"Ledyba, use Mach Punch!" Jackson shouted.
"Take this!" Ledyba called out, flying at the Rattata with a glowing fist.
"Counter with Hyper Fang!" The young boy named Joey shouted.
"Get gnawed!" Rattata snapped, leaping up with his buck teeth glowing. The two attacks collided, before they pushed off one another.
It had been a little time after he parted with Kris, and now he was in the midst of a battle with a youngster named Joey. It was a one against one battle, with his Rattata against Jackson's Ledyba. Eevee watched from Jackson's shoulder.
"Nice one!" Joey shouted, "You're not bad, but my Rattata and I still have more to go! Quick Attack!" Rattata dashed in at high speeds at Ledyba, taking a leap to reach him.
"Reflect!" Jackson shouted, and Ledyba placed up a barrier to endure the attack, only taking half of the amount of damage he would've taken. "And now Supersonic!" Jackson roared, with Ledyba unleashing a sonic wave point blank at Rattata, causing him to fly backwards, crumple to the ground, only to get up completely confused.
"Oh, no!" Joey cried out, "Rattata, snap out of it and use Hyper Fang." Rattata was warbling words as he activate his attack, but stumbled and fell over, injuring himself and stopping his attack.
"Go in for a Mach Punch!" Jackson called out, and Ledyba shot forward fist-first. He slammed his fist into Rattata, and sent him flying into Joey's feet, where he had spirals in his eyes, defeated.
"Ack, I lost! Doggone it!" Joey shouted, "I completely ran out of Pokémon."
"Thanks for the battle." Jackson told him, as Ledyba came back to his side, "You were amazing out there, Ledyba. Great going!"
"Way to show 'em, Ledyba!" Eevee cheered.
"I glad I made you proud." he answered, smiling happily, before his body started to glow, catching Jackson and Joey off guard.
"What the…!" Jackson gasped.
"No way!" Eevee gasped, "Ledyba…is going through an evolution!" The two watched as Ledyba's body was changing shape, his head sticking out a little more from its body, developing a neck, and gaining actual feet instead. When the light vanished, Ledyba's body developed humanoid features, different black antennae, pure blue eyes, longer limbs, with red feet included, almost making his body smaller compared to what he was before, even though he was maybe a feet taller.
"I evolved, at long last!" His new bug Pokémon.
"Your Ledyba evolved into a Ledian!" Joey realized.
"Ledian?" Jackson echoed, looking to his newly-evolved partner as he asked, "So that's your new name, huh?" He pulled out his Pokédex, examining him.
"Ledian. The Five Star Pokémon, and the evolved form of Ledyba. It is said that in lands with clean air, where the stars fill the sky, there live Ledian in countless numbers. There is a good reason for this: the Pokémon uses the light of the stars as its energy."
"That is so cool!" Jackson exclaimed, looking to his new partner, "Looking forward to working with you!"
"Hey, you're not too bad of a fighter!" Joey told Jackson, approaching him, "Say, why don't you and I trade numbers! I wouldn't mind having a rematch with you if you are nearby!"
"If it means getting a little experience with my teammates, then I won't mind." Jackson answered, pulling out his tablet, "I'll give you my number."
"What's this? You don't have a PokéGear?" Joey asked, pulling out his gear, which was a brown color.
"This tablet is more than enough for me." Jackson replied strongly, stopping any questioning from Joey. The two exchanged phone numbers, and with a farewell, they left one another.
(Insert 'Never Give Up' By Sonar Pocket)
Instrumental Opening
(Jackson stands at the top of a cliff, looking out into the vast landscape of the Johto region. He turns to the camera with surprise, grins, then draws his sword and swipes it across the screen, transitioning to white with the logo appearing.)
What tough heart! Once I decided that I'd keep up the fight
My road has never stopped unraveling
(Camera circles around Jackson as he runs along an open-plain path with his Eevee, who after a couple seconds, leaps onto his shoulder as he activates his Extreme Gear and shoots even faster onto the path.)
Carrying a small bit of pride
With my fists clenched
(The screen shows a brief image of Professor Elm, dropping papers from his clipboard, and smiling as he rubbed the back of his head. It shifts to a visual of Kris, Ethan, and their starters, with Ethan punching his fist forward, while Kris spun around with her arms out wide.)
I aim for the goal again step by step
Racing towards it with all my might!
(The screen shifts to Sonic & Tails, the former giving a thumbs up, while the latter waved his hands above eagerly. The screen shifts to Cypher, who glared at the screen with a Pokéball held close to his face.)
Sometimes it'll be a bad day
Where nothing goes the way I want it to
But even if the sky blurs through my tears
(Jackson is sitting by a campfire, his expression full of emotional pain as shadows of his past with red eyes creeped all around him. He curled himself into a ball as the shadow of his father appeared over his head.)
I'm sure my smiles will come back tomorrow
So it's okay!
(Shadows started getting blown away one large piece at a time, until light broke out around Jackson, who looked up to see his Pokémon all standing there, protecting him from his trauma.)
There's nothing out there to fear
I'll keep believing that 'I'm strong'
And get going!
(Silhouettes of the Gym Leaders appeared as the screen scrolled upwards through a gold, silver, and crystal colors behind them. It shifts to the emblem of Team Rocket, with darkened faces of grunts, with the four admins in front, holding their Pokéballs. Jackson readies his blade, as he tosses a Pokéball forward, which opens up and blinds the screen in a white light.)
'With you around, there's nothing to worry about now'
I felt as if the sky was saying that to me with a laugh
(Eevee leapt forward, unleashing a Swift attack from her tail, with Ledyba flying next to her, using his own Swift to join her's. Dewott and Weavile shoot through the Swift attack, unleash double Night Slash, slicing the stars, before dismissing their blades, and Dewott angrily looking at the calm and collected Weavile.)
With the sweat and tears I build up
I'm sure I'll come out dazzling
(Cyndaquil turns to face the Team Rocket logo, before unleashing his Flamethrower. Cyndaquil sighed in relief as Scyther flew over him, before slashing with his mantis claws like a swordsman.)
Even if I end up feeling anxious after it all
As long as I believe I can do it
(An Aeroblast and Sacred Fire came from the sky, shooting down at Jackson's team, but Jackson stepped in and unleashed several sword beams, countering the attacks and making them explode. He and his team endured the shockwaves and smoke from the explosion, before looking up into the distance, and saw the silhouettes of the Tower Duo flying over the two towers that represented each.)
These footsteps have taught me to
Always
Never Give Up!
(Jackson's Pokémon come to his side as he looked to them, before grinning eagerly, and the group leapt up into the air, taking on the new threat and the new adventure. The screen goes white before showing Jackson standing with his sword stabbed into the ground, his Pokémon companions surrounding him.)
Jackson stopped at a good resting place to gather his Pokémon out, featuring his Eevee, Ledian, Weavile, and Dewott. He brought out food to feed them, before sitting down, pulling out the map on his tablet. "We just reached Route 31. A little while more, and we'll reach Violet City, where our true first Gym is at."
"Heh, I can mop the floor with any one of those gyms!" Dewott scoffed, "My skills are more than enough for it alone!"
"Dewott, a battle is won by more than one Pokémon!" Eevee argued, "You should learn that you aren't a loner anymore."
"And YOU should learn that I said I wasn't gonna be buddy-buddy with you guys just because I joined your team!"
"Chill out, Dewott." Weavile told him calmly.
"Wanna go, Weavile?!" Dewott growled, pulling out his scalchops.
"Easy, easy!" Ledian stopped them.
"Guys, calm down!" Jackson ordered his Pokémon, stopping things from escalating, "Gods, it reminds me of the pointless battles between Knuckles and Sonic. Course, this is only when Knuckles gets fooled by Eggman for the billionth time."
"You really like to talk about your friends a lot." Eevee noted, "Despite the sad story of your past, when you talk about your friends, you seem to have a more relaxed personality."
"Do I?" Jackson asked, tapping his cheeks, "Guess they are pretty much the only friends I have in that world now…" He looked down pretty hurt by that fact.
"Hey, I already know that Tails person, but who are the rest of the Pokémon friends you have in that world?" Ledian asked.
"First of all, they are not Pokémon. They're Mobians." Jackson corrected, pulling out a photo from his backpack, showing off a younger version of himself, along with his sister, "They were the reason I became a hero for a time in my old world. Tails is a genius, and the one who taught me all about mechanical engineering. Without him, I wouldn't understand you guys."
"So he's the 'all brains, no brawn' kind of guy, huh?" Dewott asked bluntly.
"Hardly, though he is more of a think before acting person." Jackson explained, "But he is able to fly using propeller tails, and moves crazy fast when he needs to. But his best friend, as well as my dear friend and idol, Sonic, he's the fastest thing alive."
"He's that fast?!" Ledian asked with curiosity.
"Heck yeah! No one can keep up with him, whatsoever, even going at light speed! And he's hell as strong, too! He can even take out entire battleships on his own!"
"Not really get it, but he sounds pretty cool." Weavile stated.
"The coolest hedgehog ever!" Jackson added.
"So what about these other guys?" Eevee asked, looking at the photo, before seeing a red echidna with the large fists, "I bet this guy is that Knuckles guy you told me about."
"Indeed he is. Friend and rival to Sonic." Jackson explained, "Still, if you want brawn, he is your guy. He's even punched a volcano active one time. Not exactly smart, but is able to read ancient languages."
"Punch volcanoes active?!" Dewott exclaimed, "That guy sounds awesome! Can he use Night Slash? I wanna duel him!
"He's not a Pokémon, so he can't learn Night Slash." Jackson chuckled.
"So what about the rest of your friends here?" Eevee asked.
"Well, there is Amy Rose." Jackson answered, pointing to the pink hedgehog, "She's Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend, but is incredibly strong enough to be part of the hero team. I hate to anger her and get on the other end of her giant hammer. Then there's Cream the Rabbit…" He pointed to the young rabbit girl in the photo, "She's more of a pacifist, but helps out in a pinch, especially with her Chao partner, Cheese."
"Okay, that definitely looks like a Pokémon!" Ledian stated, looking at the small blue, ball-tipped creature.
"That's no Pokémon. That's a Chao." Jackson explained, "They're…well, kinda like fairies, if that makes any sense."
"They are Fairy-type?" Eevee asked.
"Uh… You know what, forget it."
"What about that purple fat furry guy?" Dewott asked, looking at the cat-like creature in the picture, "He reminds me of a Snorlax."
Jackson questioned the name, and pulled out his Pokédex, looking at the said Pokémon, which looked very similar, but no fur. "Snorlax. The Sleeping Pokémon. Snorlax's typical day consists of nothing more than eating and sleeping. It is such a docile Pokémon that there are children who use its expansive belly as a place to play."
"Hehe…well, they are similar in appearance." Jackson admitted, "And his belly is rather nice to sleep on. However, that's Big the Cat. He's a gentle, albeit dumb, giant who would more spend time fishing with his pet frog rather than doing any battles."
"And that girl in the center with you?" Eevee asked, looking at the other human in the group.
"That's my sister, Sarah." Jackson answered, looking very sad, "She and I relied on one another a lot, but I'm not sure how she's doing things back home. Last I checked, she was in therapy, dealing with the trauma that my father put her through. Although, I also heard she's competing in races using Extreme Gear like my Air Shoes." His anger resurfaced from the memories once again, causing the four Pokémon to look at him with a worried manner. Dewott did show surprise that he was able to show anger about someone like he did for his previous trainer.
"Hey, can you tell me if you have any other friends other than the ones on this picture?" Eevee asked, trying to divert the conversation.
Jackson managed to calm down as he answered, "Yeah, I have a few more pictures." Jackson dug into his backpack, and pulled out a new selection of photos. The first one was Jackson standing in front of a raggedy agency, striking a pose with three characters; an alligator, a chameleon, and a bee, all of which were Mobians.
"These three are group called Team Chaotix. They are a detective group who are pretty decent at their job, and are really good friends. Their leader is Vector the Alligator, who got me into loving some music. Then there's Espio the Chameleon, who has incredible ninja-like stealth." The description did intrigue Weavile, who looked up curiously at the description. "Finally, there's Charmy Bee. He's annoying, very fool-hearty, but loyal and dedicated to being the eyes in the sky."
He then flipped to the next photo, showing Jackson with a slightly nervous expression as he surrounded himself by Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and three others; a black and red hedgehog like Sonic, a beautiful bat girl, and a robot. Based on the photo, Knuckles was not getting along with the bat girl, where as the black hedgehog was not amused at Sonic trying to get him to strike a pose with him in the photo.
"Those three new faces are a team known as Team Dark." Jackson explained, "They are…well, acquaintances, rather than actual friends. We don't exactly hate each other, but…well, we at least have shared goals. They are even part of a military force called 'G.U.N' in my world."
"That black creature looks like Sonic." Eevee pointed out.
"That's Shadow. He's a powerful fighter, and a super rival to Sonic." Jackson explained, "Don't ask me why he looks like Sonic so much. But he does remind me a lot of Weavile in some ways."
"I already don't like him." Dewott growled, immediately disliking the guy from that description.
"The woman is Rouge. She's a purebred thief and treasure hunter." Jackson explained, "She's probably the one I am able to deal with better than the other two, and although she stays on the right side of the law, she is still very mischievous. As for the robot, that's Omega. He's pretty okay if your his ally, but don't ever get in the way of him and other robots made by Eggman. He's pretty much destructive in that case."
"You certainly have a lot of weird friends and allies." Eevee pointed out.
"You think that's weird. I haven't even mentioned the friends of mine who came from a different dimension and from the future." Jackson stated, going to the next picture, showing off a picture of himself, along with Sonic, Tails, and Cream, with two other characters; a silverish hedgehog, and a pink cat.
"Another one of those hedgehog characters?" Ledian asked.
"That's Silver. He hails from the future, which was originally grim. He even got fooled into thinking Sonic was to blame for his future, but that was someone else's fault. Now, he is a friend who occasionally comes back to join us in all sorts of things. Oh, and he can use psychokinesis, which is pretty darn awesome!"
"That guy…sounds confusing." Dewott argued, getting a headache.
"Sounds like a Pokémon who can go through time, too." Weavile compared, "I can't exactly remember who that was."
"As for the other girl, that's Blaze." Jackson explained, "She's a princess in another dimension, likes to act cool, but can be a bit of a hothead and standoffish. Still, I am best friends with her, and she can use pyrokinesis."
"Psychokinesis? Pyrokinesis?" Eevee echoed, "Does that mean they are Psychic and Fire-types?"
"But he just said they are not Pokémon." Ledian reminded her.
"So is that all your friends?" Dewott asked.
"In this world." Jackson replied, "I do have friends and masters in another world I got stuck in for a while." He pulled out another picture, and showed off a picture of an entirely different group, all of which were human. Jackson was around the same age, but he was wearing a martial artist gi, Not only that, but there were several other characters around him, including a boy about his age, with short black hair wearing the same uniform. There were two mid-teens, a brown-haired boy and a blonde girl, standing next to them, as well as five men and a beautiful lady.
"This is the dojo known as Ryozanpaku." Jackson explained, "I trained there alongside another person who got sent from his world into this. A person who I am very sure is from this world, named Seth Muto."
"Hold on. You're saying you know someone in this world?" Dewott asked.
"Yep, though for the time being, I'm not looking for him." Jackson replied, looking back at the picture, "The two teens in the photo are Kenichi and Miu. Kenichi is the true first disciple of that dojo, while Miu is the granddaughter of the dojo master, who is the blonde old man standing behind them. The two guys are definitely a couple, no doubt."
"He looks more ripped than a Machamp!" Dewott compared, "That guy is seriously next level power!"
"More powerful than any other person I know." Jackson replied, "Though the others around us were the masters of the dojo, all who utilized different martial arts." He pointed to each individual as he described them, "The man in the white gi is Akihara, master of judo. Then there's that guy holding the beer can, Sakaki, who is a master a karate. Then there's that guy with the ditzy expression, that's Apachai. Despite his childish demeanor, he is an extremely awesome Muy Tai master, also pretty fun guy…as long as you are not training with him."
"So you trained under these guys?" Weavile asked.
"Primarily not the three I mentioned. Although, I did get some physical development from them, though I can barely remember any of Apachai's lessons. His blows end up knocking me out cold."
"So the other two were who you trained under?" Weavile asked, looking at the short man in a cap, and the young lady in ninja attire.
"Yep. Those two are Kensei, who is a master in Chinese kenpo, and Shigure, the maiden of weapons. I learned a heck of a lot from those two."
"Hmm…" Dewott looked at the two characters, realizing Jackson had experience, then shouting, "That's it!", startling everyone. He raced away from the team, before turning to Jackson, raising a scalchop and pointing it at Jackson, declaring, "Trainer of mine, you already showed me before that you are skilled enough to fend me off. Prove to me how strong you are in a duel!"
"Seriously?" Jackson questioned.
"I'm dead serious!" Dewott answered, "If you are as strong as you say you are, then I want to see first-hand how well you can take me on! Draw your blade!"
Jackson sighed as he stood up, answering, "I won't fight you with my sword. At least, not with this sword…" He placed all his photos into his backpack, and after rummaging through it, he pulled out a new sword. The blade was wooden, yet the hilt was rather mechanical.
"What are you, trying to hold back on me?!" Dewott demanded, stomping his foot angrily, "I won't stand for that!"
"Relax, this sword is more than enough." Jackson replied, holding it aloft, "This is actually my training sword. It does have this function…" He clicked a button at the handguard, the wooden blade extended out slightly into four parts, flipped around, revealing a metal side, before sliding back into place. "Although, I only use this side for some serious attacks. For now, I'll use my wooden side unless I need to." He clicked the button on his sword again, and it reverted to the wooden sword form.
"That still doesn't make me any happier!" Dewott growled, "Still, I will make you use that steel blade of yours! Get ready! Night Slash!" He shot forward as his scalchop created a purple energy blade, and he leapt at Jackson, bringing down the blade on him. However, Jackson effortlessly side-stepped the attack, gliding the flat of Dewott's blade along the flat of his blade, reaching halfway before deflecting the attack and slashing Dewott, sending him careening backwards, crashing into the ground away from him. The other Pokémon made noise of shock and pain in what Dewott dealt with.
"Come on. You are too obvious with your attack." Jackson told him, tossing his sword into a spin, before catching the handle and pointing the weapon at the rising Dewott, "I am fully aware of you only using Night Slash, and eventually in each battle, your opponent will become aware of that fact, too. So try switching it up by mixing other moves with your attack."
"Shut up! I vow to become a Night Slash user that is superior among others, so how can I do that if I DON'T use Night Slash!" He unleashed the energy blade at Jackson again, and went into a climbing slash that Jackson leaned back from. He kept up the slashes one after another, trying to slash Jackson even once. However, he either evaded or blocked the attacks with minimal effort. Finally, Jackson used his free hand to unleash a palm thrust that caught Dewott off guard, and sent him flying away, tumbling to the ground.
He got back up as he growled, "Cheater! Why are you using your hands instead of your sword?!"
"It's not cheating. It's strategy." Jackson answered, "I am using all of the lessons taught to me by my teachers to keep my range of skills diverse and unpredictable. The Pokédex already showed me you use not just Night Slash, but Focus Energy, Water Pulse, and Razor Shell. If you power yourself up with Focus Energy, or shoot from a distance with Water Pulse, you might be able to catch me off guard."
"But I won't be acknowledged for my Night Slash!" Dewott argued, "I must defeat my opponent with that move and that move alone!" Dewott went at Jackson, keeping up his stream of slashes with the one move he placed his whole being into.
'This isn't going anywhere.' Jackson told himself as Dewott continued his attack, 'He is too far obsessed with his Night Slash, and his pride is keeping him from changing. How can I convince him to use more moves? Maybe in a way where he can be satisfied as long as he uses Night Slash…' Suddenly, a thought came to him, and he realized a good plan.
Jackson leapt far away from Dewott, switching his blade to steel form, and unleashed sword beams from it, striking the area around Dewott, and made him fly up with the rubble, taking damage. He fell to the ground, but got back up, panting in exhaustion.
"Listen, Dewott." Jackson called to him.
"What? Are you not done talkin'?" Dewott asked, irritated at him.
"As long as you defeat your opponent with Night Slash, will you be satisfied, right?" Jackson asked.
"That's what I keep saying." he replied.
"In that case, use your other attacks to soften up your target." Jackson explained, "Deal a lot of damage to them with your versatility. Then, when the time is right, take them out with your Night Slash. That's how you show you are the best Night Slash user!"
This caught Dewott's attention, who stopped at the thought of what he had. However, he dismissed it as he questioned, "And how will you know that some other move other than my Night Slash won't be the finishing move?!"
"Because I can read an opponent well." Jackson answered, "You gotta trust me on knowing when it the time is right to strike. For now, try doing what I suggested at me!" Jackson got in a defensive stance, ready to take on any attack Dewott had in store.
The Pokémon was, once again, interested in Jackson. It was yet again another demonstration that Jackson was not like any other trainer. For some reason, despite all the hatred he had for trainers, and the claim he wasn't planning to be all buddy-buddy with this one, he couldn't help but trust the strategy he created. After all, he did just say that he would make Dewott the best Night Slash user.
Dewott concentrated as he growled, "Focus Energy!" His body glowed with an aura, tightening his focus as he glared at Jackson, seeing the open areas in Jackson's stance. He then placed his scalchops away, and created a sphere of condensed water in between his hands, before shouting, "Water Pulse!", launching the sphere at Jackson. He saw it coming at one of his legs, but quickly reacted in a front flip slash, keeping his leg out of range while slashing the orb in half.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Dewott growled, charging in, "Then I'll show you my other move! Razor Shell!" He drew out his scalchops, and produced an aqua blue energy from them, which turned into curved blades.
"Now you are interesting me!" Jackson responded, as Dewott leapt at him and unleashed swings from both blades, which Jackson dodged and parried. His attacks were a lot closer and more accurate than before, all thanks to Focus Energy. Jackson knew he couldn't evade them all for much longer. He watched the rhythm of Dewott's movement, and found an opening, thrusting his blade into Dewott's gut, causing him to gag, and be sent crashing away from Jackson once again.
He got back up again, grimacing in pain, taking a lot of damage from the very few attacks Jackson unleashed. "That…really didn't help me…" he grimaced, "All those attacks…still failed."
"I'm just more experienced in combat than you." Jackson replied, "But to be fair, the attacks you demonstrated just now were a lot closer than you think. I had to push you back to prevent myself from getting hit by you."
"I…was that close?" Dewott asked.
"You were!" Eevee shouted from the sidelines, causing Dewott to jump. He had completely forgotten that the other Pokémon were watching their fight.
"I was really impressed by how well you were doing just now!" Ledian stated, "You fought a lot better than just using only Night Slash."
Dewott looked to Weavile, who furled his arms, and smirked as he answered, "You were better." From the Discipline Pokémon's perspective, it almost felt like to a mock to him. However, to Weavile, it was a compliment.
"Come at me harder, Dewott!" Jackson called out, "I can't bladin' wait to see how much more you can dish out at me!"
Dewott couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself, despite being worse for wear. However, being in this state was a benefit for him. He dug down deep, and with a roar, he unleashed a water blue aura around his body. Eevee and Ledian gasped in awe at this new development.
"Is that the Torrent ability that I read?" Jackson asked out loud, "That ability boosts Dewott's Water-type moves when low on stamina. Meaning his Water Pulse and Razor Shell should get a boost."
"You want me to come at you harder?!" Dewott questioned, "Here I go! Water Pulse!" He unleashed the aquatic orb, which was larger and pulsing more with energy, before firing it at Jackson. The swordsman trainer had no choice but to switch to his metal blade form, flipping the blade around, and slashed at the Water Pulse. It took him a couple seconds, but he was able to slash through it, with the two halves falling to the ground behind him. The shockwave caused him to stumble forward, and Dewott saw it.
"An opening!" Dewott declared, and he launched forward, brandishing larger Razor Shell blades than before. He came at Jackson, and unleashed a double slash that knocked Jackson's blade to one side, and unleashing another slash down his body, causing him to fall backwards.
"He got him!" Ledian gasped.
"Jackson!" Eevee cried out as Dewott readied himself.
"Now for the finisher. Night Slash!" Dewott shouted, switching his blue blade for purple ones, and launching at Jackson as he was falling. It looked like he was gonna get him. But this was far from over.
Jackson's free hand quickly slammed the ground as he flew, stopping his fall, and going into a breakdance spin that knocked Dewott's scalchops out of his hands, and kicked back Dewott again, startling the Water-type. "You almost had me." Jackson told the Pokémon, "At least, the me that was on the defensive. Now let me show you my offensive skills." Jackson pushed himself from his position back onto his feet again, and launched at Dewott, who was helpless against Jackson's suddenly movements. In blinding speeds that no one could keep up with, Jackson completely defeated Dewott, who crashed to the ground, unable to move.
"What…?!" Weavile gasped, almost losing his cool from what transpired.
"He took out Dewott that quickly?!" Ledian gasped.
"Jackson…constantly shows how he is not like the humans of this world." Eevee muttered, watching Jackson swish his blade, before switching it to wooden blade form, and sheathing his blade, looking back at Dewott.
A moment later, Jackson had used potions to heal up Dewott's injuries, and he sat in the grass, bandaged up from Jackson. "Looks like that didn't work out." Dewott said in a disgruntled manner.
"True, but you showed me even greater potential than you realized." Jackson stated, sitting on the ground next to him, "When you busted out all those moves, and then unleashed Torrent like that, you had me break out into getting serious. You impressed me, Dewott."
Dewott looked at him with amazement, not expecting the praise, despite his loss. Still, it made him blush from being pleased, before shaking his head and looked away, saying, "Of course I impressed you! Shouldn't come at a surprise!" The others smiled and chuckled at his demeanor. "What are you laughing at, Weavile?!" Dewott demanded.
"He's the one who gets backed at?" Eevee questioned.
"Trainer…I mean, Jackson." Dewott started, getting everyone's attention to how he calmed down, "You are a really strong trainer, I can admit that. And not just for strategies, but you are a powerful fighter. I might need to learn your way of fighting…as well as your sword techniques. It might improve my Night Slash by quite a bit."
"True, you can learn from me." Jackson admitted, looking to the remaining three Pokémon, "But just like me, you can learn from more than one. I didn't get this strong just from one teacher, but from multiple ones. Even ones I was an equal to or greater than. You can learn from all of us, just like they can learn from you and each other." Dewott, Eevee, Ledian, and Weavile looked to one another. The first two of Jackson's team smiled giggled, while Weavile furled his arms and looked confident as he smiled in agreement.
"Grr… I really don't want to learn from my rival at all!" Dewott hissed, looking at him, before to Jackson, "I'll start by learning from you. If any of them actually impress me, I might think about learning from them."
"Well, that's a start." Jackson understood, standing up straight, pulling out Ledian, Weavile, and Dewott's Pokéballs, "Now you guys rest up. We're nearing Violet City. Then, we'll take on the first Gym Leader, and earn our first Gym Badge." He called back his three Pokémon, placing the balls away as Eevee got to his shoulder again.
"Well, that was a pretty nice rest up." Eevee stated, "Not only did we learn about you, but you were somehow able to earn Dewott's respect more."
"Dewott seems to have dealt with some tough times." Jackson noted, "His pride in his move, mixed with the bitter taste in his mouth from being tossed away from his trainer left him with such an aggressive attitude. Honestly…" Jackson looked at his weapon hand, clenched it into a fist, "He kinda reminds me of myself before. Good thing I was able to change him before he let his anger get any worse."
"Jackson…" Eevee muttered, looking sadly at him.
Jackson shook his head, trying to suppress the rising memories again, as he stated, "Let's go. Violet City is not far off." He activated his Air Shoes, and shot forward, moving at high speeds towards their destination.