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"Now… Fire!" A fierce call pierced the still ambiance of the forest air, soon followed by its shrill echo.
"Fenn! Fenn! Ne! Kin!" Following that echo then was the audible crackle of flames. Three pillars of red-hot fire, tight and precisely aimed, struck their targets in perfect sequence, knocking one, two, then three tall stones straight off their perches. Bullseye.
"Good job, Fennekin!" Serena cheered. Her partner's aim was getting good! Exactly what they wanted to see! "I think we've got this down!"
"Fenn, fennekin!" Smirking, Fennekin raised her head up high, pride swelling in her chest as well as her eyes. At this rate, they could be out of that crummy forest before long.
With their first attempt against Viola ending in half-way disaster, Serena and Fennekin turned their sights to one task above all— training. They were gonna need to do a lot better if they wanted to earn the Santalune City Bug Badge, and improving their aim was first thing on the agenda.
What did their secret weapon matter, if they couldn't hit their target, after all? That's what brought Serena and Fennekin to their current training grounds— A rocky clearing in the forest around Santalune. The loose stone piles made for excellent target practice.
At least, they used to.
"I think we're done here, Fennekin!" Serena turned and faced her partner, her declaration bringing an immediate smile to Fennekin's face. Soon, that smile disappeared. "We've got still targets down pat, I think we should do like Ash does, and move onto moving targets!"
"Feeeeeennekin." Fennekin grumbled at the notion for a mere moment, before shaking her head and raising it up high. She grinned and gave a mock salute with her paw. "Fennekin! Fen, kin!"
Her upswell of enthusiasm faltered then, as a thought then came to her mind.
"Fenn, nekin fennekin fenn?" How exactly are we gonna get a moving target?
Serena could only grin at that, before she winked and struck a pose.
"We're going to catch you a training partner!"
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"Pidgey!" The warcry of a fierce bird-of-prey rang through the air, standing in defiance against their would-be assailants. Before Serena and Fennekin could react, the Pidgey dive-bombed towards the ground and went in for a direct strike.
"Flamethrower, Fennekin!" Serena would meet her soon-to-be Pokémon with equal tenacity, diving to the side and sending Fennekin in for the counter attack. Her partner huffed their chest out wide, before firing out a pillar of flames.
"Piiiiidgey!" Pidgey was agile, however, pulling up and avoiding the potent blast with a gust of wind. Looping back, they went in for another dive-bomb.
"Dodge, and Flamethrower while they're close!" Quick on her feet, Serena pivoted to a new strategy. Fennekin leapt back as she charged her attack, waiting for the moment the Pidgey would fly overhead. The second they did, she fired!
"Gey! Pidgey!" Yet still, Pidgey dodged, pulling up and allowing Fennekin's flames to pass harmlessly underneath. This bird wasn't going to make this easy— Serena needed to give it her all!
"Deep breath, see the bigger picture…" Exhaling, Serena steadied her racing heart. She had to see it all— Her Pokémon, her opponent, and the spaces inbetween.
Pidgey dived in and out of Fennekin's reach, aiming to peck the living daylights out of her partner with each pass. The persistent Flying-Type was only stymied by Fennekin's harried dodging and occasional return fire.
It seemed like Pidgey's attacks were random and unstructured, but after a moment, Serena saw their pattern— Dive in, fly-by, pull up, over and over again, from the same few angles. If Serena was right about this, it was just about the timing!
"On my signal, Fennekin!" Her call alerted Fennekin to hold her fire, waiting on Serena's word. The tension rose, until the very moment Pidgey came in for another divebomb. "Flamethrower, now!"
"Fennekin! Fenn!" This time, it was a direct hit! Fennekin's flames blasted Pidgey in the face, sending the fierce Flying-Type reeling back in shock. In an instant, they were launched straight into a tree— Bullseye! "We did it! Great job Fennekin!"
Fennekin snorted, before grinning and turning her head up in pride. Guess all that training did her some good after all.
"Pidge… gey…" Overwhelmed by the sheer power of Fennekin's attack, the Pidgey slid off the trunk of the tree and collapsed to the ground below. Swirls in their eyes indicated what was obvious. They were out cold.
"Heh, I guess we overdid it a bit, huh?" Serena scratched her head with an awkward inflection, before reaching into her pocket for a Poké ball. "Ah well, we'll make it up to them! Go, Poké ball!"
With a light toss, Serena threw the ball with the same masterful aim her starter had managed. Except this time—
"Huh!?"
—It was to less than effective results. Serena's Poké ball had bounced straight off the Pokémon's unconscious body. It didn't even bother to open and attempt the catch.
"Fenn?"
"What the…?" Picking the discarded ball off the ground, Serena furrowed her brows, unsure as to what had just happened. Thankfully, her answer would soon reveal itself.
Illegal capture detected!
Serena blinked, before she realized where that sound was coming from. It was the Pokédex in her pocket.
"Huh? What're you talking about?" Fishing the familiar device from her pocket, Serena flicked it open and demanded it explain itself.
Illegal capture detected! Poké balls will not function on fully unconscious Pokémon.
"What!? But, why not!?" Was all that effort for nothing!?
Pokémon must concede and consent to being captured! Poké balls will not function on fully unconscious—!
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you, jeeze." Serena silenced the device before it could repeat itself, stuffing it back into her pocket with a huff. "Fine, if they have to be awake for this, then we'll just wait until—"
"Pidge?" Blinking awake, the unconscious Pidgey suddenly became not that, hopping to their feet with a confused squawk. They and Serena locked eyes for a moment, before calling out in unison.
"Perfect—!"
"Pidgey!?" The Flying-Type hopped into the air, and immediately took off in the other direction. Serena's second attempt was thwarted before it could even begin. "Pidgey, gey! Pidgey-pidge!"
"Huh! Where are you going!"
"Fenne?! Fennekin fen!" And who are you calling a bully?! Sore loser!
Like that, the two were alone once more. Serena huffed.
"Right, okay. Fine. That didn't go great, but—!" She put on a positive look, sharing a glance with Fennekin as she shared her smile. "We're not out of it yet. Just gotta try again, and go easier this time."
"Nekin, fenn!" Fennekin seemed to agree, ready and excited to give this whole capture nonsense another shot.
"Perfect, let's go find another Pokémon!" Putting on a smile, Serena marched further into the forest thicket. There was hope for them yet!
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"It's hopeless." Serena groaned and fell to her knees, the last hour or so of failure finally getting to her. Time and time again, Serena and Fennekin would encounter some local Pokémon, challenge it to a battle, take a short while to line up their shots, and then immediately KO it on the first hit, without fail.
As it turned out, the vast majority of Pokémon in the forest were Grass and Bug-Types, who'd fall to even Fennekin's Ember at her current level. The remaining Flying-Types in contrast were too fast to be hit by the relatively slow Ember, requiring a Flamethrower instead. Of course, said move was far too much, even without the type advantage.
It was hard to believe, but Fennekin was too strong for the Pokémon in the local area.
"Fenne. Fennekin fen, kin…" Frowning, Fennekin approached her trainer's side, before pressing her forehead against her thigh. With the most comforting look she could manage, Fennekin crouched down and leaned against Serena. A moment passed, until she spoke up again. "Nekin fen, fennekin fen?"
What're we going to do now?
"I'm not sure yet, Fennekin." Putting on a small, reassuring smile, Serena comforted her partner, as she tried to think. Their plan to take on Viola didn't technically require catching a second Pokémon, but having the extra muscle would've been a great help. That, of course, was ignoring the real reason she was even looking for said extra muscle to begin with.
They had to train against a moving target.
Thoughts passed in Serena's mind, before she reached a conclusion.
"Come on, Fennekin, we've got work to do." Picking herself up, Serena stood tall once more.
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Serena's boots and dress and coat sat in a neat pile before her, the entire outfit replaced by the casual tank tops and sweatpants she wore now. Clothes may maketh the woman, but the right clothes were needed for the right job. Today, the outfit she needed was buried deep in her backpack.
"There you are!" With a cheer, she pulled out a bright pink jumpsuit— her Rhyhorn racing uniform. Serena had never thought she would need this old thing again, but it seemed the universe had different plans.
After a few minutes of fiddling with her outfit, Serena stepped out of her tent with a bold, confident look. It seemed Fennekin noticed, as she stood straight up in attention.
"Fenne? Fennekin fenn!"
"This, is how we're going to train, Fennekin," Serena explained, pressing her palm into her chest. There was a hint of hesitation in her voice, one that was fading into a growing buzz of excitement. "We need a moving target for you to practice against. So… I'm going to do it. I'm going to be your moving target!"
Serena felt her heart begin to quicken.
"Fe— Fennekin!?" Almost immediately, Fennekin balked at the suggestion. Her eyes bulged as she leapt to her feet. "Fennekin fen!? Nekin fenne fen fen, fennekin!"
Are you crazy!? I'll fry you to a crisp!
"I might get a little singed, yes. But it'll be worth it if it means we can beat Viola!" Serena honestly couldn't believe her own words, nor the fact she was saying them with complete sincerity. If there was one thing she had in reserves, however, it was resolve.
It seemed Fennekin was another story.
"Nekin fen, fennekin. Fenne fen-fennekin!" We can't do this. I, I don't want to hurt you!
Concern, clear-as-day, stood on Fennekin's face. Despite Serena's apparent confidence, not of it seemed to be shared with her partner.
Time to fix that.
"We have to do this, Fennekin." Serena's expression softened, as she crouched down onto her knees. Fennekin approached and pressed her head against Serena's outstretched hand. "I have to do this, have to do everything I can to make us stronger. The training we've been doing so far hasn't been enough."
At that moment, Ash's words filtered into her mind.
"And anything worth doing, is worth overdoing," she reiterated, standing tall and smiling proud. "So, what do you say, Fennekin? Are you with me?"
Fennekin stared up at her trainer, a bit starry-eyed at the confident tale she spun. It almost made her forget her previous objections. Almost.
"Fennekin, fen… Fennekin." If you think it'll work, then… I'll follow along with you.
"Perfect! Thank you so much, Fennekin!" With a hop, Serena swept her partner off her feet, before tossing her into the air and catching her once more. "I promise, you won't regret it!"
"Fenne, fen!"
Serena's heart swelled as she and her partner shared a peaceful moment. Despite the challenges, she knew one thing for certain.
This was going to go great!
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This was going terribly!
Serena dived to the side, just barely dodging a pillar of flame that nearly consumed her whole. Wherein she'd usually take a moment to stop and dwell on how close she was to getting fried, she had no such luxury today.
She had to dodge the follow up!
"Fen!" At Fennekin's call, another Flamethrower poured forth, aiming directly for Serena's chest. Serena was forced to hit the deck, rolling across the ground as the flames missed her by a hair.
As it turned out, all that practice against the Pokémon of the forest had given Fennekin a pretty decent aim to start with. Now Serena was at the receiving end of it.
"Y-you're doing great, Fennekin!" Forcing on a smile, Serena praised her partner as she stumbled back to her feet. She had to keep moving, had to be a good target for—! "Whoa!"
"Nekin!" Right as Fennekin fired, Serena tripped, falling onto her back moments before the flames passed overhead.
Serena's nose was mere inches from the bright, crackling fire— Fire that filled her entire field of vision. She could've rolled away to safety almost immediately, but instead, she stopped.
Fennekin's fire— It was amazing!
Serena's eyes widened, her heartbeat picking up not out of fear, but excitement. Being this close to the danger, to the heart of it all— It was just like watching a battle!
An adrenaline-fueled laugh passed Serena's lips.
"Come on, Fennekin!" Snapping to attention, Serena rolled to her feet, before beckoning to her partner with her hands. An honest-to-goodness smile filled her face now, as she called for the training to continue. "Give me your best shot!"