Chapter 2:
A month after taking over the classroom lessons dealing with pokemon, Arthur was handed even more work and responsibility, as the higher ups were apparently satisfied with his results. Or maybe it was just them wanting a smaller workload. He didn't know, but no matter their reason it was a good way for him to gather more attention. Which was something he wanted, maybe, he thought. That's why he'd searched out a nice spot on the training ground surrounding the academies building. Here they had a simple lawn, a patch of taller grass with some rocks scattered around, and a nearby woods. Perfect to train how to use the environment to your advantage. He'd also received a selection of loan pokemon from the academy which he'd just put down on a small table he'd arranged himself, along with some water bottles and fruits. They'd be out here for a while, so he thought that might be a good idea.
The cardboard box that held the pokeballs also came with a clipboard documenting what exactly he'd been loaned and was expected to return afterwards. It didn't surprise him that all he'd been given were a bunch of young rattata. Top percentage, he was sure. The balls themselves were standard issue, except for them having one black and one white half, instead of the usual red-white split. When he'd asked why that was, he'd been told something along the lines off "special model that's not tracked by the league." So, were all the pokeballs sold tracked? If yes, why, and how? To keep track of the carrying limit? Or of what's been caught with them? But then how would anyone know how many a trainer was carrying around and had pokemon in them? That'd need some kind of identification, maybe some link or detection between individual balls to count them? And how did they work anyway? He had so many questions and no one to answer them …
A sudden clap on his shoulder made him stumble against the table, dropping the clipboard onto it. "Hey, how's our favorite teacher doing? Seems like you got a promotion to holding two classes!" Jessie said and looked over his shoulder with a grin. "Oh? You got some pokemon loaned, anything good in there?"
On his other side, James looked at the clipboard he'd just dropped. "Team Rockets finest, it would seem," he answered amused. "Didn't they want to give you anything else?"
"Nope," Arthur answered, "but that's actually not all that bad with what I have planned." He turned away from the table and saw that the other recruits were all slowly pouring into the designated area. Today Red class would share the lesson with Green class, who'd been almost as vocal about him teaching him during their first lesson with him as the Blue's had been. An older boy, likely around four to five years older than him, so around Jessie and James' age, groaned when he saw him and no other teacher around.
"They can't be serious. As if having a child teach wasn't bad enough, now they want us to take advice how to fight and train our pokemon?!" the boy made his anger known loudly, with a good amount of his classmates joining in on that. Backed by them, he marched in front of Arthur, looking down on the boy, both physically and metaphorically. "As if a squirt like you has any idea on how to do that in the first place; aren't you from some backwater shithole that doesn't even have any pokemon around?"
Jessie whipped around, looking like she was ready to rip the other recruit a new one and only held back by James, while Arthur just blinked and looked at his list of students. "Oh, you're absolutely right about the last part," he answered good-natured while looking from his paper to the recruit and back. "I'd say the other one is arguable, but we can find that out quickly. Since you're one of the older recruits I imagine you got quite a bit of training already. So why not join me in an exhibition match, Recruit Davidson?"
Caught off-guard by the way and tone he responded, accompanied by an innocent smile, Davidson blinked before grabbing the pokeballs on his hip, enlarging it from its smaller travel-form to a size fitting neatly in his hand. "Tche, don't run away crying when I wipe the floor with you, brat." Then he stomped a few feet away, waiting for him to get ready.
"Whew, haven't seen him get handled like that yet. Nice one, Art," James whistled with a grin. "But don't you want to stop him from using his own pokemon?"
"Hmm, I guess I could, but where'd be the fun in that?" Arthur answered with a cheeky smile and grabbed a random ball out of the box. He gestured everyone to follow him over to the area filled with tall grass and rocks before announcing. "This'll be a one-on-one match confined to this part of the training area. Recruit Kojiro will act as our referee in this exhibition match." James quickly took the small flags Arthur handed him and moved over to a central location from where he could see everything, taking position on one of the flatter rocks.
"Recruit Davidson may use his personal pokemon while I use one of the loaned ones that we all will be working with for the rest of this lesson and maybe the next. I want everyone to watch closely and makes notes, as I'll be asking some questions afterwards," Arthur stated loudly and released a small rattata. The purple rodent looked around, curiously sniffing the air. Then it noticed the large audience, before it turned towards Arthur as he crouched down, holding out his hand for the 'mon to sniff. It didn't look all that aggressive or bad mannered as it carefully came closer to familiarize itself with him, taking the resulting pats it received with a joyous expression. He'd expected the pokemon stored and used by Team Rocket to be more … roguish? Something like keeping them in a bad mood to be more aggressive and willing to fight, maybe even abuse them to teach them moves like Frustration? Maybe they didn't do any of that, or maybe it was because this rattata was one of the freshly caught pokemon, who knew.
His opponent released an angry looking ekans that liked its lips when it saw the small rattata. The purple snake coiled up and fixed them with its yellow eyes, making the smaller pokemon shy away from it. Arthur gave his temporary partner another pat and a reaffirming smile. "Don't worry, we got this. Can you go fast?" The rat looked up at him and nodded with a loud "Rat!" He got back up and his pokemon took its place in front of him, prompting James to raise his flags.
"Begin!"
"Let's make this quick. Ekans, spray that little rat with Poison Sting!" Davidson shouted and his pokemon surged into battle, raising its head to shoot out dozens of little white needles, which gave off a soft purple glow.
"Dodge and hide in the tall grass!" Arthur countered, Rattata just barely managing to jump to the side in time and into the nearby grass to hide it from view. "Circle it and go towards the rocks."
The smaller pokemon made next to no noise as it scurried away, causing its opponent to lose track of it. The other recruit clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Of course. The prey hides from its predator, how weak. Ekans, get on top of that rock and locate that rat!" Nodding, the snake pokemon slithered over towards a nearby rock and onto it, stretching its body upwards to get a better point of view.
"Growl!" Arthur commanded and his pokemon obliged, getting the ekans' attention while reducing its aggression. At least that's what Arthur hoped it would. With this not being some turn-based game with cookie-cutter effects, it wasn't all that clear how moves worked, even if many things overlapped. Moves like Growl could be used defensively to lessen the brunt of an attack if there wasn't a better alternative like dodging, blocking, or contesting with a move of your own, while the more physical and elemental moves were more straight forward. Status moves were a bit icky and he hadn't even gotten the chance to use boosting ones.
"Ha, you fool! Ekans, get it with Bite!" Their opponent ordered and his pokemon rushed down the rock and straight towards it target with its teeth bared.
"Wait … dodge to the side!" Arthur timed his next command, so that his Rattata could jump away from the attack as the Ekans broke through the grass. Instead of biting its target, it bit into the rock behind it, making it cry out in pain. "Now, Tackle its side! Then get on top of it!"
The Tackle disoriented the Ekans just long enough for Rattata to get on top of it, prompting Arthur to call for more. "Hold tight and bite into it!"
"Shake it off, Ekans!"
Both pokemon did as they're told, and while Rattata's bite was just a normal bite, the short dark glow its teeth got fizzled out almost immediately, it was enough to hurt its opponent and stay on it. Ekans flayed around in pain, wiggling, and tossing itself from side to side and even hitting another rock until the damage was too much and it slumped down, its eyes circling in a clear sign of defeat.
James raised his flags and called out "With that, Recruit Davidssons pokemon is unable to battle! Recruit Andersson wins this battle!" The entirety of class Red cheered, with Jessie shooting the defeated recruit a mocking look, who returned his downed pokemon to its ball in anger.
"Stupid weakling, how could you lose to a little Rattata like that?!" he shouted, while his classmates were in a mix of disbelief and amused surprise.
Arthur scooped up his temporary partner and reached for one of the fruits he brought along. "Great job out there, buddy. Here, have a snack and take a breather." Rattata shouted its name in pride and grabbed the fruit with all fours and bit into it as Arthur cradled it in his arms.
"I think we've got our answer as to whether I know what I'm doing or not. Thank you for your assistance, Recruit Davidson," Arthur proclaimed with a smile as he turned towards his students, his beaten opponent stomping to the back of his classmates and throwing angry looks at anyone who looked funny. "Now, what did you all see in this battle? You there, please."
The older boy from the other class he pointed at was surprised to get picked like that before answering. "Well … I'd say you won that handily."
"Thanks, but how did I do that?" Arthur countered, leaving the other boy confused.
"Your pokemon dodged and beat it?"
When no further explanation came, he turned to his own classmates, so Jessie surged into action. "You used the terrain to your advantage. Since you knew that your opponent had a better trained pokemon, you used this area for the battle where Rattata could hide and remain unseen for you to counteract whatever your opponent did."
"Exactly! On a plain field there's no way I could've used this strategy and instead would've had to rely on speed and direct combat. But what did we learn about dealing with stronger foes?" Arthur explained and raised another question.
This time a smaller girl from the other class answered. "If an opponent is too strong and you can't back out either use number advantage or fight dirty. You let Rattata hide and made its opponent attack into a trap, which in turn left it open so it could be worn down."
"Excellent, full marks!" he said with an even larger smile, prompting one in the recruit that answered as well. "There are times where we can shut down our opponent with brute force, but we're Team Rocket, we don't just fight like that! Before making your first move, always take your surroundings into account; Where can your or your opponent's pokemon hide? What can you use to your advantage to improve your next attack or defense? The more there's around you the more attention you should give it, especially when going against stronger opponents or ones capable of flight."
James came by and returned the little flags, getting a thanks and pat on the shoulder from Arthur, who put down the rattata he used on the table to pick up the cardboard box. "Now, I want everyone to grab a ball and familiarize themselves with the pokemon you get. It's a temporary partnership but nevertheless you want a relationship in which you can work together, so be nice."
After all students grabbed a ball, he put some flags around the area. "We'll do the next part in teams. Gather up in groups of four at each of the flags. You'll train at the designated area one against one until you've faced everyone in your group once, so just go until the first hit. When everyone's done, you'll rotate to the next area. Use the terrain to your advantage!" Arthur called out and watched them do as told. Some grumbled while doing so, but that was alright, they'd surely come around eventually.
He wandered from group to group and watched their progress, purposefully carrying his folder with scrabbling in notes when walking past. Not everyone took to the exercise as well as James, who'd have his rattata weave and hop around each of its opponents no matter the terrain, while Jessie preferred a more straight-forward approach, instead giving her opponent a false sense of security before striking decisively. His earlier opponent did especially bad after losing thrice in a row, shouting at his rattata until it simply ignored him. Arthur made a note of that and then approached the group in which the two Green class students who answered his questions earlier, as it seemed like they struggled.
"What seems to be the problem?" he asked, surprising them as they surged up.
"Eek … oh, uhm, my rattata isn't really doing what we're telling them." The girl said while the boy grunted in agreement.
"Can you show me?"
The two took battle stances in the forest area, the boy taking the first move. "Rattata, go for a Tackle!" While his pokemon charged forward, the girl faltered. "Eh, dodge to … no, behind that tree!" But before her partner could move it was struck and thrown back. Arthur watched this happen once more, after that Rattata didn't listen to her in the first place, so he called for a stop.
"Alright, I believe I know what's the problem," he said and looked at the girl. "You're unsure and nervous when making a call. That's perfectly normal if you're not used to this, but it's a problem that needs to be dressed immediately. Not only does it confuse your partner when you order different things but it makes your orders questionable. That's why it's either too slow or tries something of its own instead, since it sees you as unreliable."
"E-eh? But I'm its trainer, even if just temporarily," was the respond to that, but he shook his head.
"That's not the problem. When human and pokemon fight together they must trust in each other, and if you can't trust your orders yourself, how could your pokemon?" he explained. "If you're behaving like that with a pokemon you've had for a long time and that has formed a bond with you then it might still do what you ask of it, or maybe even know better, but that's not the case here. You must show that you're confident in your orders, not only for your pokemon, but for yourself. The mindset is half the battle."
That bit was something he'd ripped straight out of the show, but it applied nevertheless. While all of this was more real, some parts overlapped more than others, and the special bond between trainer and pokemon was one of those. He'd learnt that himself when he was in the same position back when he had started his training here, which is why he'd trained to present himself as confident as he was now.
"Keep that in mind and try again. Give your partner a clear, confident order," he urged her and they tried again, this time with success. She still lost as she was too surprised that it worked and forgot to give another order, but it was progress. Something the other recruits noticed.
Later that day Arthur had struggled with a wholly different assignment. He'd no idea how to pick the lock he's given, nor did he have the finesse to somehow manage it by sheer luck, while everyone else had been long done. Nor did he manage to extract an item without being noticed from another room, slip something into another's pocket, nor make a convincing disguise. Unlike Jessie and James who, unlike how it was in the show, were completely unrecognizable. If he hadn't known it was them beforehand, he would've never found out. So, either they were incredible with that set of skills and the show just depicted it clearly for the viewer, or he was as gullible as Ash had been. He really hoped it wasn't the latter.
The last lesson for that day was General Studies, which included everything that didn't fit the specialized lessons. Math, Survival, Economics, First Aid, and other topics that didn't directly concerned themselves pokemon or thievery, although that was debatable. Considering the pieces of what he knew about Jessie and James' past, he hadn't been surprised at all when Jessie got full marks on her medical skills, same with James when it came to intuitively using new and experimental gadgets or causing a distraction. He himself did passable in most of the topics like everyone, excelling only in gathering information by talking his way in and out of groups, prompting just the right keywords to get what he wanted. That wasn't something he'd always been able to do, but it seemed like he had more charm in this world than the last. Or were they just nice because he was young?
To review everything they'd learnt that week, the three of them claimed themselves a cozy spot in the common room that connected the sleeping areas for all the classes. After they had grabbed themselves some cups of hot chocolate from the vending machine, it wasn't all that great but better than anything else they could've gotten, they went over the lessons Arthur had taught himself. It sure was good for those two to have direct access to him, as their grades had been abysmal in this subject before he'd started helping them out. Why had he decided to do that? He honestly didn't quite remember but he imagined it to be a mix of finding someone he knew, at least in theory, and just wanting to help. And it was a choice he didn't regret in the slightest.
"- so wouldn't it be great to have a pokemon that can create obstructions itself?" James asked when the topic of using one's surroundings to their advantage. He was currently slung over the couch, standing behind it and bending over its rest with his papers as he made notes.
"Yep, pokemon that can create a smokescreen or fog are great to have no matter the scenario. I believe many fire types, some foreign water types, and some poison types can do that." Arthur answered and took a sip of his chocolate as Jessie threw herself onto the couch, taking up what was left of its sitting space and putting her feet in Arthur's lap. "Oof, Jessie, put those things away, you're not a koffing." He playfully slapped her feet, but she just slumped down the couch further, so they reached over the armrest instead.
"That's what I should get, a koffing! It's constantly releasing gasses and floats, so it isn't just capable of restricting vision, but can be used to float out of a bad situation!" James exclaimed and wrote that down furiously. "I'd kiss you right now but after getting a whiff of those smelly feet I think I'll refrain from getting anywhere near those."
That earned him a cushion to the face. "I doubt yours are any better after all the walking we'd to do today, James," Jessie huffed and stretched while pushing her hairs to the side to lay down more comfortably. "Can't we at least have less walking in your lessons, Arty?"
"Nope, everyone needs to be quick on their feet, especially you two," he responded and didn't let her antics bother him. Nor her rising outrage as she of course interpreted it as him caller her fat. She certainly wasn't, not in the slightest, but boy did she need a shower. That smell could qualify for biological warfare. Instead, he made some notes about what James showed him earlier so he hopefully wouldn't fluke their next Skullduggery lesson.
A pat on the shoulder had him look up, only to see the two other recruits he'd helped with their confidence earlier that day. "Hey, hope I'm not interrupting but I just wanted to thank you for your help."
He blinked in surprise before nodding. "You're welcome."
"Yeah, just bother him like we do when we need help, he won't say no." James laughed, which Jessie joined in immediately.
"Isn't he such a good boy?" she said and leaned forward to pinch Arthur's cheek. Using the opening, James hops over the backrest and sits down before she can lay down again, much to her annoyance.
"Schtop it," Arthur squeezed out and slapped the hand away, making the two of them laugh even more as Jessie rearranged her position to sit down properly. "But they're not wrong, just come by if you need anything," he added towards the girl, who chuckled herself.
"I'll keep it in mind, see you around," she waved them goodbye before marching on.
He wanted to get back to his notes, but that was practically impossible with Jessie around. "Who would've thought any of us would be taught by some kid? Heck, we're even getting tutored by you if you think about it."
"Yeah, you must be on studious kid, Art. Where'd you get all that info from anyway? I thought you've been here for-" James added before stopping himself. It was no secret that the younger recruits didn't come here willingly, unlike they did.
"I am," Arthur answered without missing a beat. "Parents were researchers and I just asked a lot of questions." It didn't feel right to lie like that, but what was he supposed to say? That he knew all this because from where he's from all of this was just another fantasy like the ones you could read about even here? No, there's no point of telling that to anyone. If anything, it was a risk if someone found out and wanted to know everything he did. Could psychic types enter one's mind and find out about it? Was there a chance that Team Rocket would employ those to make sure there wasn't any double agents? What if is extensive knowledge prompts Archer or, Arceus above, Giovanni to have him looked up like that?
No doubt noticing his sudden silence, Jessie brought the focus onto her instead. "Yeah, I know that all too well. My mother, Miyamoto, was a Specialist ranked member of Team Rocket. Whenever she returned from her missions, I'd bury her with questions about everything that happened. Until one day she didn't."
With the sudden weight of the conversation, James laughed nervously. "Well, mine had my life planned out from start to finish with stuff I hated to do, so I ran away. Best decision I've made thus far."
"Aren't your parents, like, filthy rich?" Jessie recounted hearing something about that before.
"They are, but what good are riches if all you have is a golden cage?" he returned theatrically, before adding with a shudder. "And it's not like that's all that made me bolt back then …"
Nodding along, Arthur finished up his notes. "I for one am glad I was taken back then. I can't imagine what I'd be doing in that baren wasteland otherwise. And hey, I met you guys."
He'd thought nothing of it, but the noogie he got from Jessie in response told him otherwise. "Aww, don't say that, you're making me blush." His struggles were fruitless, as once he was out, a teary James hooked him with his arm. "To be so young and innocent again. Never change, Art."
"You guys are making a scene …" Arthur grumbled but huffed out a laugh. What a couple of dorks he'd to deal with every day.
Thanks for reading! Hope to see you around next time!