National Park
It was morning, and Jackson spent the night at a Pokémon Center near the Pokéathlon Dome. During the time that night, he and Dewott decided to spend the night understand what was to come in the Bug-Catching competition. He, Leafeon, and Dewott wandered together back to the National Park, towards the area where it was gonna take place. Because of the area he was gonna be in, he swapped his swords with a wooden one that wouldn't cause questions.
"Okay, just reminding ourselves of the rules." He told the team, "We have one hour to search the National Park for Bug-type Pokémon. They will give us Pokéballs to use for it, so we only have a limited amount of balls to use. Also, we can only use one Pokemon to try and get the best Bug-type out there."
"That won't be a problem!" Dewott argued, readying his scalchop, "I can easily take down any Pokémon that comes my way!"
"Remember, the strength and rarity of the Pokémon are not the only thing that count towards winning the competition." Leafeon argued, "It's also taking into account on how good condition it is in."
"Right. Damage them a lot, but not too much." Jackson noted, looking to Dewott, "This will be an excellent time to test your self-control in battle."
"I'm the Discipline Pokémon. Self-control is in my blood." Dewott stated smugly. Jackson and Leafeon sighed and shook their heads, which did catch Dewott's attention, and he demanded, "What?! What's wrong with you?!"
(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 Leafeon, who after a couple seconds, leaps onto his shoulders 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
(Leafeon leapt forward and swung her tail into a Razor Leaf, before her tail glowed as she charged up sunlight, before unleashing a Solarbeam. Dewott and Weavile shoot through the Solarbeam, unleashing double Night Slash, slicing the beam, 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
(Quilava turns to face the Team Rocket logo, before unleashing his Flamethrower. He huffed in confidence 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.)
The team entered one of the buildings that led towards National Park. It was also the place where Jackson was gonna register for the Bug-Catching Contest. He registered himself and Dewott for it, while Leafeon decided to stay behind and watch from the sidelines.
Jackson and Dewott entered the waiting room, seeing a small collection of trainers in there, a lot of them looked like bug catchers, especially since they had Bug-types with them. Others had Flying or Fire-types, as they were really useful to take down Bug-types. However, Jackson stopped as he saw someone on his lonesome on the far end of the room. It was none other than Cypher, with Nidorino at his side.
"Cypher!" Jackson called out, frowning at the sight of him.
The red-headed trainer looked up, seeing the familiar face, before scoffing, "Great, it's you."
"What are YOU doing here?" Jackson questioned, furling his arms, while Dewott looked ready for a fight, "I never pegged you for a competitor in these kind of contests."
"I don't care about contests." he replied, "I only care about the strong Pokémon that are here. What's more, I am here to improve Nidorino's battle capabilities."
"Nidorino's battle capabilities?" Jackson echoed, looking to the Pokémon, who looked to one side, having an expression of shame.
"As you have seen from that battle with that other boy and you, he has potential, but is otherwise completely pathetic." Cypher noted, "I am here to train him with battles against these Pokémon while searching for more powerful ones to gather. And if necessary, I will replace Nidorino if he is not living up to expectations."
"You would give up on Nidorino that easily?!" Jackson questioned, "You have spend a good long time together, and you would just throw him away because he is not doing enough?!"
"If a Pokemon is too weak, he is of no use to me. I only care for strong and powerful Pokémon. Nothing else." Cypher's words were irritating Jackson, as was Dewott.
"Attention, contestants!" Called out a voice, getting the attention of the trainers in the room, "The bug-catching competition is about to begin!" Jackson and Cypher shot one last glare at one another, while Dewott looked to Nidorino, who looked determined, which had signs of desperation mixed in. They walked over to the announcer, standing at the door to the National Park. "Thank you so much for joining us today on our Bug-Catching Contest!" he told the group, "Now, here are the rules to the competition. Each trainer is only allowed one Pokémon only. We will also give you twenty Sport Balls each. My assistants will be passing them around to you right now." As he spoke, two female assistants were going from trainer to trainer, with one arrive to Jackson, giving him a small bag with twenty shrunken Pokéballs with yellow circular emblems on top.
"You have one hour to go and capture a Bug-type Pokémon." the announcer continued to explain, "If you run out of Sport Balls, or your Pokémon is unable to battle, your time will end. With all that said, the competition will start when that countdown hits zero." He pointed to a timer over the door to the National Park, which started at '10'. It started counting down as everyone readied to take off. Jackson prepped to take off, seeing a clear opening through the people ahead, Dewott hopping onto his shoulder upon his request, while Cypher didn't even look like he was gonna start.
Once the countdown hit zero, Jackson shot with his Air Shoes, blasting through the competitors and sending them flying from the windy shockwaves. Some were flung off their feet while others were slammed into the wall. The announcer was perplexed at what just happened, as was his assistants. Cypher looked amazed at Jackson's sudden burst of speed, but didn't let him get overwhelmed, and walked out the door after him.
Far ahead, Jackson slowed down once he was in the woodsy part of the park, looking back as he stated, "Was blasting off like that a little much?"
"Eh, we got a jump ahead of the group." Dewott noted, hopping off of Jackson's shoulders, "We are gonna really get ahead of the others and capture a super-strong Pokémon!"
"Right. Let's look about." Jackson stated, walking around the place, "I know there are a lot of different Bug-types around here when the Bug-Catching Contest. I know there are a lot out there. Just as long as we don't run into any-." His sentence was stopped when something fell on the ground before him. Looking down, he could recognize the yellow cocoon Pokémon before his eyes, and his eyes dilated. A Kakuna. "BEEEEEEEES!" He screamed, taking off for his life, with Dewott following him a few seconds after.
Thirty seconds later, Jackson stopped to catch his breath, with Dewott finally catching up to him. "Damn, that forest incident really traumatized you." he stated.
"Tell me about it." Jackson sighed, looking about, "No Beedrill or its pre-evolutions around here, yeah?"
"If there are, I will send them flying. Get your head in the game!" Dewott stomped towards Jackson, glaring up at him, "You defeated me before. I know you are tough. Act like it!"
"Right, right. I get it." Jackson replied, rubbing the back of his head, "We're gonna find a new ally to our team in this forest. Let's keep an eye out for them."
Just then, Jackson ear's perked up, and heard something playing a tune nearby. He looked about until he eventually noticed the Pokémon singing, which was a red and black cricket-like Pokémon with long, sword-like hands, about a meter tall. There were smaller Pokémon of the same color around him, looking as if they were its pre-evolution.
"What are they?" Jackson asked, pulling out his Pokédex. "Kricketot. The Cricket Pokémon. It chats with others using the sounds of its colliding antennae. These sounds are fall hallmarks. When its antennae hit each other, it sounds like the music of a xylophone."
"Kricketune. The Cricket Pokémon, and the evolved form of Kricketot. It crosses its knifelike arms in front of its chest when it cries. It can compose melodies ad lib. It signals its emotions with its melodies. Scientists are studying these melodic patterns."
"Knifelike arms, huh?" Jackson questioned, looking at the Pokémon, "That actually has me excited to get it. Let's go capture it, Dewott!"
"Sounds good to me!" Dewott answered, drawing his scalchop.
Jackson stepped forward, shouting out, "Kricketune! We're calling you out!"
Kricketune stopped singing, while the Kricketot around it panicked and ran away. "You dare interrupt my performance?!" he questioned, his voice like a opera singer, glaring at Jackson, "You shall be judged with a concerto of suffering!"
"What's with this guy and the way he speaks?" Dewott questioned.
"Listen, I like music as much as the next guy, but you caught my interest, so let's sing and dance!" Jackson argued, "Dewott, Razor Shell!" Dewott shot forward with his watery crescent blade.
"X-Scissor!" Kricketune shouted, flying forward with crossed sword hands, which glowed with energy. The two swung their blades, clashing with each other, before backing off. "And now Screech!" the Cricket Pokémon called out, saying the last word with a deafening shriek that caused Dewott to cover his ears in agony of the attack.
"Silence him! Water Pulse!" Jackson shouted. Dewott was able to barely hear through the Screech, and produce a watery orb before sending it flying into Kricketune, exploding into his body and making him fly. "Night Slash!" Jackson shouted.
"Now we're talking!" Dewott declared, creating a purple energy sword, before lunging forward at his target, slicing right passed him, landing to the ground while the Bug-type fell on his back.
"Go, Sport Ball!" Jackson shouted, tossing the ball and hitting Kricketune with it, sucking him into the ball. It shook a few times, before there was a click, signaling the capture. Dewott was patting one of his ears to stop the ringing from the Screech while Jackson picked up the ball. "And we got ourselves our first Pokémon in this competition."
"Good. I bet that thing's a keeper." Dewott argued.
"Maybe. But let's go see what other Pokémon are around here." Jackson noted, "We might find someone else that catches our interest."
Dewott finally stopped the ringing in his ears, looking to Jackson as he argued, "Yeah. If they are tougher, then all the better!" Jackson nodded in agreement, and walked off, but not before thinking on Cypher's words.
"If a Pokemon is too weak, he is of no use to me. I only care for strong and powerful Pokémon. Nothing else."
'It's not the same.' Jackson argued with himself, looking to the ball containing Kricketune, 'I don't think Kricketune is weak. Besides, we haven't even developed a bond, like he had with Nidorino. He was willing to abandon him if he wasn't strong enough. I am different.'
Meanwhile, Cypher's Nidorino had just unleashed a Shock Wave attack onto a helpless Butterfree, causing it to fall to the ground. Cypher tossed his Sport Ball to it, hitting it and sucking it in. After a few shakes, it clicked.
"That was easy." Nidorino noted, as Cypher walked over and picked up the ball, analyzing it with his Pokédex.
"This Pokémon barely is good at doing anything. Not worth the capture." the trainer scoffed, tossing the ball and setting the Butterfree free. As it flew off, he looked to Nidorino with a glare, saying, "You shouldn't get excited by that. That Pokémon was too weak. If you want be part of my team, show me you can defeat a powerful opponent."
Nidorino looked down, frustrated that the battle wasn't enough. Still, he nodded in understanding, as Cypher walked away. He followed from behind, wanting to prove himself.
Jackson kept looking around with Dewott at his side. They encountered all sorts of bugs, such as a moth Pokémon called a Dustox, a blue and red firefly duo called Illumise and Volbeat, and other Bug-types he was familiar with from previous encounters. Jackson did, unfortunately, encounter a different kind of bee Pokémon called a Combee, which sent him running for the hills once more. Apart from that, everything was fine. He even encountered other competitors who were searching around for bugs as well.
"We still haven't found a Pokémon any better than Kricketune, so far." Jackson told Dewott, looking about.
"No joke. All the Pokemon around here don't look as tough." the discipline Pokémon admitted, "Maybe that's the best we can get."
"Maybe..." Jackson replied, looking to the ground, thinking.
Suddenly, he heard the sound a fluttering wings he had only heard once before, but not in this contest. The last time he heard it was all the way back in Azalea Town. He turned as he witnessed a familiar Pokémon flying towards Jackson and Dewott, swinging his mantis sword hands at them. They both leapt out of the way as he passed, with Jackson recognizing and calling out, "Scyther!"
"You dodged by Slash. Impressive." Scyther noted, turning to Jackson, "If you are a contestant, then I don't plan to be your game. Farewell." He flew off into the forest, leaving the trainer and Pokémon behind.
"Hey! You just gonna try a hit and run like that?!" Dewott demanded angrily.
Jackson paused, thinking on the Pokémon that just passed by, before giving a nod and glaring at the direction it went. "Let's follow it. I think we just found our next Pokémon!"
"That guy?! Really?!" Dewott questioned.
"What, you afraid he's too tough for you?" Jackson asked, coaxing his partner.
"Grr... I know you are trying to get me to go after it." Dewott growled.
"And is it working?" Jackson asked.
"You bet it is! Come on, we're going after it!" With that, he hopped onto Jackson's shoulder, as he used his Air Shoes to go after it.
"Pathetic." Cypher scoffed, looking to see a group of Bug-types nearby, "None of them look at all strong to be part of the team. This whole Bug-Catching competition is a joke."
Nidorino looked to his trainer, before looking around, afraid. 'If I don't develop results, I won't be able to stay! I need to find a powerful Pokémon around here!' He started to step away from Cypher, who looked to him. He could see that the Pokémon was desperate. He went through the shrubbery nearby, looking about. Suddenly, a pair of steel pincers appeared, nearly clasping onto Nidorino had he not backed off. What appeared from the shrubbery was the pincers that were the horns of a brown, beetle-like Pokémon.
"A Pinsir. Now we're talking." Cypher stated, glaring at the Pokémon, "You better live up to the hype as I have heard. Nidorino, you better show you can take this Pokémon down without too much effort. Horn Attack!" Nidorino charged at the Bug-type with a glowing horn, striking it head on. He took the hit, before grabbing Nidorino by the horn, and throwing it hard into a tree. "I see. It knows Vital Throw." Cypher understood.
"Get back here!" Jackson's voice shouted. Cypher turned to see a Scyther appear out of the shrubs, with Jackson and Dewott in hot pursuit. They stopped all together as Jackson noticed the company. "Cypher!" he recognized, "And who is that?!" He pulled out his Pokédex, pointing at Nidorino's opponent.
"Pinsir. The Stagbeetle Pokémon. Pinsir is astoundingly strong. It can grip a foe weighing twice its weight in its horns and easily lift it. This Pokémon's movements turn sluggish in cold places."
Cypher noticed Jackson's target, which Dewott had the attention of. "A Scyther, huh? Looks like you actually found something worth getting." he noted, "Certainly better than that other bug you had before."
"Don't talk about my Ledian like that!" Jackson shouted, "Besides, who was it that finished off your team?!"
"That doesn't matter in this situation." Cypher argued, "Now if you excuse me, I have a powerful Pokémon to get. Nidorino, use Shock Wave!" Nidorino conjured up a ball of electricity from its horn, before shooting it in a lightning bolt at Pinsir, who got shocked bad by it.
"Fine. I'll get Scyther before you can get that Pinsir." Jackson growled, looking to his opponent.
"Tell me, why are you so keen on capturing me?" Scyther questioned, "Is because I am so rare? Is it because of how strong I can be?"
"Actually, I am more interested by those sword hands you have." Jackson answered, getting a surprised expression by Scyther, "Dewott and I are gonna show you what we can do!"
"Hell yeah! An opponent worthy to be considered a challenge!" Dewott declared as Jackson called out, "Focus Energy!". Dewott glowed as he focused himself, "Tell me something; Do you know Night Slash?!"
"I do not. It is a move I cannot use." Scyther answered.
"Fine, then. I'll still win!" Dewott argued.
Scyther frowned as his blade hands glowed, before shouting, "Vacuum Wave!", sending a crescent wave of energy from his blades. The attack struck Dewott before he could react, sending him flying.
"That looked like it hurt!" Jackson growled, "Dewott, retaliate with Water Pulse!" Dewott was able to flip in the air, before hurling a ball of water at Scyther. He suddenly moved at blinding speeds to evade the attack.
"Oh come on!" Dewott growled, "This guy knows Agility?!"
"Focus, Dewott. He isn't as disciplined in his speeds as Weavile is, and you know you can keep up with him." Jackson argued.
"Yeah. Keep up AND surpass!" Dewott shouted.
Scyther was already in front of Dewott, readying a Slash attack. "Razor Shell!" Jackson called out, and Dewott countered Scyther's blade with his own. Dewott growled as he pushed off against Scyther, wanting to win.
Meanwhile, Nidorino was in a heated match with Pinsir, who was strong to take the hits and dish out attacks like his Vital Throw, X-Scissor, and Vice grip. At this point, Nidorino was pushing his horn against Pinsir, who had the tip of his horn in a Vice grip.
"Nidorino, I won't tolerate you losing this fight!" Cypher told him, "You better have the power to push past this guy. If you can't, you are useless to me!"
Nidorino was scared at these words, and was digging his feet into the ground, before roaring as he started to push Pinsir back, before causing him to reel backwards, overwhelmed by the sheer power he had. "I don't want to be abandoned. Not while I pushed myself this hard!" he called out, "I have to win, and defeat you!" He turned around and unleashed a Double Kick with his hind legs, striking Pinsir twice, and causing him to crash into the tree behind him, before crumpling to the ground.
Cypher didn't answer to this, but tossed his Sport Ball at the weakened Pinsir, sucking it in. There were several shakes, before the ball clicked, signaling the capture. He walked over, picked it up, saying, "That will do. A Pokémon that can become strong." He pocketed the ball, before looking to Nidorino. "I never gave you the command to use Double Kick. Don't make your own choices without my say so." he told him off. Nidorino looked startled he would still lecture him in some way, and looked ashamed.
"Next battle, follow my orders to the letter." he told Nidorino, who looked up in surprise, "I must be a strong trainer, and I cannot be one if my Pokémon have to make the attack choices for me. Is that clear?"
Nidorino was reading between the lines, and realized this meant his strength was accepted by Cypher. He smiled and nodded in approval, determined to keep this going.
Back in Jackson and Dewott's fight, Scyther was doing one Slash after another, while Dewott parried and countered with his Razor Shell from his two scalchops as best as he could.
"You got this, Dewott! Find that opening!" Jackson called out, "Don't just swing your blade wildly! Make your slashes smooth and precise! Dance with your blades!"
"Dance with my blades?" Dewott questioned, "Okay, then. Let's dance!" He backed off from Scyther, who slammed his blades into the ground, surprised to see the Water-type go evasive. Dewott then launched forward, spinning and dancing with his swords, too unpredictable and swift to completely parry, eventually getting overwhelmed and slashed backwards by his attack.
"Nice! Crude, but nice!" Jackson stated.
"I can do better!" Dewott argued against him.
"Yeah. I'll give you some swordsmanship lessons." Jackson assured him.
"Yeah. And I can do even better with swords than that!" Dewott roared, summoning energy swords around him, which spun and vanished, causing his body to glow a red hue.
"What in the heck?!" Jackson questioned.
"Seems like your Pokémon learned Swords Dance." Cypher acknowledged, getting his attention.
"Wow, I like that name." Jackson replied.
"Yeah. I got a serious physical attack boost!" Dewott declared.
"Okay, then. Use Night Slash!" Jackson called out.
"Time for the finisher!" Dewott roared, creating two purple energy swords with his scalchops
"I won't let you win. X-Scissor!" Scyther roared, flying forward with crossed mantis hands. The two opponents crossed one another, unleashing their attacks at blinding speeds. There was a few second delay, until Scyther crashed to the ground, unable to continue.
"Probably got points reduced for the amount of damage I had to do, but whatever." Jackson muttered, "Sport Ball, go!" Jackson tossed the ball, hitting Scyther, and sucking him in. There was a few shakes, and the ball clicked, signaling the capture. "Yes! Got him!" he cheered.
Dewott sighed in relief as he looked confident and asked, "So, was I impressive or what?"
"You were. And we got someone pretty strong, too." Jackson told him, taking the ball. He then noticed Cypher and Nidorino walking away, before demanding, "Hey, are you planning to throw out Nidorino to replace him with that new Pokémon?"
Cypher stopped, glaring back at Jackson as he replied, "That's none of your concern. I treat my Pokémon the way I want to. If you worry about another trainer's Pokémon, it's a sign of weakness." With that, he walked away. Nidorino took one last look to Dewott, who glared back, before walking alongside his trainer, leaving the scene.
"I can never understand that guy." Jackson muttered, "Caring about others is a sign of an open heart and respect from many, which gives you strength in return."
"Hey, there are those I don't want to respect, especially Weavile." Dewott scoffed, putting his scalchops on his hips and furling his arms.
"You respect him as a rival. He is one you try to surpass." Jackson argued, "Just like I..." He looked onward towards Cypher, who was far beyond, "...I respect Cypher as my rival."
Moment's later, the Contest was over. They reviewed everyone's Pokemon, including releasing the ones the trainers weren't using for the scoring round. This included the Kricketune Jackson caught.
"Sorry I interrupted your performance." Jackson told Kricketune, crouching down to his level, "I hope you make more music for the Pokémon around here."
"Indeed. I shall perform an orchestra of one in the deep woods of this glorious environment." Kricketune answered, "Farewell, my momentary trainer." With that, he left Jackson side, escorted with the other bugs out the door.
Jackson stood up as he looked around, seeing Cypher in the corner of the room. He then heard the announcer nearby call out, "Okay, folks we have judged all of your Pokémon. Here are the results of the the contest. In third place... Kylie, who caught a Venonat!" A lass in one part of the room cheered as she was happy to hear her name.
"In second place... Jackson, who caught a Scyther!" Jackson was surprised and happy, while Dewott growled, "We only got second place? Who beat us?!"
"And the winner of the Bug-Catching Contest is..." The announcer paused, making sure to get everyone's attention, before finishing, "...Cypher, who caught a Pinsir!" Cypher looked up, not even looking like he cared he won. He stepped forward as everyone clapped for his win. Jackson and Kylie also joined his side.
"As the winners of this contest, we present to you a prize based on your placement." the announcer told the group, with Jackson being handed a smooth stone by one of the female assistants
"A rock?" Jackson asked, looking at it.
"That's an Everstone." the assistant explained, "Having a Pokémon hold onto it will prevent them from evolving."
"Hmph! A useless tool for me." Cypher noted, before getting his prize, which looked like a stone shaped like a sun.
"For winning this competition, you just gained a rare Sun Stone. Congratulations!" the announcer told Cypher, before looking to everyone in general, "We will see you next time in our next Bug-Catching Contest! You may gather your Pokemon in that room right there. Enjoy the rest of your day!"
Everyone went and gathered up the remaining Pokémon they left behind for the competition, Jackson and Cypher included. Leafeon gleefully came back to join Jackson's side, telling Dewott, "You did fine work helping out Jackson. Thank you."
"Hey, someone's gotta keep an eye on him." the discipline Pokémon scoffed.
"Ditto that remark." Jackson responded.
"What does Ditto have to do with anything?" Dewott asked.
"Wait, what?" the trainer asked.
Suddenly, the team heard something clunk on the floor, and turned to see Cypher had just reached the exit, and had an open hand to one side, as the Sun Stone he won was on the floor, purposefully dropped.
"What are you doing, Cypher?!" Jackson demanded.
"Nothing strong will come from this stone." Cypher argued, "I don't need it at all. If someone else wants it, they are glad to take it. I got what I wanted from this contest anyway." He exited the building without a second thought.
Jackson approached the Sun Stone, and picked it up, looking to it to the door Cypher went out of. "Who does he think he is?!" Dewott questioned.
"Sun Stones are a rare item!" Leafeon argued, "They have the power to evolve certain Pokémon!"
"So this stone is really an evolutionary stone?" Jackson asked, "Why would he say no strong Pokémon would come from it?"
"Maybe he can't stand a partner with a 'sunny disposition'." Dewott punned, getting groans from the other two.
"Well, I'll put this to good use someday." Jackson noted, putting the Sun Stone in his backpack, right with his Everstone.
The team left the building onto Route 36, before pulling out the balls of the rest of his team, including his new partner, Scyther. "Okay, everyone. Come on out and say hello to our newest member!" Jackson shouted, tossing the balls out, bringing Weavile and Quilava next to Dewott and Leafeon, and Scyther appearing separate from the group.
"Time to get serious with this new addition." Jackson told himself, before approaching Scyther, "Okay, Scyther. Now that you are part of my team, we'd better start training in a way that'll benefit you in our future battles. So tell me, what is your specialty?"
"Well...I am good with cutting." Scyther responded, raising his mantis claws, "You said you liked me for them, right?"
"Yep. They are like swords, and swords are my specialty." Jackson answered.
"I can see that." Scyther noted, looking to Jackson sword, "I can feel some sort of strength from you. A sort of power I don't get from other trainers."
Jackson paused for a second, before saying, "Well, I'm gonna teach you how to fight like a swordsman. I won't be going easy on you in training. My sensei wasn't easy on me when I was learning." He thought back to the many practices and even sparring matches he did with Shigure in Ryouzanpaku, never even beating her once and always enduring harsh lessons and strikes.
"Sensei?" Scyther echoed.
"Yeah. You know, my master." the swordsman trainer explained, "She was powerful with a blade, along with all sorts of weapons. I can guarantee you that through all my training, you will become way stronger than before."
"If that's how it's going to be, then I will learn the ways of the blade from you, sensei."
Jackson was surprised on how he addressed him. "Whoa, you don't have to call ME sensei. That does seem a bit weird for me."
"Why? You are teaching me the way of the blade, just like your sensei did." Scyther reminded, "So, in turn, that makes you my sensei, doesn't it?"
Jackson mulled it over, before responding, "Well, sure, I guess. Okay, then. I guess I'll be your sensei, then."
"Hey! Why don't you teach us, Jackson!" Dewott demanded, stepping forward in between Jackson and Scyther.
Jackson was surprised as he asked, "You want to learn, as well?" He did mentally recall that he was gonna help out Dewott before.
"Of course I would!" Dewott argued, "I wouldn't be asking if I didn't!"
"I, too, would like to learn." Weavile agreed.
"I didn't say you could, too!" The discipline Pokémon argued.
"Hush, now, Dewott!" Leafeon barked back, "Though, it would be nice to learn what you know, Jackson. It might benefit us in future battles."
"Yeah, I would like to learn, as well!" Quilava finished.
Jackson looked to his team, before looking at his Fire-type partner, saying, "Well, I don't think I can train you in swordplay, Quilava. You don't have anything I can consider a sword-like move for you." Quilava looked shocked, before looking down sadly. "But I can help you out with your speed." he continued, "With your sleek body, you should have no problem with that." He looked relieved that he was gonna get training from Jackson.
He turned to the rest of the team as he stated, "As for the rest of you, I can definitely see some of your moves as sword-like. So I'll give you some pointers on how to fight like a sword fighter like me."
"Does this mean we'll have to call you sensei, too?" Dewott asked, looking concerned at this thought, "Cause if that's the case, I refuse."
"Don't worry. You don't have to." Jackson assured him, before looking to Scyther as he finished, "But you can if you want to." Scyther smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Okay, let's find a secluded spot away from prying eyes, and get started on our new style of training!" Jackson told the team, and they walked away from the National Park entrance, prepared to take on their next new step to getting stronger.