He gave her another scrutinizing gaze. "I see…" he said slowly. After taking a few steps towards her, he shook his head. "Your words tell the story of renewed vigour and encouragement, but what hides behind that bravado? At the end of the day, you are still a pet!"

Upon speaking the last word, Taka quickly bent down and twirled himself around. This brought his tail around in a circle, catching the back of Roxy's paws and pulling them out from under her. She tumbled to the ground onto her back.

"You see? Y-"

Taka's words caught in his throat as he suddenly found himself holding onto the end of Roxy's blunt spear with one of his paws, stopping it from impacting him in the midsection. Roxy had aggressively swung it the moment she had landed on the ground, and Taka had almost missed his opportunity to stop it.

The warrior looked down in mild surprise. Roxy stared back up at him. The two regarded one another silently for a moment, and then Taka wrenched the spear from Roxy's paws and tossed it aside.

"I still see fear in your eyes," he commented.

"Of course there is," she countered, "I'm terrified! But…"

"But it is masked by the fire of determination…"

Roxy got to her feet. "I'm sorry for not trying very hard before. You didn't want to train me and I didn't want to be trained, but you did it anyway. Now I've realized that I need this. I need to learn how to survive out here. It's the only way…I'll get home."

Taka had been listening to her with a slight hint of interest, but her last couple of words made him scowl again. "Back to your master?" he spat.

She wanted to lash out at him for speaking of her master in such a poisonous tone, but instead she merely nodded.

Taka glanced away, looking as if he were in thought. "Very well," he said at last, "If you can show me that you have learned how to do one thing today that I have taught you, then you may have potential after all."

Roxy nodded. "I'll do my best," she said, "But, Taka! You have to be a little more patient with me. I'm still a beginner. I want to learn, but you have to go a little slower and, I dunno, maybe don't spar off against me until I'm further along?"

He turned and gave her an unreadable look, then walked back towards the centre of the training area without saying another word.

She sighed in frustration and spoke under her breath. "Worth a try, I guess…"

Taka turned his head to regard her.

"I'm ready!" she said, filling her voice with enthusiasm. Her words were followed up, however, by loud grumbling from her stomach.

"Have you not eaten breakfast yet?" Taka asked with a hint of incredulity.

Roxy glanced down at her tummy, then back up.

Taka rolled his eyes and then waved his paw at her. "Go eat," he commanded, "I need to eat as well. There is no sense training on an empty stomach." Once again not waiting for a response, Taka then turned and marched off towards the village centre, leaving her behind.

She waited for a few more seconds, then let out the breath she had been holding. Shivers coursed through her body and her eyes were wide open in shock. The anxiety-ridden part of her brain was demanding to know what the hell she had just gotten herself into.

Her breath came in short gasps as her façade of bravado fell away. She was actually impressed that she had managed to stave off anxiety and put on a brave face for that long. Now, of course, she was left questioning every single life choice she had ever made that had led her to this point in time.

Roxy felt the urge to cry, but she shook her head and pushed her tears away. Last night, she had made a promise to herself that she would push herself and go through with this training. Her life had completely changed, as unfortunate as it was to admit, and her choices were to either get stronger or be killed.

If Roxy ever wanted to see her master again, then there wasn't an alternative.

Her stomach rumbled again, reminding her of what Taka had just said. No training on an empty stomach. Roxy was actually a little surprised that Taka had shown leniency in this regard.

She took a deep breath and turned around to walk back to the hut, only to find Makari approaching her.

"There you are!" he said, hurrying over to her, "I was worried."

Roxy frowned and flushed in embarrassment. "S-sorry…" she mumbled, "There was just something I needed to do, and…I knew that I couldn't hesitate."

Makari glanced up at their surroundings and then back down at her. "Oh…I see," he said with a nod, seeming to have grasped the situation from context alone.

"I promised I would go through with this…"

Makari smiled compassionately. "Well, if that is the case, then I am proud of you. It was easy to see how difficult training like this was for you."

She sighed. "It's not gonna get any easier…but I have to…"

"Oh, I do not think that is true. You might be surprised."

Roxy glanced up at him, unsure if she believed his words.

"This may go without saying, but are you feeling better Roxy?"

She nodded. "I think so…It's just been so crazy." She then smiled at him. "Thanks for, y'know…being there."

Chuckling, he replied, "Think nothing of it." He then glanced around once more and said, "Where is Taka anyway?"

"He went to get breakfast. You wouldn't happen to have any berries in there, would you?" Roxy said, pointing at Makari's pouch.

"I had a feeling you might be hungry," he said, lifting the top of his pouch to reveal Pecha Berries inside.

Roxy's eyes sparkled upon seeing the delectable fruit. "Wow…" she whispered, "How do you keep finding berries like these?"

Makari winked. "The forest is full of fruit like this, if you know where to look."

The two Pikachu sat down just outside the training area and feasted on a breakfast of Pechas. They shared some light conversation about a variety of topics, which eventually led to Roxy discussing her lingering anxiety regarding her training. Though she voiced her fears, she would always bolster herself up and reinforce her self-made promise to go through with it. All she needed to do was remind herself of the consequences.

"How can I make him slow down, though?" she asked her companion, "He usually goes so fast that I can't learn anything…"

Makari shrugged. "I think perhaps he may slow down if he sees you truly apply yourself."

"Hmm…"

The two heard pawsteps approaching and looked up, expecting to see the return of Taka. Instead, Roxy's ears perked up in surprise when she saw who it was.

"Greetings Natoka and Karizu," Makari said with a curt nod.

The two Raichu nodded as well, and then regarded Roxy. She jumped slightly. "Oh! Uh, h-hi! I mean, greetings!"

Karizu smiled warmly, while Natoka merely acknowledged her with a nod. "It is nice to see you once again," the former said, "We have not had a chance to speak since you first arrived."

"Yeah, I've been…busy."

"Are you getting breakfast?" Makari asked.

"We are sharing a meal with Miri," Natoka commented. Despite his comparatively serious outward appearance, there was still a friendly tone in his voice.

"I am anxious to try her mixes again!" Karizu said with an excited look.

Roxy watched this short exchange in fascination. It was true that she had not seen the Wise Ones since she had first met them, but here two of them were just casually strolling through the village. Combined with the way they conversed, it reminded her of who these Pokémon were and what sort of role they played in the village. Her mind still had a solid hold on the stereotype of "old, wise and aloof rulers".

"How are you, young Rakasy?" Karizu said, turning his attention to her, "We have heard things, and not all of them good."

"I'm…Well, I don't think I can say I'm 'fine', but…it's getting better. Maybe. It's all so confusing, I just dunno what to say…"

"Her name is pronounced Roxy," Makari informed them.

She blinked and looked over at him. Truthfully, she had hardly noticed Karizu mispronouncing her name this time, almost as if she'd gotten used to it. Even so, to hear Makari so nonchalantly correct them…

"Roxy, right," Karizu said, "That is how you introduced yourself, was it not? Please accept my pardon."

"Eh heh…N-no worries, it's fine…"

"That is from the human language, right?" Natoka spoke up.

Roxy hesitated, unsure of the tone in his voice. "I…y-yeah," she said, deciding that there was no point in lying.

"Taka can read the human language," Karizu commented as he turned to Natoka, "I wonder why he still calls her Ro-ka-si…"

Natoka replied in what was half a scoff, half a chuckle. "He is a strange one, never forget."

"But, anyway…" Karizu continued, turning to look at her once more, "I hope that our brethren have been treating you relatively well. When we had heard that the Mightyena had attacked you, we were quite concerned. I trust that your training with Taka is progressing. It is important that you learn, at the very least, how to defend yourself."

Roxy turned and glanced back at the training area for a moment, then turned her eyes back to the two Raichu. "It's a work in progress," she settled on saying, "Yesterday was an awakening…"

Karizu nodded. "That is good to hear."

"We should go," Natoka politely interrupted, "Miri is waiting for us."

"Ah yes. We shall see you two again soon. Have a pleasant day!"

The two Pikachu waved and said goodbye as the Raichu did the same and walked away. Roxy waved after them for a few seconds, but then something suddenly occurred to her. "Wait!" she shouted, unsure if they would hear her, "Taka knows the human language?"

They didn't answer her, so she turned to Makari only to see Taka approaching from behind.

"Are you ready?" Taka asked.

"Uh," she replied, "I guess, but I was-"

"I said, are you ready pet?"

Roxy fell silent, and she remembered what Taka had told her about successfully learning something by the end of the training session. Like it or not, her questions would have to wait. She stood up to face him and then nodded.

"Fine then," Taka said.

"I will be here, Roxy," Makari said with a wave of encouragement.

"Now," Taka spoke, "We will practice the-"

"How 'bout I try the jump slash?" she interrupted, picking up one of the spears without the sharp rock on it, "I feel like that one's the closest I got to getting…"

Taka gave her an incredulous look, and Roxy suddenly felt Butterfree in her stomach. She had thought that taking charge like this would show initiative, but looking at Taka now she was doubting herself.

"Ngh…" Taka grumbled before sighing, "Tsk, fine. Show me what you remember."

The warrior pointed to one of the targets, which Roxy approached while tightly gripping the training spear. It took all of her concentration to stop herself from quivering, but she could feel a sense of determination somewhere deep inside. She took a deep breath and recalled what she was meant to do for this exercise.

The idea, she remembered, was to jump high into the air, and then turn the downward momentum of gravity into a swing or stab of the spear. It was fairly simple, so she could clearly picture how Taka had done it.

Once she was ready, she didn't hesitate lest her anxiety catch up with her before it realized what she was doing. She focused on the wooden target and began to dash towards it as fast as she could on her hind legs. Once she was somewhat close to it, she deftly sprung off the ground and sailed through the air towards the target. Finally, when she thought the timing was right, she brought it down in a swing.

Roxy shook her head as she sat up from being sprawled out on the ground. As with her previous attempts, she had ended up tumbling and falling down in the dirt. She glanced over at Taka, who was giving her an unimpressed and slightly exasperated look.

In situations like this in the past, Roxy had done a number of things. She had cried and complained, begged Taka to stop or at least do something else, get frustrated, or just slowly get up and do it again. This time, however, she did something that she was sure would earn her some brownie points with her trainer.

"What did I do wrong?"

To her relief, Taka glanced over at her. This time, he looked intrigued.

Roxy was happily munching on a Leppa Berry in a glade off to the side of the village. Makari was there with her, offering his congratulations. After quite a few hours of focusing, learning and retrying, Roxy had finally managed to perform the jump strike perfectly. The Leppa was her much-deserved reward.

It hadn't been easy, and she had taken quite a few tumbles along the way. Each time she fell, she earned a new ache or bruise. Normally this would have made her upset, but after getting mauled by two predators, it suddenly didn't seem to bother her much. Every time she felt like giving up, she just thought about her master and why doing this was necessary to see her again.

She had experienced difficulty in gripping the blunt spear properly, and had dropped it a couple of times, plus it had taken her quite a bit to learn how to balance herself upon landing. The biggest obstacle, though, had been Taka's line of teaching. Despite her newfound attitude, he had gone back to his old ways of teaching. For a while there was little direction, quick frustration upon failure, and his insistence that they just try something else.

Eventually, Roxy and Makari had teamed up to convince Taka to not switch lessons and just focus on this one. Taka had expressed his belief that she would 'never' get this, but Roxy had finally found the way to put her paw down. Following this, she slowly but surely improved, learning from every mistake she made. Before long, she had pulled off the perfect jump strike.

"I always knew you could do it, Roxy," Makari said, patting her on the back.

"How? You've only known me for like three days or something…" Roxy said with a laugh.

"I could tell…" he replied enigmatically, "There was just something I saw in you…Despite your delicate exterior, I never saw you in the way that Taka does."

If Taka had been impressed by Roxy's success, he hid it well. Roxy remembered feeling her paws hit the ground and not tumbling over. She had held herself there for a moment, afraid to move for fear of messing it up. "Did…Did I do it?" she had asked.

Taka had just stood there looking at her for a while, and so Makari had been the one to inform her of her victory. After a minute or so, Taka's stoic nature finally broke. He gave her a subtle nod. It wasn't much, but Roxy got the feeling it meant, 'Acceptable. You did it right.' By that time, the lesson was drawing to a close as Taka had patrol duty. However, as he walked off into the forest, they had both heard him say something over his shoulder.

"See you tomorrow morning. Do not be late."

She had proven herself to him, even if just a little bit. Taka was going to keep training her. She would learn how to fight, be able to defend herself from danger, and learn how to survive in this unforgiving wilderness. Then, hopefully, she would be able to find a way back home.

"Mmmf!" Roxy exclaimed in delight as she swallowed the last of her Leppa. Afterwards, she turned to Makari and asked, "What d'ya think he's gonna teach me?"

"I suspect the same basic training that cubs go through. You will learn basic proficiency in all of our weapons, how to properly use your electricity, and some close-quarters combat and self-defence. If you perform noticeably well in a particular area, then perhaps he may want to teach you some advanced skills."

"Heh…" Roxy murmured, glancing away, "Somehow I doubt that…"

"Oh come now, Roxy. This is a time to celebrate and be happy. No achievement is too small to be recognized."

"But, Taka…Taka still doesn't like me."

"Yes, I know…" Makari said in a quiet voice, "I did not expect that to change. It probably will not change for quite a while…"

Roxy frowned. "I dunno how I'm s'posed to have a teacher that hates my guts."

"Now, now…I do not believe he dislikes you that much."

"You're his brother, Makari…" Roxy said, turning to look him in the eyes, "What do you think I should do?"

Makari smiled sadly and shook his head. "I do not have that answer."

"Oh…"

"But perhaps…Just try talking to him."

"Listen up, pet."

Roxy scowled at the derogatory nickname.

"I will be going back to basics today and will teach you self-defence. There is no sense in learning to fight if one is not alive to do so. We will start with utilizing a weapon, in this case a spear, to defend yourself. If this goes well, I will move on to close-quarters self-defence."

She gazed up at Taka and nodded. Her heart was thumping and she was trying to control her quivering. This was it. In order to survive out here, she would have to learn this lesson. It was the most important one. However, Roxy already knew that learning self-defence would involve a lot of beatings and bruises until she could get the hang of it. There wasn't anything like foam practice weapons out here.

Taka tossed her a blunt spear, which she managed to catch. She held it in her paws, trying to imagine it not as a thing she had only seen on TV and in books, but rather as a tool that could actually keep her safe. It was difficult, because in her mind's eye she was swinging the thing around spastically in a blind effort to fend off foes.

If she could learn self-defence, it would not only help her to stay safe but it would make future lessons a little bit easier on her if she could block Taka's 'demonstrations'. If she could master this, then maybe she could master anything. Roxy wasn't sure where this new spring of optimism had come from, but she clung to it desperately.

"Show me your jump strike."

Roxy's brain skipped a gear and she felt that flood of optimism suddenly freeze solid. "Wh-what?" she stammered.

"Your jump strike," Taka repeated, "Prove to me that yesterday was not a fluke."

Roxy glanced at him, then over to one of the targets, then back to him once more. "Uh…" Suddenly her anxiety began to rush back. She felt like one of those humans from that singing TV show, standing on the stage in front of the three judges and getting stage fright.

"Now."

"Ah! R-right…" She gripped the spear and stepped over towards one of the targets, racking her brain desperately to remember what she had learned yesterday. She turned back and glanced at Taka, who had his forelegs crossed and was giving her an impatient look. Roxy found herself frowning. Makari wasn't there to watch today.

Roxy shook her head and focused. This was something she could do. She'd done it before, after all. It was just something else she needed to do before Taka would help her survive out here. Taking a deep breath, she began to dash forward and leapt into her jump strike.

She did end up hitting the target, but she stumbled forward upon landing. If she hadn't waved her forepaws, she would've tumbled over. Dread filled her body upon completing the task incorrectly. She had only been given one chance and she'd messed it up. Was Taka just going to walk away and forget about her training now?

Anxiously, she glanced over her shoulder at the other Pikachu. Taka gave her a disinterested look and said, "Incorrect, but at least somewhat satisfactory. Let us move on to self-defence."

Roxy blinked and tilted her head. "What…?" she murmured, feeling her dread turn to confusion, "But…I messed it up. You said I had to-"

"Yes, I told you to get it right," Taka interjected, "Did you feel how bad you felt inside when you got it wrong?"

She blinked, nodding slowly. She had felt awful upon messing it up.

"Remember that feeling," he instructed her, "Keep it in your mind and associate it with failure. Ultimately, this will give you a greater sense of motivation to avoid all mistakes in real combat, considering the alternative is a painful death."

Roxy blinked again, staring at Taka. Had he just…taught her a lesson?

"Come on," Taka said with a tilt of his head, "Time to train."

"Y-yeah…" Roxy murmured, making her way over towards him, "Sounds good…"

"Right," he said once she was standing in front of him, "Defending with a weapon. The spear is the best for basic defence, so we will start with that. As I am sure you can imagine, holding it before you will block many attacks, most importantly those from claw swipes."

When Taka held up his spear to demonstrate, Roxy held hers up as well and mimicked his pose. She remained quiet and listened to him as he explained what she was to learn. There was something different in the atmosphere as she listened. Something had changed in one of them and she wasn't quite sure what it was.

Was it…respect? Even just a little?

"You still need to practice many of these techniques. Return here tomorrow at sunup."

Roxy was panting, feeling worn out, but for a change she actually felt good about herself. Having perfected one of Taka's moves, the jump strike, had instilled a hidden sense of confidence in her. It was the proof, however small, that she had needed to know she could learn these things. Still, her learning curve was steep and the training session was filled with mistakes, but progress was being made.

"Okay, Taka," Roxy replied with a nod, "I'll see you then."

Instead of saying goodbye, Taka simply turned and walked away.

Roxy pursed her lips. At Roxy's insistence, Taka had started to slow down in his training and allow her more time to observe and listen, if only because it was actually resulting in minor success, but his personality for the most part remained unchanged. She no longer cried, complained or tried to give up when she missed a block and ended up getting struck, but that didn't seem to impress him.

Shaking her head and shrugging, Roxy too turned and began to walk away. It was the middle of the afternoon, and Makari hadn't returned yet. With not much else to do, Roxy started to slowly stroll through the village.

Now that training was over, Roxy started to feel as relaxed as she could. Things did not completely settle down in her anxious mind, though, and they probably never would. Roxy likened it to being in a boat in the middle of the ocean, infested with ravenous Sharpedo. Compared to everywhere else around, the boat was the safest and most secure place. However, being in a position like that, it would still be impossible to completely relax.

That was how she felt in this village, knowing that it was safe and protected by learned warriors, but predators were out there among the trees.

"Hi Roxy!"

The young Pikachu glanced over, seeing the group of little cubs that were waving to her. She smiled and waved back. "Hello little ones!" She watched as the trio of cubs scampered off, no doubt on some grand adventure.

Roxy began to make her way back to Makari's hut, hoping that he was back by now, but was by no means in a hurry. Her paws moved leisurely through the village, pausing at times to take in the sights. The more time she spent in this place, the more it fascinated her. It was almost like a fairy tale. A little village constructed from the ground up by Pikachu, hidden away in the deepest part of the woods, and she was there.

She met up with Miri along the way, and the two shared a brief conversation. Not long after, she bumped into Ozu who was off to collect food. It was so neat to her to see a position of power like his where any special treatment amounted to very little. Just like anyone else, he still had to get his own food.

Finally, as she neared Makari's hut, she crossed paths with Bamaka, the Pikachu who had first greeted her when she had been introduced to the tribe. She smiled and waved as he approached.

"Young Roxy," he said, pronouncing her name correctly, "It is good to see you."

"Hi Bamaka," she replied, "Wow, did Makari tell you about my name?"

Bamaka chuckled. "He has been trying to spread this information through the village."

"Heehee…It's really not that big of a deal, but I do appreciate it."

The much taller Pikachu grinned, hoisting his spear over his shoulder as he stood on his hind legs. She could see that his fur was damp with sweat, and guessed that he had either been training or had just come back from patrolling. "I hope things are going well?" he asked.

"Mhm," she said with a nod, "I don't really feel like a stranger here anymore."

He chuckled again. "I never considered you a stranger. How can another Pikachu be a stranger, hm?"

Roxy took a moment to glance around. Nearly everywhere she looked, she saw Pokémon that looked like her. It was nice not to feel like the odd one out amidst company like this.

"Is your training going well?"

Turning back to look at Bamaka, Roxy lost her smile but didn't frown. "I suppose so…It's a lot to learn and it's nothing I've ever done…but I have to learn. I don't have a choice."

"I am sure you will succeed if you have a good attitude about it."

Roxy returned to smiling. "You're right. I'm trying my best to do that."

Bamaka grinned and said, "Well, good luck young Roxy." He started walking away. "I will see you around. I am looking forward to patrolling with you eventually!"

As Bamaka walked away, Roxy found herself frozen on the spot and staring ahead at nothing. Bamaka's intentions with that last passing comment had been good. It was meant to be encouraging. However, it simply left Roxy reminded of what was to come in the future. Bamaka was right. Eventually, she would need to go out on patrol.

Learning to fight wasn't just about surviving, it was about being a part of the tribe that was protecting her. Eventually, she would be forced to pull her own weight.

Roxy gulped and shivered, all positive feeling having been drained out of her. It was times like these that she just felt horrible. Sure training was something that would only be beneficial to her in the long run, but how was she supposed to be motivated when the eventual goal was something she did not want?

The distraught Pikachu sighed and turned around, continuing to approach Makari's hut. After taking a few steps however, her eyes shot open and her ears perked up. She started to flat out run towards the hut, and practically jumped onto the other Pikachu once she was there.

"Makari!" she cried gleefully, "You're back!"

Though slightly surprised by the sudden hug attack, Makari quickly smiled and returned the embrace. "Hello, Roxy."

Her smile was ear to ear, all bad thoughts banished from her mind. She squeezed this other Pikachu, her best friend in the whole village, and felt the warmth of happiness slowly begin to spread.

It was times like these when she felt like, just maybe, everything would turn out okay.

Roxy couldn't believe it. She was improving.

It was the following day, which brought with it another solo training session with Taka. He had been teaching her some more close-quarters defence techniques and, though she was still somewhat slow to learn, she was starting to pick up on some of them. In fact, she had even managed to coax a few 'good's, 'well done's, and even one 'excellent' from Taka.

They were all said with the emotion of an irate Mamoswine, but Roxy took what she could get.

"Try it one more time," Taka commanded her, and she nodded.

Taka had been teaching her how to avoid danger by leaping, or dodging, to the side. Now, he was trying to teach her to backflip as a form of distancing herself from any foe.

Now, Roxy could climb trees with ease and easily leap from one skinny pole on the front gate of her home to the other, but flipping in the air was something that didn't come quite as easily to her. It was a little vexing at first. However, her first few attempts hadn't been all that terrible, despite getting a few face-fulls of dirt.

Taka had seen this and was trying to guide her into a proper form. Roxy smiled as she realized that maybe they were both improving. Maybe it wouldn't be long before Taka was the best teacher ever.

"Now."

If he could work on his attitude, of course.

Roxy adopted the ready stance on the ground, pretended to be facing off against an opponent, and prepared to try another backflip. Taka had told her that leaping off of the ground was the part she was doing well at, so that wasn't the problem. After focusing for a moment, she leapt.

The world spun around her as she flipped. The ground whipped past her field of vision, and then she prepared to land. The ground, however, met her about 0.4 seconds too early. She flailed her forepaws but it was no use and she fall to the ground on her belly.

"Hmm…"

Groaning, Roxy sat up at looked up at Taka.

"I must admit, you are improving…" he commented drolly, "Your flip was performed without much flaw."

Roxy raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "Huh?" she voiced her confusion, "But I…fell…"

"As I said," Taka replied, "Your flip was performed without much flaw. Your landing, however, needs a lot more work."

"Oh… Heh…"

Roxy stood up on her paws, but she was starting to pant. The two of them had been training for a couple of hours at this point. It was hard to hide the fact that she was getting tired.

Taka cast a sidelong glance at her, then let out a short little sigh. "We will take a break," he said, "Sit down."

Roxy paused, not quite having expected to hear that. "Oh…Uh, okay. Thanks."

Taka didn't reply and simply walked over to one of the pieces of wood in the training area, sitting down on it like it was a chair. Roxy stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do with herself, then decided to sit on another piece of wood that she hoped wasn't close enough to make Taka feel uncomfortable.

At first, she just sat there and twiddled her paws. Taka had never really offered her a rest stop before. She was grateful for the break, but couldn't think of anything to do in the meanwhile. Makari wasn't around for her to talk to.

She glanced over at Taka, who was sitting with his back to her. He wasn't moving, and one might've assumed he was sleeping from such a viewpoint. He truly was slowly becoming a better teacher, but the two's relationship was still relatively unchanged. Roxy didn't really feel the pressing need to become friends with Taka, but she wanted to change the rather icy connection that they currently shared.

What had Makari said? Talk to him? What would she say…?

"Hey, uh…Thanks for doing this…I really feel like I'm learning a lot…"

Taka didn't reply. It looked as if he hadn't even heard her.

Roxy frowned and wracked her brain, trying to come up with something that he might want to talk about. Most of the Pokémon she had interacted with were other pets who were usually really friendly from the get-go. She couldn't really talk about herself because most of her own aspects put a bad taste in his mouth.

"Um…I heard from someone that you know how to read human language."

There was a pause, and it looked as if she was going to get the silent treatment again. Then, however, there was a barely discernable reply. "I can."

"Really? That's pretty cool. Or, I mean…y'know, unexpected."

"Mm…"

"How did you learn?"

Another brief pause. Still, Taka did not turn to face her. "I picked it up when I traveled to the human villages."

Roxy's ears perked up. "Oh, right! I almost forgot that you went on, like, a journey. You went all the way to the edge of the forest, right?"

She almost missed it, but he nodded his head.

"Um…Do you mind if I ask…why?"

Another minute of uncomfortable silence filled the air before Taka replied. "I was younger," he said simply, "and I craved adventure."

"Oh, I see," Roxy said with a nod, even though he wasn't looking at her, "I can understand that. A lot of my cubhood friends dreamt of adventuring…"

"…"

Roxy thought about this for a moment. Taka had not just left the forest and made it to the human city, but he had been there long enough to pick up on how their language worked. One question answered, ten more unanswered.

"Well, um…What did you see while you were out there? Did you see, like, a sign or a name or something?" Roxy was desperate to learn the name of this neighbouring city, as it would give her at least some idea of where she was. It was a really unnerving feeling to not even know which continent she was on.

Instead of replying, however, Taka merely turned his head slightly. He affixed her with the gaze of a single eye, displaying an unmistakable expression of irritation.

"N-never mind," Roxy stammered, "It's fine if you don't wanna talk…or whatever…"

Taka turned away from her again, and silence returned. For at least three or four minutes, not a single word was said between the two of them.

"There are events on that journey I would like to forget."

Roxy turned her head in surprise upon hearing Taka's voice. The other Pikachu still would not face her, but his words had been crystal clear.

"Why?" Roxy asked, "Did something…happen?" When he didn't respond, Roxy quickly backtracked. "Sorry! Sorry, never mind… I don't mean to pry or anything. Sorry."

Taka sighed in exasperation.

"I'm sorry we got off on the wrong paw like this…" she mumbled.

"You would do better in combat without that thing around your neck."

Roxy turned to look at him, gently grasping her collar with her forepaws. "What? But, I…I can't take this off."

"Your loss."

"I'm sorry, but I almost lost this and I don't want to lose it again," she said with a frown, "It's special to me…"

"Of course," Taka replied sarcastically, "Along with that stupid flower in your fur."

Roxy pursed her lips and then replied, "Well, your brother wears a stupid feather in his fur."

This is what had finally gotten Taka to turn around and face her completely. His gaze was narrowed, while Roxy allowed herself a small, humble victory smirk.

Eventually, Taka just shook his head. "You would never understand…" he muttered, "You do not understand how to battle, nor do you understand our culture. I am surprised the Wise Ones welcomed you so openly, because you…" He trailed off and glanced away.

"…Because I don't belong here?" Roxy asked, "Is that what you were going to say?"

Taka didn't reply.

"Well, you're right."

Taka turned back and gave her an odd look.

"I don't belong here," she repeated, "This is not my home and it's not where I want to be."

Now Taka was looking at her with a little less malice.

"That's why I need to do this," she said, "I need to get home."

A few moments of contemplative silence passed for the both of them. Taka just sat there for a while, staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Roxy had definitely hit a nerve, but she wasn't sure which direction she had hit it in.

"Come," Taka said, getting up on his paws, "Enough rest. Let us get back to training."

Roxy paused for a moment, trying to read her companion, then decided to just nod her head and prepare for more training.

"You have improved a lot, Roxy! Well done!"

"Makari, do not over-praise her. She still has a long way to go."

"Sure, but do not gloss over her achievements, Taka."

Roxy watched the two brothers squabble, unsure whether to feel uneasy or amused. The sun had risen twice since her little talk with Taka, and in that time she had found herself to be somewhat adept in dodging. After a while, she had found it just to be an extension of the nimbleness that she practiced while hopping through trees or running through her master's garden.

Offensive techniques, however, would not come so easily to her. She had just spent all day with Taka, trying to learn how to strike at foes properly with a spear. It by no means had been an embarrassing display, but Taka still wasn't much satisfied with her progress.

Taka turned to look right at her, making her jump slightly in surprise. "Start practicing in your spare time, otherwise I will be teaching you long enough for the four seasons to pass."

Roxy blinked, then gulped and nodded. "Sh-sure…" she murmured, "I'll do my best."

"The reason you struggle with the spear is because your grip is all wrong. Correct this by the time I see you tomorrow."

"Uh…Okay…" she muttered, feeling a little intimidated by this task.

"I enjoyed watching your jump strike, Roxy," Makari interjected with a smile, "It has vastly improved since you have started."

Makari quietly yelped when Taka punched him in the shoulder. He tossed his brother an accusatory glance as he rubbed his shoulder.

"Stop coddling her, Makari."

Makari gave him a flat look. "Taka, if I were 'coddling' her, I would have insisted she not learn to fight at all. Encouragement is an im-"

Taka held up his paw to interrupt, sighed, and shook his head. "I do not have time for this nonsense. I am needed on patrol." He then turned to Roxy once more and barked a single word at her. "Practice." With that, he turned on the spot and strolled away into the woods.

"Yes sir…" Roxy said with a touch of dry humour.

Makari sighed. "Roxy, I-"

"No, no, don't apologize for him…He's just…just…"

"Just Taka?"

Roxy giggled and nodded. "He doesn't really seem so mean anymore. He's just…himself."

"One eventually grows weary of his 'himself'…"

"Yeah, I know…" Roxy replied. She then casually walked over and picked up the blunt spear. She gazed at it intently for a moment, trying to picture the way Taka had shown her how to hold it. She then faced in the direction of the targets, set her hind paws firmly in the ground, and adopted a ready stance.

"Would you like my help?"

Roxy turned to look at Makari and said, "Really? Would you?"

"Of course," he said with a good-natured chuckle, "If ever you want me to help you touch up on your lessons, feel free to ask."

"That would be awesome."

Roxy turned around to face Makati instead and adopted the same pose. She tensed her muscles like Taka had told her, and held the spear ready for whatever imaginary attack was coming her way.

Makari glanced at her for a second and then spoke. "Your forepaws are too close together, and your hind paws are too far apart."

Looking down at her hind paws, Roxy relaxed a little and tried to adjust her stance. "Like this?"

"No, that is too close. They should be just slightly wider than you would if you were standing. Think of it like you are preparing to pounce on someone."

"Okay…" Roxy said, moving her paws some more, "Like this?"

"Perfect."

Roxy tensed up again, and she could tell that her hind paws were now in the right spot. This felt a lot more comfortable.

"Yes, exactly," Makari said with a nod, "Your paws need to be ready for anything. You may need to strike forward, or leap back away from danger. If your legs are spread or hunched together, you lose that."

Roxy nodded, understanding what he was saying. His way of explaining things was a lot easier to follow than Taka's.

"Now your forepaws," he continued, "They are still too close."

"Oh. Really?"

"Taka has shown you many different spear techniques, so I am sure you have noticed that your paws are often in different places. If they are close together like that, you are liable to drop your weapon."

Roxy looked down and adjusted her grip. "Like this?"

"Still too close."

She frowned in confusion. "This…?"

Makari looked like he was suppressing a chuckle. "No, it is- Here."

He then stepped towards her and manoeuvered around until he was standing behind her back. Roxy followed him with her eyes, but kept herself in her battle stance. "I don't get what you mean…" she said.

"That is okay. Let me show you." Makari then stepped right up behind her, almost close enough for her to feel his fur. He reached forward with his two forepaws, bringing them around to her front and resting them on top of her own forepaws. He gently grasped them, and Roxy immediately felt the tingle of Makari's Static giving her a little zap. It made her shiver a little.

Roxy's eyes were wide open and staring blankly at her paws, which now each had a larger companion grasping them. Makari gently moved her paws along the spear until they were resting in the proper spot. From there, he shifted his limbs and pushed softly against hers, easing and molding her into the correct position.

"Like this. You see?"

His voice was right in her ear. She could feel his words being carried on his warm breath, sending an involuntary shiver up her spine. He was close enough to her that she could feel his body heat. If she focused hard enough, she could swear that she could feel his heartbeat too.

Roxy gulped, feeling her mind go blank. There was hands-on learning, and then there was this. Unless she was hugging her master, Roxy didn't usually get this close to others. It certainly wasn't a matter of trust; Roxy had come to trust Makari implicitly. She had given him a few hugs too. It wasn't like the feel of his fur or the jolt of his Static was anything new.

So, it made her wonder why her heart was thumping so hard.

"Roxy? Hello?"

Roxy jolted, as if suddenly waking up. "Huh? What?" she stammered, looking around. She realized that she had just been standing there and holding the pose by herself, Makari having moved away to stand in front of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She blinked. "Um…Y-yeah. Fine. Why?"

"You seemed like you were, hm…lost in thought?"

Roxy chuckled awkwardly and waved her paw dismissively. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinkin' about stuff. I'm fine, don't worry…."

She then turned her head away, trying to hide the fact that her cheeks were burning up and exhibiting a vibrant rosy hue.