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[Pokemon] Chapter 47: Battle Training
🕑 Added 2024-09-09 16:00:09 +0000 UTCAfter completing an unofficial battle at the Motostoke Gym, Jin and Kabu entrusted their injured Pokémon to the Pokémon Center and headed towards the battle café that Liko had mentioned.
“The Black Rayquaza, huh…”
“Do you know anything about it?”
Kabu, like Jin, was from the Hoenn region and was the Gym Leader of this town. Jin, hoping that Kabu might have some information about the Black Rayquaza, asked him as they made their way to their destination.
“I have a clue. But why do you ask?”
In response to Kabu’s question, Jin answered honestly. He refrained from mentioning the mysterious pendant that he hadn’t fully understood yet but shared everything he knew, such as how the Rayquaza had emerged from an ancient Poké Ball and how his companion, Roy, dreamed of capturing it.
“I see. If you were planning to challenge Rayquaza yourself, I wouldn’t mind telling you here and now... but since that’s not the case, I’ll wait until I meet this friend Roy of yours.”
“...Fair enough.”
It was Roy, after all, who sought to challenge Rayquaza. Jin might assist depending on the situation, but he had no intention of being the main participant. Challenging Rayquaza would require considerable strength, and it seemed Kabu wanted to gauge that strength before sharing any information.
“What do you think, Jin? Do you believe Roy can catch Rayquaza?”
“If we’re talking about battling, he definitely can’t do it right now. Maybe in the future, but not at the moment.”
“That was a quick answer...”
“I know both Roy’s strength and Rayquaza’s power.”
Roy had grown significantly stronger, but even so, he wasn’t anywhere near Rayquaza’s level yet. In fact, at this stage, Rayquaza likely wouldn’t even consider him a worthy opponent. It was a harsh reality, but the gap between them was undeniable.
“But he’s incredibly persistent. Even if he loses, he’ll keep trying, again and again. One day, he might just reach Rayquaza... at least, that’s what I believe.”
“I see... hearing you speak so highly of Roy has piqued my interest. Oh, look, we’re here.”
It seemed that while they were talking, they had arrived at their destination, the battle café. Jin and Kabu entered the café and made their way inside, heading towards an available terrace seat.
“Huh?”
“What’s this…”
As Jin and Kabu approached the terrace seat, they saw a battle in progress on the field inside the café. Liko and Murdock were battling against a man who appeared to be a pastry chef, with Sprigatito, Alcremie, Slurpuff, and Appletun on the field.
“Now it’s our turn! Alcremie, use Decorate!”
Alcremie emitted glowing yellow particles from its body, creating a swirl of cream between its hands. It shaped the cream into a form resembling soft-serve ice cream, placing it atop Sprigatito’s head. The scene was reminiscent of the Terastallized form, so beautiful it captivated those watching.
“It’s almost like a Contest Battle, isn’t it…”
“Haha, it really is.”
Contests, officially called Pokémon Contests, originated in the Hoenn region, where Jin and Kabu were from. They didn’t just focus on the strength of the Pokémon but also on their appeal. Though neither Jin nor Kabu had participated in contests, they had watched them several times.
It was a natural comment given the situation, and indeed, there were aspects of the battle that resembled a contest. The move Decorate, which was rarely used in single battles, was being used to enhance the partner’s attack and special attack in this double battle while also creating a visually stunning effect. In a contest, it would have surely earned high marks.
"Sprigatito! Use Scratch!"
As Jin and Kabu continued their conversation, the battle progressed. Powered up by Decorate, Sprigatito delivered a powerful Scratch to its opponents, Slurpuff and Appletun.
"You're doing well... but I won't lose! The taste will be très bien!"
Reacting to their trainer's command, Slurpuff and Appletun rose to their feet and launched cream and sweet nectar into the air. Where these ingredients came from was unclear, but they were mysteriously absorbed into the bowl their trainer was holding.
"...Huh?"
"What?"
"You sneaky devil, Mitchell... Fine! We'll show you our flavor too! Get ready to savor this!"
While Jin, Liko, and the others watching were confused by this action, which had nothing to do with Pokémon battling, Murdock seemed to catch on to Mitchell's intention. Following Mitchell's lead, Alcremie began pouring its own cream into the bowl Murdock held.
"More! Très bien!"
"Alcremie, don't hold back! Keep it coming!"
Ignoring the confusion of Jin and the others, Murdock and Mitchell continued making cakes that looked and smelled delicious. Their movements were smooth, and strangely, despite having been in a battle just moments ago, they seemed to be genuinely enjoying the cake-making process. Watching them, those around couldn’t help but feel uplifted by the cheerful atmosphere.
(A shift from a Pokémon battle to a sweets battle, huh... It was like a Contest battle before, and now it's turning into a male version of a TriPokalon(Pokémon Showcase)...)
As Jin watched with interest at this unprecedented transition from battle to sweets-making, the cakes made by the two were carried by staff to the other customers in the café. One of the cakes, placed in front of Jin, was a creation of Murdock and Mitchell. Jin took a bite, and the taste spread warmly through his mouth.
"...This is delicious."
"I told you, didn't I? The cakes here are amazing... but today, they taste even better than usual."
"...I suppose you're right."
For Jin, it was his first time trying these cakes, but the reactions of the regular customers, happily enjoying their fresh servings, made it clear that today was special.
"The reason for that might be them," Kabu said, nodding towards the field.
Jin followed his gaze and saw Murdock and Mitchell embracing each other, crying tears of joy, while Liko and Roy looked on with warm smiles. Jin didn’t know exactly how things had ended up like this, but it was clear that these emotions had greatly influenced the taste of the cakes.
"Thank you for the entertaining battle and the delicious cake," Kabu said, addressing Murdock and Mitchell from the field.
"Kabu! I didn’t know you were here!"
"Huh? Is that... Kabu the Gym Leader!? And Jin too!?"
Upon hearing Mitchell, Liko and the others finally noticed Jin and Kabu sitting at the terrace seats behind them. When Roy loudly called out Kabu’s name, the other customers in the café also became aware of his presence.
(Oh no...)
Sensing what was about to happen, Jin quickly left his seat and made his way down to the battle field. Almost simultaneously, the customers flocked to Kabu, surrounding him and eagerly striking up conversations. It was clear just how beloved Kabu was in this town.
"You're late, Jin..."
When Jin reached the field, Liko gave him a light glare. After hearing the full story, he learned that Mitchell, the café's patissier, and Murdock used to work together at the same shop. However, they had fallen out over something trivial, and Liko had suggested they settle their differences through a battle.
"Geez! It was really tough, you know!"
Liko seemed to think that if Jin had been there, things would have gone more smoothly, but the outcome probably wouldn't have changed much. In fact, if Jin had gotten involved in the battle, he might have ended it too quickly, leading to an even worse outcome than before.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I'll make it up to you later... But more importantly, Roy, Kabu seems to know something about Rayquaza."
"What?! Really!?"
After finishing his conversations with the customers, Kabu turned his attention back to Liko and the others.
"Young lady, I watched your battle. That Leafage was quite impressive. I could really feel the bond between you and Sprigatito."
"Really!? Thank you so much!"
"And you must be Roy, right?"
"Yes! Um, there's something I want to ask you!"
"Ah, Jin already told me about it. This isn’t the best place to talk, though. Let's head to the gym, shall we?"
---
"We're here."
After leaving the Battle Café and handing the groceries they had bought to Murdock, Jin, Liko, and Roy made their way to the Motostoke Stadium. Kabu, however, wasn’t with them. He had said there was something he needed to prepare and had gone ahead to the stadium.
"...Alright, I think it's about time."
Following Kabu's suggestion, they had spent about 30 minutes wandering around the town before arriving at the stadium. By now, Kabu had likely finished his preparations.
"Yeah, but I wonder what kind of preparations Kabu was talking about."
"Well, we'll find out once we get inside."
Jin didn’t answer directly, but he had a pretty good idea of what Kabu was preparing.
(He's going to test him...)
Based on their conversation on the way to the Battle Café, it wasn’t hard to guess that Kabu intended to gauge Roy's abilities before facing Rayquaza. As a Gym Leader, he likely wanted to help Roy draw out his potential as well.
"Jin! What type of Gym Leader is Kabu?"
"Oh, that would be—"
"Fire type!"
Before Jin could respond, a girl wearing a red uniform, who appeared to be about the same age as them, interrupted.
"Hey there! I'm Wakaba, a Gym Trainer in training. You're Liko, Roy, and... Jin, right? Kabu told me about you guys! Follow me!"
Her name was apparently Wakaba, and she seemed to be involved with the gym. Following her lead, Jin and the others entered the stadium.
"Jin! I saw your battle with Iono the other day! It was amazing!"
"Oh, you watched that?"
"Yeah! It just so happened that I was watching the stream with Kabu, and he was super impressed too!"
(...So she’s Wakaba.)
Jin realized that Wakaba was likely the Gym Trainer candidate Kabu had mentioned after their earlier battle.
"I've been watching videos of all sorts of trainers' battles as part of my studies, and Jin, your battles have been a huge inspiration to me!"
Being praised so much didn’t make Jin feel bad at all. If there was one issue, it was the jealous girlfriend by his side. Liko’s mood soured each time Wakaba praised Jin, and before he realized it, she had closed the distance between them and was now clinging to his arm.
"Um, Liko! Can I ask you something?"
"...What is it?"
"Could it be that you’re Jin’s girlfriend?"
At Wakaba’s question, Liko’s sour expression instantly vanished. Her mood brightened, and she nodded with a big smile.
"I knew it! You two seemed so close, I figured as much!"
(...Yeah, walking arm-in-arm definitely gives off that vibe.)
It’s natural for people to assume that a boy and girl walking arm-in-arm are a couple, unless there’s a big age difference.
"Wow, that’s amazing! You two are around my age, and you already have a boyfriend!"
"R-Really?"
"Totally! I’m still in training, so I can't even think about dating... but, well, I’m interested! Please, tell me how you two got together!"
"Uh, um... It’s a little embarrassing..."
Jin was curious about the "girl talk," but listening to it any further felt like it would be awkward, so he decided to change the subject.
"Hey, what kind of person is Kabu?"
Thankfully, Roy’s innocent question, whether he read the room or not, interrupted the conversation. Wakaba quickly snapped back to reality and answered in a flustered manner.
"K-Kabu? Oh! He’s amazing! In a nutshell, he’s strong, passionate, kind, and reliable! A Gym Leader who’s always pushing himself to be better!"
It wasn't exactly "in a nutshell," but her admiration for Kabu was clear from her words.
"Just my opinion, but I think Kabu is stronger than Brassius and Iono."
While the strength of a Gym Leader can fluctuate depending on Pokémon matchups and the use of Dynamax, based on Jin’s experience battling all three, he honestly believed that Kabu had more experience and skill.
"Really!? Kabu’s that amazing?"
"Absolutely! I’ve always admired Kabu, which is why I’m aiming to become a Gym Trainer! I haven’t passed the exam yet... but I’ll keep trying no matter how many times it takes!"
"Yeah! You can do it!"
Wakaba’s upbeat and straightforward personality won over Jin, Liko, and Roy in no time. After some more lighthearted conversation, they made their way inside the stadium and were led to a training room rather than the battle field where Jin had previously faced Kabu.
"I’ve been waiting for you."
Inside the training room was a circular battle field surrounded by barriers. Standing by the entrance, Kabu greeted them.
"Kabu!"
"As I mentioned earlier, Jin has already told me that your goal is to capture the black Rayquaza."
"Rayquaza!? The legendary Pokémon!?"
"Yeah, it was in this Poké Ball, but it broke out and flew off somewhere..."
While Wakaba, who hadn’t been informed of their objective, was visibly shocked, Roy pulled out the ancient-looking Poké Ball and showed it to Kabu and Wakaba.
"I see... as I thought, I haven’t seen anything like it."
As expected, even Kabu, a veteran trainer, had never seen the ancient Poké Ball before.
"I want to meet Rayquaza again and catch it. That’s my dream!"
"I see... and what about you?"
After hearing Roy’s heartfelt declaration, Kabu turned his attention to Liko, asking about her goals.
"W-Well, I feel like everything—meeting Rayquaza, meeting my friends, and being here—all connects somehow. That’s why I want to learn more about Rayquaza!"
Though her reason was a bit more abstract compared to Roy's, Kabu seemed to understand Liko’s desire to pursue Rayquaza and uncover its mysteries.
"I can feel the passion from both of you. Supporting young trainers is also part of a Gym Leader's duty. I'll help you improve your battle skills."
(Just as I thought...)
It was clear to Jin that Kabu’s main goal had been to test and enhance their abilities from the start.
"Does that mean Kabu is going to..."
"Are you going to battle us!?"
(...No, that’s not it.)
If that were the case, they would have been taken to a battle field right away. Since Kabu had led them to the training room instead, it made sense that they were here for something different, something that could only be done in this space.
"Heh... now, come on in."
Kabu opened the gate to the fenced-off area and led Jin, Liko, and Roy inside. As they reached the red circle in the center, a total of twenty Litwick emerged from the grassy areas of the field.
"Litwick, the Candle Pokémon. Ghost and Fire type. Its flame is usually out, but it is said to ignite when it absorbs the life force of humans or Pokémon."
"That's creepy!"
Hearing Rotom Phone’s explanation of Litwick, Roy couldn’t help but react. It’s easy to forget, but many Pokémon hide frightening abilities beneath their cute appearances.
"Your training begins now."
"Wait, we’re not battling?"
"What’s important to becoming stronger is mastering the basics. If you polish up your fundamental moves and increase their power, your battle skills will naturally improve as well."
The basic moves Kabu referred to meant, for example, "Leafage" for Sprigatito, and for Fuecoco, though they’d been working on "Flamethrower" recently, the more appropriate move for this training was "Ember."
"Now for the rules. From within the red circle, Fuecoco will use 'Ember' and Sprigatito will use 'Leafage' to target the Litwick’s flames. If Roy can light all the Litwick’s flames with 'Ember,' he wins. If Liko can extinguish all the flames with 'Leafage,' she wins."
Though Liko and Roy had sparred in practice battles before, this was their first time competing in a clear-cut challenge. The sense of competition had them both fired up. To avoid getting in the way, Jin and Kabu stepped out of the circle, leaving only Liko and Roy inside.
"Alright, are you both ready?"
"Yes!"
"Then, begin!"
As the sound of the buzzer rang out, Kabu gave the signal to start. At that moment, Sprigatito and Fuecoco locked their sights on the Litwick.
"Fuecoco, use 'Ember'!"
"Sprigatito, use 'Leafage'!"
Fuecoco’s 'Ember' and Sprigatito’s 'Leafage' both aimed at the Litwick in front of them, but upon seeing the attacks coming, the Litwick panicked and scurried into the tall grass to hide.
"Stay calm and aim carefully! Use 'Ember' again!"
"Sprigatito, stay cool! Use 'Leafage'!"
After reflecting on their initial failure, both trainers regained their composure and landed their moves on the Litwick in front of them. Since they hit their targets at almost the same time, the score remained tied at 10-10.
"They're both calmer than I expected."
"They’ve been through plenty of trial and error during training. Failing is common for them, but it doesn't discourage them anymore."
Thanks to Jin’s regular training sessions, Liko and Roy had experienced failure countless times, to the point where messing up once or twice no longer fazed them.
"Sprigatito, release a bunch of 'Leafage' and surround it!"
"Meooow!"
Sprigatito released a flurry of 'Leafage,' enveloping the Litwick attempting to climb the fence and extinguishing the flame on its head. Upon confirming this, Liko and Sprigatito quickly set their sights on the next target.
"This time, tighten up 'Leafage' and make it sharp!"
Following Liko's command, Sprigatito condensed a smaller amount of 'Leafage' into a tighter, sharper bundle and fired it like a bullet, extinguishing yet another Litwick’s flame.
"Wow, Liko and Sprigatito are amazing!"
"Yeah, they've got great synergy."
Wakaba and Kabu couldn't help but voice their admiration as Sprigatito consistently extinguished the Litwick’s flames one after another.
(With these rules, Liko has the advantage...)
Liko had been a trainer slightly longer than Roy. Additionally, while Jin’s focus with Roy was mainly on practical battle skills, Liko had been thoroughly trained to master 'Leafage' from her time at Indigo Academy. The gap in experience was starting to show, and Liko began to pull ahead in the score.
"Oh no, what should I do?! I’m gonna lose at this rate!"
(If this keeps up, it’ll be too one-sided... I guess I have no choice.)
"Roy! If you lose, I’ll double your training for today!"
"Fuecoco, we’re gonna win even if it kills us!"
"Fueeeee!"
To snap Roy out of his panic, Jin delivered the perfect motivator. Fueled by this newfound determination, Roy and Fuecoco began successfully lighting the flames of one Litwick after another.
"♪Ho-ho-ho Fuecoco, ♪Ho-ho-ho Fuecoco, ♪Ho-ho-ho Fuecoco!"
Singing their favorite tune as they fired off 'Ember,' the rhythm seemed to boost their speed and precision. Fuecoco quickly lit the flames of the Litwick in front of them, even relighting some of the Litwick whose flames Liko and Sprigatito had already extinguished.
"Great job, Fuecoco!"
"Fueee!"
Roy and Fuecoco’s comeback continued, and soon they overtook Liko and Sprigatito, putting them at a disadvantage.
"We’re falling behind... Ah!"
Though they were at a disadvantage, Liko’s experience allowed her to stay calm. Scanning the field, she quickly spotted a cluster of Litwick whose flames had all been relit. If she could hit them with a large 'Leafage' attack, she could catch up in one go and shift the momentum back in her favor.
However...
“Keep it up, Fuecoco! ♪Ho-ho-ho Fuecoco~”
Just for a brief moment, Liko’s eyes caught sight of Roy and Fuecoco giving it their all, fighting with everything they had to win. Seeing them like that caused Liko to hesitate, and she couldn’t bring herself to act in time.
“...”
Jin and Kabu, watching from the sidelines, wore stern expressions on their faces.
“Meow!”
“Oh, sorry! Use sharp... no, use a lot of 'Leafage'!”
Hearing Sprigatito’s call, Liko hastily tried to give a command, but by then, it was already too late. Fuecoco’s 'Ember' attacked the final target, lighting up all the Litwick. In that instant, Roy and Fuecoco’s victory was sealed.
“We did it! Fuecoco, we survived!”
“Fueeeee!”
Roy and Fuecoco embraced each other, celebrating as if they had just escaped a life-or-death situation.
“We lost, huh... Sorry, Sprigatito.”
“Meow...”
“That was close, Liko! But you were amazing!”
“Thanks, Wakaba. Your cheering really boosted my spirits!”
Meanwhile, Liko apologized to Sprigatito, and then began chatting cheerfully with Wakaba, who had climbed over the fence and joined her on the field. It seemed she wasn’t too upset about losing.
“...This isn’t good.”
“Yeah...”
Jin and Kabu observed the scene from outside the fence, both noting the hesitation in Liko’s actions. It was unclear whether it was because she was facing Roy, someone she was familiar with, but in the context of a battle, that hesitation could become a fatal flaw.
“Jin, could you keep an eye on her for a little longer?”
Kabu spoke up, sensing Jin’s uncertainty about whether or not to address the issue with Liko.
“The result isn’t final yet. Let’s see how the next training session goes.”
“Understood.”
With that, Jin and Kabu reached a mutual understanding, and followed Wakaba onto the field, approaching the two in the center.
“Liko... that was close.”
“Yeah, sorry. I lost...”
“Well, don’t worry about it. We’ll have more practice battles, and you can win next time.”
(If you have the will to, that is...)
“Well then, it seems like you both got some great training out of this. Now, let’s test the results in a battle with me.”
“Huh?”
“Wait, Kabu... are you saying...?”
“Wakaba, would you partner up with me for this battle?”
“Eh?! Me? With you, Kabu?! Y-Yes! I’d be honored!”
With Kabu’s suggestion, it was decided that Liko and Roy would face off in a tag battle against Kabu and Wakaba. For Roy, this would be his second time battling a Gym Leader, and for Liko, it would be her first.
// END
Next Time, a Tag Battle!
3.6k Words!
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